Post Osteotomies: Week 5 Recap

Hip Chick has completed her fifth week of casting after her osteotomies.  I had considered waiting until week six for the next update, but week five was so rough that it deserved its own post.  

So, what is pushing us?  Neither the spica cast nor wheelchair are weighing us down.  It is not the payment plan for the medical bills.  It is not the limited scope of Hip Chick's independence.  All of the above is quite manageable and we were mentally prepared for.  It is the sheer exhaustion from the continuous lack of sleep, combined with the fragility of Hip Chick's demeanor during her restless phases that is trying us.  Her teachers continue to applaud her cheeriness at school, so the screaming fits are limited to her red-eye awakenings.  Even the best of parents would feel fried during an hour long 3am fit after sleeping four hours per night for the past week (or five).  

She does not awake with tantrums... but her shell cracks with the slight pressure of an undesirable answer from Mommy or Daddy. It feels as though we parents are in an animated film, swerving around and flipping over giant obstacles, nearly unwieldy enough to be comical.  I wish I could relay that we handle it with the grace of a well practiced Tigress.  Instead, we feel a bit more like a clumsy, awkward, bull-in-a-china-shop Po.

Below are additional, recent thoughts.

1.  Hip Chick cannot be the only 'hip' child with sleep issues... what tips did the support group suggest?

Unfortunately, the support group did not offer a single piece of advice on this one.  This seems to be more of a personality-specific or cast-specific issue, anyway.

2.  What means have we attempted to alter the interrupted sleep?

We have attempted more puzzles,  more stories, encouraging her to crawl, more cuddle time, forcing her to awake early (in hopes to force an earlier bedtime), shortening naps, no sugary foods at night, Zyrtec to manage her seasonal allergies, later bedtimes... 

3.  How is her mobility?

Just after I posted on her immobility last week, she figured out how to pull herself out of bed.  She also rolled off of a beanbag chair onto the floor, on her stomach.  She attempted to pull herself into bed and, once stuck, looked up at me and announced, "I keep trying."  With that said, her teachers indicate that she has little interest in crawling at school.

4.  How is the sleeplessness affecting Big Sis?

Fortunately for her, she has nearly two weeks of breaks between most visits now that she is back in school for fall semester.  So far, she has eluded the most difficult nights.  

5.  Is Hip Chick still pacifier-free?  Does this play a role in her sleep problems?

Yes, she has completed 10 days without the paci and rarely requests it.  Is she suffering from "paci withdrawl?"  Not too much.  She had sleep issues and tantrums for nearly a month in the cast before the paci met its end.

6.  What now?

It's after 10pm.  G-d willing, we hope for rest.