Well...I jinxed it...

You know I really should know better than to even think about Mabel sleeping well, never mind write about it and how wonderful it is! Last night was just down right awful! I estimate I may have taken in about three hours of interrupted sleep - and that was sleeping on the floor! I don't know for sure what was bothering her, she did have two very wet diapers. That cast is getting smaller by the day as she grows, when her diaper gets wet it swells up and really pushes on her belly. I've noticed there is a lot less room around her waist and legs. Also her little arms have bruises from her modified crawling, and I imagine her knee in the cast is probably raw or bruised since when she rolls that leg hits the ground. 9 more days...I just hope we have a more peaceful night tonight! It is amazing how four good nights of sleep can be undone by one bad one. Well, it is another day, we'll see. Oh, she's up again, an hour earlier than normal. Poor Mabel!

Don't want to jinx it...

Mabel has been in such a great mood lately and the more excititing news is the last four nights Mabel has slept straight through the night from the second I put her to bed! I thought the first night it was because she was so tired from the excitement of Christmas. Then the next day I thought it was because she was on a nap strike, then the same for the third day...and yesterday morning by the time she woke she slept almost twelve hours total! Yesterday she did nap so it isn't the exhaustion of no napping, it is just like old times, you know sans cast. I wake up at night and look in the monitor and she is in a different position every time, she likes to move. On her back, on her side (balancing that cast in the air!), on her tummy...at the top of the crib, at the bottom, laying sideways...you get the idea!

I don't want to jinx anything. I mean the last few nights of a full sleep have been amazing, I feel like a new person! Since I have had Mabel I think I've been in a fog. Sometimes I'm so tired that when I'm in a conversation with someone I hear them talking but it is like they are speaking another language! That really only happens when I'm also with Mabel, at work I'm able to pull it together since I can focus on my job and not her. Is that normal for every mom?

Well, anyway, it is down to 10 days left. I'm trying to not get too excited, I'm so scared that we'll go in and they will say the cast has to stay on. It won't be the end of the world, but it would be devastating at that moment. It can happen and I read it happens fairly often that they want more time in the spica after seeing the x-ray. But, part of me is seeing the light at the end of this tunnel. I can't wait to kiss her left knee! I got her footie pajamas ready to go, I haven't been able to put footie pajamas on her in almost three months! I have new tub toys! We're ready, lets hope that hip is ready!

Ahhhh Christmas...

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. It couldn't have been more fun and Mabel did so well with the long day and only a 45 minute nap...she just couldn't sleep! I think she was afraid she would miss something!

Christmas eve we put out our cookies and apple cider for Santa and she went to bed around 8:00 - she only woke once at 11:30 - probably because I told her she had to stay asleep or Santa wouldn't come...well, maybe it was jsut luck! In the morning we showed her the empty plate, the lit tree with the gifts from Santa, and although she is only one and probably had no clue what was going on, she seemed excited because we were so excited. It is true that when you have children Christmas is fun again! My mother joined us and after breakfast Mabel tore into her gifts, she had such fun opening everything. She seemed very excited about all her fun new toys from Santa. She got a piano from that she loves, she can pull herself to almost on her knees when she is playing it! It is good to see her pull herself up like that, I'm encouraged that with the brace she'll learn to stand!

Then we were off to Zack parents house, Mabel did so well even though this was her regular morning nap time, and she did not sleep in the car, she hardly does. We had a great time with Zack family, opening more gifts and Mabel continued to do great. After lunch we went to our next Christmas destination and again Mabel decided to not sleep in the car, but that's OK. She was still in a great mood and excited, she didn't want to miss a thing.

We arrived at Zack's aunt & uncle's home where the majority of his father's family celebrates Christmas every year. It is a nice party and it is great to see everyone. Much to our surprise most of the family had no clue that Mabel was in a cast! I was shocked, I thought that everyone knew. We had to tell the story over and over again and even more surprising no one noticed by looking at her. I guess the Christmas pants I made her did the trick! When Zack handed Mabel to his cousin to hold she said, "Is she wearing plastic pants or something?" What?! She had no clue. Then again we explained the whole story, blah, blah blah.

You know when I learned of Mabel's cast and that it would run through Christmas I was really upset by the thought of her in this ugly cast in all her Christmas pictures and the fact that she would be in it at all, but it was just fine. I couldn't find a dress that covered the cast so I altered some pants I bought at Old Navy. I had to get a 5T to fit it over her cast and around the waist, but then I cut one side open and added Velcro and I hemmed the legs to the right length. It worked great with a cute little shirt - hey no one noticed that she was in a cast! I think most people think put a dress on her, but it was hard to find something that looked like it fit normal - her top half is a 9-12 month size and her bottom half is like 5T at the waist!

It can be hard sometimes having to repeat the story and details and answer the same questions over and over again. It can be also equally hard to remind people that NO - she can't sit in a high chair, her legs don't move! And yes, we only have two weeks left, but trust me we've put in 10 weeks and it feels like the last few weeks are taking forever!

Zack, Mabel and I had a great day after Christmas as well, she didn't nap but last night slept all night! Merry Christmas!

Chrismas Eve...

Well, it has been a heck of a week. I will never complain that I'm bored, that is for sure. Mabel is the most amazing and wonderful baby, I know I've said that before, but she is. I don't know how we would have made it through the last few weeks without her amazing outlook on things. Her ability to adapt has been a life lesson for all of us.

My new diapering system seems to be doing the trick at night. Having the larger diaper with the pad in it has really helped out and we have not had any leaks. This system is talked about a lot by other parents, it wasn't necessary for us for the first few weeks, our other system worked great, but now that she is moving, this is the way to go. One thing I keep learning over and over again, not just with the cast, but as a mother is stay on your toes, just because something worked for a while it will change so be ready to figure something else out. Using our new diapering system has made for a couple of really good nights. We have had three nights of full sleep from mid-night to about six in the morning!

Yesterday when I got home from work, my mother was worried that Mabel's diaper leaked. I checked her and sure enough it had, Mom said she was sleeping on her side at one point. That would do it! She typically stays on her back for naps, well, I'll show mom the size 4 diaper trick today! We'll just put that on her for naps from now on. It took about 45 minutes to dry the cast this time, it wasn't too bad and Mabel was such a good sport. Luckily she still nurses when I get home from work and she just nursed while I used the hair dryer on her cast.

Yesterday Mabel kissed me on the lips! I asked her for a hug and she planted a big kiss on me! I thought maybe it was random but I when I asked again, this time for a kiss and she did it again and again. I kissed her three times she kissed me three times. Zack was leaving but I called for him. He came over and asked her for a kiss and sure enough she did it! Only once though because Zack has a beard right now and she didn't like that. Oh, she is so sweet, my mom was there and of course cried! It seems like everyday when I'm getting ready for work, Mabel pulls out a wonderful new trick to get me to stay and be late!

Mabel's mobility continues to grow. She gets up on "all fours" now. It is up on her hands and toes! She also tries to pull herself up! I'm happy to say I may have to put her crib mattress back down to a lower height if things keep going like they are! I know that once she gets that brace she'll feel so free! I can't wait to see the excitement in her face when she can sit upright or pull herself up!

I have to make a list of baby proofing stuff!

The bright side...

