Casts, Fits and Prayers

New baby in the house! An adorable little infant who is in a Spica Cast.

A Spica Cast is defined as:

An orthopedic cast is a shell, frequently made from plaster, encasing a limb (or, in some cases, large portions of the body) to hold a broken or fractured bones.

He has a very adorable spirit and personality but right now when he isn't asleep he is very needy and if I put him down even to go to the bathroom it seems to make him really upset and sometimes, even holding him seems to upset him. Some days are more difficult for him than others.

After a week, he can finally enjoy going on gentle walks in a stroller. I think its because he is healing up and not so much pain as the first 2 weeks where everything and seemingly every position seemed so uncomfortable for him. I'm hoping the cast will come off this week.

This cast is HUGE on his body. His leg is stuck straight out in it.

Things I now know about caring for babies in Spica casts:

The cast gets messy! I can't clean it because it can't get wet. Babies poop is not solid..its loose and very messy.. it shoots straight up and around. Well, consider that area being covered in a cast that can't be cleaned and the poop and urine gets embedded in the fiberglass? Not much I can do except gently cleanse it as dryly as possible with rubbing alcohol and keep his skin very clean and dry.

In order to diaper a baby in a cast, you have a small diaper, such as a size 1 and then you put a larger diaper, such as a size 4 on the outer part.
So far, I haven't had any leaks outside, just the nasty part that gets inside the cast.

Baby powder or moisture can damage the cast so I have to be careful.

I try to take care to get to the belly button and as much inside the cast as I can to clean lightly.

Keeping the rest of him clean is a challenge... I do my best to get into those deep neck folds and ear folds and elbow folds. You'd be super surprised at how dirty a baby can get... milk gets embedded under the neck and behind the ears! I can not wait to get him in a nice warm Johnson and Johnson full body Lavender Chamomile bath!

So basically, until he gets his cast off, we are home bound which is fine with me!

I am very grateful, thankful and blessed to have this little one in my home. I just feel incredibly thankful. There are moments when he is screaming that I feel pretty much at a loss. And, as with any parent with a new baby... screaming babies can try you. I do not know him well enough to know if he is simply a temperamental little fellow...though its what I suspect because, he will get mad at seemingly small things... at least to us big people its small but to him, small things are his world. For example... merely stopping the stroller or stopping rocking will set him off into little angry fits. Its the world to him but to me I'm thinking....come on little guy, its just for a moment. But, I suppose we do that to God alot... we get upset or seemingly easily frustrated when things stop going our way or when things aren't happening fast eneough. To God, its just a small bump in our road but to us, it may be everything.

However, like with this litte one, I can rest assured that the stroller will stroll again or the rocking will soon begin but he doesn't know that. He thinks...its stopped. His world has stopped rocking / moving and he gets so upset about that. I've had other babies and there have been a few who, when the rocking stops, they calmly wait. I love that! They trust me and know that even though I have sat them down for a moment that I will be back and that I'm just right there, probably grabbing a drink of water or tending to Annah. But I'm there. Some babies, like big people, do not have eneough trust and so the minute the music stops or the chair stops rocking they begin to panic and cry.

I think, probably, I am somewhere in between. I am one of those pounding on God's door all the time. "Hey God, come on, my chair stopped rocking!!!!!! Do something!!!!" ... Although I have gotten past the tantrums...and trust me, I used to do those... I don't really anymore but, I do make sure He knows I'm concerned about my chair. :)

My motto is as the Word says "You do not have because you do not ask". So as far as I am concerned, its not so much what I want or ask about, its the fact that I trust eneough to ask and my trust level will reflect how I wait or let go.

I'm not a name it and claim it person. I think that its an insult to the Will of God to think we can name something and claim it and so it shall be. However, I believe trust can be that powerful. Trust that God will interact on our behalf when we trust, when we put everything at His feet.
I have so many things at God's feet right now. Some mean everything to me. Some things I just think I need His help or 'advice, will' in them and I want Him to check it out or, I want His will done and direction.

These many things are at His feet concerning different things... for example... we live in a cozy little cabin...very small. We moved here not too worried that its small and just like a little wooden tree house style cabin. We are surrounded by the lake on almost 4 acres. We are secluded and its like paradise for me. I had prayed for years to move to the country and I certainly was in a baby phase of having melt downs and fits before God...we're talking down and out crying my eyes out because I wanted to move to the country from the city Sooooooo bad. It was everything to me but to God, He was probably thinking... 'chill'. :) I had many reasons why we had to move...seemed right to me at the time and still even looking back, I had some good points but, wow... did I throw some fits! And, in the end, after I cried eneough tears to have the River of Libby flowing.... God far exceeded what I could of ever dreamed of in a new place to be. I am still in awe. I feel like He placed the most amazing treasure necklace around my neck. To some people...its a little cabin in the woods... nothing glamorous...nothing fancy but to me, its been an amazing answer to prayer. More than I could of ever hoped for. But now, at His feet... is my cabin.... but this time I'm not throwing a fit. Its just there.
I have many reasons, again, to think why we need to uproot and move but, I like it here so, its sitting there and I pray about it daily for Him to consider. I just need His consideration so its things like that I always ask Him about.. and when I wanted to adopt Annah and I thought she might go elsewhere... well, I almost died at His feet but, I didn't throw a fit. I practically begged and fainted and begged in the most trusting way I could... but no fit... because we grow out of that baby phase and I trusted that He heard me and saw me and that He cared so I couldn't help but keep on praying and begging...but no fits.... and so will this little guy...although wow, right now.... everyday is a challenge. I feel sometimes I am walking on eggshells...don't move the wrong way...don't stop the chair...don't stop the stroller, don't do this or that! :) But he will warp out of it as his trust grows.

Striving to be big. :)