We have finally gotten to a new normal around here. I am a strong believer in routines...they make life so much easier. Hannah now only takes her braces off for 1 hour before bed. This time is used for bathing, running and expending all of her energy. It is amazing how light she is without the braces on! We enjoy this free time even more when we see the beginnings of progress. There is a notable difference. Both feet point forward and the bowing has decreased some. When the braces are off, we constantly have to direct her to sit with her feet out (instead of tucked under her and out to the side) so as not to "wreck her legs". She understands the concept of "making her legs better" so this is very helpful for us. She does have red pressure marks on both of the sides of her knees though which bother her at times. We have to be careful these don't cause her too much pain. The other issue we have encountered is that because she is wearing the shoes all day, we need to find a way to air out her shoes in the hour they are off. This is more difficult than one might think. We have used Odor Eaters foot powder, baby powder and lysol spray. These seem to help a little...as long as it doesn't become caked on. Our amazing little girl does not see her self as different. She receives multiple glances, compliments and the like from passersby regularly which seem to help her self-esteem. We are constantly encouraging her and have to fight our own frustrations and wants to help her all the time. She is 2 and wants to be independent so we do our best to allow this to happen safely. Especially since carrying her is proving more and more difficult every day with my growing belly! In the coming weeks we will attempt potty training and transitioning to her "big girl bed" in anticipation of baby in the spring. We shall see how it goes. For now, we can't thank everyone enough for their thoughts and prayers. We couldn't do this without God, our faith and YOU! :) Merry Christmas!!! :)