The Pink Cast

It's less than three weeks until the cast comes off!  Wait a minute, she has to wear it for another two weeks and five days?  Ugh.  Poor girl.  Last week we traveled to Devils Lake to see Dr. Haasbeek at his satellite clinic.  There's good news and bad news.

 

First, let's start with the really good news...Natalie's bones are healing really well and everything looks perfect on the x-ray.  Her cast is also in good shape, so that was encouraging. 

You can see it now has some beautiful autographs adorning it these days.

 Cousin Rhett did a great job of writing his name on Nat's cast!

 Okay, okay...Cal didn't write his own name...but he DID do the beautiful scribble marks below it!

 Much more smiling these days!

Okay, now for the bad news...which you already know.  In total, Natalie will have her cast on for just a day under six weeks.  I was really hopeful that it would be something more along the lines of five weeks, but I'm not the doctor.  Nat's doing much better sleeping these days and she's happier during the day, too.  She has her moments, especially late in the day, where she gets frustrated, and I have to admit that I do as well.  Needless to say, we'll all be happy when it comes off!

So, as many of you know, we've been living in Sherwood while Perry rebuilds the house.  As of tomorrow, we'll be Minot residents again!  Some very gracious family members have offered their home to us until we can get back in OUR home.  It will be so nice to be reunited with Daddy---who misses his kids very much.  this also means Natalie will be returning to school!  I'm not sure of the details yet, since Natalie is still in a cast, but we'll know soon.  I'm just glad we're on the road home now.  We'll get there soon. 

Beautiful Moments

I have just a quick few lines to share with you as we prepare for Natalie's two week followup appointment with Dr. Haasbeek.

I think all who have followed Natalie's story know just how fragile she is and how miraculous her life is to us.  When you raise a child with disabilities, there comes a point in her life where she can no longer do what other infants her age can do.  When she's young and small, you don't notice it as much, but now that Natalie is growing into a young girl, it's becoming clear just how little she can do for herself. 

Of course, this is not a bad thing; it's who she is. 

Today, I had a beautiful few moments alone with Natalie as I washed her hair and gave her a sponge bath.  Her cast makes things a little more difficult, but I really cherished that time this morning when she became limp in my arms, fully enjoying the touch of the wash cloth and the aroma of the shampoo.  It is incredibly humbling to be the person completely in charge of another human being's life.  As tough as it gets...and it gets really tough sometimes...these moments are the moments I cannot and will not ever forget.  They recharge my batteries and remind me just how important my job is.

Tomorrow we travel to Devils Lake to meet Dr. Haasbeek at a clinic there to see just how Natalie is recovering from her surgery.  Please pray for a positive visit---Natalie is becoming increasingly frustrated with the cast, which is making nighttime difficult.

Natalie's appetite is back in full force, and she is generally a happy girl---she just tries to stretch her legs out and can't, which triggers some crying fits throughout the day.  We'll hope the cast won't need to be on much longer!  More tomorrow...for now, good night!