Third Time's the Charm: M's 3rd (and FINAL) Cast

So, you'll notice that the cast countdown is spinning but the numbers are gone...that's because yesterday was the day!!  The day of Molly's final cast change!  She was a little under the weather on Wednesday but because she wouldn't be under anesthesia they let us keep our appointment...YAY!  Well, Wednesday night the Lucas family didn't get a wink of sleep.  Molly woke up a good 7 or 8 times during the night which meant Ryan and I were up too.  (Nights of that sort make us exceedingly grateful that this is the exception rather than the rule for Molly.)  With the lack of sleep, runny nose, and cough we expected the cast change to be truly trying but we were excited nonetheless.

When we were called back, Telly (I asked him "like the muppet" and he said "as in Kojak") brought in the saw and started cutting her cast off straight away.  Molly wasn't upset at the sound of the saw as much as just the vibration of it on her cast.  She cried uncomfortably as we tipped and tilted her to get things cut on all sides.  She did so well though!  And then it was time to peel it off:

Boy, was it wonderful to see her in her entirety!  She went in a pudgy, roly, poly baby and came out a looong, thinned out toddler.  We literally saw her grow about 6 inches right in front of our very eyes--truthfully?  equal parts bitter and sweet.  Her skin looked GREAT!  You never know what lurks beneath the layers.  She had a rash on her right thigh and then one all around the crease on the left thigh, some dry skin and that was IT!  Here's the crease of the left thigh:

And I know what this looks like but it's actually just a continuation of the crease of her left thigh and hip:

It was so wonderful to see her start kicking her legs immediately.  She looked like a little frog and was in an effortless full split as she kicked.  The expression on her face was one of disbelief and matter-of-factness at the same time.  The pictures of the acrobatics aren't internet ready just yet...perhaps I'll add them later after some choice editing.

Here's the ol' cocoon:

And here's our beautiful butterfly (and her puffy-faced, head-over-heels mom)!!!:

Checking herself out in the mirror:

Belly to belly at last:

Sore and tired but still has time for a little wave:

SITTING UP for the first time in 3 months!!!:

She was like jelly from her belly down so she couldn't actually sit up without support or she'd fall from side to side.  Here she is hiding from the paparazzi:

They gave us a chance to snuggle and clean her up and then Telly came back to start recasting.  I requested to get her height and weight first and he obliged.  She weighed a light 20 pounds and was 29 inches long.  Hard to believe that she was a 10 lb. 6 oz. newborn!


I had nightmares about the recasting.  I couldn't imagine her being freed and then imprisoned again while awake all in the same 3 hour window.  But she was so interested in watching (and keeping a good hard suction on that pacifier) that she didn't mind one bit.  (Oh, she made up for that today, mind you!)

One side down, one to go:

Watching intently:

Beautiful blue eyes:)  Her hair's getting lighter and longer by the day:

The measuring of the stick was very scientific:

She's like "I give up. Whatever."

We were allowed to pick her up post-cast, pre-bar.  It was like holding a windchime:)

Adding the bar. 

Molly was trying to pickpocket Dr. Fabregas...that's our girl:

Dr. Fabregas is the one on the left.  We really like him.  The other two are his residents...you know, the one's that I'm smarter than (reference to previous post). 

Here it is.  The final cast:

Once it dried it was off to the x-ray room:

Dr. Fabregas came in and said everything looked "GREAT"!  We have 4 weeks in this cast and then we'll get a brace that she'll wear for naptime and nighttime only.  Praise the Lord!  We took all three of our car seats will us because we weren't sure which one she'd fit in.  Turns out the hippo was the best fit.  We took out the wedge and Molly fit perfectly and she was so thrilled to sit back in the seat and not have her back arched.  What a happy moment.  She grabbed her bar and started lifting it up and down, up and down.

And here she is just minutes later:

What a little trooper we have:)  She was such a tired girl.  She went to bed at 6:30 and only woke up once the entire night.

I have to cut this short but let's just say we're so thankful for an excellent report and successful final casting.  Praising God from whom all blessings flow!