With this whole thing I've really tried to look at the bright side of things. We have a lot to be thankful for and I do realize that. The last couple of days have not been easy for little reasons. Mabel had another leaky diaper. I'm just so disappointed that we have had the two nights of leaks, I can only assume it is because she is moving so much now. My attempt at a solution is for nights I've gone up another diaper size. I'm also using a g-diaper insert in the front of her pampers in hopes it will catch any "Houdini Pee" that seems to find away out of my diaper and cotton combo. We've gone 9 weeks with only one leak and now this headache...we'll see if she is dry this morning. With the larger diaper and my small hands I can close the diaper's tabs - you know like how you really diaper a baby...I'm hopeful.

The other day at work a woman was in and she knew my boss. She was catching up with her and mentioned that she had a grand-daughter that was turning one this weekend. My boss was so excited, she mentioned that Mabel just turned one. The woman was quick to pull me into the conversation. She was saying how much she loved the age, etc and then went on and on about how she watched her grand-daughter for the day and was exhausted because her grand-daughter was just running around all day. She said that her grand-daughter had been walking since about 8 months! She looked at me and said, "Can your daughter walk?". Oh, the look on my boss' face - I quickly told her that Mabel was in a cast and I had to explain the whole thing again and face all the classic questions. It doesn't bother me to talk about Mabel's treatment. But this poor woman was mortified thinking how she was going on and on about her grand-daughter walking and here I am with my Mabel in a cast. I think I felt bad for her because she felt so horrible!

I don't think much about what Mabel "should" be doing. Maybe it is because we are first time parents and we really don't have anything to compare her to, also we don't really spend any time with a baby of a similar age, but I would be lying if I said that when I hear of a one-year-old walking, running, standing or crawling, part of me grieves for Mabel being in the cast. It isn't fair, but it is reality right now and luckily not forever.

Most of the time I'm just so excited about what she can do. Mabel has learned to roll and crawl in a three pound cast, now if that isn't amazing I don't know what is. She is very articulate and likes to "read" her books and be read to. This extra non-walking time I believe has really given her an advantage to have time to learn other things. She is very aware of details and has amazing dexterity. For example when I spell her name she will point to the letters on her bean bag chair! Amazing! I don't know maybe one-year-olds can do those things, but to me it seems very special. Her new thing is when we say "I don't know" she throws her hands out like she is saying it. I love it! And her crawling skills - wow! She can move so fast now!

What I do hate right now is how everyone focuses on "milestones". "Don't worry," people say, "she'll reach her milestones in no time after the cast comes off." Or "Did the doctor talk about when you can expect her to achieve her milestones." Ahhhh...yeah, I hate those questions. I also hate the when people attempt to make me feel good by saying "I bet as soon as they take the cast off she'll be running in the doctor's office!" Ah, no...she's been in a cast for 12 weeks, her left leg will be spaghetti, she's never stood before and she'll be in a new brace, so I doubt likely that she'll run. In fact, that day will probably be not much fun since we'll have to endure the cast being cut off and Mabel will have to adjust to her life with out her cast, remember she only knows that right now. I know people are trying to help, but if one more person says that I'm going to scream!

So here's to a new day. 19 days of spica left. I'm thinking it feels like time is moving slower because instead of counting the days we've been in the cast we are now counting down the days until it comes off...perspective, it is all about perspective.

Rude Awakening...

So Mabel fell asleep a little later last night because Zack and I ate dinner a little bit later than normal. It was only a half an hour later that she actually fell asleep, and then shortly after we decided we should strike while the iron was hot and try to sleep ourselves. That was a little after 9:00. I have been hoping to catch up on some kind of sleep since our nights have not been good for a while now.

At 10:20 or so Mabel started to cry, I looked in the monitor and saw she was stuck on her side again. So I got up, went to her room to pick her up and reposition her. She was so sleepy and she just wanted me to hold her a bit, so I did. I sat down in the rocking chair and then I noticed...my arm was wet. Oh NO! Mabel was wet! I put her on the floor to change her and she seemed so relieved that I realized right away what was the problem. As I undressed her I quickly realized that the pee soaked her sleep sack, onesie, cloth outside diaper, inside diaper and gulp...the cast! It appears that she was in some kind of weird side position that must have created a gap in her diaper so when she peed it just got everywhere. Poor Mabel was not happy when I undressed her and she realized she was still wet and now cold. She was screaming! Gone are the care free days of thinking that when a baby pees on their PJ's and sheet that what makes for a rough night - the days are long gone of just changing her and washing her down and changing the crib sheet...oh no, now we have this stupid spica to deal with and that can't come off and that needs to stay dry - takes FOREVER to dry and most important not smell!

I wrapped Mabel up in a cozy blanket to keep her warm. She was really crying now, poor thing was probably confused as to why I wasn't just fixing this uncomfortable problem. I couldn't do this on my own, not in the state Mabel was in and with the amount of pee that I could feel, so I needed to wake up Zack. I got the hair dryer, put Mabel on the floor with three cozy blankets and Zack sat next to her and tried to keep her calm and entertained. She screamed for about 15 minutes and even tried to go back to sleep. I was elbow deep in her spica cast with that hair dryer just trying to get it dry...it takes forever! Luckily we have done this before with her first cast, I found the trick is to get your finger tips inside the cast and move the cotton and lining around so the air can really get in ther to dry out the pee. It is a major pain and really hard to do when the baby doesn't know what the heck you are doing! About 20 minutes in Mabel suddenly got excited and started to smile, giggle and dance. The good news for us is she wasn't screaming anymore and was happy and obviously felt better...bad news is she probably wouldn't go back to sleep easily...oh well one thing at a time.

It took about a hour and a half to dry the cast with the hair dryer on cool. I packed more cotton on that side of her diaper under the cast in hopes of keeping the diaper against her skin and maybe avoid this again...another annoyance and lesson learned was earlier this week Mabel had a leak, luckily then it didn't get on the cast just her cloth diaper and PJs...but the annoyance is we only have two cloth diapers and two sleep sacks that fit her! Last night I was at a loss...lesson learned, but in my defence I had thought to myself when she soiled her last PJ set that I needed to do laundry the next day because that was our only spare...I've been really tired and focused on so many other things so I forgot all about it. Trust me I won't forget about this!

Looks like I'll be starting some laundry this morning and possibly getting the hair dryer out to make sure everything is fresh in that cast. Christmas is next week and I can't have Mabel in a stinky cast when visiting the whole family! I just don't think you can make people understand how much work goes into keeping this cast clean and dry.

All I have to say is this is classic...I can't wait until this odyssey is over with! I stand by my last post of being sick of this cast! I wonder what stories we'll have about the brace? I can't imagine it would be this interesting!

Its getting old...

OK, I think I've been a really good sport about the spica cast. I got cute clothing, made the best of every weird situation and figured out some tricks to make life easier, but I have to say I've had it.

I know, I know, we are three quarters of the way there...we have come so far...it is almost over...blah, blah, blah! Twelve weeks is a long time I'll tell you, and only being eight and a half weeks in now feels like time is stalling. When we started this whole process it felt like the end would never be near and now that it is sight if feels like time is moving so slow. Maybe it is because I can literally count the days until her big cast off...or maybe it is because I counted wrong? You see the last week I kept saying we only had three weeks left, but I was wrong. We have now three and a half and when I thought it was three it was four, so now it is a week longer in my mind and now it feels like forever.

