The New Legs

These were Reni's first legs.  Oh, how excited we were to get these cute little guys last year!

I'll never forget the prosthetist asking at Reni's first fitting if we had brought his shoes.  We looked at him dumbfounded, then found our voice and asked, "Um, we'll run down the street and buy some.  What size does he wear?"  We brought back three pair, and these were the ones chosen (primarily because they were the flattest on the bottom).  I thought they were perfect.  Down to the little paw print.  I love how scuffed up they are now -- evidence that they've been somewhere.  I can't remember being so excited about scuffed up shoes before.

It didn't take Reni long to outgrow these legs.  I mean, hey, he was fitted less than a month after coming home from Albania and he gained weight fast, chunking up his little legs so we had to ditch the liners because he simply didn't fit in them anymore.  Soon the prosthetics were slipping and rotating out quickly with toes pointing out at odd angles, but it didn't seem to bother him.  Then he started growing UP and his center of balance started changing -- nevertheless, he continued to grow in strength and confidence in these legs.  But at the end of the summer it was clear that they just plain didn't fit anymore and we started to see him regress.

Then he got these bad boys.  They made his first pair look positively dainty.

Below you can see a side-by-side comparison.  These new guys are H.E.A.V.Y but our boy is STRONG!
Oh, and shopping for only the 2nd pair of shoes I've bought my son in 15 months was another one of those surreal experiences.  It really felt a little strange.  I've already forgotten what size shoe he wears.

Unlike strapping the legs on with criss-crossing velcro belts like his first pair, these new legs utilize his new muscle tone and suction/ratchet on.  Below you can see what looks kind of like a compression sock (?) that is rolled onto his legs (see the demonstration from two posts previous to this one).  This "sock" has a post at the bottom that ratchets and clicks into the inside of the leg so they stay snug.

A simple squeeze on the button below releases the ratchet and the legs slip off!

This design prevents the legs from rotating like his initial pair.  We'll keep you posted as to his progress.  He still has a long way to go in getting use to them.  In the meantime, the photos below are from last night when we hosted our friends, the Haakes.  They are a couple in our small group who has also adopted internationally.  Reni and their son, Kerwin, have really hit it off, which is fun to witness.

Reni was really proud of showing off his legs to his new best friend.

They took some turns throwing the ball back and forth before Reni was finally ready to throw in the towel and go to bed.