getting there

Leo has had his cast off for 11 days now.  it's been easier than when it was on, but we're still not back to where we were.  it's like learning to walk again except it hurts :(  but he's getting stronger and as long as we make a super huge deal about how well he's doing he seems to try harder and not be as frustrated about not being able to do what he used to.

on our way to get the cast off!

he did so good when they sawed it off :)  he was pretty sore after, but did well with the pain from being stiff.  the orthopedic doctor told us to bicycle his legs around everyday to help lessen the stiffness, but he makes a big fuss about that, so I just tickle his feet and try to be silly with him so that he moves it on his own, which seems to be better than if we move it for him pain-wise.  warm bubble baths help, too.

we had a scare the first night when he tried to stand on his own and because of the lack of muscles fell.  his thigh swelled a little and he was very upset and we couldn't touch it without him screaming.  we thought he broke it again!  Matt took him to a small 24 hour ER clinic down the road to get an x-ray and make sure he was okay.  it was fine, thankfully.  they think it was a sprain, but he'd be okay as long as he stayed off of it for a bit.  he was fine the next morning.  it took him about a week to try to walk on it himself without help so I don't know if the fall delayed him trying or if that's just when it stopped being quite as sore.

we were still having to carry him around to begin with and he just wanted to lay on the couch like he had been doing for the past 6 weeks, but after a couple of days we started making him walk while we held his hands to get around the house so he builds that muscle back up.

he's excited to sit in his highchair again instead of us draping a towel over his chest and eating lying down.  I think he's missed drinking from an open top cup, too, because that seems to be a really fun thing for him to do again.

shoes are a big thing now, too.  it's nice to have them on him again when we go outside, and he seems to like to wear them.  he's in-between the sizes we have for him, so when I put shoes on him that are too big he thinks I'm putting my shoes on him and says "momma's shoes" :P

we were unable to do a lot of things for a while - blow bubbles, eat from a spoon, ride upright in the wagon, wear pants, go somewhere besides the doctors office -  so we're doing as much as we can now!

counting down the days

Leo has been in a spica cast since the end of February for a broken femur.  it's been hard for everyone else, so I can't imagine how bad it's been for Leo :(

he's been doing pretty good to just lay around and watch Netflix (he's getting into the older shows like Charlie Brown and Gumby), play with his trucks, draw on his Magnadoodle, and once in a while we're allowed to read him books when it's not bedtime.  he wiggles around pretty good on his belly and back to get across the floor, too.

 

he's becoming more attached to stuffed animals - this started when we had Jack and he'd put his bear in the swing, give it a drink from his sippy cup, and wipe it's nose - but now he almost plays with a few of his stuffed animals as much as he plays with his trucks.  I catch him talking to them sometimes - too cute!  he's named a bear that his Great-Great-Aunt Georgina gave him Baby Jack :) 

when it's nice out we take a wagon ride around the neighborhood, but that's the only place other than the house we can take him since he's not supposed to really travel much.  his car seat doesn't hold him too well and it's uncomfortable after a little while.  fortunately, he gets weekly visits from Mé, PawPaw, and Grandma.  occasionally Jack is allowed to share his pillow for a few moments.

one good thing is he's getting more verbal when he needs something since he has to rely on being able to tell us what he needs.  for the first few weeks he just screamed in frustration and we could count on a daily temper tantrum, but then they stopped and he asks "please?" or "help" to get our attention.

he's also getting pretty clever.  he learned that one of our biggest concerns is keeping his cast clean, so we asked him a lot if he was poopy in the beginning since his answer was always 'no' even if he was, then because we made such a big deal about poop he's been informing us every time he toots, and announcing "no poo poo! :) " when we check his diaper.  he even uses the frantic "POO POO!" as a way to get me too run to his aid when he needs a toy or something out of his reach when I'm preoccupied with feeding or soothing Jack and I've already told him he'll need to wait.  he's become 'The Boy Who Cried Poop', but because he's so cute I let it slide.  I'm hoping this will put him in tune with what's going on and maybe he'll be a little more ready to sit on the potty when this is over.

I've got calendars set around the house and have been marking the days until we go to get the cast off.  we have 3 days left and I hope the x-rays look good when we go in Thursday to see the Orthopedic Doctor so that this thing comes off right then and there.  Leo finally started telling us he wanted the cast off when we had 2 weeks to go so I've been counting down the days with him.  I can't wait to get him back to the park, and just out of the house!