Best News!!

Katie had her 'big' appointment today at CHOP. Last year, her hip had made no progress and the doctor had said that if it didn't improve then we might have to consider surgery. All year I have been praying that it would grow on its own, so she wouldn't have to have surgery and another cast. Well, guess what?! It has improved and is 'good enough,' so no surgery. Woooo!!!! I am so happy! He said that there are a lot of people with the degree of displasia that Katie has who walk around every day and don't even know they have it. He also said that her femurs twist a little when she walks (typical of hip dysplasia). I asked him if that is why she runs like she does, where her knees twist in and her legs flail out. He said that was also due to the dysplasia, and called the 'egg beater' run. It isn't a problem at all. Yayyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so relieved and happy, can't you tell?

Latest Hip Check

I'm still here. We had our computer put away for the last several days so that Jeff could install a new floor up here!!! No more nasty pink and green speckled, dark brown and tan checker-board tiles!!!!! (Can you tell that makes me happy? That stuff was hideous.) Anyway, we're back in business.

Katie had her hip check this morning and I don't know if I am happy or not. Basically, the word was 'looks good, hip is stable, the femur has improved, socket is still flatter than it should be, wait and see...' We talked again about surgery. Last check up seemed like we were out of the woods, but it all depends on how much growth her hip does on its own. Dr. Speigel said he doesn't want to do the surgery unless its absolutely necessary, and he waits longer than most doctors to do it...around age 4. I asked him if her socket stays the same would she have to get surgery, and he said we would definitely have to consider it. The bottom line is, no one knows how much 'remodeling' her hip will do on its own. By age 4 is usually when it really slows down. So at next year's check-up we'll figure out whether she will need surgery or not. I know there is no way around it, but I really hate the 'wait and see' part of this. Ugh. And I have decided (well, I already knew this..) I will NEVER live in a big city. The traffic is enough to give me a nervous breakdown. I hate driving in Philly!!!!!

Katie's Hip Update (Good News!!!!)

Katie had her hip check-up this morning. Last time, she had made no improvements, and although she hadn't gone backward, it was discouraging. Well, not today! Things have improved. Her hip angle is now 26, which places her firmly in the 'mild' dysplasia category. Dr. Speigel said that if the angle is above 30, that's when you usually consider surgery. So, the bottom line is that her hip has improved, is now in the 'mild' range, and surgery is looking like less of a possibility. (From my understanding, the angle could possibly get worse as she grows, or not change, but it looks good right now and things seem to be on the up and up.) Her next check-up is in 6-9 months. What an answer to prayer!!!!!

Thanksgiving

I realize its a bit early to do the year-end retrospective, but hey, its been one heck of a year and there is a lot to be thankful for. At the beginning of the year, I was hoping for a nice quiet year. Last year was filled with a lot, including Katie's diagnosis of hip dysplasia and her subsequent closed reduction/spica cast ordeal. This year, it was supposed to be a nice uneventful year. Not! The year started off with a bang when our tenants gave their notice. We soon discovered that to say they had trashed the house would be an extreme understatement. We spent from March to the end of June/early July putting in hundreds of hours scrubbing, scouring, fixing and repairing, and scrubbing some more. It was a nightmare. Then, there was paying two mortgages for six months. And did I mention I was also gestating a sweet little human being through the whole ordeal?? He arrived at the tail end of all the major projects. All this to say, it has been a CRAZY year, full of opportunities for stress around every corner. BUT! God has provided for us through it all, and we made it through relatively sane. ;) I am so grateful its all over, and we have a new year ahead of us! Hopefully this one won't be so eventful. Ha, ha!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

I love my kids

And two random updates: Tyler had a hip ultrasound today and everything looks good! Praise the Lord!!!! We won't discuss the fact that I got lost on the maze of 'turnpike' roads and added an extra hour to the trip home, or how we don't have air conditioning in the truck. And, everything is looking good for selling the old house. We accepted an offer, which we felt was really low. Our first initial reaction was NO!!! Even though our agent thought the offer was low, too, she advised us to 'take it and run.' We accepted the offer, with the contingency that they not come back and try to negotiate later (e.g. 'take $1000 off for the scratch in the floor type thing). The home inspection was Monday, and it came back good. Closing is set for late September!

