In like a Lion, out like a Lamb

The saying goes that March is in like a lion and out like a lamb. With February being such a short month, March sneaks up on you....then lasts 31 days. I have found myself surprised on more than one occasion that, "Whoa, it is already March," and "Man, it is still March!?!" I am anxious for the month to be over because I gave myself a deadline of being able to walk unassisted by the end of March. It looks like I will be walking with a cane for short trips, and my walker for long trips. A long trip would be a walk to my neighborhood Starbucks (0.4 miles one way) and a short trip...from the couch to the bathroom. I am also anxious for the month to end because that means Gwen will be 6 months and we can start solids! I am so excited about her eating 'real' food and can't wait to feed her on her half birthday (don't worry, we will post a video).

These pics are from Gwen's first experience on a swing (on the first day of Spring). She was really distracted by the kids playing, then realized that there was something funny going on (i.e she was swinging). She lasted a few minutes before getting tired/overwhelmed by the whole thing. We then all went for a walk through this amazing park, Dracena Quary Park, in Piedmont, not far from Kaiser in Oakland.

We got a new car!

We bought a new car! We (Spencer) did a ton of research and found the best deal for our current situation. We were going for safety, economy, and cargo space. The new Honda Accord has the latest safety features, a humongous trunk, and is leasing right now for $199 a month- perfect! Spencer wheeled and dealed with the car salesman and got us a great deal (upgraded version of the sale vehicle) and even brought it home for me with a bow on it.
Gwen also got a new car seat. Apparently car seats are like bicycle helmets: once You have been in an accident, you need to replace it (we replaced hers months ago- she is just so beautiful sleeping in it I wanted to include the pic :-)

Kiss Me, I'm Irish

As I have said before, Gwen is her father's daughter.



















Irish eyes are smiling.

Left Leg, Right Clavicle

I had my March appointment with my surgeon. There were two items on the agenda, 1) weight bearing status of my left leg, and 2) surgery to remove the rod from my right clavicle.

The Leg
The x-ray showed there wasn't as much callous as he would like to see, but apparently fair skinned people don't build obvious callouses on their bones. My leg feels great, and it still has great range of motion (I do my exercises every day :-) so he said go for it. I got the green light to start putting weight on my leg today. I have to call and make an appointment with a physical therapist and he sent me home with a single point cane. While I am very excited to start walking again, I am very nervous about it, and afraid I am going to hurt myself (the Fear is creeping back...there really hasn't been much pain in my recovery, but the Fear of pain has been hard to manage). This evening I thought I would give my cane a try. I made Spencer stand on my right side so I could hold onto him, and braced myself with my left hand on the cane (normally for a left leg injury one would use their cane on the right side, but that darn broken collar bone makes that a bad idea). I put my weight on my left leg, and it felt weird. I realized very soon that not only was I not going to be walking, I wasn't even going to take a step (I did make a baby step). My foot felt like a pillow and there was no way I was trusting that cane to hold me and my baby weight up. It was like learning how to drive, and then being asked to ride a unicycle. With some physical therapy I should regain some confidence in myself and my new bionic leg.

The Clavicle
The x-ray of the clavicle showed that there was not as much healing as we would want to see at this point. Last month it was looking really good....so this was a disappointment. I had actually been able to schedule the removal of the rod for March 23rd, but we decided to cancel that and push it a month out to give the bone a chance to heal better. My other option was have the rod removed and risk breaking it again because it didn't heal completely, or having a permanent rod inserted. This totally sucks because it drags my recovery out another month (grand total of 4 months!!!!).

I hadn't thought much of my recovery beyond the 3 month mark...but realize now that I had assumed by Gwen's 6 month birthday I would be more mobile and could be the Mommy I want to be. I just have to accept that I am the best Mom I can be right now, and continue to live in the moment (no mourning what could be, just enjoying what is).

Gwen: 5 months week 2

Gwen is 5 months old! When did that happen. Our days just blend one into the next, but we are having a good time. Gwen is practicing sitting up, can roll over front to back. We have been swaddling her when she goes down in her crib, but she flipped over last night...I looked over and she was laying face down and struggling to right herself...no more swaddling for her! She is practicing what is the beginning of crawling, she moves like a little inch worm, often with a face plant into the floor while she tries to get her knees up under her to move that big booty of hers. Her babbling is starting to have distinct syllables to it, and she has the attention span to sit and 'read' a book (well, a few pages until she insists on gumming the thing until it is dripping). No teeth yet, but she has all the signs of teething. We will be starting solids when she hits 6 months April 1st and I am so excited about feeding her real food!