Reflections

Six months ago today, the on-call pediatrician picked up on Olivia's hip dysplasia. When an ultrasound confirmed it, we were thrown into this crazy hip world. Since being diagnosed, Olivia has endured quite a bit -- a harness, a surgery, a spica cast and now this brace! She's handled everything with smiles, and whether or not it's related, she has become quite a mellow, happy-go-lucky kid. We are thankful every day for such a perfect being. This Wednesday, we will enter a new chapter in the book; the county is coming out to do a motor evaluation to determine if Olivia needs physical therapy. There is a pretty good chance she will since she has yet to reach any motor milestones. Frank and I are both okay with this. It's important for our sanity that we focus on the positive. Plus, seeing and hearing of all the children with far worse conditions does help put things in perspective. And, it will be pretty awesome when she finally does sit up or roll over without any help.

We've had to do a lot of self-education on developmental hip dysplasia (DDH). Unfortunately, most of this comes from other parents. Our orthopedic pediatrician, Dr. Richard Bowen at NeMour's Clinic (DuPont Hospital, DE) gave us an "informational" introduction to his book on DDH... the target audience was surgeons. I read the whole thing -- some parts twice. I googled a lot of words but now know what an acetabular is. As it turns out, Olivia's hip were pretty severely dislocated. On a scale of 1 - 5, they were a 4 according to Dr. B. The first course of treatment, the Pavlick Harness, works pretty well for most children, but not our Livie! To be fair, the right hip did great; the left, not so much. So, Dr. B. did an open-reduction surgical procedure where he clipped her tendon to make the hip more flexible in order to set it in place. She was then put in a spica cast. Over the next 11+ weeks, she went through 2 casts. We got pretty used to them, but honestly, who gets "used" to a baby in a cast. There was much rejoicing when the thing finally came off.

Through it all, we've met some pretty amazing people -- others whose children have DDH, some severe, some not. Our support system grows with each new encounter, which helps tremendously. Tell another mom you spent 20 minutes changing a poop diaper, and you get a look of shock or horror. Tell a mom of a kid with DDH in a spica cast the same thing, and you get a kindred spirit. We've learned so much from these people.

There is no medical advice I can give to parents with a new diagnosis. I am not a medical professional and can only tell our story in the hopes that it will help ease anxiety. I can, however, share what we've learned and what helped us along the road.

1. Ask questions. Lots of questions. You are your child's voice and advocate. Talk to doctors, nurses, other parents, everyone. We knew the county provided free early intervention services, but we never thought about our insurance company. We learned that through another mom.

2. See your child, not the diagnosis. This is very hard when your child just happens to be in a contraption (especially if your child is 5 days old), but I promise, when you stop seeing what is wrong, it gets easier. Don't let this define who your child is.

3. Make friends. Don't be afraid to start up conversations with other parents in the waiting area. These are the people that will laugh with you when your child smells like poop all the time. Promise.

4. Remember, treatment for DDH has fantastic success rates. We hear stories all the time from parents whose children needed treatment as infants and are now running and jumping sans problem with others their age.

5. Your child will never remember this but you will never forget it. Keep it light. The time passes faster when you do.

A Very Merry Un-Birthday!

It's that time again! It went by so incredibly fast with me working. Our baby girl weighed in at 14 pounds 14 ounces during a BF Mom's Group weight check; this is slow going, but we just started solids so I'm sure she'll pork out soon. We'll know her length at the 6 month well-visit so no updates there. It's fun to see how she's grown since I've started doing the monthly photo shoot. And, yes, her brace is off (again, not allowed but so much cuter...).

At 6 months, I can now ...

make vowel-consonant sounds

say mama and dada indiscriminately

"sing" (very cute according to Mommy)

keep my head up when on my tummy for a good 15 minutes

try to roll over (ooo that brace!)

try to bear weight when Mommy holds me up (double ooo that brace)

reach for things and grab at them

eat cereal and carrots!

turn in the direction of voices

get mad when my favorite toys are taken away

smile at others

laugh at things I love (especially other babies and animals)

Welcome Fall!

