Hair Care

By popular request, I am doing a post on hair care for your child while in a cast.
Why?
Well, your child will be on his/her back for a few months... usually kiddos can't roll over in a cast, so their hair in the back turns in to a total rat's nest!  (For those who have been through this, you are shaking your head YES right now!)
Some of you may know, but for those who don't- I am a hair stylist of almost 13 years!  I quit my job at a salon that I LOVE, with clients that I adore- to take care of Lucy post surgery.  I am so glad I did, because Lucy needed me... some days I miss it a lot, but wouldn't trade being home with them for anything!

Anyway... OK, back to hair.
Kid's hair is super duper fine and can tangle so easily.  When they sleep on their backs all night, their hair gets tangled and frizzy.  They sweat.  It's inevitable.  They are in a hot cast, stuck in one position.  Combine all of these things together, and it's a recipe for hair disaster.  We all know how fun it is to comb out a kid's hair with tangles.  NOT!

First off, NEVER grab a fine toothed comb or a brush to comb wet hair.  Use a very wide toothed comb.  Start from the BOTTOm of the hair, the ends... and work your way up.  It gives me chills to see people starting at the root of their hair and wrestling with all the tangles on the way down.  YIKES!  That's going to cause tons of breakage!  Grab a section of hair, work the tangles out at the bottom (ends), then slowly work your way up.
Second... sure- companies make products for kid's hair... you can buy a lot of them at your local grocery store.  Personally, not my favorite... The kid's tangle stuff doesn't do a whole lot but smell good and make their hair a bit greasy.  I have made a list of my favorite hair products that are not too expensive, and are PERFECT to tame a messy mane...
Make sure when you apply any product to hair, you do the same and start at the ENDS, then work your way up. Never use a glob of product and put it anywhere near your roots.  Grab the hair as if you are putting it in a ponytail, and do just the ponytail part.  Then work your way up.
With good products, a little goes a long way- so usually a dime size of any product is a lot to use...

Don't think I am insane.  BUT- this is THE BEST STUFF EVER.  I once had a client come in that looked like a Playboy bunny.  LONG blonde extensions to her back.  When it came time to comb her hair out, she pulled this stuff out of her purse and let me in on the greatest secret.  HORSE mane detangler and shine!  It's used on horses to repel dust and dirt,a and to keep away tangles and add shine... She put it in her hair, and I combed it out right away.  NO grease, no mess... Just a dime size drop from ends to mid-shaft and you are good to go.
AMAZING.  You can order online or usually buy this at your local feed store!
Once I used this, we ordered it and sold it in our salon and still do.  It's to die for~
COWBOY MAGIC

Another favorite.  Always will be!  It's a spray leave in conditioner by It's a 10.  Only 1 spray on the tangled part of kid's hair is enough to comb through their entire head of hair.  

Only use a wide toothed comb to avoid breakage

Satin pillow case is a must.  A cotton one gets so sweaty and allows the hair to get ratty

Only use rubber bands wrapped in fabric, not just plain rubber bands.  Those tear the hair

Lucy and I are both using this right now!  Same as the other products, a little goes a long way!  It's super moisturizing and smells amazing.  Sure, little kid's stuff is readily available, but for the long term, good products are worth the investment.
SILKY SEXY HAIR

The problem with most kid and adult stuff from the grocery store is this:  It does create shine..... temporarily.  After a while that 'shine' aka WAX, builds up and dulls your hair.... it also causes tangles. Professional products are much better for your hair and do not use any sort of wax. They rinse clean away.

I hope this post helps~  Thanks for letting me be a hairdresser today!  :-)

Entertainment, friends and cast off date!

Well, I honestly never thought I would be saying this... WE HAVE A DATE to get this ugly, annoying, smelly cast off!  

June 6 at 11 am.  

Now, don't ask me or get me started how we got so 'lucky' to be in this cast for what will be a total of 13 weeks, 2 days... OH and let's add in the first cast that didn't work- to make a grand total of 15 weeks.  Lord help me... Lucy's first cast was put on 3 days after Valentine's Day, so we have been through St. Patty's Day, Easter, soon to be Mother's Day, and we will go through Memorial Day.  All of these Holidays in this cast!  DAMN CAST!  

