Back to night/naps

I thought I had made this post before but turns out I didn't so thought I would do it now.  Last Friday Monkeyman started pulling up on everything again! He woke up and stood up in his crib for the first time and didn't stop all day so hesitantly I took him out of the shoes more. Remember back in January we got the go ahead from his doctor but then after a week I put him back in as it looked like the right foot was turning in a bit and he wasn't pulling himself up as he was too busy figuring out the other things he wanted to learn. The problem with being in them and pulling up is the rounded bottom makes it unsteady and also I have noticed his circulation gets cut off to his feet and legs turn purple when he is sitting on his knees which is the main position he can get himself back up to sitting with them on. By Saturday we went down to night and naps again as he is standing a lot which holds his feet in the correct position. I watch for regression but so far both feet are looking great! I am glad we put him back in when I noticed it and he wasn't standing as much. I think he needed the extra month! I have to make sure he is in the shoes before he gets too tired or he will fight me when I try and put them on but they are just a Part of our going to bed routine and he does fairly well most the time. He can make it difficult some times as he really loves doing sit ups now  whenever I attempt to change him and am not fast enough (which in his mind I should be done in about half a second).  He likes to go go go and that being still thing just isn't for him.  I think he figured out I can stop him from rolling and getting away but it is harder to stop him from doing a sit up as I don't want to pin him down!  Smart little guy he is.

Another photoshoot

I had an idea in the middle of the night last night for something I wanted to try with Monkeyman but wasn't sure how it would go over now that he does not like sitting still!  I wanted to use his walls as a backdrop for some pictures.  He did amazing and I got some decent pics of the little man :)

The rest of the morning he spent chasing his puppy and exploring!  He is all go go go now.  Which means I spend my time chasing him :)

Playing strange

Well today we went to the grade 1 class we visit for Roots of Empathy.  And Monkey man played strange really for the first time.  He has been shy before but he was really clingy there and needed us close by.  I think it was just overwhelming for him since it has been over a month since we were last there and that many kids surrounding you can be a scary thing for anyone especially when they are so much bigger than you and watching your every move :)  He still had fun though and showed the kids his new teeth and crawling skills. 

We got home and pulled in the driveway and could see flowers and a gift bag between our screen door and regular door.  Was very nice to come home to that :)  No indication who it is from although I may have a guess but have been known to be way off before.  Monkey loves his new book and blankie if you happen to be reading this. 

He is now sound asleep in bed although that took awhile since the dog started barking just as he was about to go to sleep.  I think I might go read and make supper instead of excercising today since I am taking today off other than walks as the pup tried to take me out at the dog park last night and my knee is bugging me today so giving it a little break before I get back to it tomorrow. 

Teething sucks

It's official teething really sucks!  Monkey man has 5 and is getting 3 more and is miserable today.  Whining non stop and very clingy.  Don't get me wrong I am loving the extra snuggles since he is normally a "let me down to go play" kind of kid and not as snugly as he was before he became so mobile but I feel so bad for him that he seems so uncomfortable before the things pop through.  At least we are 5 down and only 15 left to go lol  This morning I tried hylands teething gel, vanilla extract but those did nothing so we went with tempra which helped a bit at least.

I started putting Monkey man's shoes that I bought him for Christmas on his when he is out of the boots/bar to see if that will help his toes clear up as they were bright red/purple yesterday and skinned.  The duo-derm wasn't helping it seemed to be making it worse almost as there was so much moisture trapped under it for so long, airing it out barefoot didn't help either so I thought maybe it is from him crawling and the toes rubbing on the floor plus being in the boots/bar and added pressure on those toes the way he likes to sit on his knees and with crawling and pulling up.  Anyways this morning they look SO much better so I think we will continue putting him in shoes instead of going barefoot.

Well it's time for this Momma to work out while the baby naps.  I have been trying to do at least an hour during the day and then walks on top of that.  If only I could stay away from the chocolate.

Mover!

Well for a week or so my monkey man has been full on crawling. Seeing babies crawl online with the shoes/ bar On is one thing but seeing your baby do it is totally different. He amazes me! He is pulling himself up more, doing sit ups when we change him because he really doesn't like laying still, putting himself in sit on his own (although not staying sitting for long before he goes again), he likes To attempt going uP and down the stairs with and without his shoes on! He can get himself where he Wants to go which is so nice that he isn't getting as frustrated anymore with me not being able to figure out what he wants to play with. Watching him play with his puppy is great. He steals the dog's toys as they are much more fun than his own it seems!

