Flu Shots and New Casts

We had an eventful week! Kaitlyn adjusted quite well to life with two leg casts. Getting around certainly isn't easy, but I watched as each day she found ways to move a little faster. Out of the house she is cruising around with her walker without much trouble at all. She's trying to walk without assistance in the house, which is a little scary. She manages to hold on to the walls and furniture and keep herself pretty safe, but she took a couple of hard falls as well.

With the weather being so nice last week, we struggled a little to find outdoor activities for Kaitlyn. Obviously riding her bike and playing soccer are out of the question. I feel bad for Connor because he LOVES being outside. His time outdoors was really limited because I couldn't take Kaitlyn out for very long. Connor was nice enough to take her around the neighborhood in her jeep, so at least she got some fresh air. She had a couple of friends come over to play with her during the afternoons, so that helped pass the time.

We are now into week 2 of casting, and as you can see Kaitlyn chose black and orange casts this week! I understand these choices much more than the red and pink last week. She told the doctor that she wants her casts to match her witch costume for Halloween. Mission accomplished!


Casts Week 2

Speaking of Halloween, I was a little nervous about how we would manage it with the casts. We decided that we are going to do a "reverse trick-or-treat" in the neighborhood. She's going to stay home with me to give out candy (all decked out in her costume of course), and the neighborhood kids are going to bring her a piece of candy when they come trick-or-treating. Also, there is a big kindergarten Halloween parade at school on Friday. Her teacher offered to have the class decorate a wagon for her to ride in so she can participate. Perfect. I'll be going to school to pull the wagon - fun! She is excited about the idea of riding in the wagon, and clearly sees herself as the queen of the rose parade riding atop a float.

Other than that, we made not one but two trips to the pediatrician last week. Kaitlyn went in on Tuesday to get her first H1N1 vaccine. Like many of you, I have some reservations about this vaccine, but in Kaitlyn's case I don't have the luxury of opting not to get it. When she was born, she had a collapsed lung, pneumonia, and was diagnosed with respiratory distress syndrome. Since that time, she has done incredibly well considering the shape her lungs are in. However, she is still considered high risk for serious respiratory complications. As a matter of fact, she has been hospitalized with the seasonal flu in the past, so I don't even want to think about how the H1N1 could attack her system. While we were at the doctor, I asked if I could get Connor vaccinated. They told me no, that there was a limited supply of vaccines, and they were only giving them to high risk kids. This made sense, but I asked if Connor would qualify because he lives with Kaitlyn. No. So, we came home. The next morning, I checked the doctor's website to see if there were any H1N1 updates. Imagine my surprise to see that siblings of high-risk kids were now eligible to get the vaccine. So, back we went. Connor was able to get the nasal mist, which was easy. They both got the seasonal flu shot that day as well. Now we have one more round of H1N1 in November, and they'll be all protected.

This week we are really looking forward to Halloween! I'll be sure to post some pictures next week with an update on the casting process!