Ok, BUT, I do have to say I am thrilled to have a day to look forward to. 

After this cast was applied, I was nervous about changing the angle of her legs, since her hip re-dislocated while casted once already.  The Dr. was fine with doing another x-ray to calm my nerves. 

We walked in yesterday to the room to talk to him, and he waves his hands and goes, 'Oh my gosh I'm sooooo nervous!'  (Making fun of me...) haha!  Very funny...:-P

All in all, Dr. Segal said the x-rays look great!  Her hip is right where it's supposed to be.  

HIP HIP HOORAY!

I kept saying, 'why not the end of May', and Dr. Segal would say, 'umm, because the cast is on 6 weeks.'  My reply: 'well, the first one was on for 7.'  His reply: 'it's what's best for Lucy.'  Dang it!  How can I argue with that one. (sigh)  I guess he is the Dr. right?!  

I am not quite sure how we are going to get through this month with the temperatures soaring.  YUCK.  But... we will.  No other choice, right?

Once the cast is removed, Lucy will have to wear a foam brace to keep her legs 'abducted' for an additional 6 weeks.  That will help her socket to form correctly, but allow her more mobility... So, it's not like the cast comes off and we go off running in to the sunset together.  We still have awhile to go... 

The brace will be removable, so that will be a huge temptation, but I have vowed to follow Dr. Segal's orders to a T.  I just want Lucy perfect!

I just have to say, (and I have said it a billion times) that our surgeon is amazing.  He is so understanding, compassionate, talented and best of all... patient!  We told him yesterday that he is (lucky for him) part of our family now!  He has made this horrible experience a little less horrible and scary.  HUGE props to Dr. Segal. It takes a hell-of-a-man to deal with this momma bear... (right Aaron?!)

Anywho, L and I have been busy little bees lately.  We run like big dogs from the car to whatever building we are going to trying to avoid the sun and heat!  We have found the aquarium to be a new favorite spot, since it's dark and cold!  The museums have been a hit as well.  We are SO fortunate to have such wonderful friends who invite us places and keep us company.  Marci, Dani, Angie, Tara, Holly and Natalie. <3  We love you guys SO much!  You have made this crappy situation a bit better for us.

So.... pretty much in one month and three days I will have a squishy kid again... in a big ugly foam brace, but whatever.  Day by day, step by step... Brings me to the quote, 'No one said it was going to be easy, they said it would be WORTH IT.' 

Hugs and love! <3

Fishies!

Carousels rock our world

In the play area, watching her friends play.. She wasn't too sad since she got a banana cookie!  Just like her momma.  It's like 'yah, you all can go run around, I will be happy sitting here eating a cookie.'

<3

Lucy and Hannah, buddies forever

Yep, Lucy can have anything she wants.  

Pretty much what the Dr. told me... :-)  OK OK I will take my 13 weeks and 2 days.... UGH UGH UGH

Lucy's future husband kissing her toes!

(Yes, we already have them married off... much easier that way.)

Best friends!  Scarlett and Lucy

Of course we get suckered in to buying balloons. I have like 5 of them floating around my house right now.

Setback

Well, to say that we have had a setback is very disheartening.

We have.

We went in for her 2 week post op check up, and she had an x-ray done.

Our surgeon and his PA popped in the x-ray disc, and the PA said 'it's out.'

The words NO parent who has been through this wants to hear.  Our surgeon confirmed indeed, that Lucy's femur is right back out of the socket where it was before the surgery. 

If you can imagine that feeling of your heart sinking into your stomach, that was what we felt.  There we were, holding our huge casted baby, knowing that the cast was there for pretty much nothing.

I can't even begin to tell you... I don't know if I wanted to break down and cry, or punch the surgeon and everyone in that office in the face!  (I know, calm down, Karen!!)  It's true though... 

To some people, 2 weeks isn't a big deal.  BUT to a parent with their child in a body cast, every MINUTE is a big deal.  It's a big deal not to sleep.  It's a big deal to watch your child in pain and discomfort.  It's a big deal to see their frustration.  IT IS A BIG DEAL.  It's not fun to practice with a cast.  It's not fun to ever have to go through it... So, yes, again, it's a big deal when you have wasted 2 weeks of precious time with your child.

