I follow several blogs and when I remember to check them every few days, I used to get annoyed if they hadn't been updated. I have turned into one of those people. Many times over the past week, I have thought about updating and what I would type. But then real life gets in the way, or Katy calls, or Caroline needs me to watch her do her exercises, or Emily needs a ride, or I sit and wait for Emily at GK practice and I type a whole post on my phone and hit the back button one two many times and poof, it's all gone. So here we are. Caroline is 11 days post op. My parents have come and gone, taking with them my ride helper and my chief laundry folder and kitchen organizer. And when I say chief, I MEAN chief! She is walking around really well on her crutches, trying to work on heel to toe. Doing her PT three times per day, going to PT twice per week. She was able to go to both her soccer games this weekend. It was the farthest she has walked on the new knee and she was tired, aching and swollen when we got home. So far her spirits are up, she is anxious and wanting to know how long before she can start kicking a ball. Ummm, maybe four, five months? I really don't know. She went back to school today. I know she could have gone back last Friday, but she's twelve, and she's my sweetie pie that had pretty major surgery, so another day didn't hurt. I have had my own anxiety about the heeling process over the past few days. Two new friends have helped me through via phone calls, Facebook and email. They might not know it, but I am so grateful for them. I have learned not to compare patients, even if their surgery was the exact same, on the same day. They are different kids and will heal and progress at their own pace. One isn't better than the other. They are both going to come back stronger than they went out, I truly know that. Caroline's extension was my biggest source of worry. It seems like her knee is stuck semi bent, and it seems like I am constantly reminding, okay nagging her, to make sure she is working on getting it straight. Several exercises into the PT, it goes a little flatter, and then looks really good when she is finished icing and has her heel propped on the coffee table. Then she gets up to walk upstairs, or when she gets out of the shower, or pretty much any other time, it's back to bent. I know that she wants it straight more than me, ITS HER KNEE!!! And she needs my support and encouragement, not nags and worries. It's a vicious cycle, the massive swelling. You have to move to increase extension, swelling increases with movement, and swelling decreases extension. But she will get through this. She's doing everything the Dr. and PT tell her to do. Her knee will get better, it just takes a llloooooonnnngggggggg time.