For Mackenzie's 1st birthday I made a video montage of her first year. It's so fun to just sit down and watch them grow up on video. For each picture you look at, those old, wonderful feelings and memories resurface. It's like going back in time for just a bit. Well, I just finished Delaney's, so I thought I would share it on here. 10 minutes of pictures that sum up her first year. So turn on your volume and watch what her year has been like. They change so fast and grow up to quick. We have had a wonderful year and we're so blessed to have her!!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Catching up...
Wow, it's been so busy, I have a lot of catching up to do on this blog. First and foremost, we had our second casting appointment with Shriner's on April 22nd. Right up front, the good news is Delaney's curve went from 23 degrees to 14 degrees out of cast! And with this current cast they have her spinal curve all the way to zero! Such an amazing improvement!! So good in fact that they are sure this will be her last cast. Then we will be moving on to a brace, but more about that later.
Now this 2nd cast went smoother in some ways, but tougher in others. They take the cast off the day before putting the new cast on so their skin can breath some and they can get a bath. So we headed up to Shriner's on Tuesday. We got there about 1:00 and they took us into what would be her room the next day. They did all the pre-op work...weight, questions, temperature, etc. Thankfully she has gained some weight..about 1/2 pound. She was 13.6 lbs when she got her 1st cast, this time she weighed 14.08 lbs. Boy, she's tiny! Then the nurses came in to cut the cast off. This is the part that was terrible...obviously they used the saw that they use to cut all casts off. They chose to cut at the smallest part of the cast, which was the front under the chin and around the bottom at her belly button. So we had to hold her down while they did that and the saw was SO loud. Delaney looked so scared. She screamed her little lungs out. It was heartbreaking!! Then they gave us a 72 hour pass, so we could leave and stay at the hotel and come back the next morning. Quick & easy but not fun!
As soon as she was free of the cast I picked her up and just held on tight!! It was so amazing to hug that little body again! She felt so light in my arms and so warm:) I think we got so used to the cast we almost forgot what it was like just to cuddle a squishy little body. She wasn't about to let go of me...she had her arms and legs wrapped around me and her little fists were clutching my shirt for a long time afterwards. In fact, everyone was joking she looked like a little spider monkey all wrapped around me. Of course it was sad that she was that scared, but at the same time it made me feel good that she knew I would protect her.
Anyway, we went to the hotel and took her swimming and then we went out to eat and back to the room to give her a bath...the first tub bath in 7 weeks. Her skin looked better than I thought it would after they removed the cast. She had more dry, flaky skin than I have ever seen in my life. And it was red in some places, almost like a bruise in the shape of the cast. She only had one small scab that was a pressure point on her left ribs. But, all in all, it looked pretty good. So she had her bath and we lotioned her up and we all went to bed.
Her appointment was 6:30 a.m. and she was the second child in line to have surgery that day, but for whatever reason it took longer than expected for the 1st child's procedure so they didn't
take her back until 10. Which is a looong time for a 1 year old to wait when she's tired and starving...so it wasn't to fun. But at 10 they took her back to be casted. By 11 we were in
recovery with her. She did great! So well in fact we were in our own room by 11:30. They immediately came in and petaled and trimmed her cast and by 1:30 we were being discharged. So once it got started it went very fast and she did very well. Mostly we are just sooo pleased with the good news!!! 3 nurses/doctors said they have never had a child only need 2 casts!! We have been very lucky!!
Now this 2nd cast went smoother in some ways, but tougher in others. They take the cast off the day before putting the new cast on so their skin can breath some and they can get a bath. So we headed up to Shriner's on Tuesday. We got there about 1:00 and they took us into what would be her room the next day. They did all the pre-op work...weight, questions, temperature, etc. Thankfully she has gained some weight..about 1/2 pound. She was 13.6 lbs when she got her 1st cast, this time she weighed 14.08 lbs. Boy, she's tiny! Then the nurses came in to cut the cast off. This is the part that was terrible...obviously they used the saw that they use to cut all casts off. They chose to cut at the smallest part of the cast, which was the front under the chin and around the bottom at her belly button. So we had to hold her down while they did that and the saw was SO loud. Delaney looked so scared. She screamed her little lungs out. It was heartbreaking!! Then they gave us a 72 hour pass, so we could leave and stay at the hotel and come back the next morning. Quick & easy but not fun!
As soon as she was free of the cast I picked her up and just held on tight!! It was so amazing to hug that little body again! She felt so light in my arms and so warm:) I think we got so used to the cast we almost forgot what it was like just to cuddle a squishy little body. She wasn't about to let go of me...she had her arms and legs wrapped around me and her little fists were clutching my shirt for a long time afterwards. In fact, everyone was joking she looked like a little spider monkey all wrapped around me. Of course it was sad that she was that scared, but at the same time it made me feel good that she knew I would protect her.
Anyway, we went to the hotel and took her swimming and then we went out to eat and back to the room to give her a bath...the first tub bath in 7 weeks. Her skin looked better than I thought it would after they removed the cast. She had more dry, flaky skin than I have ever seen in my life. And it was red in some places, almost like a bruise in the shape of the cast. She only had one small scab that was a pressure point on her left ribs. But, all in all, it looked pretty good. So she had her bath and we lotioned her up and we all went to bed.
