Signed by

About 1-2 months ago for about a week straight (each day) I had Maddie write her name 6 times with my assistance.  Since then I have never revisited the activity with her.  Anyway, after Maddie finished her latest picture today I asked her to sign it on the bottom -- and voila!  Completely unassisted!

A week in MA

It was nice to see the family before we headed off on our trip without Maddie and Dylan -- which was the longest we've ever been away from them. 

It's been a while since these kids have last seen each other.  The cousins had a great time together!

10 Days....

Pic from Albert Einstein Hospital elevator

Blog content has been light the last ten days... perhaps non-existent, whatever.  So what have we been doing?  Let's see... 10 days, 6 flights, 2 baptisms and 1 birthday.  The trip was a success, kids had fun at Nana and Pup-pup's house and we accomplished a lot down in Brazil. 

We found a place to live, visited schools, hospital, etc.  For my birthday -- Brazilian steak house, Fogo de Chao (which are in the States as well) -- great meal and experience.  I'm usually not too impressed with steak houses either, after all - how many ways can you cook a steak?  and let's face it, it's not rocket science.  What I enjoyed most was the method of service.  I'm not going to elaborate further since I'm no restaurant critic, but if you haven't heard of it you can click on the link above for the restaurant website --  really though, the important thing to gather here is that it has my stamp of approval.

I quickly learned a couple things on this trip as well -- first, learn Portuguese... and second, learn Portuguese.  I cannot wait to get down there -- we're looking forward to the move!

80 in October?

Here are a couple quick pics of the kids from last weekend enjoying the unseasonably warm October weather.

A walk in the park

On Thursday last week I took the kids for their wellness visits (and physicals for our upcoming move).  With two kids in the room (1Y1M and 3Y4M) it was going very smooth -- then the doctor started going over the immunizations required, which I had anticipated since it was Dylan's 1 year wellness visit.  So the doctor starts reading them off, he needed 2 shots and blood work from his toe -- the doctor then turns the page and read off two more!  I told the doctor this was simple, I'm only going to do 2 shots for Dylan today and I'll come back later.  That's when the doctor replied, "oh no, these last two aren't for Dylan".  Not for Dylan!   The last time Maddie had shots was quite a while back, in fact, I don't think she ever remembers getting any.  Needless to say but I was definitely caught off guard and the entire visit ended up being 1 hour 15 minutes back in the patient room as well.  Not to mention that my daughter overreacts to the smallest of boo-boos -- now with an anticipated boo-boo on its way I had to think of how to deliver the punishing blow.

Maddie had asked me numerous times if we were done yet and I simply told her that we had one more thing to do.  And that thing, I told her, was a quick pinchy-shot that she needed to keep her from getting really sick -- I then reminded Maddie of her bout with pneumonia earlier in the year, which she can recall in amazing detail.  My story was not well received, but she understood this was going to happen.

Okay - first thing, I thought, was to have Maddie go 2nd and to not be in the room as Dylan's witness.  Reason for this was simply that I knew Maddie was going to need some extra attention after her shots and didn't want her sitting there alone while it was Dylan's turn.  So the assistants took Maddie out to play and we took care of Dylan's required shots -- it probably took 10 minutes for Dylan alone, drawing blood from the toe takes forever and is not a fun procedure.

Now it was the princess' turn.  I told her to get on my lap while the doctor gives her the pinchy-shots.  She reluctantly sat on my lap and was actually pretty calm considering.  I don't think Maddie realized what was coming next, but before she had time to think, shot-1 came in.  Maddie was unhappy, but she did better than I was expecting -- and before we knew it, shot-2.  After this one Maddie was crying -- but not uncontrollably and to my surprise she quickly stopped.  At this point it was more of pouting and wanting to leave (not after she gets a sucker and sticker of course) -- and Maddie clearly stated her feelings about this appointment:  "I really didn't like the last part, that was bad".   All-in-all it went pretty smooth, both kids did great and the checkup results were good -- wow was it really that easy!?

Well... almost, a little bit of drama followed.  There have been times during the Summer when Maddie's knee touched concrete (no scrape, bruise, nothing) and she all of the sudden acquires a limp!  Imagine the response we get with a planned boo-boo such as this one.  Maddie had been walking around just fine prior to this Oscar worthy performance (after she rediscovered her band-aid):

More Dance Class

A big step for our princess.  Here's Maddie taking the stage during her 2nd class.

