New AFO's mean special shoes...

Anthony was fitted for new AFO's a couple of weeks ago and he got them yesterday. For those of you who don't know, AFO stands for Ankle/Foot Orthotic...just a fancy term for the braces Anthony wears. He got his first pair of AFO's when he was 11 months old, a year ago in December. The new pair is much bulkier and has straps not only on the top (at about mid-calf) but also at the ankle. Since these AFO's are bigger, Anthony also needed new sneakers. With the old braces, we were able to buy him wide Nike's and he's worn the same pair ever since. We got them for the bargain price of $16 (thank you Modell's!) So tonight we headed out to search for new kicks. The orthotist told me that New Balance was probably the best brand because they make extra-wide's. Well...we went, we tried, we bought...but the experience was crummy!! Don't get me wrong, the girl who helped us was very nice. We were able to get the shoe on (with a bit of annoying effort) and tie it...but it kinda looked awful. I felt deflated...I just wanted to go and buy my kid a pair of cute sneakers. Then I remembered that my wonderful friend who also has a kiddo with an AFO just bought her daughter a pair of specialty sneakers (called Hatchbacks) and loves them! They are really cute too and super easy to put on! I just ordered a pair and will return the New Balance sneakers. It just made me realize how lucky we are to have a wonderful support network of friends...and that we have these great things available to use that some of the "pioneers" probably didn't. And as a side note...Gianna got a snazzy new pair of shoes from tonight's shopping experience...All's well that ends well!!

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