1 Tiny Girl + 2 Good Hips = 1 Big Purple Cast!

Hi everyone!
We're back from a sucessful hip "relocation"! Violet did awesome and is now home and seems to be almost back to her regular self.

She really did great the day of surgery - for not being able to eat and not sleeping when she usually does, she was in good spirits at the hospital. Here is one last look at those chubby legs...

She fell asleep on Jon's shoulder right before they took her in, so we just transfered her over to the anesthesiologist (while still sleeping) and he carried her back. It was so much better than having to watch her being wheeled away! Here she is just a few minutes before she fell asleep, and took her back. The anesthesiologist was a really nice guy and commented that it wasn't much fun to knock out a baby who was already out ;)
She came out of the surgery pretty good - she was upset at first but slept most of the afternoon away. All of the nurses commented on what a good baby she was - it was so nice!

We did take her for an MRI that afternoon - her surgeon wasn't 100% sure that he got her hip ball into the socket all the way. We got the results back this morning - she's all set to go! Everything is perfectly in place adn we can start the countdown!

They ended up cutting a ligament in her groin area to help her leg be able to stretch how it needs to to heal. She also, of course, has a rather large cast. It goes from a little below her chest down to mid-calf on both legs. Her legs are pretty much out to the side as far as they will go and knees bent a little. It's wider than I had anticipated, but it hasn't taken long to figure out how to hold her (she fits snugly on our chests and on our hips), and she has already nursed great and seems to be adjusting pretty good.

Here she is zonked out in her crib for her first nap at home. Because of how her legs are set, she needs blankets under her legs so there isn't pressure on her back/stomach.

Here is our sweet little girl. When we put her down for the night she was acting like her usual smiley self. It was SO great to see!!If you are wondering how in the heck we are diapering her, here is a good idea: Currently she has a cloth diaper folded up and tucked into her opening. We put a diaper cover over it (picture above) and it seems to be working pretty good. Jon is better at it than I am!

She had a pretty good night last night - she did wake up 2 or 3 times but we were able to get her back to sleep without too much trouble. She woke up this morning with a big smile for Jon and jabbered at him while he changed her. She seems to be doing really good today - she still wants to b eheld a lot, but other than that, she is in a pretty good mood!

THANKS to everyone for all your thoughts, prayers, e-mails, phone calls and everything. It really means a lot and we are so thankful to have friends and family like you!! :)

p.s. By my calculations, she should be getting her cast off on December 3. We're already counting down the days!

If you found this blog searching for info on spica casts,
please visit this wonderful and incredibly helpful forum:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hipbaby/
Also, please take a look at my Spica Cast Survival Guide, which you can download here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hipbaby/files/
It's the first thing on the list.
Sending lots of good hip healing vibes your way!!