Mabel is sick of it too. She's itchy, that is hard at night. She is ready to move more, but gets stuck in her crib sideways. She got stuck four times before midnight last night. She gets so upset and I can't blame her. Each time I had to put her back on her belly or on her back and each time after that she would worm around again and get stuck again. Poor Mabel. When she woke at 11:00 pm I could have sworn it was 3:00am because I couldn't believe she had woken so much since 9:00 when we went to bed...I was hoping to get some sleep by going to bed early...that didn't quite work out.

So, I'm sick of the spica. I wish we were at the end of this whole thing. We'll get through, we'll keep plugging along and we'll count the days (correctly) until January 8th. I have a feeling the brace will get old fast too - although it will be a vast improvement over this cast. We haven't got word from the doctor as to how long she'll be in the brace all day, that will depend on her x-ray when the spica comes off, but from what I read basic rule is she'll be in the brace full time as long as she was in the cast...yep...twelve weeks! That will put her at 16 months old. Well, at least we'll be able to give her baths!

Fun Filled Saturday...

Saturdays can be a busy day, but they can also be so much fun when Zack and I both have the day off. Mabel was on a nap strike, this is not uncommon for her when both Mama and Papa are home. I try my best to "encourage" napping when she is ripe, but when she knows we both are there to play with her the naps seem to only last for about a half an hour.

We had lots to do, but with a one-year-old who won't nap to give you that time you need you don't get much done...lets just say I still need to vacuum, but that's OK, I'll find sometime today.

What we did do was much more fun than vacuuming, that says a lot because I love to vacuume. We went to a Toys for Tots fundraiser and we donated some toys for kids Mabel's age. We decide before Mabel was even born that every year we would have Mabel choose a toy to give to someone who isn't as fortunate as we are. I think it is important for her to learn to give as well as receive gifts. Our reward for our donation? Another picture with Santa...or at least an attempt of a picture with Santa. The first picture with Santa didn't go so well. I mean it went great for the fact that I love pictures of babies crying while sitting on Santa's lap, but for Mabel was no fun. This picture we tried to take our picture with the three of us, Mabel didn't even sit on Santa...but she still didn't look happy!

We did a little holiday shopping on the way home, debated getting lunch out and decided to go home instead, good thing because Mabel decided to make give us a gift of her own, a nice full diaper. We ate lunch and tried to settle back down for another nap and again Mabel just dozed...soooo....She and I made some baby food together. She loves that since she gets to sample the yummy stuff I make for her before I freeze it, on the menu was apples and cranberries - yum! Mabel sits in her stroller for these type of adventures. When every Mabel needs to be in the room and I or Zack or someone isn't there to hold her she sits and plays in her stroller since she can't really sit in the cast or play on the floor laying down in the kitchen, so the stroller is a lifesaver. We have toys that just attach to it and I usually will put her near the window so she can look around.

Later that afternoon we decide to go to a holiday craft sale. It could have gone horribly wrong since at this point Mabel hadn't slept for more than an hour all day, but we had lots of fun! We had to go since we heard that you could get your picture taken with the Yeti, I mean how many chances in your life do you get that? Mabel was beyond tired by the time dinner came around, I wish I were better at getting her to nap, but she went to bed around 8:10pm and only woke a couple times needed my help by being stuck on her side or attempting to roll. She did cry a lot in her sleep but didn't need me to settle her down, she just cried and stopped.

We stayed up way to late making stuff for Christmas, but that's OK...I mean look at our picture with the Yeti! If you ask me, Mabel's response is the correct response to seeing a Yeti for the first time...she is a smart baby!

Can't not pick her up...

Against most people's opinions, I can't let Mabel just cry in her crib when she wakes during the night. I know that when we did the sleep training before we learned that she needs to soothe herself and that we can't "rescue" her when she wakes. I know these things and what is happening right now is not ideal, but listen what is happening in general is not ideal, Mabel is in a cast. Just because she may not remember what it was like before the cast (maybe that is true) her brain remembers and thinks she can stand and crawl like a one year old. In the night you can tell her brain is trying to practice the skills it thinks she can do.

90% of the time when I pick up Mabel during the night when she cries she burps or toots. She has gas that she can't get out by moving around like she needs, that isn't her fault and it surely is a reason to cry when you wake in discomfort and you can't do anything about it like move or sit up. I'm not going to let her lay there alone or just pat her back if she needs help.

I know that this is creating a bad habit, Mabel is one now and the fact that she knows I'll come for her during the wee hours of the night isn't the best thing, but at the same time she knows right now in her hour of need and discomfort that I'll be there for her. There are too many variables to assume that she is just crying because she wants me. I know that she probably does just want me to soothe her sometimes, I know that, but sometimes she has a full diaper at 3am - now laying in the cast with the diaper all tucked up really against her with cotton right up against her skin is different sensations then a normal diaper situation - also when her diaper gets full of pee, it typically gets very swollen in the belly area between her and her cast pushing on her belly and she is laying on her belly so how comfortable do you think that is?

Last night twice I went to her room and soothed her while just rubbing her back and she fell back to sleep, the third time I tried it again. She did doze off while I lay on her floor shushing her like we use to when we sleep trained her, but she kept tossing and then got stuck sideways. I picked her up and noticed her diaper leaked all over her pjs. Luckily, and through sheer luck alone, the cast was not wet, but she was and cold and uncomfortable. Now, think of how I felt when I realized that was why she was crying, not because she wanted company but because she was cold and wet.

You are expected to take care of your babies hungry cries, your babies scared cries and your babies cries of discomfort, but told to let them deal with anything that leads to crying in the night? That doesn't make sense. I know Mabel can soothe herself. I know that if she cries and fusses a little she'll be ok, but I will not sleep train again her while she is in the cast. If she keeps crying right now I will pick her up because she needs it. When the cast comes off and she's not dealing with some of these issues then we will implement the sleep training rules we had before, but until then I'm going to help her.

Busy Night & Day...

Well the last two days (and nights) can never be described as boring! Wednesday night Mabel was having a hard time staying asleep. I put her to be around 8:15 and by 9:10 she was wake and crying, back down she went back up again at 10:30, back down again back up at 11:30...she tries to roll and gets stuck sideways in her crib - that sounds cute, but it sure isn't when it goes on and on. She just wants to get comfortable and can't, she wants to move and can't because there isn't enough room in her crib and it wakes her. Poor Mabel...poor Mama!

When I got up at 11:30 the house felt a bit cool. I'm fine with it being on the cooler side, but it did feel cooler than normal. After I put Mabel back down I checked the thermostat and it said 62! We ran out of oil. I knew that was it, but couldn't check the furnace because Mabel woke again crying - could she be cold? Is that why she is moving so much? A lot of questions to ask yourself when you are so tired. I got her again and she felt toasty warm in her sleep sack - that cast makes her warm too. I had to wake Zack and tell him how to test the furnace, it didn't work so he had to call the oil company - it is now almost Midnight! They said they would be there in an hour! Zack being the sweetest man on earth told me to go back to bed since I had been tending to Mabel thus far and he'd take care of the oil guy. Worked for me! Mabel woke about three more times during the night, but a least by the time she woke at 3:00 it was much warmer in the house.

Thursday morning we met with the orthopedics center to get fitted for Mabel's brace. She will get her cast off at 8:30 am on January 8th and then we'll head to the orthopedics's center to get her brace at 10am right after. The brace looks like a thin REMOVABLE cast that goes from her ribs to her knees keeping her legs in a similar position as the cast...the major and most exciting word is removable! Also it is feather light...watch out world Mabel will be more Mobile! Living for January 8th! From the quick look I got of it it appears to be a Hewson Brace...I'm researching!

