8 Weeks

Olivia's cast came off on Monday.  We are all very thrilled!  Olivia has been telling us for the past two months that she wants to keep the cast on forever, so I was nervous how the day would go.  I took my Mom to the doctor appointment with us for moral support.

Before I get to the past 8 weeks, I need to tell you about this purple duck.  Months ago I retaught my Mom how to knit.  She has become quite the skilled knitter.  She makes these wonderful ducks as baby shower gifts.  Olivia put in a request for one, but of course hers had to be purple.  My Mom knit it up in about a week so it would be ready for cast off day.  Olivia loves purple and she just adores her purple duck.  I think he's pretty sweet myself :)

For those of you who may be just tuning in, my daughter broke her leg 8 weeks ago.  Here is a recap:

While visiting my brother and his family in NY we took a trip to a playground that my brother was very excited about.  The play structure was three stories high!

Olivia, Evelyn and Nate all took a trip down the slide together and this is how it ended up:

The above photo was not previously posted as it is a little gruesome,  so do not click on it if you don't want to see it close up!  So we ended up in the ER and after X-rays it was determined that she fractured her tibia right near the growth plate.

The following photos tell the story of what we did for the next eight weeks:

Olivia was in good spirits from the very start.

She never complained about her cast.

Not even once.

 

Thanksgiving Day.

We played with play-doh a lot.

She has become pretty good at creating things.

We visited my cousin's family in Vermont.

Even the long car ride didn't phase my girl.

Here she is with Felicia (age 9).

Both of my kids are very comfortable around people,

even people they have just met.  This makes me happy!

Waiting for the Christmas parade to start.

Decorating the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.

A Sevin Family tradition.

Olivia decorated the low branches.

Cameron decorated the high branches.

(Note her new purple cast.)

Bath time was fun for the whole family.  Again, no complaints from her at all.  I think she loved all the attention!

Being silly!

She didn't miss out on any of the outdoor fun.  

She even went sledding... a lot!

Christmas Eve with her new Candy Cane cast!

After a cast check at 4 weeks we were told

she needed another cast for 4 more weeks.

Christmas Day!

Seriously, this girl is always smiling.

Still no complaints.

In fact, now she wants to keep the cast on FOREVER!

Cameron's birthday party.

This takes us to January 18th, 2010.  Martin Luther King, Jr. day and the day that Olivia's cast comes off... for good!  She was still telling us that she wanted to keep it on forever, but I don't think she really meant it.  I think she was just afraid of the "saw".  She did already have two casts cut off, and it was no picnic!  I can completely understand why she would want to keep it on forever.

It takes about 5-10 minutes to get the cast off.

It doesn't sound like a long time, but it FEELS long.

She settled down after the first minute and it wasn't so bad.

 After the cast is cut off we go to get X-rays.  That part is the hardest for Olivia.  I think it really reminds her of how much pain she was in when she first broke her leg.  The X-ray technicians are always very sweet with her and make sure to give her lots and lots of stickers when she is done.  She even picks some out to give to her brother.

Some photos of her atrophied leg.  It is most apparent at her thigh, right at the point where the cast began.  There is some bruising, a lot of flaky skin, and HAIR!  Lots and lots of dark brown hair. This is common, but I was not prepared for it.

Dr. Hennig looked at the X-ray and the bone is healed.  He was impressed with her range of motion.  Some people get contractures where they cannot fully extend their leg.  A few days of awkwardness, he said, and she will be fine.  We have to return in 6 months to be sure that the break did not affect her growth plate.

As soon as we got home she got straight into the tub.

She really enjoyed it!

Then it was out for a special lunch at Friendly's.

Yum!

Olivia crawled most of her first day without the cast.  She complained of some pain, which is natural for not having used her leg for 8 weeks.  It is now day 3 without the cast.  She is walking, but she doesn't put her heel down unless we remind her.  She walks like she still has the cast on.  When she bends to pick something up off the floor she keeps her leg straight as if she is still in the cast.  She sleeps with her leg straight.  These things will all right themselves in time.

She is happy and healthy!  Mama is too :)