I am incredibly backblogged but wanted to post this - a quick snapshot that I took before school one morning. Olivia looked adorable all bundled up for the chilly fall morning. Happy Fall!

Soup's On

Well, it's that time of year. Each Fall, I make Grandma's Chicken Soup, freezing all but enough for a week in order to have some delicious, cold-fighting goodness for later in the season. I have fond memories of my grandmother making chicken soup so delicious that we would beg for bowl after bowl. I try to channel my inner-Helen whenever I make it. The recipe is not exact because, like chili, chicken soup can and should be made to taste. If you want more of something, add it. Less? Take it out. And remember, as Grandma always said, it's the pastina.



I never realized how incredibly easy it is to make chicken soup until I watched a former client's mom make it. Many recipes will call for additional veggies (celery, onions, etc), and occassionally I'll throw those in, but I've found that sticking to the version that Grandma made is always a winner. What's wonderul about homemade chicken soup is that it's not just a tasty, healthy and perfect all-in-1 meal, but it's also so much lower in sodium than store-bought stuff in a can. It's not just a story-book myth either, chicken soup is full of nutrients that fend off and aid in fighting sore throats, colds, and flus. It freezes well, so this weekend, try it! You'll be glad you did when you are all stuffed up and have no interest in cooking.

EDIT 9/29/09: Thank you, Rebekah, for asking for more information! Using either regular, white potatoes or sweet potatoes works fine; both taste delicious! If you are making soup that you want to share with an infant, consider making it salt/pepper free and then telling adults who eat it to season their own bowl to taste. This way, all you have to do is mash up the potatoes and carrots into child-safe pieces. Grandma was a big fan of doing this for us, so I have it on good authority that it works. Please note, the soup can simmer for as long as you'd like, but the minimum time is listed below (until the pastina cooks through which doesn't take long since it's so tiny). Also, make sure if you use rice, it is pre-cooked. Rice soaks up water in order to cook, which you don't want here because well, then it wouldn't be soup. The same can happen with bigger noodles (shells or elbows, etc) so be wary of when you add those in and you may need to consider cooking them first. The reason why the soup stays on simmer when you add the pastina is because this pasta is very tiny and cooks quickly so it's not worth taking the entire pot back up to boiling again. However with bigger pastas, it may be necessary to pre-cook them (as with the rice) or get it back up to boiling in order to ensure they aren't raw when you go to eat it. Unfortunately, because I often use rice or pastina, I can't say for sure how to do this. You may need to do some trial and error to get it right.

Chicken Soup (makes: a lot)

To Buy:

1 - 1.5 pounds of chicken (I prefer boneless, skinless chicken breast but go with what you like; I'm pretty sure my grandma use white and dark meat chicken with bones that got taken out, naturally)

3 - 5 carrots (note: I've used half a bag of baby carrots in a pinch and it was fine)

2 - 3 potatoes or sweet potatoes

half a box of pastina (you can use pre-cooked rice or a noodle-y pasta but honest to God, this is the BEST tasting pasta for chicken soup)

salt

pepper



To Do:

1. Clean the chicken. I take off some but not all of the fat. The fat helps flavor the broth but I take off anything that wouldn't boil off the chicken and into the water. Do not cut it up, just wash it and trim off the grossest fat.

2. Get a big old soup pot. Frank has referred to ours as the lobster pot in case that helps. I'm not sure that "lobster pot" is an accurate description of how we use it, but that's what he has called it. Fill the pot about halfway full with water. Add salt -- I eyeball this, but it's probably about a tablespoon or so.

3. Put the pot on the stove, high heat. Add the chicken. Allow it to boil until the chicken is cooked. I'm not sure how long this takes because I tend to get involved in something else but 20 minutes will do it. Note: You cannot overcook the chicken. Boiling it longer will help make it easier to shred or pull apart (a later step).