Last night too was a very long and tear filled night. I got her to go to sleep by 7:30 but she woke by 10:00 really crying. I just don't know what to do for her some nights she is just so upset. It isn't always the cast, but a lot of times it is...or at least a byproduct of the cast. She is gassy because she can't more like she needs too - the cast! She seems to get sore arms and back on days she crawls around a lot - the heavy cast! She wants to move around her crib as she sleeps - the cast!!! Well, it is another day. We'll see what today and tonight brings and if anything we'll have some fun and heck it is Friday!

Mabel's Birthday now...

Ok, this is a post just about Mabel's birthday. No hip dysplaisa or spica cast talk!

Yesterday was my baby's very first birthday. I was excited all day about her party and I think she too had a wonderful time! We had a party for her in the afternoon after we got home from work, Zack had to arrange to come home early for it at 4:00. We had thought about having the party on the weekend before Mabel's birthday for planning reasons and it was a bit hectic getting things ready right after work with only a half an hour to spare, but it worked out great and it was on Mabel's actual birthday like I really wanted to it was prefect.

I think Mabel was confused as to what the heck was going on! It started out in the morning I had the dining room all decorated for her - we were going for a circus theme. She came in pointing at everything! We let her open a gift...A new dish set! Yay! She loved it, one-year-olds love everything, it's great! She had her birthday breakfast eggs on her new plate and her birthday oatmeal in her new bowl and water, I mean birthday water, out of her new cup. FYI: If you hate plastic stuff for kids here is Mabel's new dish set, before this she had bamboo that was great but that got cracked when she dropped it, this is much more durable it is stainless steel dinnerware for kids.

The mid-morning and rest of the day went like normal, Zack headed to work and I did too, after running around and cleaning, etc. Mabel cried when I left, that is new for her. I wish I could have spent the whole day with her. When 10:30 rolled around at work I thought, "Last year at this time Mabel was being born!" Crazy how quickly a year can pass and how having a baby really marks that year!

I rushed home picking up balloons on the way - Mabel HAD to have balloons! I got a dozen red, yellow, blue balloons...they were huge! They actually did fit in the car to my disbelief and home I went. I quickly did the last minute things and it was perfect since Miss Mabel (AKA: The Birthday Girl) was still asleep on Memere (my mom). Mabel woke when the first guests arrived, my step sister and her 3 month old. Then came Zack's sister, his father and then Zack's granma and his mom. My dad arrived shortly after and then Zack's sister and three kids. It was the perfect amount of people, in fact it was a bigger turnout than we expected! Mabel did great entertaining her guests and considering she was still all confused from waking up, not nursing and it was pushing dinner time she did great. We opened gifts, she ate cake and dinner, she liked her tofu better than the cake! Of course I made her a very special apple spice cake with cream cheese frosting...Hey, it was still very sweet! She did like it. You could tell she had no clue what the heck was going on, why were all these people staring at her! She sat like a queen in her booster seat at the head of the table! My birthday girl.

So overall it was a great time had by all...at least the three of us. And considering we had a 3 month old, 1 year old that was being pushed to her limits of over stimulation, and hadn't nursed yet since her mum got home and three small children it went very smoothly! Plus she wore the birthday hat I made her almost the whole time! Good job and Thank you everyone!

Happy Birthday My Mabel!

Mabel's Birthday then...

Well, today is my baby's first birthday. We had a wonderful weekend, Mabel and I had a great Mabel & Momma Monday too.

I can't believe she is already one year old! It is crazy! A year ago today, right now, my water had broke about 15 minutes ago and probably right now I was talking to the doctor on the phone. It was four weeks before my due date and I was convinced that we would not be having a baby today! I wasn't having contractions, just tried to get out of bed to use the bathroom for the thousand time and "pop" my water broke. I thought I had peed myself! I took a shower, that's right I wanted to take a shower, we got dressed and headed to the hospital. The contractions started in the shower, Zack grabbed a stop watch to time them, but I kept forgetting to tell him when they started - those things hurt! He thought I wasn't having them, but by the time we got to the hospital (only about 9 minutes away) I was having contractions about 3 minutes apart.

We got checked in, they examined me and said that all looked good I was dilating fast and my contractions were strong. I mentioned, since my chart hadn't arrived yet, that the baby was breech at my last ultra sound. See my first check up since that ultrasound was scheduled for that morning and my doctor and I were going to talk about what would happen if the baby stayed breech, but I was tied up having the baby so I guess that conversation was never going to happen, I was just going to find out. After just about every doctor on duty felt my belly and debated whether or not they thought the baby was still breech, the ultrasound machine arrived. They put it to my tummy and sure enough there the baby was clear as day breech and boy that baby looked freaked! I think I did too - and poor Zack, we won't go there. So things kinda took a turn, they started telling us we were going to have to prepare for a emergency c-section, that I was dilating quickly so it won't be long. We kept saying "We're having a baby today!" It was a blur and I'll spare you the details but at 10:30am we met Mable Jayne for the first time. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen - yup, even right out of the oven. She was 6lbs 1oz 18.75" long and all sweetness. Zack got to hold her right away - he snapped some pictures on his cell phone before my mom arrived with our camera that we forgot to bring to the hospital - did I mention that we brought nothing with us! We thought for sure that we would not be having the baby, boy we were in denial! Papa Zack got to hold Mabel right away. I being on the operation table had to wait about two hours, but when I finally held her it as like I was made to hold her. That was a crazy day.

So now here we are a year later. Mabel is no longer that tiny preemie that we brought home at 5lbs 7oz (she lost weight), she is now a big girl and so wonderful. She has gotten more and more wonderful every day. This last year of watching her grown, learn and develop into who she will be has been by far the most wonderful year of my life. With that said I do think back to those scary days as Zack calls them of when Mabel was just a mushy little bundle of baby and miss it, how can you not?

One thing I wish I had known when Mabel came into our world, as far as for hip dysplasia: Breech birth is a risk, First born girl is a risk factor too and add that to the breech then more of a concern. Family history big risk, we didn't realize it but Zack's sister had hip dysplasia at birth. If we knew that then with her two other risk factors the doctor would probably have ordered an ultrasound of her hips while we were still in the hospital. Now with that said it may never have changed the fact Mabel needed surgery and the cast, but I do feel I wish I had known then what I know now. The hospital staff & doctor constantly check Mabel's hips, but the exam showed nothing, that can happen. I'm sure if Mabel had to wear the harness after birth it would have felt like the worst thing ever to us then, we never would have known how the surgery and casting would be like if the harness could have corrected her hips - but that is OK, we are dealing well and look how far we've come!

More Mobile Mabel...

Mabel can roll and crawl up a storm. I can't wait to see her move in her brace when two legs are free! Here is new video of her moving and shaking!

The date is set...

Yesterday was Mabel's two week check-up for her new cast. That makes our total of weeks in her cast so far as seven...Lucky number seven! We got the good news that her x-ray showed her hip looked the great, the doctor said he was very happy with how everything was looking and he said we could schedule her appointment for four weeks from now to take the cast off! Yay! So we marched out to the receptionist, so excited that we'll have that cast off a week early since technically it will only be 11 weeks since they did her cast change early because of the holiday. The receptionist pulled up the scheduling, "Ok...four weeks brings us to January 1st..." Oh that's great I thought, Zack's vacation starts January 1st! Then she smiles, "Ok, I have you down for January 8th at 8:30am, is that good?" Uh, we thought four weeks, we said. "Oh, the 8th is his first opening."