Her appointment was 6:30 a.m. and she was the second child in line to have surgery that day, but for whatever reason it took longer than expected for the 1st child's procedure so they didn't
take her back until 10. Which is a looong time for a 1 year old to wait when she's tired and starving...so it wasn't to fun. But at 10 they took her back to be casted. By 11 we were in
recovery with her. She did great! So well in fact we were in our own room by 11:30. They immediately came in and petaled and trimmed her cast and by 1:30 we were being discharged. So once it got started it went very fast and she did very well. Mostly we are just sooo pleased with the good news!!! 3 nurses/doctors said they have never had a child only need 2 casts!! We have been very lucky!!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Happy Birthday Delaney Skye!
Have a wonderful 1st birthday!! Thank you for being my baby and blessing my life! You are an amazing little girl and my life is bettered by having you in it. I wish you all the health & happiness you deserve. And a wonderful, fun & blessed life. Happy birthday my sweet baby girl! Mommy loves you!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Terrible news for Shriner's!
We got some pretty terrible news today. Thankfully not directly regarding Delaney, but devastating all the same. Our beloved and wonderful Erie Shriner's may be closing their doors, along with 6 other Shriner's out of the 22. Shriner's in Erie is 1 out of only 4 hospitals in the U.S. that does corrective casting for Infantile Scoliosis. They also deal with many orthopedic issues including spinal cord abnormalities, club foot, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, hand & hip disorders, and limb deficiencies. All of which are life altering problems.
If you have read my other posts, you know how much I adore Shriner's. I think what they do for children is AMAZING! The idea that this hospital helps children for free and never turns anyone away is phenomenal. So many people are not aware of all the good they do. I don't think there is enough awareness out there that these are hospitals that run solely on donations. These people are all volunteers who not only give their time and skills to help children, but they become like family. They treat each child individually and with so much kindness and compassion. I believe some of Gods angels work at these hospitals. There are no words to truly describe this wonderful place.
This particular hospital is the only one that told us they could CURE Delaney. Infantile Scoliosis is a potentially fatal and certainly a debilitating issue that is not getting the recognition it deserves. Her prognosis before we ended up at Shriner's was not good. Had we not found them, who knows the path Delaney's (and our) lives would go. But I can bet it would be a hard and horrible road to travel. This hospital is helping children and families survive this horror, and the thought that it may shut down is numbing.
Because Delaney's treatment is only offered at 3 other places in the U.S. we will have to travel to get her the proper care. But what will happen to all the other children this will effect. They either won't get the care they need at all or they will travel hundreds of miles to one of the few Shriner's left. Another bleak alternative for some of the patients is to go to a regular children's hospital where they will pay thousands of dollars for ongoing treatments (and that's if they offer the proper treatment for that child). And I can almost guarantee they will not get the care & attention they get from Shriner's. If you would like to see the article about the closing follow this link...
http://erieathome.com/dct/62/id/324438/mid/148/Shriners-May-Close-Erie-Hospital.aspx
Shriner's has been helping children since 1920. How amazing is that?? You can't tell me that it has stayed open through the depression, and wars and other recessions just to be shut down now. I know the economy sucks, I know everyone is hurting...but so are these kids. I am asking that you give up that morning latte or dinner out or even count all the change you have had in a jar since 1980 and donate it to save this hospital. This is soo important!! Please, please consider what you can give up once or twice and donate that little bit to help. Every cent matters!!
The link to donate to Shriner's Hospital for Children is on the sidebar and I will also provide it below.
If you donate please be sure to specify you want the donation to go to the ERIE, PA Shriner's.
http://erieathome.com/dct/62/id/324438/mid/148/Shriners-May-Close-Erie-Hospital.aspx
Thank you all!
If you have read my other posts, you know how much I adore Shriner's. I think what they do for children is AMAZING! The idea that this hospital helps children for free and never turns anyone away is phenomenal. So many people are not aware of all the good they do. I don't think there is enough awareness out there that these are hospitals that run solely on donations. These people are all volunteers who not only give their time and skills to help children, but they become like family. They treat each child individually and with so much kindness and compassion. I believe some of Gods angels work at these hospitals. There are no words to truly describe this wonderful place.
This particular hospital is the only one that told us they could CURE Delaney. Infantile Scoliosis is a potentially fatal and certainly a debilitating issue that is not getting the recognition it deserves. Her prognosis before we ended up at Shriner's was not good. Had we not found them, who knows the path Delaney's (and our) lives would go. But I can bet it would be a hard and horrible road to travel. This hospital is helping children and families survive this horror, and the thought that it may shut down is numbing.
Because Delaney's treatment is only offered at 3 other places in the U.S. we will have to travel to get her the proper care. But what will happen to all the other children this will effect. They either won't get the care they need at all or they will travel hundreds of miles to one of the few Shriner's left. Another bleak alternative for some of the patients is to go to a regular children's hospital where they will pay thousands of dollars for ongoing treatments (and that's if they offer the proper treatment for that child). And I can almost guarantee they will not get the care & attention they get from Shriner's. If you would like to see the article about the closing follow this link...
http://erieathome.com/dct/62/id/324438/mid/148/Shriners-May-Close-Erie-Hospital.aspx
Shriner's has been helping children since 1920. How amazing is that?? You can't tell me that it has stayed open through the depression, and wars and other recessions just to be shut down now. I know the economy sucks, I know everyone is hurting...but so are these kids. I am asking that you give up that morning latte or dinner out or even count all the change you have had in a jar since 1980 and donate it to save this hospital. This is soo important!! Please, please consider what you can give up once or twice and donate that little bit to help. Every cent matters!!
The link to donate to Shriner's Hospital for Children is on the sidebar and I will also provide it below.
If you donate please be sure to specify you want the donation to go to the ERIE, PA Shriner's.
http://erieathome.com/dct/62/id/324438/mid/148/Shriners-May-Close-Erie-Hospital.aspx
Thank you all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)