Adjusting

We made it through day 4. Whew.

We have learned a lot, about so many things. But what we already knew is that we have great family and friends, and boy, has that been obvious the last few days. I’m amazed at how quickly people have jumped into action; Zach broke his leg Wednesday night, and we didn’t tell anyone other than our immediate family until Thursday. Yet two days later, in the mail I found three cards and/or gifts for Zach! He loves getting mail, so he was thrilled. We also know many other things are currently finding their way through the air and across the ground to help us keep this boy entertained; friends and neighbors have dropped by with more gifts or loaned toys, or are planning to do so soon. I have never been good at accepting help, but in this situation, it’s very easy, and I can’t express my gratitude enough!

In general, I’d summarize the last few days by saying we’re all adjusting. Zach seems much closer to accepting this situation. The first couple days he kept insisting he wanted to go outside and play, and he did not like the options we offered – sitting in the wagon or the carseat outside. He wanted, of course, to run and jump and play baseball. He would also say things like “Mama, I want to sit on the couch, but without this” – and he’d point at the cast. Or he’d say funny things like “Daddy – I can’t walk, can you carry me into McDonalds?” Those types of comments are slowing down, and now instead he’s demanding (and yes, I do mean demanding) to sit on the couch, in the carseat, on the beanbag chair, etc – he now knows what his options are.

Sleeping has sure been an adjustment. We were originally told that we had to re-position him during the night, which did not work well for him at all. He’d sleep pretty well on his stomach, and as soon as we turned him over on his back – he’d yell every 10 minutes or so. Not good for any of us! Fortunately when we called the hospital, we got the answer we wanted – that as long as he’s not on his belly much during the day, he can sleep that way all night. Whew. So while he’s not sleeping the night through, the wakings are fewer, and very brief – he generally just hollers “mamaaaaa!” and then goes back to sleep on his own. I suspect he wakes up and is still startled to find himself “stuck,” so I’m hoping as time goes by he’ll continue to adjust.

I should back up – we’ve gotten lots of questions on exactly what the cast is like, whether he can sit up, etc. Hopefully the pictures I’ve included here will help, but basically since the cast comes up to his waist, and he’s casted in a fairly prone position, he can’t really sit up. We can prop him close to sitting, but not completely upright. And he can lay on his belly, although I think it looks awfully uncomfortable! When he lays on his back his left leg sticks up in the air, slightly bent. And his legs are spread apart, which is the primary barrier to putting him in any type of normal carseat or stroller – they simply aren’t wide enough. Hence the wagon…

The most interesting has been our adjustment to how he plays. We had already discovered that the carseat we borrowed from the hospital was the best way to sit him upright, and that we could put his little kiddy table over his lap so he could eat, do a puzzle, etc. We’d heard beanbags were the best way to provide lots of seating options, so G&G Klicka picked one up and brought it along. My dad invented something that I don’t really know how to describe… maybe the pictures will help. But he got two actual large pieces of Styrofoam-type insulation, and holds them up with paper towel rolls. So far we've used that as a big lap table, but we discovered it also makes a great ramp for Zach's cars. :)

One adjustment for me has been letting go of the "rules" drilled into my head - no more than two hours of tv per day is no longer a reality at our house. And what is he watching, primarily? Cars. Cars. And more Cars. Over and over again. Sometimes it's just in the background, but still. Can we try something else??

On Thursday we go back to the doctor so they can check out his progress, and we are assuming, give us the target date to have the cast removed. And then we're going to make a great big calendar and cross off the days until this thing comes off!!!