It was great today seeing Monkey man play with his cousins as he is starting to become more interactive :)

He is wearing his shoes less now because he is pulling himself up on everything again so standing more often which puts his feet in the correct position.  I do still have them in the shoes probably 18-20 hours a day still just until he is wanting to stand even more.  His big toes are getting worse now with the crawling and the added pressure that puts on them against the shoes so once he is pulling up more he will go down to just naps and hopefully that will help them

Peek-a-boo and snow time

Monkey man loves leaning around corners, chairs or anything to play peek-a-boo!  It is so cute.  Today he kept going back and forth around a wall to play with me :)  I am so in love with this little man!

I have been waiting for a day when we have snow on the ground and it is warm enough to go play in it as it has either been too cold or melts before we get out!  Today I took him out and have to say he was not impressed with me.  We always get comments about how he will be a natural at snowboarding because of his shoes/bar but unless he starts liking snow and his snowsuit that won't be the case :) Can you tell how impressed he is with me? He didn't mind the sled though.



Monkey man has been crawling everywhere the last few days but today is getting faster and goes across the room! 

Happy Valentine's Day

I decided to do a little Valentines shoot with my little monkey this morning.  He is just so photogenic I will use any excuse to do a photoshoot :)  These are just a few that I took- it is hard to narrow it down sometimes

Ramblings

Well monkey man has started pulling himself up again which means the crib mattress had to be lowered.  Which in turn means we can't put the monkey down asleep as he just wakes up anyways as we go to lower him into the crib.  A few nights ago (before the mattress was lowered) I broke down in tears in the middle of the night.  All the nights of having to sit up with him for a few hours before being able to successfully put him back to bed got to me.  Am I proud of this moment- not a chance but I can't change the past and I am sure I will have some more emotional moments through my parenting career.  Anyways once the mattress got lowered that was it- our boy would have to learn to go to sleep on his own no matter how hard it is on all of us!  I am not one for letting him cry it out and thankfully it hasn't been his full on freak out crying.  I have learned that I cannot go in the room if he is just fussy- that only makes it worse for him.  Last night was the first night in his "new" crib and I was the one to put him down- was not looking forward to it either let me tell you.  But 1 minute of crying and he was done :)  Such a big guy! 1:11 came and he did his normal wake up but we left him- it wasn't his full out freak out thankfully and would cry and stop and cry again.  1:41- silence - thank you Monkey man!  That beats the sitting rocking for 2 hours. Even if I couldn't get back to sleep at least he was.  He also has been getting up around 7:00 but this morning was 8:00 like it was before the sleep went downhill a few weeks ago.  He also woke up pretty darn happy.
This morning his nap took longer for DH to get him down but here he is zonked out :)  It definately isn't an easy process but the fact that he has been able to go down and put himself to sleep in the past makes me know he can do it. Not a great picture but afraid of waking the baby :)

Monkey man is loving his toy buckets these days

                                                         Great for pulling up onto

                                                   
                                                     

                                               And for emptying of toys so he can go in :)



Tips for parents of babies with Congenital Talipes Equinovarus (clubfeet)

So I decided I need to put some tips together for anyone who might be starting the journey or is on the journey. Some of these I have found out as I go, others I found out before our monkey man was born. 

Clothing- For the cast stage-  depending on what kind of casts you get pants may or may not work.  Our casts were not as bulky as some and with needing to size up for cloth diapers we got away with pants but pants don't keep the casts clean during diaper changes.  That is where baby legs and other baby warmers/leggings (footless)come in so handy!  I didn't think I would need socks at all for the first while while he was in casts but I did need a few pairs just to keep the toes warm and for after we unwrapped the casts on the way to the hospital.  I definately didn't need many though.  We were able to fit sleepers without feet over the casts but as he grew and the casts got bigger they didn't fit well.  Mostly we used a onesie, baby legs and a sleep sack. 

For shoes/ bar don't get anything with feet unless you want to cut the feet off of them (which I have done to many sleepers), snaps all the way down both legs are great (why they make them part way and then have cuffs I don't know but I had to cut through them too).  As monkey man got more accepting of the shoes/bar we used stretchy pants but before that it was baby legs and shirts or outfits that go over the head.  Nothing was worse than having a leak and having to take the shoes/bar off and fight with him to get them back on in those early days!  The waists if you do put on regular pants have to be really stretchy otherwise they won't come down far enough to get a diaper change done with the legs spread apart by the bar. Oh for socks we were recommended to get ones that do not have the little grips on the bottom, and no fuzzy socks- inside or outside as they can cause more blisters.  Also we had to turn the socks inside out so the seams wouldn't cause blisters or sores.