Back on track

A long awaited quick pic of the two kids on the floor.  Dylan is loving free reign of the house again!  He's already back to crawling the way he did prior to the cast.  As for the parents -- life sure is easy now.

Spica Cast Removal: Days 0 - 2.5

The ca-cast-trophe is over!  Although I quickly realized that my spica updates are still required -- now the question is, what's he like with the cast off?  I was thinking Dylan would have string bean legs -- however it was the waist where the only noticeable change took place.  I couldn't tell until I changed his diaper, better than I was expecting though.

Dylan did hit the ground crawling!  He started crawling as soon as I put him on the floor when we got back from the doctor.  He could sit up too, but lost his reflexes -- Dylan didn't try to catch himself when he was going down -- similar to when a baby first learns to sit up. 

Now, at +2.5 days from cast removal, he's starting to get nice and sturdy -- sitting more upright and trying very hard to pull himself up to stand.  He actually did pull himself up to standing, but was sort of doing a split at the same time.  I can already tell things will progress rather quickly.

12 Weeks - DOWN

Quite a few people have come to this site from spica cast searches over the past 12 weeks -- and I certainly know why -- there's really not much on the topic anywhere.  So I figured I would quickly walk through some of the things we did to get by, especially since he will be cast-free tomorrow morning!

First, some key definitions for reference.  Recall that Dylan was in two different spica casts over the past 12 weeks, I will reference them as the following:

Spica_1 (Weeks 1-6)

Spica_2 (Weeks7-12)

Now let me tell you, it was no cake walk -- but at the same time, the days go by and somehow you manage.  I think the toughest part of all, that most people don't realize, is that you cannot just lay him on the ground and have him play. 

• Spica_1 - forget about it -- as soon as you put him on the ground, within a minute, he was unhappy.  
• Spica_2 - At first you could lay him on the ground and play for about 5 minutes, however once he gained experience rolling over and trying to crawl -- forget about it.  The Dr said to discourage any movement if possible for proper healing.  Unfortunately what that meant, was as soon as he rolled over -- you had to pick him up.

So what does it mean that you cannot just lay him on his back and have him play?  It means that you have to find ways to keep him upright and entertained... once we found a method that worked, the days for Dylan (and the parents) became easier.  I already wrote about the Score that Mom found (Buzz Lightyear chair), we used it every day -- and it worked for both Spica casts.  On top of that we also found a couple of other methods to keep the little guy happy.  Still though, with all the methods you come up with, he still needed to be held for over 50% of the day -- not a tough task when you have an infant that weighs 8-10 pounds -- but when he's a 1 year old and +20lb (without an awkward-shaped cast on), it can get tiring (even for my arms!).  I must say though that Cathy probably held him more than me -- it's that motherly instinct I guess.

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Here are some of the things we did to get by -- note that NONE of these methods are recommended by any of the manufacturers (where applicable) -- we just did what we had to, what else could you do!?  They all worked, and 12 weeks later, here we are.  

This stroller worked for both spica casts.  However for Spica_1 we had to cut a hole in the side of the chair and slide one leg through and have the other one in front.  It was a little bit easier with Spica_2 above, we just had to cram a few blankets and towels behind Dylan to keep him propped in place.  

The car seat worked for both spica casts -- and for just $95 a month, you can have one too!  Similar to the stroller, we had to use blankets and towels to keep him propped in place.  This particular car seat was modified by the Medical Equipment Center at the hospital to allow for his legs to fit properly.

Bath time set up -- nothing really exciting here.  I just wanted to highlight the fact that we have been giving him sponge baths for the past 12 weeks -- no way around that.  This was our 3-towel arrangement which worked quite well.  Towel-1 for the base, Towel-2 for a pillow, and Towel-3 for his leg rest.

This was his Spica_2 eating arrangement (much easier than Spica_1).  We were able to fit him in a high chair with the common theme of blankets and towels to keep him propped in place.  For Spica_1 Dylan had to eat in a bean bag.  Part of his Spica_2 eating arrangement was the all-important (as seen on TV!!) Table-Mate II.  Not only was the Table-Mate clutch for Spica_2 feedings, it also served as a key play area for Dylan for Spica_1.  We would sit on an ottoman with Little D on our lap and simply slide the convenient Table-Mate in front of us (with toys on it for him to play with).

12 week sleeping arrangement -- inclined back with wedge and kept two rolled towels at his feet to keep his legs propped up.  

