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!