Freedom.. at least a little bit.

On Tuesday the 21st - almost 3 weeks since the cast came off. The day before Pip turned 11 months. We went for another xray. When the Dr came in and the nurse behind him.. The one that always comes when I flip out on bad news, yeah her.

Anyway, my husband and I exchanged nervous glances as the dr asked how Pip sleeps. Uhhh.. poorly now thanks to all this! She was sleeping all night before 7 months ago! ...Has it really been seven months? Oh man. 7 months ago we got the first bit of "her hips aren't moving the same way on both sides..." 7 months ago we got the referral. 5 months ago we got the news that she'd need surgery to fix this. Almost 5 months ago she had said surgery. Almost a month ago our journey shifted into a less complicated path and the cast came off.. Almost 4 days ago it shifted again..

He asked about her naps and her sleeping times. I told him she is in her bed by 8 and doesn't leave it really until 7am, although she does wake at least twice. Naps are a bit more tricky.. she takes one from 12-2/3 but also sometimes takes one from 830/9-930/10 and 330/4-530.. I'm trying desperately to cut those other two out and have one big one in the middle. He said good. He only wants her in the brace for naps and bedtime.

..wait, what?

My baby who just accomplished rolling over in the brace a few days back, unexpectedly, gets to be a normal baby for her waking hours!? Yay! Wait. What if the hip pops back out? What if this doesn't work and a cast is in our near future again!?

This is where I really need to tell myself to take it one day at a time. I'm full of "what ifs" and I miss the now a lot. So she, my 11 month old preemie, can roll belly to back finally. She tries back to belly but tries to go left and her left leg won't straighten fully yet so she just kinda hangs out on her side, frustrated. She can fit in everything other babies can fit in! And I have the chance to totally rethink her Halloween costume now but I refuse to. Haha. I love my zombie princess idea and by my, I mean our roommates. :)

We go back again 11 days before she turns one. One. Time flies, it really does. BUT. She can have smash cake now without me worrying she would get get cast all yucky or the brace filthy! I love my little miracle.

November is Premature Birth Awareness month.

November is creeping up on me, us, everyone. I'm trying to focus on one thing: Halloween. So I'm trying to push November out of my head. But, I've been asked to have our family be the ambassador family for March of Dimes this year. And since I'm the mother of a preemie now, and our story is something that could very well happen to anyone.. Which I would want to make known so it IS preventable, I accepted. So. Our goal is to raise $500 for March of Dimes. And in order to do this, I also have made a custom nail wrap design through Jamberry Nails, with whom I am an Independent Consultant with.

To purchase these, please contact me here: https://www.facebook.com/CSweeney14

**All commission I make from the sales on this design or any purchase from the website(http://csweeney.jamberrynails.net) towards this fundraiser(March of Dimes Fundraiser) will be donated.If you do not wish to purchase the wraps I created with Jamberry, then please, feel free to just donate! Thank you for your time! Every little bit helps.

Donate or join Team Lainee here: http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?pp=5437767&ct=4&w=6903453&u=csweeney14

Here is our story:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/crystal-sweeney/our-story-refusing-the-flu-shot-2013/10152891898342224

Freedom

Last Wednesday the husband, Pip and I made the 45 minute journey to Pensacola for a 4 week cast appointment.  We went to the cast room to wait for our xray. After the xray we waited for the Dr to come in to say 'looks great, see you in x weeks!'

We didn't expect what had happened next... he came in and said "Everything looks great! How about we take the cast off today?" My world went into slow motion. I said get outta here and he started to get up so I started screaming "no!" We all laughed.

He said he wanted to see what the xray showed when manipulating her legs. I asked what would happen after the xray. He said a brace, nothing our another cast. I froze. I told him if they wanted to put another cast on to not take this one off!

I, of course, started crying. Happy tears, mixed with some fear and some sadness if she had to go back into a cast. I held her arms up so the cast tech could cut off the cast. Lainee hates being held down. She screamed majority of the removal.

Then.. I didn't know how to diaper our pick up my child. Haha. I was scared. Scared of pushing her hip back out of place. I had gotten so used to picking her up by supporting the cast, that lifting het up under her armpits didn't seen feasible. I got her up and supported her left leg so it didn't flop around. Which was prefect.

After almost 4 months (the next day would have been it) of not seeing my baby girl's legs, I was beside myself! She had no sores just dry skin. I was relieved! We cuddled waiting for the second xray. It was so nice to hold her close again.

After the second xray and much of Lainee's screaming because she didn't want to be put down.. We left with a prescription for the brace and another appointment in 3 weeks.

Over to the brace we went, just to find it closed. I was crushed. A guy came up that worked there and said the one that fits the fitting wouldn't be back until 230-3. And I had to be back to town and at work at 330. So after calling my boss, and getting lunch. We went back to the brace place. We got a size small rhino brace. It was hard to put on the first couple of changes but now, almost a week later I'm good to go! Changing her is still a learning process since I'm so used to lifting legs to change diapers. Changing a poopy diaper is the most frustrating part. I can't exactly roll her easily now and I can't lift from the small of her back/butt area lol. Right now the brace can come off for diapering and baths. No allotted time, just long enough to change her or bathe her.

She tries to roll over when the brace is off. It's just her left leg isn't moving much yet. Now it's a while different set of worries.