A diagnosis and lesson in bravery from a 2 year old

For my dear friends who ask for updates on F and a recap for new followers.


I've mentioned in my old blog about some struggles we've been having with our little girl's mobility. Along with her waking often at night (she has a short spell where she didn't). She has a difficult time walking. At 2 years old (in a few weeks) she can't run, jump, climb or stand up on her toes.

We've seen multiple providers, specials shoes, heel wedges, orthos, swim lessons and gymnastics all in effort to help with balance, strengthen her legs and ankles much to no avail.

My parents have been huge supporters in my need/desire as F's mother to find someone or something to help her. No one has given us a concrete diagnosis other than her having flat feet and floppy ankles. Just a bunch of try this, wait until she's in grade school and see how things are. Well that doesn't work for me. My parents who see her daily agreed that waiting just wasn't an option. F already acknowledges she has boo boos on her feet. She often has huge blisters no matter what shoe, sock brand we use. Whether it's stride rite, clarks or generic shoes, they hurt her. She fatigues easily and asks to be carried. Waiting just means more discomfort, more time to develop an unhealthy walking pattern.

Until today. After almost a year of pushing and pushing, talking to doctors, providers, talking to my mom's prosthetic provider, we finally go in to see a new orthopaedic at Erlanger who immediately referred us (same day appointment) to the Siskin hospital for physical rehabilitation. I don't think I cried such tears of relief. Finally answers, a firm concrete plan of action.....A DIAGNOSIS!! A name... Words that explain. Having those words mean we can move forward. Also the infuriating pain I have thinking what if I hadn't pushed? What if I didn't have supportive parents who agreed that something needs to be done And I wasn't imagining she was hurting? Where would F be in 4 years when she reaches an age where the medical world we were in tune with cared? An angel by the name of Dr. Z changed the what ifs!!

Granted the prognosis isn't any better. In fact its worse than we thought but hell if this is our "battle" we will take it. There are far worse medical issues we could have been facing.

Dr Z upon just looking at F and touching her quickly came to her diagnosis. Swiftly sending us off for joint and ligament studies, nerve conduction studies and another consult. She too felt as we had that we shouldn't wait, let's act now so that we can prevent any further hardship to F.

She has something simple to some but significant to a toddler trying to learn mobility, significant to someone who wants to lead and active life. It will affect her forever. No cure just simple preventative measures to protect her joints.

She has Ligamentous dyslaxity, hypermobility in all of her joints and some pain/discomfort issues. It means all the ligaments that hold her joints in place (shoulders, knees, elbows, ankles etc) are all extremely long and loose. It causes her joints to click, bend backwards and hyper extend. In a growing toddler that means ankles that roll and knees that give out (she hasn't had any knee issues) when trying to learn how to be mobile. Her body is working twice as hard to walk and do things as the average child which tires her quickly, causes some joint pain she most likely won't sleep through the night for years due to the joint pain and fatigue Sadly, there isn't anything we can do for all of her joints other than be cautious. Knee braces if she wants to participate in certain activities, no contact sports such as soccer due to a huge risk for joint injuries. She was casted and fitted today for new orthotics. This particular set will go up to her knees. Far more extreme than we were accustomed to but hey, whatever we need for her we do it. No questions asked, move forward and teach her, her new norm.

We were advised to keep her in gymnastics, get her in a dance class. Put her in activities that she can excel at and love. The plus side of this condition is that she is hyper flexible. Which means if she loves dance or gymnastics, she has a little edge due to her ability to bend and flex in ways most people can never dream of. If she doesn't like gymnastics or dance then we buy her a clarinet or drum set, a camera or pot and pan set whatever it is she wants to participate in. Extracurricular activities are a must. She will find her niche. If she's anything like her grandma whom she already shadows, F will be an amazing dancer (she already has mad carseat dancing skillz aha).

As far as bravery, my not quite two year old was amazing!! It's like she somehow knew that everything she was enduring today was to help her. It was a long day. We left our home at 8:45am and didn't get back until 6:15pm. It was a full days work for her. Being poked, prodded, twisted, forced to walk and flex. Having to lie down still for awhile, sit and have both legs casted. She laughed, smiled, and was silly through it all. Telling mommy and daddy that it's alright, no ouch and she's sleepy so she was just going to lie down while they did things. She repeated to us everything they were doing to her (they sweetly talked her through it all so there weren't any surprises for her). I don't think I could ever love my brave girl anymore than I do. As I was nervous for her, she consoled me by sharing her lovey or being silly. Just an amazing child. I'm so thankful my husband is here with us through it.

