I just heard back from Mr. Boeree and here are his thoughts.

On the toe feeling and sometimes achy shins: This is likely to be a little bruising / stretching of the L5 nerve roots and should gradually respond to walking and neural stretching exercises that you can do with your physical therapist.

On picking up my kid:  It is never really how much you lift, but how you lift it.  10lbs lifted away from your body, especially if off to the side or with a twist, will be far worse than 25lbs lifted close to you and with a fairly straight back.  I think you can lift her if you use your legs and keep her close.  You will naturally tend to arch your back a little, and off to the opposite side to where you’re holding her, to keep your centre of gravity correct but this should be fine.  It may get uncomfortable after a while but just listen to your back.

It is so great that such a busy surgeon takes the time to follow up with his patients’ questions himself.

-Brett