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...

It isn't always the cast...or is it?

The crying at night is bothering...I'll be honest. Is it the cast? Is it something else? The truth is a baby in a spica goes through other things too, it looks like Mabel may be getting two more teeth so maybe that has been her problem the last week or so, who know? I just wish I could be sure it wasn't the cast though, having that variable just makes it that much harder to know if she is uncomfortable because of that or something else...I mean by now she must be use to it enough that it seems normal to her right?

Dinner and a show...

We had visitors this evening. I had to work part of the day and so Zack watched Mabel until about noon and then my mom took over when he had to go to work until I got home. Poor Zack, Mabel gave him a run for his money! She didn't want lunch or naps - I think she was too excited to have time with her Papa!

My friend and her family came up to visit. They were supposed to arrive sometime around 3pm but it ended up being past 5pm that they got there with a 3 year old and 5 year old in tow. I will be honest, it could have gone really really badly for Mabel since this was her dinner time and one thing she likes is predictability when it comes to her dinner and bath routine, but Mabel did great! She was so excited to watch the "big kids" play. I'm all teary thinking about how it seems like yesterday the 5 year old was Mabel's age and even sooner since the 3 year old had her first birthday party! My Mabel is going to be that big! I can't think of that right now - I mean it is exciting and wonderful and exactly what I want but I want to savor every second of what I have right now and not miss a second.

Mabel loved her 3 year old new pal. Even let her feed her dinner! Mabel was marveled by the two kids dancing and laughing around the table as she ate. She looked at me like "We should do this every night!" By the end of the night Mabel was dancing on my lap...that's a happy baby! She does love seeing other kids!

Now, if that isn't a testament to having a sibling for Mabel in the future I don't know what is!

4 Week Checkup...

Yesterday Mabel had her 4 week post-op check up with the ortho. Mabel as always was an angel at the doctors. They marveled at how still she is when they take her x-ray. She just lays there perfectly still smiling and pointing at the x-ray machine and the red lines it projects on her! She is such a cutie - I love her so!

The doctor said he was very happy with the look of the x-ray. The femoral head is in the right spot so hopefully that hip will grow correctly. Every time we have gone for a check-up my heart is in my throat all day scared that they may find something wrong, I don't know what just something, but I felt much better after speaking to the doctor. I had him also check Mabel's cast to make sure it doesn't look like it is getting tight, he said it was fine and it looks like her cast change is scheduled for November 24th - we are still waiting for the hospital to confirm but that would be prefect! Before Thanksgiving!!!! I don't want to get my hopes up, but I was worried her cast change would be pushed back after the holiday causing her to be in the cast longer overall, but this would be great. Not only would it mean she isn't off track of the 12 weeks because of the holiday, but it would mean a fresh cast for the holiday! That would be something to be thankful for...

Oh, the doctor commented on how clean her cast was...yeah!

Reclaiming Bathtime...

I've written about how much Mabel always loved her bath time...I mean she LOVED her tubby. She seemed to look forward to it since about 3 months, the toys, the water, the splashing...her toothbrush! It has taken some time, but I feel bath time is ours again, new and not so improved but ours just the same.

Loosing "Tubby Time" has been just as hard for us as it has been for her. It was probably one of the funnest daily routine we had. The smiles and giggles were always priceless. I will never forget our first bath after the cast. It was the day we got home from the hospital, we went up to Mabel's room as we always did, undressed her and cried seeing her laying there on the floor in that cast. She wouldn't fit on her changing table anymore and at the time she wasn't even trying to move. She just laid on the floor looking for us to take the cast off because she knew it was time for her Tubby. We groped around trying to figure out the best way to bath her, we hadn't done a sponge bath since she was newborn! We tried distracting her with toys and books as I wiped her down with water in a basin, she cried in confused as to what we were doing...didn't we know that she sat in her warm tub when we washed her? We washed her hair by holding her over the basin and using a cup to pour the water on her head...she hated that! I gave her her tooth brush, she threw it in frustration...she looked at us like we didn't know what we were doing, she thought it was so simple it seemed like she was crying "put me in my tub"...then I had an idea. We wrapped her in a towel and put her tub toys in the basin and sat her on my lap and let her splash in the basin. She was so excited to touch the water she was laughing and smiling at us...we just sat there and cried.