Katie Update

Katie had her CHOP appointment this morning at 7:45 am. Somehow I survived driving in Philly with rush hour, detours, road closings, a flooded road, and getting lost. The doctor is happy with her hip. While the hip angle (of the socket) hasn't really changed, it hasn't gotten worse (which apparently it can). The femur is growing; it is still smaller than the left side, but improving. Also, when he checked out the range of motion of her hip, etc., there was no stiffness in her right side and she had a full range of motion...both sides were the same! This is very good, and the first time that there has been no resistance/stiffness when they check her hip. Wahoo! Also, and here is where I insert the drumroll..........NO MORE BRACE!!! NO MORE BRACE!!! NO MORE BRACE!!! Can you tell I am relieved?? Although she still wears it and is mostly cooperative, she is starting to get somewhat annoyed with it. Also, it gives her a rash if don't put pants on her. He explained that if it was 'easy to do' than we would keep using it, but there was no clinical evidence that long-term bracing at this point is effective. She has been wearing it for nine months. He said that if she was showing signs of annoyance with it now, it wouldn't be long before she'd be ripping it off and chucking it out of her crib anyway. James asked three times on the way home why we were keeping Katie's brace if she didn't have to wear it any more. Since I am a Cheyney, and we are weird like that, I will be putting it in her memory box. So, overall, it was a good visit. She isn't 'out of the woods' yet, but it was more encouraging than the last visit. Thank you God!

And here are a few pictures of the alternative route I had to find when I got lost:

Its always a nice touch to see grates over the windows when you drop your kids off at daycare. Very reassuring.

The road I got stuck on also had trolley tracks, so that made for extra fun! Make way for the trolley! And at random intervals the road would split up and join back together. On the right, you will see another nice touch: razor wire woven through the decorative thing-a-ma-jig along the fence of a really old church. For all you Colorado peeps out there, this isn't even the scary part of town. You can tell I've been here a while because I wasn't even scared driving through here. Not even when I saw a really burly woman looking to start a fight with a scrawny guy under the EL.

This morning we needed to run to T@rget for a few things. James asked if he could buy a toy. I told him if he wanted to buy a toy he would have to get some money out of his piggy bank. Fortunately, he is oblivious to the whole scam that is toy manufacturing and is perfectly thrilled to pick something out of the dollar section. When I was counting out some change for him, he told me to get out enough to buy Katie a toy too. It was so sweet. I felt so proud of him. Then he asked me to pick out another dollar, because he wanted to buy me a toy too! That just about made me melt. I picked out a whopping three dollars and tax from the spare change he has garnered from Chappy, Grammy, the sidewalk, and courtesy of Daddy's desk drawer at work. When we got to T@rget I wasn't sure if he would change his mind, but he didn't. He picked out a three-pack of Squirt Guns for himself, and one for Katie. As I started to head for the other things I needed, James said 'Wait, Mommy! I want to buy you a toy too! I want to buy you that water bottle!' And he pointed out a water bottle he wanted for me. It was just too sweet. As we were heading to the counter, he told me 'Mommy, when the money-taker asks for my money I am just going to say no thanks.' I cringed, explaining to him that without paying we wouldn't be able to take our toys home. I said he would have to pay for the toys. He looked right at me and said 'No, Mommy, I will say 'No, thanks, I don't need a bag!' Duh. Every three year old I know would know to say that. Or not.

Totally changing the subject, tomorrow is Katie's appointment at CHOP. They'll do another x-ray and see how things are going. I have been praying for some sort of progress this time; it was so hard last time to hear that her hip hadn't really progressed at all since her previous appointment. I am also hoping for a release from the brace, but who knows. I have to keep pants on her when she wears it, even if its hot, because it is giving her a rash. We'll see. I will take any good news I can get!

Not so encouraging...

