Sam's new normal

There should only be about a dozen more Sam posts in the next week.  You think that's bad, you should see all of his pictures I'm putting up on facebook!

Of any of the kids that this could have happened to, he was the right one.  I'm sure that sounds mean, but this kid is a trooper!  And happy as can be.  As I was getting kids off to school on Friday morning Aaron sent me this picture:

What a kid!  Granted he was a little loopy, but hey, considering that pain meds make me fall asleep and make Aaron extremely irritable and nauseous, I'm thrilled at how he reacts to them!

By the time I made it to the hospital he wasn't quite as happy as he'd been earlier, but was still doing remarkably well considering his situation.

Going from a very mobile little toddler to severely restricted is definitely an adjustment.

This is his car seat for the next little while:

Doesn't that look comfy?  Poor kid. This is a hospital loaner-a special needs seat that has no sides on the seat part so that there is nothing for his cast to hit and his legs can just poke off the sides.  He's actually well supported everywhere he needs to be, it just doesn't look like the most comfortable configuration.  Thank goodness for a car seat department at the hospital to help us get him all situated and in safely!

After talking last week about moving his crib mattress down to the lowest level because he was trying to climb out, it's now back to the highest level so I can get him in and out of the crib.
His first day back home was spent chilling in the crib, propped up and being doted on as the kids took turns  sitting with him.  Malia may have been the favorite as she brought the ipad along with her.

In order to get him out of the crib and get him back into the regular fray, Aaron spent Friday night and Saturday morning configuring a seat for him.

This also allows for me to move him around the house much more easily and do less lifting and lugging, as he's pretty much dead weight right now and that cast is heavy.  While my body is still doing fine with running, it's not such a big fan of a lot of lifting at this point and this would be a really awkward time for a baby to come early.  She needs to stay in there till this cast is off!

And of course-Sam loves the seat!

The orthopedist that did the cast told us that we'd be surprised at how quickly he just got used to it and what he would figure out before the six weeks in stuck in this sucker were up.
I don't think we quite expected him to figure things out so quickly!
He got home from the hospital on Friday afternoon, and on Saturday afternoon after leaving him laying on the floor so I could take a quick bathroom break, I saw this:

I knew he wasn't really going anywhere, but seeing him rolled over was a surprise!
He wasn't quite sure what to think about it and was bothered that he was stuck there, but he's remedying that situation as well.
I am trying to make sure he spends plenty of time on his tummy because laying against the back of the cast so much is making him really sweaty in the back.  (sweaty back=damp cast=stink, not to mention the potential issues with trapped moisture against his skin for a long time)  Today he figured out how to scoot himself around in a circle, and made a little bit of progress in moving forward while on his stomach.  It definitely wore him out, but he did it!

(those are bags of things from the hospital-I don't usually leave plastic bags hanging out on my child's floor)
He has also figured out how to dig his right heel into the ground enough to push himself backward.

He is a stomach sleeper so I wasn't sure how how he would be with sleeping on his back...no problem there!

5 1/2 more weeks in the cast.  Baby is due in 7 weeks.  I couldn't be more grateful that I've worked to stay active through this pregnancy and that my body has cooperated!  And hey, though I slacked on strength training for the past little while, I'm making up for it now!