Ah yes, the diaper changing -- this is what we had to work with for the past 12 weeks.  Of course you get used to it and it does get easy -- just annoying at times.  We managed to keep the cast clean, nights were the only time we ran into some issues.

This little area morphed into his changing station -- there's really no easy place to do it, so we stuck with the floor.  Now if you look carefully, you will notice a pink bag sitting there -- those are Poise Pads.  Before bed we would put a half of a Poise Pad in with his inner diaper, which worked the majority of the time.  There were times though where he was wet on the back on his shirt in the morning.

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I'm sure there are a few typos in this one.  But guess what?  I'm tired, I'm going to bed, I'm going to get his cast off in the morning, and I'm proudly going to be posting an abundance of cast-free pics in the very near future -- which unfortunately means that my days of talking cast tales are almost over.  I do hope that if you're here from a Spica search that you found this post somewhat useful -- or at the very least, it gives a starting point to kick off the methods that work best for you!

Dance Class - Part 2

2nd time was the charm for our 3Y3M Maddie.  Recall last year we went to dance class (see Link), however her friend bailed after the 1st one and Maddie wanted nothing to do with it after that.  This year she went solo and did a great job!  Just needed another year under her belt to feel a bit more comfortable sans parents.

Quick Pic

Maddie and Dylan at breakfast time, managed to snap a quick pic.

Just being Maddie

Recent conversations
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Driving in the car:

• Maddie:  Dad?  We we get home, can we download some songs from Toy Story?

Download!?  Where did she pick that up!
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Getting ready in the morning:

• Maddie:  I need an ear-tip (Q-tip)
• Dad:  Ok, you know where they are -- go get one.
• Maddie:  (With a half used Q-tip in hand) Mom, Dad - look!  I got the ear wack out!
• Dad:  Good job!  

Impressive non-plural usage for ear wax... since she had only used one side, it was wack.  There have been other instances where she's used both sides of the Q-tip as well -- for these cases, Madison does indeed refer to it as wacks.
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Maddie, on interrupting.
 
Mom and Dad were in mid-conversation -- Madison was listening and paying close attention:

• Maddie:  Dad, Dad, Dad.  Mom just interrupted.
• Mom/Dad:  What do you mean?  How did Mom interrupt?
• Maddie:  Mom was talking, and then Dad was talking, and then Mom interrupted!

Mom may have jumped in while I was talking, I honestly can't remember -- we just enjoyed her play-by-play recollection of our discussion.  Not only does Madison pay close attention to every detail when other people are talking -- she makes sure everyone uses proper conversation etiquette as well!

Back at Blake's

Top of the haystack.

Arms up!  Dylan will put his arms in the air upon request.

Maddie and Isabella

Very cautious -- waiting for just the right moment to feed the animals.

Dropping a snack off from a distance.

We stopped by Blake's Cider Mill today with Isabella and Alexandra -- Maddie and Isabella have been here  in the past together (Link) -- what could possibly be different this time around??

Quiz

The tape measure isn't legible from this pic but you get the point.  The picture above is:

(a)  A polar bear claw
(b)  A caveman club
(c)  A dressing that was put on after surgery, which was after a temporary cast and also after ace bandages... and as of today, now in an official cast
(d)  Painful
(e)  Free pass(es) for guys' night out (redeemable upon cast removal)
(f)  The 2nd of 4 family members in a cast
(g)  All of the above

Cathy announced her (first) retirement from soccer after this injury.

Off to School

Chelsea's first day of kindergarden kindergarten.  

The Newest Member

Olivia Caitlyn -- 7lbs 11oz -- September 3rd

All the best to the Cinquino family!

Happy 1st!

A day full of treats and gifts -- Dylan's 1st!  Grandma was in town to celebrate and Little D opened his gifts today from Maddie, Grandma, Aunt Francine, Mommy and Daddy.  Avery and Chelsea called up on Skype to sing Happy Birthday as well!

Keep on truckin'

I wasn't sure why we handed him a plate, it didn't last long!  I don't think he's really a fan of cake either -- his sister on the other hand...

ol' Young Blue Eyes

I can't read yet, who's this from!?

Next gift please!

Maddie picked out the card.

Maxin' and relaxin'

He seemed to enjoy this corner location on the couch so I took a few pics.

3.5 more weeks until Little D is cast free... and approximately 8-14 weeks until another member in our family is cast free as well!  All casts considered, as far as management of the household -- we're handling it day by day... by day, by day.  Staying afloat!