Rut Ro!

Greetings and a Reminder:

I write this blog as we go through ET Mehta Casting with our daughter Olivia. The blog is intended to inform, possibly inspire, and raise awareness of Infantile Scoliosis and its treatment/cure. Please share our story. For more information please check out http://www.infantilescoliosis.org/ 

Well it's happened. It didn't take long. We succeeded in getting Olivia's cast wet! It's Mama's fault. I left  a glass of lemonade on the end table and forgot about it. Olivia was playing, happy as a clam and we were watching Big Brother....yeah we hadn't seen it in a couple of weeks....Anyway, all of I sudden I hear a large splash as if a glass was spilled. Sure enough Olivia had grabbed the glass off of the end table and attempted to drink from it pouring it all over herself and her face! 

We then proceeded to dash upstairs to the bathroom and sit on the counter with the blow dryer. She was scared of it at first, but after watching Mommy and Daddy with it, and some toys as distraction, she sat and allowed us to attempt to dry the cast. This was not an easy task. A half hour of sitting there trying to dry the cast and it still feels damp.It's very hard to get down there!  I also used a dry face cloth to sop up some of the liquid. It's only the front top that's damp....I'm nervous now that we've ruined it. We'll see tomorrow....until then....

***UPDATE 08/20***

I am happy to report that the cast appears fine! :-D

Enjoying our time in Maine

Greetings and a Reminder:

I write this blog as we go through ET Mehta Casting with our daughter Olivia. The blog is intended to inform, possibly inspire, and raise awareness of Infantile Scoliosis and its treatment/cure. Please share our story. For more information please check out http://www.infantilescoliosis.org/ 

This week we are vacationing in Wells, ME. So far we've been having a wonderful time. We went to the zoo and we even snuck in a little beach time. I made sure to purchase a long sleeved high neck swim shirt for Olivia. It covered the cast well and we made sure she only walked on compact sand. We only stayed for about a half hour. It was perfect. When we got home I hosed down her legs and feet. Olivia is loving the time she is spending with her cousin. I have included some pictures.

On a side note, Olivia has some skin irritation on the backside of her right hip. I didn't pack any moleskin with me so I've been putting some Neosporin and band aides on it. :-/ She's also been extra sweaty because there's no air conditioning where we're staying. Having central air in our home has been a huge advantage for regulating Olivia's body temperature. Her cast is starting to get that "stinky cast smell", and man that undershirt is grimy! I did have some success in washing the collar during her last bath though. I have to tip my hat to all the single parents with casted babies out there. A lot of this cast maintenance has been a two person job. I bow down to all of you!

Making Donations and Such

Greetings and a Reminder:

I write this blog as we go through ET Mehta Casting with our daughter Olivia. The blog is intended to inform, possibly inspire, and raise awareness of Infantile Scoliosis and its treatment/cure. Please share our story. For more information please check out http://www.infantilescoliosis.org/ 

First of all we have surpassed the 2000 page view mark! That's awesome! Let's keep it going!

Secondly, I have created a Facebook page to promote the blog. Please like the page, share the page, promote the page. We want to get this information out there to as many parents as we can! Early screening is key. Remember, many Infantile Scoliosis cases are initially detected by parents, NOT pediatricians. 

Thirdly, I am pleased to announce my business cards have arrived! I'm so excited! I've happily started distributing them. 

Which leads me to the main point of this post. Donating! In addition to raising awareness of Infantile Scoliosis, it's early casting treatment, and life with casting, I also want to use this blog to raise money for the organizations that have gotten us to where we are today. Please consider donating to the following:

Boston Children's Hospital: 

The Orthopaedic Department is top notch! They have been absolutely wonderful and accommodating through this entire process. Every doctor, every nurse, every administrator, has been so pleasant and kind. They truly cater to every child and parent they encounter, right down to giving Olivia a balloon following every sedation and crayons and bubbles to keep her entertained. I can't speak highly enough about this hospital. No wonder it's the #1 pediatric hospital in the country! I donate to the hospital monthly as a Dream Maker and I've been doing this now for three years. Please consider donating whatever you can, and know that your money is contributing to improving the wellness of children like Olivia. You can donate here: http://giving.childrenshospital.org/

The Infantile Scoliosis Outreach Program:

Founded by a mom in Denver CO in 2003 the Infantile Scoliosis Outreach Program promotes early treatment of Infantile Scoliosis through Mehta Casting. Heather Hyatt Montoya, founder of ISOP created the organization after going through hell trying to find a proper form of treatment for her daughter Olivia. There are no lengths a mother won't go for her child. When we became concerned with Olivia's rib placement I of course performed a google search and I was directed to the ISOP page, which became my lifeline for the next month. I am also a part of their support group which is close to 800 members. She has paved the road for families facing infantile scoliosis through her program. Because it is a non profit organization they rely heavily on donations to help support their mission. Funds raised will be applied directly toward costs of initiating the Early Treatment Project (ETP) and toward the maintenance of current family and medical outreach and educational programs. Please consider donating to this organization: http://www.infantilescoliosis.org/index.html  

Well that's all for now. I will leave you with a few pictures from over the past couple of days. Olivia received a visit from her Grandpa Gus who was up from Florida. She also enjoyed spending time with her Mama Jo and Great Poppops at Patriot training camp. :-)

Bibs, Clothes and Undershirt Cleaning

Greetings and a Reminder:

I write this blog as we go through ET Mehta Casting with our daughter Olivia. The blog is intended to inform, possibly inspire, and raise awareness of Infantile Scoliosis and its treatment/cure. Please share our story. For more information please check out http://www.infantilescoliosis.org/ 

I tried cleaning the collar and underarms of Olivia's undershirt today. This was not a pleasurable experience for either of us. She hated every second of it and fought me the whole time. If anyone has any good suggestions on a more pleasant way of doing this please let me know. Here is what I did. I kept Olivia in her high chair so she couldn't run away from me. First, I wetted a facecloth and lathered in some Cetaphil. Then, making sure the facecloth was only damp, I scrubbed the dirty areas. Next I rinsed the facecloth really well and did my best to get the soap residue out of the shirt. Finally, I blow dried the damp spots of the shirt on a cool setting. 

The collar looks a little better, but I'm nervous I didn't get all the soap out. I'm not sure it's worth the hassle. Please, share your stories and thoughts on this. The help will be greatly appreciated.

For those of you who have been curious about how clothing works I have to admit it has been very trial and error so far. Things that I thought would fit are either too small or too big and things that I never would have expected to fit end up fitting fine. I think in Olivia's case a general rule of thumb is that she fits in clothing that is one size bigger than what she would normally wear. So, right now she should be wearing 12-18 month and I'm finding 18 month and 18-24 month are fitting well while 12-18 month is too small and 2T is too big. There are always exceptions and different brands fit differently, but that's no different than before she was casted.

 I have found that dresses fit best. Shirts tend to get stuck at the top of the cast. Bodysuits are a no unless they are really big, and she's getting to the age that they don't make them in her size anymore anyway. I didn't have to change size with her bottoms. She just gets "plumber's butt" because they ride a little low.

When it comes to bibs we really like the bumkins brand. They close nice and snug at the top. We've been using the Dr. Seuss Superbibs, but I plan to purchase the Jr. Bib and maybe a Sleeved Bib. What I notice about the Jr. Bib and the Sleeved Bib is that they don't sit as snuggly at the neck as I would like, but they're worth a try. :-)

I would like to close this entry with a very special thank you to Olivia's dear friend Oscar! He sent her a nice little care package complete with designer duct tape. I'm sure she'll give him a big hug and kiss at their next play date!