After a long visit to CHOP, we're back. I was hoping for encouraging news, but didn't really get it. Her hip hasn't really improved since her last visit. It has improved overall: the hip is in the socket, and the femoral head seems to have grown a bit. However, the doctor is concerned that if it doesn't progress enough, she'll have to have surgery in 2-3 years. Its just a waiting game to see what happens. He does want to see her in in 4-6 months, and wants to keep a close eye on her. Basically, her socket is shallow and her femoral head is a lot smaller than the 'good' one. So, over time, there is a chance that the femur could begin to slide out of the socket and cause uneven wear to the socket. That would cause arthritis. To correct the problem, and if you are squeamish stop reading now, they would cut away the bottom edge of the socket, and move it down, filling in the gap with donor bone. That would create the proper shape and keep her femur from sliding out. After the surgery, she would be in another SPICA cast for 4-6 weeks. Its really hard to tell what will happen. Her hip may just decide to correct itself. It may not. We'll just have to wait it out and see what happens I guess. I know I'll be doing even more praying in the meantime. Oh, this parenting stuff is nerve-wracking!

Who Knew?/Big Day

Did you know that there are artists who sculpt with cigarette butts? That is taking recycling to the extreme! Eeew.

And today is a big day for us. Katie goes to CHOP for a check-up. I am hoping for good progress! I'll keep you updated.

A few short clips of...drumroll please...Katie WALKING!!!!!

NEWS FLASH (can you hear me squealing with joy?!)

Katie took four steps yesterday....the first steps I have seen her make. Four steps!!! FOUR STEPS!!!! Right in front of me...it was glorious! After all the hip dysplasia issues, I have been really yearning to see her finally walk...I need to see her walk. Now, we are 'stepping' in the right direction. Ha. And...when Jeff got home, I told him about it and she did an encore performance. Wahooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Off the Wall Tales from the last few days...

In no particular order, here is what has been going on around here lately:

• Somehow an opened bag o' dried beans ended up in my dryer. I heard them rattling around, picked out the ones I saw, removed the bag, which still housed most of the beans, and figured I'd pick the rest out as I folded the clothes. Think again! Apparently, the beans were small enough to get sucked into the lint trap, and when I pulled it out they all fell down into the back of the dryer. I dreaded telling Jeff. I mean, seriously, I don't think that dismantling the dryer to extract dry beans ranks on his list of fun tasks. In the end, the dryer shot a few beans back out the lint trap and Jeff took it apart to remove the rest. What a trooper.
• Rachel stayed with us from Friday to Sunday. We had such a blast. We went to Rice's flea market and Ike@, sewed ourselves purses, and Rachel led a (an?) hilarious story time involving passages from the LLL Breastfeeding Guide. We had such a great time and the kids loved having Auntie Rach around.
• Its official! Katie now has to wear her brace only while sleeping! I keep thinking I should put it on her, have her wear it anyway, but I remind myself its OK. The doctor knows what he is doing. Its so nice to hold her sans contraptions!!! I think she is going to take off mobility-wise now. She is already walking holding on to our hands. She can climb on the couch and into the window, up the stairs, and pretty much whatever else she sets her mind to. I'll have my hands full!!!
• Someone delivered a paper to our house. I asked James if he wanted to go out and get it. He went out, picked up the paper, put it in his mouth, got down on all fours and walked back to the house that way. I kept questioning him as to what he was doing, where he saw that. He told me that Maxwell gets Mike's paper for him. Maxwell is our friend's dog, who he met this past summer. That kid has a good memory on him!
• And speaking of James...this one is funny. I was quizzing him on body parts the other day. I asked him where his clavicles were, and he pointed to his, uh, you know, and said 'they're in my pants!' Clavicles, testicles, you know. They are almost the same thing!
  
• Jeff is nearing the home stretch, time wise anyway, of his Calculus 2 class. He has a ton of work to do. Will this ever end?!
  
• I might sound like a ginormous dork here, but James and Katie rode in the cart together for the very first time and they were so stinkin' cute. Katie has never been able to ride in a germy cart before. Also, the other day we went to a store that had the car carts, and James asked if Katie could go in it with him. I took her brace off and strapped them both in. That was too stinkin' cute too! I know, it doesn't take much to make me happy.
  
• I think I've done about as much damage as I can do here for one day, so I think I'll end here. To quote my friend Rachel, "Peace out, cub scouts."
  