Equipment tips- highchairs need to not have the bar across instead need to be open to allow the baby to go in without taking the shoes off (at least with our kind of shoes and bar).  While excersaucers, jumperoos and other such activity toys are great just remember they won't get much use.  Monkey man was allowed a little time each day only. For baby carriers I wanted to get one with a correct position for his legs (not allow them to dangle)- well I have used three- a stretchy wrap for the cast stage but it would cut of circulation I found and his feet would turn purple and swell so only could use it for short periods, a mei tai for the shoes/bar stage, and then an ergo once he was able to have more time out. 

For the baby swings and bouncy/vibrating chairs- I found a wide seat (papasan style) to work best for the casting stage, but after monkey was in shoes/bar I found he liked the one that is one that converts to a rocker better as he could sit more upright in it.  It still needs to be wide to fit the feet being apart though.  Swings need to open up for easy access and not have a fixed bar.

Things I have found that I love- baby legs and other such leggings, my little seat portable high chair, bumbo works great once out of casts, snaps all the way down legs and overalls (before this I despised overalls and snaps for changing a baby), a stroller sleeping bag because he couldn't go into a snowsuit and didn't fit in any bunting bag style ones as he was too long!

Another thing I did for the casting stage was I took a picture of each of his feet close up so I could see what they looked like at the beginning of that set of casts if I was concerned about them slipping.  They looked different every week so it helped to have a picture so I knew how far the toes were out and whether they were still good or we needed to go in for another one (he kicked off quite a few of his casts)

For blisters during the shoes/bar stage- we were lucky with our first set of shoes but unfortunately the second set has given us alot of problems on the big toes :(  What usually worked was duo derm extra thin

For shopping- during the shoes and bar stage there were a few times where I thought I would just put him in the shopping cart since by this age he was not big on laying in the bucket seat.  Then I would clue in that he couldn't go in regular shopping carts.  Things like this I took for advantage with other kids I have taken care of.  Luckily a few places have the shopping carts that work for him or I use the mei tai or stroller if it is a few items only.

Support- family in my life as well as some friends I met online who had gone through the journey or were going through the journey at the same time helped so much!  It would have been so hard without them!  I am not going to tell you it will be all fun and games- it won't be.  There will be ups and downs but look into your little ones eyes and remember that in a few years this will be over and that sweet little one will be just fine!  Many famous people, athletes included were born with clubfeet and didn't let it slow them down.  One doctor we saw said something about our baby not being a football player when we first found out and I replied "this baby will be whatever he/she wants to be!"   There are days I cried and cried along with my baby.  I wished I could take it all away for him, I hated seeing him in discomfort.  Having people to talk to online and on the phone and some family to call and get to come for a visit kept me sane on the really tough days.  The hardest days for us were the first day of a new casting, the actual casting (I am so glad my husband came to all the early castings and then my parents came for some too), and the first 2 days of the boots (I was wanting the casts back!).  I thought I was strong but I have had my weak moments more and more since monkey man was born. If you are finding my post and need support let me know I am happy to help out in anyway I can.  Also you could ask your doctor if they have a support group set up.

                                                                     "My little seat"

                                                
                                                                  Leggings over casts

                                                           Babylegs with shoes/bar

                        
                                                             His vibrating chair

One of my close up pictures to compare as the week went on

Shopping cart that works for the boots/bar 

8 months- time flies

Well my little man is now 8 months old! I really can't believe it has been that long already. He amazes me everyday with his strength, determination and what he is learning. Just yesterday he began crawling forwards! He has been doing backwards for months and would creep a bit forwards but not much. I was in the kitchen and he was just behind a chair in the living room so I couldn't see him at the moment and I heard a loud bang repeatedly so looked and there he was peaking around the chair! I watched and sure enough he was lifting up one leg throwing it down on the floor and then the other and doing the same with his hands while moving forward! Loudest crawler I have ever heard but that's my boy needs to make sure we notice him at all times! I got pretty excited and he was very proud of himself! Watch out world Monkeyman is on a mission to conquer! I am impressed that he first crawled with the shoes on as I was thinking he would learn in the little bit of shoeless play time he has each day like he did with learning to put himself into sit last week.  He did it with the shoes off only for the first couple days and then found a different way to do it with the boots/bar.  But really it shouldn't surprise me as he did pull to standing with the shoes on first.

A few pics of Monkey on his 8 month birthday!


                                                                          Chillin

                                                                       Cool Dude

                                                                        Happy monkey

                                                             

                Trying to get his usual lay beside the puppy for size comparison was not happening

                                                    Trying to figure out how to open them