Bath time came to be one of the saddest and least fun routine of the day after the cast. After a couple of days Mabel just didn't want to "splash" anymore. She was angry as we sponge bathed her and she almost seemed depressed that we weren't having tubby...I might add that we also always let her have some time playing diaperless before her tub and she was missing that too.

How did I reclaim bathtime? Simple, I started doing everything the exact same way as we did before the cast - everything right down to the letter pretending there was not cast. I would spread out the blanket and toys in her room for her to play and pretend that she was diaperless. I do clean her diaper area with warm water and re-diaper her in her bedroom before we "jump into the tub" and sometimes I use the hairdryer on cool to keep her cast dry...but she doesn't mind those new changes anymore. I would "draw her tubby" in the bathroom like always and then I got the idea to use her old infant bouncy seat in the bathroom in the spot we always put her tub. Then we would bring her into the bathroom (she was sooooo excited the first time we did this) and put her in the bouncy seat and sing our bath songs and play with our toys. I sponge bathe her in her seat, using extra towels under her I wring water using her face cloth over her hair to wash her hair as I did when she would sit in her tub. She brushes her teeth like she always did and we pretend we are in a warm tubby. After our tub she gets wrapped in her soft towel and carried to her bedroom to get her PJs on just like before and just like before there are lots of giggles and smiles...Mabel is happy...we are happy...bathtime is our time again!

Now, don't think I'm not counting the days until I can give my baby a proper bath...until then we have our pretend tubby!

4 weeks down...8 more to go...

Well, today is a very special day! It has come to be that Thursdays mark another week in the spica...another week down, another week closer to getting the cast off! Mabel is a third of the way there - that is depending on when they schedule the cast change...but you know what we'll still live in this fantasy that it will be exactly 12 weeks for a little while longer.

The reality is her cast change hasn't been scheduled yet with the hospital. She will need to be sedated and under anesthesia again. The last time we were waiting for the hospital to schedule we know how long that took! Plus with the holidays I'm sure her appointments will be pushed back...I'm thinking she'll be in that cast an extra week or so because of scheduling. Who knows right now, but who cares right now ITS THURSDAY!

I won't talk about sleep in this entry...lets say it wasn't great last night. Today I want to talk about Mabel's eating and well, what comes out. I've read advice online by other parents that advise against introducing new foods while in the cast in case of intolerance. Since Mabel is now 11 months we have not lived by this rule although I can see the merit in it. We have been (knock on wood) very lucky with Mabel and solid food adventures. She really has liked most everything we have given her and has yet to have any kind of reaction so we are very lucky. With that said Mabel has been a bit more "spit-up-y" lately due to the cast pushing on her tummy. She wants to eat the same amount as before, I've tried smaller meals but good luck explaining that to her! Another thing the spica does is slow down the digestive track since she isn't moving as much as before. I'm always really looking at the poo that comes out to make sure it looks normal and not too firm. We've had a couple of days of missed poos, but we try to make sure she gets enough good fibrous foods, which isn't a problem for her seeing she loves her fruits and veggies. She is also more gassy due to the lack of movement and inability to work those gas bubbles out as before so we are having to burp her like a baby which isn't so bad, she seems to get a kick out of it and I've giving her the Mylicon drops again here and there with dinner to see if that helps...I'm not convince it makes a difference, but it is worth a try since it worked when she was 3 months and colicky right? Look how excited she gets when she tries something new! Who could deny her (and us) that joy?

Oh my aching __________....

They say the cast added about 3 lbs...I sometimes feel like it is 20 lbs. My Mabel was a dainty not quite 17 lbs flower when they put the cast on her. Honestly it isn't too bad (most of the time), but I certainly feel the results of the extra weight on my body. My shoulders, back arms and well you fill in the blank, ache. I think the major aching is due to picking her up and putting her down in her crib over and over again most nights. Adjusting the crib back to the highest "newborn" height really made a difference. It was sad though since only a few weeks ago we were going to put it to the lowest height because Mabel was just about ready to pull herself up to standing...but I digress.

Last night was a winner of a night! She slept from 8:33pm to 3:20am. She didn't want to go to sleep at first - smiling and being sooo cute, but finally did after over an hour of trying she gave in. She woke briefly and then right back to sleep. That's my girl! See this picture of her sleeping? This was taken the other night by my crazy husband! She had fallen asleep early and it gave us extra time to relax after a long day and previous long night. Every night Zack sneaks into Mabel's room when we are ready for bed and kisses her goodnight (the sweetest thing ever!) and that night she looked so peaceful that he got the camera and next thing I knew I could see flash photography coming from her room! Is he crazy?! Well maybe...but it didn't bother her and what a cute picture right?