The Yee-fiz Turned Yellow

Toward late summer, I started telling James that it would be fall soon. I explained to him that the leaves will turn yellow and orange and red, and they will fall from the trees. Now, whenever he sees leaves in someone's yard, he says 'Look! The yee-fiz turned yellow in their yard! Its fall time in their yard!' We have been raking leaves a lot, and while James will rake and load the leaves up in his wheelbarrow, he will not sit in the leaves or jump in them. And if you mess up his pile...whoa! 'Hey, you just took the roof off my castle! Do not take the roof off my castle!' Where a grown-up sees a pile of leaves, a little boy sees a castle. I love the creativity!

And a brief Katie update: We went to CHOP Tuesday. The ortho wants to see her in the brace for two more weeks, then we'll go to naps/nighttime only. Her socket is still shallow, which is normal for dysplasia. Its a wait and see game as far as how much growth her hip and femur do on their own. He did mention surgery for the first time, but it was more of a 'just in case' type thing. It is a possibility, but not a probability is my understanding. Her femur is looking better than I remember it even with the last xray, so that was nice to see. She has stood for several seconds on her own lately. Her balance is improving and she is walking with one of those little push-cart things they make for babies. She can climb the stairs, and climb on the couch and into the window sill. She can also climb through the tunnel, up and down steps to get to the top of the tall slide at the park! She isn't letting the brace slow her down at all.

Progress! And Randomness...

After only 48 hours out of the cast, Katie was able to pull herself up to stand with the help of the bath tub. Yesterday she stood several times, a bit wobbly, but she was standing!!! Today, she is even stronger and has pulled herself up to stand quite a bit and for longer periods (several minutes). I am amazed at how quickly she is trying all this stuff, although I guess it was what I expected her to do. She's a wee bit determined, to say the least! Today she also slid/walked a tiny bit holding on to a stool. I know it won't be long before she is walking like that again, and walking on her own!

Grandma and Grandpa are here and we are having fun with them. James has been reading with Grandma, and climbing up in Grandpa's lap. I am so glad that they got to come up and visit!

In other news, our car is still inoperative. Jeff spent his day off yesterday working on the car. He still isn't sure what it is, although he has an idea. Of course, it is not an easy part to get to. So, instead of spending his days off with Grandma and Grandpa, he may be fixing the car. If its not one thing, its another!

And in one more bit of random randomness, James has been wearing his 'chapters' everywhere. He wore them to the pig roast, CHOP and the store. I promise I'll try to post some pictures soon!

The Scoop

***LONG POST WARNING!***

Yesterday...we headed for the hospital around 1:15. The plan was for the kids, or at least Katie, to nap on the way. Katie did not nap. Apparently that was not on her agenda. James, on the other hand, surprised me and took a snooze. We got there, checked in, and waited to see the doctor. There was some sort of scheduling mishap because their trusty scheduler transferred to another department. Fortunately, we hardly noticed that anything was 'off.' Dr. Speigel sent us to the cast room to have the cast removed. The saw, I have to say, was scary. It just looked bad sawing away at my little baby's cast. I just didn't look much and I knew that it wouldn't cut her skin. Katie laughed at first because it tickled her. When the nurse had to flip her on her side to cut it there, she started crying. It went very quickly...about 5 minutes. Under the cast she smelled. Bad. Fortunately her skin is in good shape, no sores. She immediately reached down to touch her legs. It was very cute. She made sure to keep her legs in 'SPICA' position. After the cast came off, we went down to the brace shop and got Katie's brace adjusted. They were so organized that she was in and out in about 15 minutes. The brace is more flexible than I thought. Part of it is rigid plastic and most of it is foam and velcro. After the brace shop, we headed to x-ray. We had to wait a bit longer there, but when the time came for her x-ray it was very quick. Finally, we headed back to see Dr. Speigel. He came in and gave us the good news that Katie will only have to wear the brace full time for about 3 weeks!! After that, she will go to night time only. Originally, they told us that she would wear it full time as long as possible, then during naps and night time. So that was exciting! He also told us to take her out of the brace for breaks during the next three weeks. I was very excited to hear that she won't be in the brace as much as we thought! After all this, we were all tired, hungry, and ready to be home. My plan was to take my kids home (Mom and James came along), and give them a nice warm bath. NOT! We had planned it so I could drive Jeff's trusty car to CHOP. Turns out, his car is not so trusty. We were on the ramp from 676 to 95 when the car lost power steering, the brakes went semi-AWOL and the car died. Did I mention it was rush-hour? I managed to get the car half way out of the road, but it wouldn't start. I was only about 15 or 20 yards from 95. I am glad it was there and not actually on the interstate. I called my trusty mechanic/night-in-shining-armour Jeff who asked me all sorts of questions like 'can you push it off the road? Did you try starting it again once it died? Can you try this? Try that?' My thoughts consisted of 'get over here and fast! I am starving, my kids are starving and I am broken down in the middle of rush hour. I want to go home!' Once Jeff realized that the car indeed was broken, he headed over. He was about 35 minutes away. In the meantime, and friendly police man showed up to make sure we were OK. He pushed the car off the road and waited till Jeff showed up. Jeff couldn't get the car started and had to call the tow truck. We left him in the dust in the interest of taking the kids home. There was a 45 minute wait for the tow truck. On the way home we called Jeff and said he was still waiting for the tow truck. What a turkey! We got home and Dad told us that Jeff was on his way home. What?! Apparently, he got the car started right after we left. He walked in 3 minutes later. At least we saved $125 for a tow truck. The funny part, well not really funny, but the car didn't start up at the 'rents, so we had to leave it over there. At least we got it back to the 'hood.' So...that about sums up our day yesterday. Long, encouraging, discouraging...and Katie didn't get a bath. We put her to smelly little self to bed and figured we'd deal with it today. As for the sleeping...well...things have got to improve, right?! She didn't sleep well at all last night. She was up six times. I'm tired, she's tired. Fortunately she's sleeping right now, which is better than I can say.