Today (since it's already 1am) is going to be a F day!!!! All about her just fun with mommy and daddy! Her big 2nd birthday party is next weekend so there is a lot up get to still.

Oh duh!!! Did I mention she picked out her own leg braces?? She had to absolutely have the purple butterfly orthotics. Such a girl!

Here is my brave girl

It's a Pinterest Party: Faux Gumball Machines

Another Pinterest componant to F's Party is the Faux Gumball Machine as snack bowls...I LOVE THEM! I plan to keep them in my party arsenal of inexpensive items to make to impress! They will also make great gifts for someone's office/desk who likes little treats to keep on hand!  I plan to fill them with Pink M&Ms and another Pink Candy treat (to be determined later). This Tutorial will have tons of pictures so bear with me in it's length!

Supplies (creating 2 machines).

2 small terracotta pots
4 terracotta water plates that match the pot size
2 glass bowls
2 small wooden craft balls/spheres
Spray paint/acrylic paint in desired color
Acrylic Glaze (spray).
Goo or E-6000 bonding glue.


I took the 2 pots and plates and spray painted them with a Watermelon Pink. Once they dried, I used my Modge Podge Acrylic sealer that I had from a previous project.  They will need 48 hours to drive overnight or else they will be super tacky.

This is what they look like after a couple of coats of paint and the acrylic sealer. In all honesty, It took 2 days to complete this portion due to being busy. I would paint them, then leave it to dry until I got home later at night then would either spray a second coat of paint or acrylic which takes time to dry but it is worth the wait.! There are a few areas where the terracotta would not absorb the paint so you can see a few wee little crack around the rim of the plates. I think next time I make use a brush on paint versus a spray in hopes of being able to better paint those cracks.

Next you want to take your pot and place it open end down...Apply your glue liberally around the edges. I prefer E-6000 because it is thick and holds well to prevent slipping while drying however it takes a bit of time to really bond and dry which is great for making adjustments.

As you will see once I got the plate on it was slightly askew and needed to be adjusted. THANKFULLY E-6000 allows room for corrections in the placement!

After adjusting the plate placement...next apply turn your glass bowl upside down and apply a liberal amount of glue to the base.

Now as you can see I was super lazy and didnt attempt to remove all the price tag residue. Had this been a gift then I would have used a hair dryer or hot air gun to melt it off but in all honesty, This is one use kind of deal. Most likely one of the kids at the party will break it. If they dont then eh, it's just for us anyway.

Next, slowly flip over the glass bowl and place it on the terracotta plate that had already been glued to the pot. Again make any adjustments to the gumball machine as you see fit as far as it being centered.

The lid isn't complete yet (we are about to start on that in a second) but It has a nice weight to it so I placed the other terracotta plate upside down on top of the glass bowl to help hold it in place while it dries.

Now for the lid. As you have already seen, those extra two terracotta water plates are going to make the lids!! Seeing that they have already been painted and sealed with acrylic we can just leave them in place as they are right now (holding down the glass bowls) and move on to making the knobs.

I purchased a couple of little wooden craft balls/beads and needed to paint them to match. However, I was perplexed as to how I was going to spray paint these little things without making a mess or putting prints on them but then I was like LIGHTBULB moment!! I took a fireplace match and broke it in half and shoved it into the little hole in the ball.  From there I was able to hold them like little lollipops and paint them. Also very easy to set down in something to try without putting prints on them or paint everywhere.

ALMOST DONE!!! Once they have dried simply place in the middle of the cover. To help keep me centered, I placed the wooden piece on the center of the plate. I then used a Kabob Skewer to pierce the center and make a little dot to keep placement after I added the glue to the ball.  Place a dab of glue and replace the ball to the little marked spot and let sit for about 48 hours to dry. then Voila!! You are done and ready for use!

On Party day, I plan to have a sticker on the front with Her name and what the treat is inside. You can also you a dab of chalkboard paint and make a square of sorts like the gumball dispenser part in functional machines.

The Crafty cost of making 2 Faux Gumball Dispensers:

2 Terracotta pots : $2.39
4 Terracotta Plates: $3.96
2 Wooden Knobs: $0.50
2 Glass Bowls : $1.98
Spray Paint: $1.50 (I have half a can left)
Acrylic Sealer: $0.50 (I barely used any from a previously purchased can)
E-6000 Glue: $0.75 (previously purchased tube. A little goes a long long way).
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Total for 2 Gumball machines : $ 11.28
OR Only $5.64 each!

I could have made them cheaper had I purchased the pots at Michael's with a coupon but at the time, I hadn't realized they sold them. Alas, either way I love them. I have seen a few others floating around the interwebz but those only use one Terracotta plate for the top and you have to find a footed bowl..I personally like my version with the two plates better this way it gives the glass bowl a base of sorts.