Too often I find that people complain more than praise (I'm guilty too i.e. this post on my aching _____!), so I would like to end this post with kudos to Mabel for a well rested night, baby, mama & papa...

Lunch with Papa & Traveling Details...

Mondays are what I like to call Mabel & Mommy days...I know I'm weird. Anyway, Monday is just for us. We hang out together, Mabel can nurse as much as she wants and we do what ever we want, even if it is just hanging out in our PJs all day (that is more for Mumma than Mabel).

Today we wanted to get out of the house. We needed to swing by our playdate location of last week and pick up Mabel's three favorite books...no matter how hard I try to remember everything I always seem to leave something behind! I once heard someone say that kids are like snails they just leave a trail of stuff behind...I think moms of little ones are too!

So Mabel and I had a great morning, she didn't want to nap much - but that isn't anything new. When I'm home she does not want to nap...although on Sunday she took a great long nap in her crib in the afternoon, it set a unrealistic expectation for Monday (that never happened). We ventured out and met Papa for lunch at Wholefoods. Papa was working so this was such a treat for all of us. We had a great time, Mabel love to people watch and I brought her apples, cereal and bits and she ate with us! She warms my heart! Then we strapped Mabel into our new hip carrier and Mabel and I did a little grocery shopping. After all the excitement she fell asleep in the car and we got our books and went home. I would consider that a very successful outing.

Car travel with the Spica:
I have to say I HATE the car seat. It first of all is huge, but the biggest pain is that she needs a wedge under her to keep her in the right spot and first of all that wedge is pain to get in the right place and then it sometimes moves and she slides down if you don't get it just right. The way her legs are in the cast the belts just don't seem quite right as they come over her legs a bit, but the Hospital fitted her and this is the best it is and they assure us it is safe since this is what this car seat is made for. Mabel does love how high it makes her sit so she can see out of all the windows so that is a plus I guess.

Clothing makes the baby:
If you are concerned with strangers staring at your baby wondering what in the world happened to her to cause her to be in a spica cast then the right clothing will hide everything. I would be lying if I said I didn't care what people thought about Mabel in her cast. I do care. I don't want people staring at her or thinking there is something wrong with her because there isn't. So it is and always has been important for me to cover the cast. Covering the cast also seems to help keep it cleaner by the way. I have rompers that cover the cast and pants that are also made to cover the cast. With the clothing I found no one ever seems to notice.

The right baby carrier:
Mabel's cast is made in the prefect shape to fit around my hips. I got a new hip carrier that I can put her in when we are out and no one seems to even notice the shape her legs are in. If we carry her she also looks natural but if I'm alone with her and need to shop or something the carrier is perfect so I have free hands. I can't wear it too long b/c of the extra weight of the cast, but it is comfortable for about 3 minutes and that is plenty. I also can use her Baby Bjorn for walks but in the cast she does project a little more from me than she did so it is hard to do tasks with her in it.

11 Months Old...

Mabel is officially almost one year old. I can't believe the last 11 months have gone by so quickly. I would not change one second of it for anything...my husband thinks that is a crazy statement, he can't figure out how sleepless nights and a colicky could still possess someone to make such a statement, but I stand by it. I would not change anything.

Mabel is a marvel to me. She is has such a great spirit and the cast has not held any of it back. I was so scared that this experience would change her in some way...but it really hasn't.

Every month since Mabel was born we would take our "birthday" picture in the "birthday chair" to mark how much she has grown and she sure has done just that! I would be lying if I said I wasn't sad that this month we had to use a pillow under her cast to sit her up. One of my favorite things about the chair pictures was seeing her slowly sit up more and more every month, but it is ok. A weird sadness happened to me when we were first told of Mabel's surgery and cast, it seemed so stupid but I was sad that she was going to have her first birthday and have christmas and holidays in this cast. The thought of all her wonderful pictures marred with this horrible cast just bothered me so much, but it isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'm still sad that she has to have it, but it is temporary...we are three weeks in right? Time does seem to go quicker with babies - although I would never wish any second go quicker than it already feels.

Mabel in a cast is my new reality...it is Mabel cast in all and the pictures will still be happy.

