Beware of AFOs!

Well, we finally got Anna's AFOs and corrective shoes last Friday. We were pleasantly surprised that they were adorable little blue braces with butterflies and pink Velcro. The shoes are not quite as great, but at least they're just like white saddle shoes (sort of). (photos to follow when I get a chance)

Anna's having quite a time getting used to them, and Mommy and Daddy are extremely slow at the whole process. The frustration is compounded by the fact that the AFOs are made of hard, smooth plastic and fall off frequently. In fact, they weren't even on for 15 minutes after we got them, and they came off. I'd been warned by other SB moms that the AFOs were a joke for babies, but I had no idea it was quite so bad. So Nate and I are on a mission to invent a better system; we'll let you know when we make our fortune off this new invention. Ha!

Anyway, Anna only wears the Dennis Brown shoes at night, but that presents its own challenges, as it involves a whole new bedtime routine and a whole new experience with a grumpy, tired baby. It will get easier with practice, but it's quite an interesting ordeal for now.

Gramma Tonee left on Saturday, but thankfully, Nate got home yesterday and was a great help last night. The sailing trip did not quite go as planned (again, photos to follow soon), and the guys got stuck in Yakutat for a few days--which, if you know anything about Yakutat, means there was not much to do except make friends with the locals. Finally, after trying a couple of times to set sail, they weren't making any progress, so Nate caught a flight home. I was disappointed that he didn't get to make the whole trip but definitely glad to have him home (even though he hadn't showered or shaved in 10 days).

Hopefully, he will post his own entry and photos later.