I'm not disappointed, ok we'll have to serve our full time of 12 weeks in this cast, I accept that. But the big picture is we have a date, a count down, a light at the end of the cast, I mean tunnel! We are beyond excited, so only five more weeks to go now. The orthopedic doctor gave us the prescription for the brace she'll have to wear after the cast. I don't know what type we are getting, I'm now researching the different types so I can feel prepared. We have an appointment this coming Thursday to have Mabel measured so they can get her brace ready for the big cast off in January! The doctor didn't really have much info regarding the brace, I think I was too excited since he said we would be able to take it off to give her baths. He did say that they will be taking her cast off at the office, so we don't have to go the hospital route again with the anesthesia and all that crap - I'm glad that is all behind us, but he did warn us that babies don't deal well with the cast coming off, the saw is loud, it takes some time and it won't be fun. But it will be off!!! Check out Mabel's winning x-ray, I need to get copies of all of them and frame them! Check out the picture of her admiring her hard work!

January 8th is Mabel's 13 month birthday...what a great birthday present that will be. We'll have the birthday bath to celebrate!

Mabel's new teeth...

Mabel has two new teeth that have broken through officially. She has been getting her teeth in pairs from the beginning and these two so far have been the worst. They are the two upper teeth next to her front teeth, making the grand total of teeth six! She has had a hard time of it, yesterday her gums were bleeding, poor baby. My mom, who watches her while I'm at work, said she cried for about an hour around 11am after I left for work.

Going to bed last night was not pretty, she just would not fall asleep! I have been so tired this past week. I've been working on Christmas cards, Mabel's birthday and various other tasks that probably aren't important, but are to me. I'm tired and Mabel just wouldn't go to sleep until 9:30! That is way too late, but I know her teeth still hurt. At around 8:30 I realized I had been so busy all day I forgot to drink any water! I remember when Mabel was first born and colicky and Zack would come home from work and I would realize I went all day without eating or drinking anything - I just forgot! Well, I did that yesterday. Work was crazy, I had to sort laundry in the morning. When I got home I cleaned up the front yard and put some Christmas greens in the window boxes. I ate a snack but forgot to grab a water and then at dinner Mabel was almost going to fall asleep so I ate so fast but again forgot to drink. So there I was sitting in a dark room with a very awake baby focusing on how thirsty I was. So I had to ask Zack for some water, he brought me up a bottle and of course Mabel was thrilled to see Papa. It did wind her right back up, but in the end she did fall to sleep - finally.

The last few nights she has slept through the night, she has been rolling in her sleep since she has the new found ability to go from belly to back. This morning she woke at 4:30 crying and "half rolling". She kept lifting her cast and drooping it down, maybe she was too sleepy to put all the effort into rolling? She has been so very mobile, crawling everywhere. I need to baby proof more! It warms my heart to watch her crawl so well, I know that when she gets her brace there will be no holding her back, I mean the cast is just so heavy and if she can cruise in that, well, we better watch out!

Today we have an x-ray and check up. It has been two weeks in our new cast. It may be my paranoid fears, but twice I swear I heard her hip pop when I was nursing her - I think that is impossible with the cast, I am pretty sure it is impossible, but I'm going to ask the doctor...hopefully the x-ray will show good news!

Another reality...

One thing I haven't touched on, because although in my opinion it isn't important in the big picture, is the cost of treatment. It isn't inexpensive to have any medical problem and in the grand scheme of things it isn't that bad. With that said it is unnerving to open the mail and find bills for hospital, anesthesia, doctor and x-rays. I mean I'm still paying off Mabel's birth! But I remind myself that we are lucky, we have insurance that covers most of it (if you ask me it should cover more with the amount we pay!), and although our part to pay is a lot when added to our regular bills and cost of living, we have been able to work out a payment plan with the hospital, so we may be paying on this for a few years, but at least Mabel will be healthy. I just wish that this wasn't something I had to worry about when my major concern is just helping my daughter get well.

After Mabel's surgery I did meet a woman who's daughter was treated at a Shriners Hospital for her closed reduction, spica and follow up treatments. They didn't have insurance and with going through the Shriners they didn't have to pay anything. In hindsight I wish I had known of that so I could have looked into it, but for anyone out there that may need treatment and aren't able to pay this is a great option to look into. I don't know firsthand how it works, but it worked for my friend's family. http://www.shrinershq.org/Shrine/

My Mobile Mabel...

Mabel is just amazing! She has been successfully rolling over from her back to her belly for over a week or so now and she and I have been working on tummy to back and yesterday she did it! She just rolled that cast right over and boy was she proud of herself - and so was I. We clapped and cheered. She has just gotten so strong in her upper body, almost freakishly strong for such a little girl. The other day she was trying to get past her toy box and she just grabed it and slid it over out of her way! Wow, Wonder Woman! Her loose leg has also been getting a work out. We practice standing on one leg, I really think she could pull herself up to standing if given the right senario.

With all this new found mobility comes the reality that she needs to move to get all this pent up energy out. Her mind wants her to do these things, but her body can't right now. I think the inablity to really move like she needs to is what leads to bad sleep and cranky days. Mabel is typically so happy and well mannered, but Sunday and yesterday were tough days for her. I could feel some frustration coming from her. I know her tooth is tourturing her, but there was just something else bothering her. Her rolling makes her so happy and I learned the hard way, do no try to stop her from rolling, boy oh boy that makes her mad. I'm not being mean, she can't roll in the middle of a diaper change! This new ability also makes for no more pillow while sleeping. She now can move herself around and she can adjust her position so that is good, a few times she woke crying and moved herself back to sleep - I like that. She accepted no pillow very well and I feel better because it always freaked me out having a pillow in there with her.

It hurts to know that if she didn't have this cast she probably would have been crawling very well long before now, probably pulling herself up to stand and maybe even walking. I try no to think about that too much, otherwise I get sad. Zack's brother sent a video of his little boy first crawling, it was amazing and then we got sad thinking we never got to see Mabel do that. But like I said to Zack, most babies learn to crawl, but how many learn to roll themselves over in a spica cast?

So last night after a day of lots of tears, too little naps and tons of rolling over, Mabel couldn't fall asleep. I laid on the floor with her as she started to doze of and for 20 minutes she nursed as we laid on the floor together with her next to me, rolling her self towards me then away from me over and over again will waving. She's really practicing her new moves!

Practice makes perfect Mabel!

Obsessed with sleep...

Ok, I realize that most of my posts are about Mabel's sleeping habits. I admit I'm obsessed. Ever since she was a couple of months old I had been analyzing everything that is Mabel's sleep. She was a terrible sleeper...well, she came out pretty sleepy, in fact we had to wake her up to feed her since she was four weeks early she just wanted to sleep all the time. We woke her every four hours to eat, that became a habit for her around two months - after that we were lucky if we got four hours of sleep in a row. Around three and a half months I was so tired and desperate and read pretty much everything I could find online (at the wee hours of the night) that I bought a book to help. "Good Night Sleep Tight: The Sleep Lady's guide to helping your child sleep". It was a no cry method, although there were tears on both our part and Mabel's part because we were changing things, like no nursing to fall asleep etc., but she did adjust great. We started when Mabel was about four and a half to five months and I even I kept sleep logs and in about a week we had Mabel sleeping about 10 to 12 hours a night without waking. Amazing. We had our night time routine down - everything. The only trick was we had to do everything the same and everything started at 5pm, so that limited us after work, but you know it was a sacrifice we made for a good night sleep and since she was going to bed around 6:30 - 7:00 it gave us some relaxation time at night.

