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!