Ella’s appointment with the orthopedist today went well. For one, it was a very efficient visit, Ella was examined and her x-rays taken. Secondly, the news was pretty good. The doctor said that she is doing ok, and that there is nothing to worry about at this time. He encouraged us to continue with the standing Ella does in any possible way, stander, free standing, you name it. If she can tolerate it, do it. The x-ray showed that Ella has slight scoliosis (curvature of the spine), It is very slight and nothing to worry about now, though we will have it checked in a few months. The doctor said she seems to be supporting her spine nicely now so there is no reason to intervene. The other thing he stressed is stretching. Ella’s low muscle tone in her left side causes her left limbs to tend to scrunch up and stretching does a lot to relieve it. We are all waiting to see Ella’s reaction to Netta. We are hoping that this will bring new stimulation to both of them and that they will both learn from each other. Ella responds well to having children around her. She loves playing with her cousins and she enjoys her playgroups. I just hope she won’t feel anxiety over loss of attention. (this is probably inevitable to some extent). My big worry, however, is that Ella, in the long run, will feel like the underdog, the problematic kid, the underachiever. She will have a younger sister that is not disabled, is symmetrical and (from what we can tell) pretty smart. I am hoping we can make Ella understand how unique and wonderful she is. I am off to Moscow today to pick Netta up and bring her home. Being away from Ella is difficult and we miss her terribly when we are away. Hold on Ella, we’ll be right back.