Before I begin - this picture is of Simon (the little one!) and his big brother Sebastian (6 1/2) on 4th of July on their balance bikes. My older one already rides a pedal bike but he was test riding this bigger version balance bike for kids 6-9 years old for my balance bike business. And no, I don't let Simon ride barefoot or without a helmut! I got them to pose briefly for me (which is a rare opportunity!) before sending Simon back to get shoes and his helmut on!
Things are status quo with the Perthes. Simon tires out easily when walking and after a few blocks (or less) usually wants me to carry him (luckily he is only 33 pounds - but he still feels heavy!). I noticed over the weekend when he is running that his gait is off slightly and there is a small gallop. He doesn't ever complain about it and he is sleeping fine through the night. So who knows exactly what that means! It doesn't always mean good news for the hip - but it does make our lives easier for now with no major issues glaring down on us.
His allergies and asthma seem to be in check (barely sometimes) so we are hoping to take him off the zyrtec in August - which I think makes him alittle more hyper than his usual self. I did get a metal frame backback for our upcoming vacation so he can ride back there instead of me carrying him! Luckily since he is small he can still fit OK and we tried it out the other day. This is probably the last summer I can use something like that. When we went camping recently, I ended up carrying him a lot down the hiking trails and that got tiring after awhile. Since I use to be an avid backpacker, I think the backpack will work just fine.
