Avery's Curvy Road

As you may have already seen, Avery's first cast removal was on Friday. He had some slight bruising on his hips and back, and his skin was very dry and flaky, but overall everything looked good. The dry skin healed after one good bath and lots of Aveeno eczema treatment lotion, and the bruising faded by the end of the weekend. Although we didn't do anything real exciting, it was still a fun break. Avery was extra lovable and wanted lots of cuddles. It got me thinking of how hard it must be for him to want comfort and hugs from us, but he can't even feel our arms around him with the cast in the way. As resilient as they may be, our little ones are still affected by these treatments, even if they don't always show it.  Freedom!!! When he wasn't looking for extra loving from all of us, he was running around the house like a wild animal, acting silly, dancing, and playing like I have never seen him play before. We loved watching every second of it, but the thou...

Hello again!! Apologies for this long overdue post, but it has been such a busy time around here. Sadie started preschool, we moved to a new place, George has been crazy busy with his business, Avery with his never ending appointments, and all of the other little happenings in between. With all of the craziness it has been hard to find time or energy to write, or pretty much even breathe.  The time has just been flying by us, which is most definitely a good thing.  We are almost done with Avery's first cast, and I must say, he has been handling it like a champ. We did have a few issues in the beginning, but with some minor adjustments and a little bit of time, everything is back to normal...well, as normal as can be, that is.  We only have ONE WEEK left until the first break, and I couldn't be more excited. I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas morning! Avery is scheduled for cast removal on October 13th, and he will have a weekend off. This means lots of sq...

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...

This has been one busy month for us with birthdays, the 4th of July, getting Sadie ready for her first year of preschool, George's crazy work schedule, and having appointment after appointment...after appointment. I don't normally like constant craziness, however this time I have actually welcomed it as it keeps my mind off of what is quickly approaching.  In only two weeks Avery will be in his first cast to begin his scoliosis treatments. It was originally supposed to be on July 24th, but because of scheduling issues at the hospital, it got pushed out to August 14th. My emotions have been all over the place. There are going to be a lot of adjustments and changes made to our daily routines, as well as many new challenges to face. Am I ready for this? Far from it. I don't think there really is any way to be ready or prepared for what is ahead of us.  As if the scoliosis treatments and feeding therapy wasn't enough, at Avery's 15 month wellness check this pas...

Friday was Avery's follow-up appointment at Boston Children's. We got to meet with the orthopedic surgeon who will be treating him from here on out, Dr. G. He answered all of our questions, and explained everything about Avery's condition and treatment options to help us better understand what is going on. He also sent Avery in for a second X-ray since his original was done back in May. This X-ray, unlike the first one, was done with Avery laying down. It showed a much better image of the curve, whereas the original was not as clear because it was hard to hold him still while he was standing.  At the time of the original X-ray, Avery's curve measured at 30 degrees. This time it was slightly higher, measuring at 34 degrees.  Left: Recent X-ray. Right: Original X-ray So, according to Dr. G, we should expect Avery to be in a cast for at least a year. After that, as long as the curve has decreased and taken well to the cast, he will then be switched over to wearing...