Tootsie Toughpants and AFOs

11-20-2011

Wow! It's been a month since I last updated Rachel's blog. Between working full time (and averaging 18-22 hrs of overtime), chasing Breanne and Alicia, taking care of Rachel, doctor appointments, Steve's school schedule and the never ending pile of laundry- I am lucky to turn my laptop on once a week (I am Starbucks' best customer- Steve too!). I can hear my knitting needles weeping in the craft room from loneliness. Some days I get home from work around 2 am, shower and get into bed by 3 am and up by 6 am to change and feed Rachel, get the girls ready for school and off to doctor appointments with Rachel, maybe eat lunch and then off to work again. One day I will look back and wonder how I did it. Running on love for my family and peppermint mochas. Enough about me . . .

Rachel is 14 wks old. I look at her and think she is so big but yet so little. Yes- we are still wearing newborn size diapers and most of her newborn size clothes still fit. I am guessing she weighs around 8 and half pounds currently. We completed 6 weeks of cast changes and she now has tiny AFOs. (picture coming soon of AFOs on her) She is to wear her AFOs for 14 hours a day. She will need to have the surgery to release the tendons in her ankles for the clubfeet. Her orthopedic doctor will need to put her under for the surgery so we have opted to wait for her to get alittle bigger- possible surgery in spring. Due to her size she is also very difficult to catheterize- we have been given the okay by her urologist to wait to start the ditropan and catheterizing until she is alittle bigger.

I have nicknamed her Tootsie Toughpants at the moment. Rachel has no problem expressing her displeasures. We are working at trying to get her to comfort herself and to fall asleep in her crib or bassinet. She loves to be held and snuggled and lets you know how displeased she is when we are not holding her. (I am running past episodes of Nanny 911 in my head- yikes! I refuse to be one of those moms that still have to hold their 5 yr old to get them to sleep)