That was then. Since the cast it has been a bumpy road. In reality we probably slipped up a little before the cast arrived, I tried not to, but when we knew of the impending cast I would nurse Mabel a little longer at night before bedtime - sometimes she would fall asleep on me. I knew it as "wrong" since it was a habit I didn't want to get back into, but I just wanted to cuddle her that much longer knowing that she would be in a hard cast too soon. After the cast as you know everything went out the window. Throw in the teething and now we are living in a circus of no sleep. Mabel has good nights and bad. Last night was not great but could have been much worst. She calls for me like she never did before, it seems like she is almost scared. I don't know if I read more into it than there really is, but I imagine sometimes she wakes up forgetting that she can't move.

So now at the wee hours of the morning I rock Mabel soothing her back to sleep and a huge part of me loves those moments together. I love holding her, comforting her, having her fall asleep on me, but I wonder am I creating a bad habit? I don't like being tired, I don't like Mabel being tired - we both get cranky, and now that she is almost a year is she getting attached to me holding her while she sleeps? There are not answers I guess, we'll ride this one out. We'll transition into the brace next so really even if I came up with a solution now chances are it won't work for long, so right now I'm going to savor those moments with her at night, they won't last forever even though sometimes after getting up for the third time before 4am it feels like forever. I do have rules, don't get me wrong. No nursing back to sleep. No bringing Mabel to sleep in our bed - I think it is unsafe and a really bad habit. OK, well I have two rules!

I figure if worst comes to worst after the whole treatment is over, the sleep training worked once and the book - well it goes up to kids age 5.

Deck the halls...

Technically I was suppose to work this Saturday, but because of the the holiday my every other Saturday got switched a bit - this was information I found out on Friday at work...how excited was I?

We had such a great Thanksgiving and a great few days of sleeping through the night. I unfortunately stayed up too late Friday night working on Mabel's first birthday invitations. I know I only need six, her social circle is pretty small, but I still wanted them to be special! Mabel then woke terribly upset around 11:30pm after I had just dozed off. She was up until 12:30ish crying off and on. I think it was her teeth, those nasty little buggers are still torturing her, they are right there but have not broken through! Still though, when she cries at night all I can think of is she is uncomfortable because of the cast, I know it isn't always the cast but it feels like it must be.

We had a great Saturday off together, although in the morning I was a bit cranky due to lack of good sleep - partly my fault. I tried a nap, but I think I only dozed for about 15 minutes as I could hear Mabel and Zack partying it up downstairs - I'm as bad as Mabel afraid of missing something fun!

We went out for lunch - Mabel again wowed us. She is very well mannered in public places. She made friends with the two tables next to us, waving and making faces. When we were in the process of waiting to get the surgery and cast done I was so afraid that when we went out with Mabel in the cast people would stare at her or constantly ask why she is in the cast, but we really haven't had a response to her cast yet. I think we are very lucky, she is still pretty small and when we carry her she looks "normal" for lack of a better word. The clothes we use cover everything and when her pants are looking a little short and showing the cast, I cover her cast and loose leg with leg warmers to camouflage the cast. At restaurants she of course can't use a highchair (not that I want her to, those are filthy!) because of her leg angle, so she sits on our laps, no one can see her cast then. I know I shouldn't care what people think, but I don't want people to look at her like something is wrong with her because there isn't anything wrong. She's just Mabel. I want them to focus on her sweet smile and not her spica.

Well, we did have a full day. We also decorated our Christmas tree. Last year was Mabel's first Christmas, but that consisted of us putting the tree up Christmas eve and me managing to throw a little makeup on for a family picture. She was only two weeks at the time of last Christmas and she was also a premie so we were very tired and too overwhelmed to do much for Christmas last year, she was so tiny she fit in her Christmas stocking, but this year I'm just so excited! Mabel's seems excited and pretty curious as to why we have a large plant in our house with lights and shiny things on it!

Lots to be thankful for...

Yesterday was Mabel's first Thanksgiving! I also like to look at it as our first Thanksgiving as a family too! She did amazing. She started wowing me at 4am when I woke up and realized that she was still sleeping and hadn't woke since I put her down for bed at 8pm. She then slept until 6:30 - that's such a good girl!

After our regular breakfast and some down time and a feeble attempt at a nap, we got ready for our big Thanksgiving adventure. I dressed her in the most autumnal colored outfit I had that fit her. I found a little brown skirt that I retrofitted to fit over her head. It was a size 4T! That cast is a lot bigger than it looks considering she still fits into size 6-9 month clothes! For our Thanksgiving we went over to Zack's cousin's home. We do it every year, but this year our plan was to stay there and not cook at our house afterwards like we usually do. My mom and a couple of other people typically join us at our house in the evening after we go to Zack's family dinner. This year my mom came with us to Zack's family celebration...I wanted my mom to be there for Mabel's first Thanksgiving (she did too!). We had a great time. Mabel armed with only a 20 minute nap under her belt did great. She wowed the crowd with smiles, showed off her cast and she and I spent some time going from mirror to mirror in the room looking at the "baby in the mirror" and saying hi - Mabel loves that game! She even let people hold her. The only tears came when we tried to get some pictures with Zack's parents and the kids...but to Mabel's credit at that point it was about 3:30pm and she had NO sleep.

Zack's aunt was very interested in learning about Mabel's cast and Mabel is proud to show it off, especially since when we arrived Mabel had made a present for us and I had to change her diaper. I don't think people realize how much of a baby's body is covered with a spica cast and it is shocking to see the first time. We are lucky that we have that loose left leg in our situation, I always point that out to people. It was a really great day. Most of the family didn't even realize Mabel was going through treatment for hip displasia. A couple of the guests (that were not family) thought Mabel was a boy! Can you believe that? I mean, #1 She looks like a girl! #2 Her shirt has pink in it! #3 She is wearing a skirt!!! Oh yeah and her name is Mabel! I try not to be offended when people mistake her for a boy...try. But Mabel was a star, very coy and sweet the whole time. She fell asleep on the way home as I expected. We did our nighttime routine and she went to bed a little after 8:30. I don't like that she's taken to going to sleep so late, but she again slept through the night and is still asleep now at 6am so I guess I shouldn't complain!

You know when I learned Mabel would be in her cast for her first birthday & the holidays I was so upset thinking that all her pictures would be of her in this horrible cast, but in reality it isn't at all bad. Mabel is Mabel, cast in all. This is part of who she is and it doesn't upset me anymore. I don't even think of it. When she is older we'll tell her all about this time and she'll probably never understand how hard it was for us - she'll look at all the pictures of us and think how happy we still were - and we are happy. That's what I want for her.

Lots to be thankful for this year...

Teething with a spica...