4. In the meantime, begin peeling and cutting the carrots and potatoes into bite-sized pieces.

5. Once the chicken is cooked, turn the heat down to simmer. Carefully remove the chicken and place it on a cutting board to cool completely.

6. Add the carrots and potatoes to the chicken stock. Turn the heat back up so the carrots and potatoes boil and soften. These can become too soft so don't let them overcook. This can take anywhere from 10 - 20 minutes depending on the amount and size of potatoes/carrots as well as your stove or pot. So, keep an eye on this. Add another round of salt as well as some pepper. Do NOT be heavy-handed with either and frequently taste it to make sure it's not too much. I tend to be minimalist with these because this way, those eating the soup can add it to their liking.

7. When the carrots and potatoes are adequately cooked, turn the heat to simmer. Add salt/pepper as necessary.

8. Once the chicken is cooled, begin to pull it apart or shred it. Add it back to the pot as you do.

9. Add the pastina as well as salt/pepper if needed. Cover the pot and let the soup simmer until the pasta is cooked through. Then, serve and eat or freeze for later.

HIIT

Today I had a much-needed day off, so Olivia and I picked up where we left off and headed to the mall for some good ol' mall-walkin'. Unfortunately, Rebekah and Avery couldn't make it because of illness (get better soon, Rebekah!!) but we had a good time. We did a wonderful 3.1 miles. Usually when we walk solo, we tend to walk a tad slower and far less than when Rebekah and I can chat away. In order to combat this, I did something called HIIT (high intensity interval training). It's super easy to do and is a wonderful way to pump up any workout. Essentially, you specifiy interval lengths pre-workout (time-based OR distance-based) and spend the longer interval really pushing yourself to exercise harder (think, totally out of breath and/or unable to maintain a conversation). Then, take a shorter interval and go at or below your normal pace; this gives your body a chance to recover before the next burst. Today, I chose to speed walk for .5 miles, maintaining a speed of 3.7 - 4.0. Then, for .3 miles (the jogging stroller pedometer only goes to the tenth spot), I would walk at a speed of no more than 3.5. What's wonderful about this is that by focusing on the intervals and not the whole, the workout tends to go by much faster (mentally and actually), so we did the 3.1 miles in about 45 - 50 minutes.

There's a science behind why HIIT works, but I couldn't begin to explain it. If you would like to know more, go to the following articles from Runner's World. Enjoy and good luck!

Lactic Lift-Off

Beyond the Burn

The Science of Speed

Mix Up Your Routine with New Types of Workouts

First Day of School -- a Retrospective

The time had come... I went back to work and Olivia headed off to daycare. I've been so busy (and exhausted!) from work that I forgot to post these. Daddy went with us to help (and because I was a tad sad). Thankfully, the day flew by and I was able to get the Livster quickly. Her teachers are in love with her saying over and over how she is such a great baby. I know she is well cared for because when we walk in or out, all the staff members stop and say "Hi, Olivia!" I figure if they know her name, they must just love her. But really, anyone who knows her does! Note: her face in the last picture did NOT help my anxiety over leaving her.

Reading Rainbow

Recently we were blessed with a visit from Uncle Matt who decided to read a book (Chicka Chicka ABC -- a boardbook) with Olivia. What followed can only be explained via the following pictures. ;-)


See, Uncle Matt, it's about letters. You just read the letters -- like this.

Look, I'll show you. A told B and B told C...

No, it's ok, don't be confused. They all go up the coconut tree. That's how the story goes, Silly!

Ok, now you try it.

While you figure out that plot twist, I'm gonna watch TV. Let me know when you're ready and I'll explain why they all fell out of the coconut tree.

Yes, Uncle Matt, you did a great job listening!

And they all lived happily ever after. Thanks for reading with me, Uncle Matt!