Physical Therapy

This photo has nothing to do with physical therapy but I LOVE IT! She has had all of these wonderful clothes that my sister handed down to me from my niece but of course she hasn't been able to wear any of it. So now we are. The problem is that she is 12-18 months in pants to get the length right and her shirts are 6-12 months. We don't always have a full outfit but we make due. We roll alot of sleeves!

She started physical therapy this week and she is doing great. She has been able to roll over again. Only to the right so far. Can't seem to get that left leg in far enough to roll left yet. She is sitting better and better every day. She has regained alot of her flexibility. So more of the same. Balance and range of motion.

I can SIT!

It has only been a few days and she is sitting up without much problem. Eventually she falls forward but we are shocked at how quick she has picked up learning to balace herself. She does pretty well if she is leaning forward but backward is a different story. She has had a rough week having to deal with the pain of moving her legs that have been in that cast for 3 1/2 months. Ibuprofen helps but you can tell it still hurts. She is not able to bring her legs together enough to ride in her car seat yet so we still use the one she had for her cast but every day we see improvements. Look at that smile. She looks happy to me.

Bathtime?

Why don't they have a warning on the box that says, " Giving your child one of these teething biscuits will not only require a bath for the child but a change of clothes for you!"

Comin' around the mountain

With the new year brings a new perspective. I have decided to change the way I keep the blog. I have been using it to keep family and friends, namely all of you, updated on what is going on in our lives. I think I am going to try something different this year. I am going to keep this blog for Laney. I want her to look back on it as a journal of her childhood. So the blog will still update you on what is going on in our life but the main focus will be to document Laney's life for her. (Actually it is so when Kevin and I are old and can't remember stuff we can cheat and look back!)

The major development for this week was the removal of Laney's cast. We went in on Monday morning and the Physicians Assistant (not the nurse this time!) Took off Laney's cast. She screamed and cried the whole time. Then to add insult to injury they wanted an X-ray of her pelvis. You have all seen the position that her legs have been in for 14 weeks. Well that is how they stayed when the cast came off. Well they wanted her legs down and straight. It was the most excruciating thing I have ever seen. I can only compare it to someone forcing you down into the splits right now! She screamed and I cried. I have just about had it with people inflicting pain on this kid. Necessary or not! The fact that I just worked three nights in a row and had not slept yet didn't help. Finally, that was over. I wrapped her in a blanket and we walked and looked out the window till I didn't feel like slugging someone.

Then to add insult to injury her doctor came in and told us we had to put her in another cast. "WHAT!?" I don't think I swore but it is highly possible. He misread the file and didn't realize we had already done the second cast. "take her home and let her stretch herself out" he says. So we will let her rest for a few days and start physical therapy! Another milestone achieved. The X-ray of her hip said everything was fine.

2009 We laughed, we cried, we CONQUERED!

I can't believe that it is over. It really doesn't seem possible. At this point last year my water had just broken. We were in the hospital and they told us our little girl had a 5% chance. We were in such a different place. I have never been more grateful for this little girl than I am on this aniversary when we thought we had lost her. Words cannot even express the rollercoaster of extreme pain, worry, hope, and joy that we have gone through in the last year. Looking back it feels like someone elses life sometimes. But the past is the past and we have so many wonderful things that have come out of such difficult times. We have a renewed appreciation for each other, wonderful new friends, and comfort in knowing that we are surrounded by so many wonderful people that have done so much to support us over the last year. (You know who you are!)

So this New Year was a much anticiapated one! So much to celebrate and look forward to over the next year. Who better to celebrate the New Year with than some new found friends. We have become good friends with one of Laney's primary nurses. Jen and Heath are great people and Jen was even the one that admitted Laney to the NICU the night she was born. So we went to their house for some fabulous food and lots of fun. There was music, played a little pool, and did a countdown to the ball dropping in Times Square! Here are just a few photos from that night. Happy New Year Everyone!