Magical Shoes!

"Life isn't a matter of milestones but of moments." -Rose Kennedy

Today was the day. Today was the day I've longed for. It was a day that prayers were answered and tears were to hard to hold back. Today was the day that our little Landon took his first steps - one...two...three...four...and five. As I stood in awe, my emotions were filled with amazement, relief, and thankfulness. Today was the day that God filled me with a gift of tiny toes walking in step.

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It's been a long journey. At a young age, Landon showed signs of muscle weakness (particularly in his lower back). Our little Landon has had his share of doctor's appointments, tests, and treatments. After seeing several specialists, Landon was diagnosed with benign hypotonia.

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Basically, this condition means a child has low tone with no known reason of acquiring it. They can have it anywhere and/or everywhere along with a series of other aliments. We were lucky though. Landon was diagnosed with low tone only in a couple of places, including his lower back and mouth muscles. This "benign" hypotonia will get better in time with a little help from therapy.

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For 6 months now (wow time has flown), we've been going to physical therapy with our amazing therapist Dr. Kristen. She decided to order Landon shoe inserts a few weeks back in order to stabilize his balance and give him more support. They now fit perfectly in a "magical" pair of Adidas shoes that were a gift from Papa Raftery.

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Today was an average Monday afternoon. Landon went to his weekly 30 minute therapy session with Dr. Kristen, while Kennedy and I played in the waiting room. It wasn't long before Dr. Kristin called me back to her office. (This never happens so I knew it had to be good.) She sat me down a few feet in front of Landon while she held on to his hips from behind. As she released her hands, I watched as our Landon took five beautiful steps towards me - it was a moment I'll never forget!

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It's been a long road to this point and I'm sure some challenges still are ahead. However, the road thus far has been filled with knowledge, understanding, patience, and most of all faith. Landon is a beautiful, smart, and healthy child that has given me an amazing opportunity to walk along side him in this journey of life.

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Video to follow!