I do have to say Lucy did just fine in her cast.  BUT it's not something I ever want for her to have to keep going through!

So, with that said... how did it pop out in the cast?  Who knows.  The surgeon believes the cast wasn't at the best angle, and he wants to re-do it with her knee set higher.  So you know what this means.  Going in again, dealing with the fear and worry of your baby going under, and praying every minute that this big ugly cast can hold this bone in place.  

I did notice she lost weight, so I wonder if the cast got too loose?

I don't know.  I have been 'what if-fing' this for the last 24 hours, and there is just no answer.  Unlucky is the best one I can come up with.

The good news (if that's what you can call it) is that he won't have to open up Lucy again.  No cutting, no surgery.  He is going to put her to sleep, manipulate the bone back in, and re cast it at a different angle.  

We did get this cast removed yesterday, since there was really no point in having it on.  Yes, it was the best feeling to hug her and feel her, but at the same time, so painful to know that we start all over again.  Another first night, first week, first sponge bath, etc.  

After they cut the cast off, he came in to re examine her, steering very clear of this momma bear.  The wind was pretty much out of his sails.  I think he was just as shocked as we were.  Again, he is the head honcho of pediatric orthopedics.  It just goes to show you, NO ONE is perfect.  He messed with her legs, and said he can put it right back in now... He did it.  It just pops out.  So the answer is the cast needs to be done differently.  Her sockets are perfect also.

The first time, they already opened her up, cut the tendons around her femur to release it, so now her femur is floating around her hip like a lost puppy!  

I don't want to say her surgery was a failure.  I believe the cast was a failure.  

Before we left the hospital, he had a CT scan done on Lucy that showed her femur was perfectly in place.  Somehow, in 2 weeks time, it came out.

I am not going to lose faith in this doctor.  My first thoughts were to switch and 'what if' we chose the wrong guy.  'What if' we went to the first doctor we had a consult with.  

I honestly believe our choice in Dr. Segal was the right one, I just think that this is the way orthopedics go, and it SUCKS that it is my baby who is paying the price.  

It's one thing if it was me.  I SO WISH IT WAS ME who had to go through this and not her.  Heck, if I could trade places I would do ANYTHING to keep Lucy from ever having any discomfort, pain or anything hurtful in her life.  

Any parent reading this will understand.  The love you feel for this little tiny person you created is the most amazing thing in the world.  The mental anguish of going through this once is enough.  Let alone, twice... and this time, just praying that it works.  

Again, in the whole scope of life, Lucy is the smartest little 14 month old you would ever meet!  She knows where her ears, hair, nose and eyes are... She knows 'Where's Lucy?'  She beats her chest!  I say 'where's mama' and she points to me.  She knows what a cow sounds like, dog, snake, monkey and horsey.  Yep, that's my baby!  (Brag much?!)  She just has one hip that isn't wanting to co-operate!

So anyway... I know most of you know this update, but it really helps me to get it out via this blog since Aaron can only take me talking about it for so long until he gets upset... :-(  

On a happy note, I have a squishy little baby right now.  Chunky thighs and the softest skin EVER!  We are just going to enjoy every bath and every full night's sleep until Monday.  Monday, March 5th at 7:30 am.  We will back to PCH and my little sweetie will be back in a cast.  NOT a pink one this time.  That obviously wasn't a lucky color.  Purple (to match her room) will be the color of choice. 

Ahhhhh....... SUCKS!  Sucks really, really bad.  But... we can only all move forward and PRAY really hard that this works and her cast is perfect, she is comfortable and we make it through these next 12 weeks.  Nothing else to say.  I just hate the fact that we are back to square one.  

What is also hard is that we came home yesterday, cast free, and Lucy crawled to the chair, pulled herself up and started walking and pushing the chair around the house... like no big deal at all.  