Happy Pinning!!
Peace, Love and Shutter Clicks,
Mandy

It's a Pinterest Party: Paper Poms!

I have finally begun all of the Pinterest inspired decorations for F's Pink Birthday Party! This first project was not my best to date. With each Pom I improved however the first couple are quite tragic to say the least.

Items Needed:

8 sheets of tissue paper (size 30x20)
Floral Wire (I used a self cutting wire! Fabulous stuff no need for wire cutters).
Scissors
Ribbon/Fishing line/embroidery floss (just to hang them I plan on using fishing line since it's transparent).

Take the 8 sheets of paper, stacked. Slowly start to fold in 1 to 1.5 inch wide accordian pieces (as if you were making a paper fan).

Once you have completed the length of the sheets, take a piece of your floral wire and in the center use it to tie the sheets of tissue paper together.

Once secure, Then cut the ends of the paper in a design that best suits your needs. Here I simply cut them in a rounded edge. IN the final product you will see I attempted different variations. The rounded end was my favorite of this project.

Once you have finished cutting, simply take one side of the stack of paper and carefully unfan it and slowly pull apart the sheets...repeat on the other side then fluff. When you want to hang it just tie a bit if string/floss etc to the floral wire and hang in desired location. It's super quick and cheap to make.

Cost:

4 Packages of Tissue Paper (Hobby Lobby):$3.96
200 yards of self cutting Floral wire: $2.97 ( I only used perhaps a foot of the wire leaving me with an insane amount left for future projects estimating my usage cost at $0.20)
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5 Poms total cost : $4.16

Happy Crafting,
Peace, Love and Shutter Clicks!
Mandy

I Giggle!

I love this!! It makes me laugh so hard that people out there think that because they don't like you, that it has some grand affect on your life. I think life continues to move on, no?  Why bother surrounding yourself with negative people? Better yet, why care? Life is too short and too value to waste one minute second of your precious time here on earth giving 2 shits about someone who has ZERO bearing on your life.  This little Cartoon was on a Friends Facebook Page. I love it but I hate that she would have someone in her life that made her feel the need to post it. Too short man, life is too short.

Aweee dad loves me

The big joke here at Five Pines is that I park like a princess. My parents have a ridiculously long driveway that's winding and goes over a creek. It's a beautiful country driveway complete with rhode island red roosters/chickens running to greet you for a treat. However, I fail at attempting to back out of it. Instead, when I park I always park stupidly so I can just turn about and drive out of the driveway.

My sweet sweet dad sacrifices his spot in the two vehicle parking area for me to not drive into the quail pens or creek aha and he parks up higher in the driveway and backs into his spot instead of right in front of the house/walkway.

After holding down the fort by himself for 5 days, mind you complete with quail, chicken, 3 dogs, 8 new puppies (that stay indoors to be with their mama) he not only kept the house as clean as he could, maintained and worked his butt off on the property (it looks amazing!!) but he fitted me with a parking spot! Not only did he make me a reserved parking sign but he painted it pink!!! How freaking awesomely sweet is that. First the sign alone touched my heart but PINK!!! Pink is Pimp, I buy all things pink if I can in support of breast cancer awareness for myself and every other woman out there. And umm hello pink is just plain awesome!

How sweet is my handmade sign from my dad?!?!?????

My mom turned MOMgyver

Well we are finally home after over a month of craziness!! My wee one and I have logged approximately 4,500 miles traveled this month. It's been stressful and exhausting but We are all finally home in Tennessee for now fora month at least.

After driving all the way to New York, flying back to Tennessee only to promptly get into my SUV and turn around and drive back to get my husband and head back to TN. My mom luckily came with me on this second part of our 3 part east coast trek.

We had a fabulous easy breezy trip minus the $124 speeding ticket I was gifted by the lovely Virginia highway patrol. Listening to old music, reminiscing about old times, visiting some family, enjoying some good food and just enjoying it the best we could within the confines of the chaos.

On the way up north I had borrowed my dad's GPS seeing I had forgotten mine in my husband's car in NY. His was different than mine, super bright and was giving me a serious headache right behind my eye.

I found my mom rustling in her bag for a moment. Suddenly she whipped out an item and covered the GPS. Brilliant!!! This item muted the brightness of the light but still allowed me to perfectly see the GPS location and directions.

Here is the GPS pre Momgyver and post Momgyver.

Can You guess what she used?????
Thank you Sanitary Napkins for your nice cloth like thin paper individual packages. For without you and my moms super skills, I may blind today!!  Talk about mom skillzzzzzzzz