Avery's Curvy Road

It has been two weeks now since Avery got his first cast for his scoliosis. The first couple of days were long, exhausting and, at times, emotional. I have been trying to get to this blog for the past few days, but I am still recovering from the stress and lack of sleep.    Monday morning we were up and out of the house before sunrise. Considering I had to wake Avery up at 4:30 in the morning, and he wasn't allowed to eat anything past midnight, our little man was in good spirits. I thought for sure he would have slept on the long drive there, but he stayed awake the whole time, babbling away and playing peek-a-boo with his favorite monkey blanket. We got to Boston right on time and got him checked into surgery. The nurses checked his vitals, we met with Dr. G and his team that would be there with Avery, and picked out his cast color. The nurse had me get the undershirt on Avery, which protects his skin from any irritation that could be caused by sweat and rubbing again...

The weekend has now come to an end, and in only 6.5 hours, Avery will be in the hospital getting his cast applied. I can't even begin to describe the emotions that I am going through. To give you an idea, though, it is 1:00 in the morning and I am eating leftover Chinese food...while on a diet... I'm an emotional eater. Don't judge me.  George and I made sure to make this past weekend as much fun as possible for Avery. Saturday was his big special day. We brought him up to Maine where we went to York's Wild Animal Kingdom, the Nubble Lighthouse, and took a nice walk along Long Shores Beach. Avery enjoyed every second of it, and he deserved it.  Sunday was a more laid back kind of day. We got lots of playtime in, and LOTS of snuggles. I got everything ready for the hospital, and we had dinner with family. After getting back home, it was time for Avery's last bath before the cast is on. Once the cast is on, we are not sure how long it will be until hi...

It is said that parents are their children's best advocates. Since Avery's diagnosis, I have spent a lot of time researching and learning whatever I can, from the basic facts to others personal experiences with having a scoliosis baby. Some may think it's crazy, but believe me, it has helped us out a lot in many ways. So, today I would like to share with you all some of the basics of what I have learned through this journey so far.  Infantile scoliosis is first diagnosed between birth and 3 years of age. It is most commonly found in males. There are several types of scoliosis for which the causes or origins are well known and understood, but most cases of infantile scoliosis are considered idiopathic, which means the causes are unknown. However, there are two possible theories that are being researched. The first is the intra-uterine molding theory, which suggests that the spine is bent at the time of birth due to abnormal positioning in the uterus, and it worsens with g...