That's my girl. :-) 

Since Aaron was off today, we decided to get out.  We had to.  It's pretty depressing around our house right now when Lucy is asleep.  Our minds keep running away from us... Then she gets up from nap and laughs and we give her raspberries on her tummy and I say, 'Holy cow I LOVE THIS KID' and I vow to do everything in the entire world to get her through this.  

So please, on Monday, please pray that this one works and we can get through this easily and quickly.  

Here are some pictures of our day at the Phoenix Zoo.  We loaded up her new radio flyer wagon and took off.  No pillows to prop her up!  We just went... :)  Of course, the first thing she wanted to do was ride the carousel.  So we did.  And then on the way out... she is jumping in her wagon freaking out again when we pass the carousel.  So what does momma do?  Take her on it again. (Mind you, Aaron and I both get SO dizzy from them!)  So there we were, dizzy momma and the most beautiful little girl on the carousel.  Round and round... The laughs and smiles from her keep us going!

Here are a few pics from today and yesterday.  

More to come and Monday can't come soon enough for these worried parents.....

I told you she was the most beautiful girl in the world!

First time around, riding the eagle

Making sure she was happy with the wagon :-)

Faster dada!!!! GOOOO!!!!!

Petting zoo!

LOVE HER

Thighs on the way home!

MOOO!!!!!

My angel baby

Monkey!

YAY!

She pets so soft because she is used to petting soft with the doggies

California Dreamin'

As I sit here, relaxing... Lucy is napping... Dog's are snoring...
I am dreaming of our family vacation 2012!
To celebrate my little girl's new life, cast free and perfect hip... we decided to go all out and book a trip for 2 weeks.
Destination: La Jolla, California.  Heck yes.  Can we say AMAZING?!  Amazing shopping, food, beach and weather.  It truly doesn't get any better!  Especially when Phoenix will be topping the charts at 110 degrees daily, a nice 78 degree day will feel so great!
For those of you who don't know where La Jolla is, it's just north of San Diego.  Which means... you guessed it!  We will TOTALLY be hitting Sea World!
Our family will all be in and out at different times throughout the 2 weeks due to work.  Since my mom, Lucy and I are lucky... we will be there the entire time.  You are going to have to evict me outta there!
We were going to book this trip for July, but decided to do August because we want the most time we can for Lucy's hip to be perfect.  Just in case... better safe than sorry.  I want her to build her muscle strength back so she can run like the wind in the sand.
So like I said, we went all out.  Not only are we hitting 'THE' best vacation spot, we rented a beautiful house only SIX houses from the beach.  YEP.  You can peek out of your front door and see the beach.  About 50 steps out of our front door and Lucy's tiny little feet will be in the sand.  (smile)
If you are going to do a trip, DO a trip.  No half-assing it.  (haha)  This is a celebration trip and we are going to party it up!
We rented a crib and a beach wagon.  I am also planning on bringing a blow up pool for the backyard for those beautiful nights when we can sit outside and grill.  Oh wait.  Who are we kidding?!  I mean, sit outside, drink some wine, then GO OUT for a fabulous dinner.  (haha)  Remember, it's a vacation.  No cooking for this momma.  Unless it's cereal or a sandwich...
Of course, my baby doll is going to need a new swimming suit... They have tons of cute ones out now, but I have no clue what size she will be, so I will hold off until July to buy one...
This trip has really kept me going, and given me something to look forward to.  It brings a smile to my face to think that this whole experience will be behind us, and we will all be there together... as a family... to celebrate.  I will be the happiest gal in California once I see Lucy's face light up when she sees the ocean.
:-)
My parents, sister, bro-in-law and husband are all going.
I can't wait!

Is it August yet?!
Here is the link to our beach house.
Are you totally dying over how cute it is?!

 I can see us out there right now!

Windansea beach, just steps from our house!