Alright, I'll end this blog. Its getting less and less coherent. I'll post pictures later. Peace out, homies.

Today is THE DAY! Starring Katie the Sumo Wrestler

Tonight, Katie will be able to take her first bath in 3 months! I'll get to see her legs for the first time in 3 months! Hold her without the cast for the first time in 3 months! You get the point. We're heading down to CHOP this afternoon. Yeah! And here's a parting shot of the cast. Happy (early) Halloween. Behold, Katie the Sumo Wrestler. (Jeff's idea)

Its like the night before vacation.

You know when you are about to go on vacation and you just get so excited its all you can think about. Yeah. That's what I feel like, except because the cast is coming off tomorrow! TOMORROW!! I can't believe its finally time. The next few days will be fun of fun for us. The cast comes off, our church pig roast is Saturday, and Grandma and Grandpa get here Sunday. I am looking forward to seeing them.

Yesterday was very busy. I did two batches of applesauce, made granola, swept and mopped, did a load of dishes, 4 loads of laundry, took the kids on two walks, made dinner...and figured out how to make James a pair of 'chapters.' He has been asking me to make him 'chapters' and I had no clue what he meant. Then I realized he meant chaps. I had the perfect fabric for them...fake suede from the mother lode o' fabric/supplies I got from Candi's mother-in-law. They are almost done. I'll post a picture when they are totally finished. Anyway, yesterday was one of those days when you sit back and think 'did I really squeeze all that into on day?' Here's to another productive day! Maybe it'll keep my mind off tomorrow at least a little bit.

Random-Randomness, Part 297

Only 3 days, 4 hours and a few minutes till...you guessed it...the cast comes off!!!!

James has started to say the following: 'Sure thing,' 'Sure nuf,' 'Holy Tow!,' 'Its o-tay, chitchy-pie, I know,' or 'Hey, swee-pea, here, its o-tay.' He also says 'Chet dis out!'

Katie seems to be a bit more outgoing than James. Yesterday we were taking a walk and she was waving at random people or passing cars. I have a hard enough time getting James to wave at the neighbor.

And I finally got a bit of video of Katie scooting along in her cast. At least you'll get the idea:

Its the final countdown!

Less than 5 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're Making Bets

How long will it be before Katie starts walking once she gets the cast off? Leave your guess in the comments and whoever is closest wins!! What do you win? I haven't thought that far ahead yet actually. Maybe a good ol' fashioned at-a-boy. Maybe the lovely fish statues we inherited from the previous owners of our house. Or whatever I find under my couch cushions, which will probably be a few cheerios, some lint and a M@tchbox car. Who knows. The point is, leave your guesses in the comments and see who gets closest!