Having the spica cast is no fun. Sleeping in a spica is also no fun. Teething in a spica - well you do the math. Mabel is not having it, and by it I mean sleep. She just can not sleep right now. I know it is a combination of two very uncomfortable things, her two new teeth that are coming in and the cast. She has done really well and I think in reality she probably doesn't remember life before the cast at this point. She probably doesn't even remember she use to roll around in bed, but one thing she knows is that when she wakes up at night she can't easily get back to sleep. She wakes and struggles to get comfortable and then cries. Lately it has been her tell tale teething cry, a long whimpery cry that she even does in her sleep, but when she is fully awake it turns into her frustrated uncomfortable "Mama I need help" cry. It makes for along night. Nature sure knew what it was doing by making babies so very cute - she is even cute at 3:25am (the time I've been up since BTW), she was smiling in her sleep as I rocked her.

Through the past few weeks my underlining fear is how this will effect her sleep long term. I have never been one to promote the cry-it-out method and personally for me I could never do it. We did sleep training, but it was a "no cry" method. There is no resource for a baby in a spica cast that can't sleep, there is not books, no doctor's opinion, no websites, nothing. If you google "baby won't sleep" you get hundreds of websites with tips, opions and experiences of what could help - you google "baby won't sleep in spica cast" you get little to no info about sleep issues while a baby is in a spica. I guess the quick answer is they are uncomfortable because of the cast, sure I could have told you that, but is there a solution? Is it really common? I imagine it is, but any tips? When I asked the nurse at the hospital they said just make her comfortable...wow that was helpful. When I asked the doctor he said he's not surprised she isn't sleeping well because of the cast. I guess that is why he gets paid the big bucks huh? I don't have any answers myself. Mabel sleeps on a pillow on her belly in her crib. When she cries I come to her and I pick her up and soothe her and reposition her slightly and she typically falls back to sleep. Sometimes it takes two minutes sometimes it takes an hour...either way I can't let her cry alone. I appreciate as hard as it is for me to get up in the night it is equally hard for her to wake up with a pain in her mouth and unable to move.

Anyway, she is teething I know that...bad combo...sleepy mommy...cranky Mabel...but still soooo cute and sweet. Tomorrow is her first Thanksgiving! We have that to look forward too! See the picture? Do you like Mabel's hat? Just like Papa!

Santa's Autograph...

So today was another big day. We went to the north pole! Ok, it was the mall but honestly it feels just as hostel of an environment if you ask me. Mabel met Santa today! It was an exciting morning as we combed Old Navy before the mall opened for something cute and wintry for Mabel to wear with her outfit for her big photo with Santa. We found a very cute little sweater and I found a pair of red velor pants that I'll be retrofitting for her Christmas ensemble.

So we got to the mall...I mean the North Pole and we found Santa. We watched the kids before us excitedly sit on Santa and smile for their pictures. We discussed how we need to tell Santa to hold Mabel and about her cast. Then it was our turn, Santa wanted Mabel to get use to him before she sat on his lap so we talked to him, she looked very suspicious of who this strange looking guy could be. We told Santa about Mabel's cast and that she can sit over his knee. You could tell that he was wondering why she was in a cast but didn't ask. We put Mabel on his lap and instantly she started screaming. It was the reaction we expected. They tried everything to make her smile, but she was not having it! The picture is priceless. They offered to try to take more, but honestly it wouldn't get better than that.

Santa then asked why she was in a cast and we explained everything. He said he has markers to sign kid's casts if we want. Pass up an autograph from Santa? No way! So Mabel is sporting a celebrity signature.

We'll do a public unavailing of the famous Santa picture closer to the holidays...trust me it is worth the wait!

A Day with Papa...

Saturdays are always fun for us...well every other Saturday when I don't have to work. Mabel just loves having both her Mama and Papa home with her. This Saturday being the Saturday before Thanksgiving meant Zack had to work. Bummer. But we decided to go along with Papa for the day. Papa sells wine so that means just driving around from one account to another seeing what they need for the week. It was a chance for us to all hang out and for proud Papa to show off his Mabel (and Me too!).

The day started off great with Mabel sleeping through the night. Then at about 10 am after a little nap we loaded up into the car. After the first stop we were in the area of Granma & Grampy house so we stopped for a visit. Then we were off again. A couple of more stops later we got lunch. Mabel really loves eating out. She likes to people watch and smile at people as they walk by out table. You can tell she wonders why they aren't stopping to say hi. Don't they know they are there to visit with her?

Mabel napped in the car, we changed the diaper in the front seat successfully again and everyone commented on how they never would have even notice her cast with her clothing. Maybe they were being nice, but it feels good to hear. On the way home we stopped by my friends gallery to talk about holiday window designs and then home we went. Mabel was in a great mood. She fell asleep around 6:30 and slept through the night again! I've always been protective about taking Mabel out in public, I guess I'm freaked out about germs and strangers, I worry too much, so this was a good day for both of us and Papa had a great time introducing us to everyone!

Wow Mabel...

Get this...it is 5:30 and Mabel did not wake once last night. Maybe it is the crazy day she had yesterday, maybe it is the shape of the new cast, maybe it was left over anesthesia in her system - regardless! She slept through the night like the good-olde precast days. The kick in the butt? I forgot to reset the alarm to not wake me up at 4:15, I had it set for yesterday's early appointment. Then I woke up at my usual 5:15, but I feel refreshed! yeah! Zack's awake too! We got the morning together this morning. Don't you love this video baby monitor? Makes for a great picture...Mabel sleeping!

Oh, and in Mabel's free time she became a supah stah! She is busy modeling the rompers on their website! Check her out on the homepage: http://www.spicawear.com/ Seriously, these rompers a life saver! They protect the cast from getting dirty. They protect Mabel's fingers from the rough cast and they are cute and cover everything up. When we are out, no one seems to notice the cast. I've started pairing leg warmers with the romper to keep Mabel's free leg nice and warm since it is getting cold now.


I again want to say how proud I am of our little Mabel. She did so well and has done so well through this process. It really is amazing how well she has adapted and seems unscathed too boot. She wows me every day!

Our New Cast...

Well, it went better than I could have imagined today! Mabel, although she woke up earlier than most days, was in a great mood. She didn't even seem peeved that we weren't feeding her breakfast and that we popped her in the car at 6:00 in the morning.

At the hospital she was all smiles - again I felt guilty thinking that she had no clue what was going on. She had a great time waving at all the adoring nurses and doctors as they came by her cubical to talk to her. When the doctor asked if we had any questions, we did, "Can we keep the cast?" Both he and the anesthesiologist laughed, "why would you want that?" I told them that I worked very hard to keep that darn thing clean and I wanted my prize! I got to carry her into the OR again, this time wasn't as scary as the last time probably because the mystery was gone and no real surgery was involved. The nurses in the OR were very nice and assured me they would wash her up good before they put the new cast on. She didn't cry as much when they put the mask over her face, but it felt like forever before she fell asleep. Then it was out to the waiting room for us.

The cast change took about an hour. The doctor came to talk to us in the waiting room. He came over and told us everything looked great with her hip. He said he didn't move the hip much, but checked it and it was much more stable than before. He was very happy with how it was looking! Then he said, "That was by far the cleanest spica I have ever seen!" He went on and on saying that he never saw a cast so well taken care of, it looked like the day he put it on! He even bowed down to us! Ahhh....the satisfaction! That is exactly what I was looking for!!!