Keeping it all in perspective

Well, week 1 is almost complete!  I am blown away at how fast this week has gone.
I am trying not to see this whole experience in 'weeks', but in days.  Every night before bed I say to myself, 'ok, one more day down.'
For those of you who know Lucy, know she is just about the most amazing thing in the world. Duh! :-)  BUT... I never thought that her being in a cast where she can't move, can't bend and can't crawl or walk would keep her in perfect spirits.  This kid is amazing.  Of course, people told me that and I never believed them.  She acts just like Lucy.  She kisses, hugs, barks at the dogs and enjoys going places with mommy.
We have tried to keep our 'going out' limited since she is still healing, but man... next week I think we will be at her Gymboree class again!  I am going to take her to the younger class so she doesn't have to watch the other kids walk and crawl... she can sit on my lap and do songs and games.  (I don't want to make her sad!)
Sleeping has not been a happening around here much, but I can't blame her.  She is trying to roll at night and can't.  So... mommy gets up and re-positions her as often as needed.  The bags under my eyes are HUGE, but guess what, oh well.
Keeping this whole journey in perspective... I keep thinking about the parents and families of children who have to do this EVERY day of their lives, with no end in sight.  I have 3 months.  90 days.  Big whoop.  Suck it up!  Children with cerebral palsy and many other special needs don't have the luxury of having their casts or limitations over with in 90 days.  They live like this.  So therefore I have decided NOT to complain about this or feel sorry for myself.  Those parents are TOUGH.  They have no choice but to be tough.
Soon her cast will be off, and our lives will resume.  Not everyone is that lucky.  Her hip (under this cast) is PERFECT!  It's healing and getting better every single day.  If I am going to have to deal with any medical issues with my baby girl, I will choose this.  Something fixable.
Brings me to another point that our surgeon said.  He said a lot of parents are so scared of dealing with the surgery and the cast that they 'stick their heads in the sand' and don't fix this.  They say, 'well, I will take my chances and she can have a hip replacement and deal with it in 20 years.'  Ummm, not my kid.  If I can jump off a freaking mountain to make her life better, I will do it!  ANYTHING.  This has been a stressful ordeal, but when I see her walk for the first time, PERFECT and without a hobble, the entire world will stop for a second, and I will look back on this and know we chose the right option.  YAY for my baby!

Speaking of Lucy's surgeon, Dr. Lee Segal.  Have I said how much I adore him?  He told us after her surgery how it was 'his privilege' to do her surgery.  He is the director of Orthopedics at the Hospital.  What a guy.  Seriously.  I emailed him a few questions the other day, within an hour I had a reply.  If anyone reading this is wanting the kind of surgeon who you feel truly cares, PLEASE contact him!  He is truly a step above the others.

We have spent our first week keeping so busy!  Momma's back muscles are SO strong now!
We had our very first outing at Home Depot.  Fun Fun!  I was shocked at how many people were staring at Lucy.  Seriously people?!  It's a cast.  Get over it.  Obviously they don't know this momma very well, because any more staring will get them a swift right left to the face!  haha!  (I watch WAY too much reality TV guys... Mob Wives is my favorite, and when I start talking 'tough' my husband says, 'OK Mob Wife.')
We also went to Fresh and Easy market where we got some yummy snacks for the babester.  Tons of family have come to be with us this week, which has been so great!
Grandpa Bob came over yesterday with a huge bucket of toys.  He sat with Lucy and played and played so I could get my nasty car washed. :-)
Grandma Nancy came over last night, and brought me some more nightgowns.  I LIVE in these!  Forget dresses.  They don't fit as well!  These are a MUST for any baby girl in this cast and who wants to look and feel amazing!  Carters Nightgowns!

Here are some pictures of our first week. Can you believe it?!  OH, and no diaper grossness in the cast yet. I don't even want to explain how I clean her.  It's just way too graphic.  LOL!  But hey, it works!
I hope you guys are enjoying keeping up to date with Lucy via this blog.  I am so lucky to have such great friends that have been calling and e-mailing so much... It's just nice to be able to post updates one time every few days to keep friends and family all up to date. :-)

Hugs and kisses from a girl in a bright pink cast.....

                                                             At Home Depot with momma

            I still look amazing!  I stole momma's sunglasses and now I ride in my car seat like this.

                                             Bumpin up and down in my little red wagon.....

                                                                       PERFECTION

                                                        Thank you Kelly for my new toy!

                                                    Chillin' and drinkin' on my daily walk

                                                             I love my Grandma Nancy

                                                                      HORSIES!!!!!!!!