The roller coaster of sleep...

We like to take things day by day here...or night by night I guess. Mabel is all over the board right now with her night time sleep. Wednesday night was not good at hall. We put her down and she was up about an hour later just screaming. It took about two hours to settle her and by midnight she was out. She work two more times during the night and then at 5am.

Last night she would not go to sleep, maybe it was the added excitement of my brother and her wife just stopping by, it surprised me too since they live an hour away! It was nice for them to visit and it was the first time they saw Mabel in her spica. Bedtime got pushed back a bit and Mabel fought it tooth (she does have four of them) and nail...it took over an hour of her protesting and crying before she finally went to sleep. Sleep came in the form of me laying on the floor with her letting her nurse because I was so tired I myself was falling asleep in the rocking chair.

I think this is more about her wanting me than the cast...but how do I know?

A much better night...

So, Mabel did it! She slept last night from 7:30pm, woke very briefly at 1:30am and then didn't wake again until 6:00am! That kind of success after the last few nights is so amazing. I even slept in my bed! I broke down and let her sleep on her tummy and now that we found that pesky spot in her cast that was wet and fixed it I think she's feeling much happier at night - I hope anyway! We'll see how things go tonight, I don't want to get my hopes up, but I do feel good knowing that she can do it. *knock on wood*

About sleeping on her tummy...frankly it freaks me out. I stare at her in the baby monitor (thank god we registered for the video monitor!). I feel like this horrible irresponsible parent when even her sleep sack says "back is best" right on it! With that said, the reality is she is almost one, she was sleeping on her belly the second she learned to roll herself, she always turned right on her side or belly after I placed her on her back in the crib. I'm double freaked about the fact that the shape of her cast means she needs to be on a pillow when she is laying down. There isn't much info out there on babies in spica cast wanting to sleep on their tummies, but when she is on her tummy she can lift her head and she is able to reposition herself so she is comfortable and when you are in a spica cast if you can get comfortable you do it right?

Our first playdate...

So today Mabel and I met with two other wonderful moms and babies. My step-sister and her beautiful baby boy and a friend of hers and her sweet 23 month old daughter. The 23 month was another "hip baby"! She just graduated from her cast a week or so ago and is now cruzing around in a brace. It was so great to see such a well adjusted baby who has gone through the surgery and casting process and adjusting now so well to the brace. Their story made me feel so lucky, the diagnosis came at 18 months so she had to be in traction for four weeks followed by a closed reduction and casting for 12 weeks, but the process in the cast was differnt. She had to sleep on a frame with a bedpan instead of diaper at night. It sounded awful, but that sweet little girl seems to be doing so well and Mabel was so intrested in watching her scoot around and play. Mabel has never been around another baby girl, most everyone I know has had boys! Mabel just crawled around on her belly just entralled in what this "big kid" was doing. She had such a blast and I did too. It is nice talking to other moms and to meet someone who can relate to what we are going through...I think Mabel felt the same way.

What is that smell?!

Ok, this morning we noticed a very yucky smell originating from Mabel's cast. I had gotten a whiff of it the other day when I got home from work and Zack noticed it too. It doesn't smell like pee or poop, but it doesn't smell fresh either. That stupid cast!!! I got a flash light and looked inside for any sores or skin problems but didn't see anything. We are so careful when we change her and I wipe inside of her cast every day and at every change. Everyone said there is no way to prevent the cast from getting soiled but this is my personal quest. Well, after another sleepless night and a stinky cast I couldn't deny they had to be related. I fished around in that cast and found a pocket of padding above her left hip that was wet!!!! Wet with all I can imagine is pee! My baby had pee on her. We used the hair dryer on cool for over an hour and I was able to get my finger in there to get the air in and we were able to get it dry. It had to be it because she fell asleep when we were drying it, it must have felt so much better to her. I then got water proof tape right up in there, it seems like maybe it was wicking out of her diaper into that spot of extra padding. I'm happy to report she smell soooo much better! I also found her skin was a bit raw there...could that go with the lack of sleep? So last night I make extra sure that area was dry at bed time and we gave her a little Tylenol in case she had pain and (even though it freaks me out) Mabel wanted to sleep on her tummy...she only woke once. She was so much happier in the morning. I think that may have been what was bugging her! I can't blame her, poor thing was probably wondering what was wrong with us not changing her out of the hard wet pants!