Cast Change #3 & 17 Months

Today we visited Dr Conklin at Children's South for our 3rd follow-up from ortho surgery. Mom and Greyson accompanied us, since Josh was at work. We stopped for donuts on the way up, and still arrived a good 30 minutes early. Greyson pulled C around in a wagon, and they played on all of the toys in the waiting room.

They weighed him - which they don't typically do at these visits, but I was pleased to see he'd gained 2 lbs since appointment with nephrology last week! It may not have been a full two pounds due to scale differences and clothes, but it's still pretty encouraging. Will cut C's casts off... screaming ensued. His little sweet feet look SO great. I'm more impressed at every cast change :)

Dr Conklin came in for a look, and introduced us to our orthotist, Bill. Bill is a nice guy... and he was so good with C. He did a simple, thin cast on each foot and then cut it off (no saws, less drama). He confirmed that we got great molds, and then let us pick out a color for his braces - we went with camo! He explained that they could be worn with shoes, but to wait to buy them after we get the braces in. I. Can't. Wait. I am a shoe person. My child's feet being shoe-less has driven me crazy since day one. Our first shoe-shopping trip will be a big deal. Bill said his good-byes and Dr Conklin and Will returned to put (hopefully) Carter's final set of casts on. We switched it up a little this time... we'd had red long enough :)

They thought mom was one of my friends... and were shocked that she was Carter's grandmother... go figure. Will said we've got good genes ;) lol Carter did his normal wailing during the casting, and then we were set - scheduled to return in 2 weeks! Bill will be there to ensure our new AFO's (ankle/foot orthotics) are a good fit, and Dr Conklin will give us a Wear Schedule. We're so excited to be cast-less!

After our appointment we headed to the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate new casts. Carter ate like a little pig, and especially enjoyed the whipped cream off of Meemer's cheesecake.

Carter is now 17 months old... my how time flies.

Eating:
- He officially despises baby food, so we have given that up
- He is still on the Similac PM 60/40... 3  9oz bottles a day - first thing in the morning, mid-day before nap (which he rarely eats much of), and then one before bed...
- He gets 9mLs of corn oil in those bottles for extra calories- yummmm....
- A bowl of oatmeal with prune apple juice for breakfast... to keep him regular :)
- Applesauce at lunch
- Chef Boyardee is our new best friend... this kid loves pasta! this is what he eats for dinner most nights
- Snacks throughout the day to include goldfish, Ritz crackers, Cheez-its, Cheetos, cheese puffs, breads, graham crackers, and his new favorite - ICE CREAM!
- He still won't drink juice... and won't drink anything but water out of his sippy cups... he will drink anything out of a real cup, even if he doesn't like it. We've avoided this with the casts since he tends to get messy :)

Meds:
- Half a packet of Culterelle for Kids in his first bottle
- 3mLs of iron and a crushed cranberry tablet in his oatmeal
- Half a capsule of macrodantin in his bedtime bottle

Speech:
- People: Mama, Dada, Papa, Meemer
- Objects: ball, bottle ("bah-bah"), Tick Tock Croc ("tih-tah-cah")
- Eating/Manners: more, please, all done, thank you (he can sign these, too!)
- Body parts: ears, eyes
- Other words: down, out, pow-pow! hi-ya! arggh! this, where'd it go ("go?"), blastoff! and my personal favorite - Amen (pronounced "Da-Da" very sincerely at the end of every prayer)

The kid gets cuter, smarter, and funnier every day. He brings us so much joy, and I am so blessed to have this little miracle in my life.