Best intentions...well, bugger those ;-)

Now that we're nine weeks into spica, with only three weeks and two days (and five hours...but who's counting?) to go, I had been feeling all reflective and had decided to pen a post on what we've learned and how we've (all) grown over the past couple of months.

As I said, the best of intentions....

I was all set to wax lyrical on what we couldn't have lived without - our spica chair/table in the early days, our tiled floor (as opposed to scratch-prone timber), our First Years Portable Booster Chair and the trundle bed on loan from Grant's Mum and Dad that allowed us to reclaim our bed and to all get a better night's sleep. I was poised to ponder the things which haven't been as hard as we expected - nappy changing, sponge-bathing / hair-washing and how it became easier to entertain a near-two-year-old the more mobile she became. And the things which have proved harder than expected - carrying and lifting, keeping the cast clean at mealtimes (a draped tea-towel does the trick for us) and grocery shopping, which is physically impossible on my own with all the kids in tow.

But then, one night after all the kids had gone to bed, Grant and I were sitting together in the lounge-room enjoying our half-hour of together-time and quiet reading before we collapsed, exhausted, into bed.

"I'm going to write a blog post about what we've learned over the past few months," I said to Grant, resting my book (haha, no, it wasn't '50 Shades'!) on my lap.

"Maybe I can include things which we have learned along the way and perhaps it can help another family who's going through the same thing. What would you say has been the biggest thing for you?" I asked.

I waited for him to have a sip of tea as he thought.

"It's her smile," he said, eyes shining.

"Her smile is different. When she smiles now, it spreads over her face and she smiles with her eyes, too. I don't think she's hurting anymore."

Yep. He's so right. Katelyn is the happiest she has ever been.

Like I said, the best of intentions. I'll cover off on all that other stuff next time.

Katelyn and Charlie 

Playing peek-a-boo in her Ikea tent

Liking those leaves!

A spanner (or k-wire) in the works

An interesting twenty-four hours has seen Katelyn's cast change which was scheduled for 23 July brought forward to the day after tomorrow.
Katelyn's now been 'in-spica' for six weeks and we were counting down the days until her mid-treatment cast change which had been booked in - albeit, late - for eight weeks' in. While we've been careful to protect her cast from spills and thrills along the way and have been fastidious about her hygiene, the fact of the matter is that spicas get smelly. Really smelly. I had heard that this is entirely normal - six weeks' worth of skin and sweat build-up (ew, gross!) ain't gonna be pretty. But, yesterday morning, when I could smell my poor princess from six feet away, I decided it might warrant further investigation.
I enlisted Grant's help when he came home from work around 5pm. Armed with a packet of wipes and a torch, he set about doing a bit of an examination of the cast and nappy area to see if he could pinpoint the cause. There, under the cast, and over the top of her sore left hip, was swelling and seepage. Her 'big wound' (the smaller, completely-healed one, is near her groin) had come open.
We rang the Hospital's E.D. but, being after-hours on a miserable Winter's night, were advised to stay at home, monitor Katelyn's condition (she was comfortable and happy with no fever) and call up to the Hospital in the morning. 
Turns out the cause of the issue is one of the two k-wires which have been inserted to hold Katelyn's hip steady. One of them has dislodged and is now protruding and opening the wound. The k-wires are apparently about 2mm each in diameter, so the smelly mess inside her cast (and the potential for infection) is not insignificant. Because of this risk, Kate's surgeons have decided that it will be best to bring the cast change forward to Friday so they can remove the pesky  k-wires and apply a new cast under a general anaesthetic. She's been taped up to protect the wound site and we're now preparing for another over-nighter on Friday. And, if I remember to ask, a bright pink cast this time. Because the purple's 'sooo six weeks' ago'. And because I hear hot pink's the colour for Spring 2012 ;-)
Kate on the move 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kcN_17sDAU&feature=youtu.be
Little Miss Giggles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpnF1NTq4a8&feature=youtu.be