Another rainy day in St. Louis!  There was actually a flood warning as it has rained so much.

This morning Brian and I took Wes on his own adventure to the City Museum.  Evelyn was more than happy to stay back at the hotel with Oma and Opa.  We didn’t want to take her as Dr. Park does not recommend the City Museum post-SDR and I can see why (stay tuned).   Wesley has been cooped up more than normal lately due to the weather and was probably getting bored of roaming the hotel, so we thought we would take him out to burn some energy and spend some time together.

The City Museum is not a traditional museum.  It is more like a big, crazy, magical indoor playground.  We didn’t really know what to expect and they don’t have maps so you are always exploring.  This place is really amazing!  There are so many places to explore, caves (bring a flash light), staircases, things to climb and swing on, water elements and tunnels…tunnels everywhere! You would be walking around and you would see a little face below the floor or someone climbing over you.  Some tunnels were so small only a child could go in but we did do some tunnels ourselves.  I can understand why they recommend knee pads and we saw many people wearing them. There are also slides, including a 10 story slide I bravely went down (it’s a climb to the top).  This place is the ultimate playground but could also be a parent’s worst nightmare with the uneven ground, dark areas and random paths and holes for kids to quickly go in.  On the other hand, this place is totally a kid’s dream and if we weren’t responsible for a tiny human, I am sure Brian and I would have really explored!

There were also areas where you can go in and see the staff creating new exhibits and places to play.  There are several floors to explore and in the warmer months there looks to be a rooftop area as well.  There were some more historical exhibits upstairs as well as a little train, building blocks and places to grab food or an adult beverage.  Not every area is accessible and someone could easily overdo it, so I can see why Dr. Park doesn’t recommend this place after SDR.  Also, keep an eye on your little ones as it is not the most toddler friendly. If you are coming to St. Louis and you have adventurous older kids, check this place out!

  

 

Evelyn was pretty tired this afternoon at physiotherapy.  Poor Rebecca sees her most of the time in the afternoon when Evie isn’t as focused.  Rebecca asked if there was anything Evelyn hasn’t been doing yet that she used to do before.  She wants to make sure we focus on these over the next week before we head home.  We said she hasn’t been picking things up really yet on her own (will kneel down to pick something up while holding onto something).  We also said weight shifting would be a good thing to work on. Evie worked on the treadmill, including walking backwards on an incline.   Rebecca hadn’t seen her yet since her casts came off and she was really happy with her gait pattern.  They also practiced standing with one foot on the ground and the other on top of a box and a squishy dome while throwing frogs into the basket.  Later on Evie worked her core again while sitting on a peanut ball and reaching for puzzle pieces.

We brought Evie’s night splints with us today to therapy.  We noticed some redness last night on her heels and across the top of her foot.  We mentioned it to Rebecca and she messaged the orthotist office.  A few minutes later someone appeared and made notes, took the splints and returned by the end of the session with the changes.  How cool is that!?  So quick!  We need to now test out her SMOs (which she won’t be wearing much yet but we need to check for redness) and let them know of any redness.

In other news, we wanted to give a special shout out to Brian’s co-workers!  We continue to be touched by the kindness of others. We received a package today which included a super neat egg carton activity kit and a sticker book.  Along with these gifts for Ev was a card filled with messages from Brian’s c0-workers wishing Evelyn a quick recovery and other positive notes.  What a nice surprise!  Brian isn’t one to talk much about work but he has always said nice things about the people he works with.  He is very fortunate to work with such great people!  Thank you all so much!

 

One week today and we will be heading back home to Ontario.  We will enjoy our last week here in St. Louis but we are looking forward to seeing our family and friends soon!!