We were taken to the recovery area, fearing a repeat of last time. I was sure I'd find a crying Mabel, but instead a very peacefully sleeping angel. They said that we could wait until she naturally woke up. We sat and watched her, she did so good! What a good girl. We peeked under the blanket they put on her to see the new cast. It was very similar to the old cast, but with a very exciting improvement, the waist was much lower! Our prize...a clear view of her belly button!!!! Also her right leg is a little more free and the left leg, although the cast seems thicker, the ankle is more exposed...maybe shoes are in Mabel's future? Then a little boy was moved into the recovery cubical next to us, poor little guy was crying so loud. I could see the pulse on Mabel's monitor starting to go up as the little boy kept crying. Oh, this is it I thought, Mabel hates to hear babies cry, it makes her cry. She started to wake up and I jumped up and when she opened her eyes I said "Hi baby!" She smiled! I was able to nurse her and she was very happy. We were then transferred back to our cubical in pre-op and after an hour they took out her IV. She was in a great mood, smiling and impressing all the adoring fans on the nursing staff.

At home I made quick work of the cast after a failed nap attempt. I spent two hours with a hair dryer drying where she got pee on her new cast due to the poor diapering they did in the OR. They basically just placed her old diaper on her...I could teach them a thing or two! I got the cast nice and dry, petaled with moleskin around the diaper area and all the edges and applied waterproof tape on the inside. Now we will live with this cast a few days and I'm sure we'll discover the trouble zones - like the spot above her left hip on the old one. I will master this cast too! I want to impress the doctor again so he knows it wasn't a flook!

So, after a very long day, Mabel is in bed right now hopefully on her way to a good nights sleep. I am catching up on most everything, like making her birthday invitations! And feeling pretty good about how well we all dealt these past 5 weeks and how the next 7 hopefully will go just as well.


My trophy...a very clean Mabel shaped cast! Physical evidence of these past 5 weeks of hard work. You know it is funny how huge it looked on her - now I see it and think how tiny she is! Its all about perspective, I've learned that lesson more ways than one!

Morning of the cast change...

Well, the big day is here...well one of the big days! I'm nervous, tired and hopeful that today goes well. I've been up since 4:15am to get everything ready to leave at 6am for day surgery. Mabel just woke up, but due to my mommy magic I was able to get her back to sleep - hopefully she'll sleep until we have to get her dressed, that way she doesn't wonder where breakfast is!

Wish us luck...

Cast Change Eve...

Well, tomorrow is the big cast change! I am both excited and scared about this, but I know we'll be fine.

Mabel woke three times during the night - three seems to be the magic number for her. Most of the time I can go in her room and pick her up and change her position and she falls right to sleep, but this morning at 3:50am when I went to her crib she smiled at me...I knew I was in for it. She just wanted to play I guess she didn't realize it was not even four in the morning! She tired everything, the funny face, the smiles, the rolling over...I tried everything, rocking, laying on the floor, clean diaper, both of us would not give. She fell back to sleep at 5:20am. I just turned off the alarm (that went off at 5:15) and accepted it will be a LONG day. I realize my posts seem to talk a lot about Mabel's sleeping habits - but hey give me a break it is 5:30 in the morning!

Well, Mabel is a mobile dynamo - I just hope this cast change doesn't set us back any. From what I read it shouldn't but I still worry. We'll have to be at the hospital for 6:30am to check in with day surgery...I guess tomorrow will be another LONG day.

Cast Change Scheduled...

Yesterday I found out that they confirmed the scheduling for Mabel's cast change for this coming Friday! That means a week earlier...does that also mean Mabel will be out of the cast a week earlier if all goes well? Wouldn't that be a dream come true? Mabel has adjust so well, although I'm excited about this "one-step-closer" milestone I still worry if the cast change will effect her negatively. From what I read babies tolerate the cast change well. She will need to be put under anesthesia again with and IV but it will be considered day surgery so we should be home around noon if all goes well. We need to be at the hospital at 6:30am, so at least she won't be looking for breakfast at that time! We'll just get her up and get her in the car like we did last time...poor thing won't know whats going on.

Cast change is great news! With that great news comes the realization that we'll have to figure this new cast out, the problem areas, petaling the openings and applying the waterproof tape, but those are chores I welcome since we got through the first cast so well. I have no doubt that Mabel will quickly adjust to any differences in her new cast. I mean look she can roll over! Now...do you think the doctors will wash her legs before they put the new cast on?

By the way...this picture is Mabel's new face - she does it for a laugh, pretty cute!

Mondays are the best...

Mabel and I had a FABULOUS Mabel & Mommy Day! First we had a great morning of playing and reading books. We then went upstairs to attempt a nap - she played for about 20 minutes quietly in her crib...not a nap, but a good effort. Then we played on the floor some more and when I was changing her diaper it happened! She rolled over!!!! I couldn't believe it, in her cast! I felt like she was 3 months all over again, the moment was that exciting and I was so proud. At first I was afraid I had assisted her in some way because I was changing her and she too had no idea if it was me or her who did it - but boy was she happy! So I flipped her back over and that time I did help a little to see if that is what I did before, but I could have sworn she did it her self...then I put her back on her back again, this time she was a bit annoyed so she just went and flipped that left leg over and yes she did it herself! She was sooooo excited and so was I. I had to see it again so I again put her on her back and now she was really annoyed at me, but sure enough she flipped herself. That's my girl. She's amazing! Of course I called Zack and then my mother to tell them the wonderful news!

At noon we met papa for again since Mabel, Papa and I enjoyed it so much last week. Mabel sure does like to eat out! She's so funny eating her food and looking around to see if the other people in the restaurant are looking her way. She waves and points in excitement and at one point she squealed! She's the best! On the drive home she fell asleep from all the excitement and yummy lunch. I was able to get her out of the car seat and into her crib without waking her. She slept for about another hour! One note about sleeping in the car, I've noticed since the spica cast when she naps she gets quite sweaty, especially if she falls asleep in the car seat, so when she does rarely fall to sleep in the car I try to get home and get her out into her crib because she does quickly get over heated.

At bath time Mabel showed off her new move for Papa, I was relieved, I really wanted him to see her in action since I know it would mean so much to him too. She is sooo good at it, I'll try to get a video, but she flips that casted leg up and over and gently lays it down. That's our girl!

Out for Lunch...

Sundays are our family day. We do what we want when we want to do it...Mabel lives by that rule too, especially for naps and nursing! She's great except when it comes time to sleep, Mabel just says No!

We tried everything to induce a nap, including but not limited to: Nursing with Mumma laying down in the big bed, rocking in the rocking chair with the shades drawn and sound machine on, Reading our good-night books, and then the finally attempt...car ride. Mabel never was one of those kids that fell asleep in the car, only after and exciting out or a day without naps and an exciting time out! She is just too excited to look around and see everything to sleep - story of her life!

We had made plans with Mabel's Granma & Granpa (Zack's Parents) to go to lunch and enjoy live Irish music at 3pm...so we were desperate for a nap...no such luck so at about 1:30 we try the car ride...nope! She just hooted and giggled the whole time until we got to the restaurant at 3, she's crazy but so very cute. She also did a poo so we had a crash course on changing a baby in the spica in the car. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. We just put her on the front seat first on her tummy cleaned her up tucked the diaper then flipped her over cleaned the front real good tucked the diaper and we were done! I'm glad we finally had to do it so we know we can.

Lunch went great. Mabel had a great time eating out and visiting with her grand parents. She bopped and danced and ate her bits and rice rusk. She loves a good party! She did not fall asleep on the way home (thank god b/c I wouldn't want her to ruin her bed time) she was excited to point at every light we passed. She ate her dinner when we got home and we did tubby time and she was in bed around 6pm! But...up at 7...then 9:30...then 11...then it just gets fuzzy...