Casts {Round One}

On Tuesday, we headed out bright and early and made the three-hour trek to the Children's Hospital for Katee's tenotomy (to release the Achilles tendon) and casting. The doctor decided to put her under anesthesia this time around to ensure he got the best correction possible without her fighting it. However, that meant that my little snacker could not eat after 1:30am the night before or drink after 7:30am.


Thankfully, Children's Hospitals are very entertaining and generally kept her mind off hunger. She especially loved the McQueen fan and bubbles at the blood pressure station. She didn't even realize that the nurse attempted unsuccessfully to take her blood pressure three times. :)


She was a trooper. So brave.

 
Katee thought her hospital gown was "pretty." Mommy and daddy think she makes everything look pretty. :)

 
The nurses and doctors who came in and talked with us prior to her surgery were all surprised she had only been home 2 months. This girl has come a LONG way; we were in a really good place.


We enjoyed a few more snuggles and rubbed her precious feet one last time before she was taken away. That was the most heartbreaking part of the day. She SCREAMED. Loudly. I heard her screaming all the way down the hall and fought tears. Those hand offs are rough, and I hated that we couldn't be there with her.


A few hours later, we were called back to sit with our girl as she finished recovering. It felt so good to have her back in my arms. The procedure was successful and correction of the feet was gained. We will be back in two weeks for another set of casts. The doctor will continue to cast until he is not able to get any more correction. At that point she might need a surgery, but we are not yet sure.


And now we are home and getting used to life with casts. They are heavy. Her pain seems to be managed well with Motrin and Tylenol, but Katee is frustrated that she can't scoot well right now (she is basically immobile) and sleep is not exactly happening . . . yet. Last night she was up every 1-2 hours. She looks exhausted, and I look far from awesome myself. ;)


I am thankful that she has been in fairly good spirits during the days. She still laughs. She wants my comfort. It doesn't seem like this set her back as far as bonding/grieving, and we are so thankful for that. We miss rubbing her legs and feet as it was part of our nightly routine. She misses her hour long baths in the evenings. (She HATED her sponge bath and may or may not have swatted me when I told her she could not have a regular bath!) Several months in casts is so short-term in the scheme of things. As I was growing weary throughout the night trying to comfort her and wishing for sleep, I kept thinking that I am so thankful I get to be her mom. Thankful that this time around she has a mom to comfort her all night long as she gets used to her heavy, bulky casts . . . the last time she went through serial casting she was an orphan. What a privilege to care for this precious one and be the one she calls "mommy."