Toygaroo

Toygaroo is awesome!!

www.toygaroo.com

They are an online toy rental.  They have a no YUCK factor for toy cleanliness so you don't have to wonder what germs they might contain.  The toys are steam sterilized, then cleaned with a safe cleaner that is used in NICU's, & then they are shrink wrapped to maintain the cleanliness.  They have a few different packages regarding how many toys you get and if you keep them for one or two months.   The nice thing is they pay for shipping (one shipment during your monthly fee).  You can keep toys as long as you like, but don't get new toys until you return the ones you currently have (so if you get 6 toys a month you can keep 2, send 4 back and they will send you 4 new ones - so you will only have 6 toys at once).  If your child really likes a toy you can even buy it at a discounted price! 

Now I'm not a "used toy" shopper.  I'm always thinking "what germs might have come in contact with that toy".  So I wasn't sure about this but I'm tired of spending loads of money on toys that get played with a few times and then forgotten about.  So I decided to try it.  I signed up for the Boomer Plan (approx $260 worth of toys a shipment), which is 8 toys a month.  We went through the online toy catalog and added about 17 toys to our "pouch".  Toygaroo then picks 8 toys from the pouch to send us.  We got our first shipment in less than a week after signing up.  They arrived shrink wrapped, they had detailed picture list of every item and how many pieces it should contain, & a return shipping label to send them back (you just fold up the box they received in until you are ready to send them back).  I unwrapped each toy and inspected them.  They were all clean, no signs of wear, no stinkiness, no harsh cleaner smell, & all had working batteries (if they took batteries). 

Harlow was super excited to have an entire box of new toys to play with.  She liked everything we got.  She still plays with all the toys.  I keep them in a separate toy bin so we always know where they are.  I also only allow her to play with one toy at a time to make sure nothing gets misplaced or broken (we do this with all of her own toys though too).  We've had the toys for 3 weeks now.  The other day we sat down and added a few more toys to our pouch so we are back up to 19 toys.  They suggest you always have at least 2x the amount of toys in your pouch than you get a shipment.  This way if something isn't available there are plenty more choices to be filled.  At the end of this week we will pack up the toys we have and send them back to await our new shipment.  I think she might actually keep a toy or two from the shipment for another month because she likes them so much. 

Overall I love Toygaroo.  It's awesome.  It's affordable.  It's fun.  Harlow loves it.  Mommy loves it. 

I found a coupon code POSH5 for $5.00 off your monthly subscription fee.  I also have a referral code: ref2JZW34OLH75 that you can also enter in the referral section to get an additional $5 off your first delivery.  If you try it let me know if you like it!

August

Ok, Ok, I know it's been FOREVER since I've written.  I'm sorry!  It's just been SO busy! So let's have a little catch up...

Harlow has been wearing her hip abduction brace all month.  She learned to walk about two weeks ago.  When she walks she doesn't bend her left knee (she had surgery on the left hip).  Since she was always keeping that leg tense she was waking up at night screaming that her knee hurts.  So yesterday she went back to see Dr. Hennrikus.  He decided to give her a week off from wearing the brace.  Next Thursday he is going to re-evaluate her and see if not wearing the brace helps her start walking on her leg correctly again. To sum that up, the brace might be doing more harm than good.  He thinks she might just go to part time in it which is about a month and a half earlier than she was scheduled too - YAY!

Today was Harlow's first day of pre-school.  She looked so cute in her little white uniform polo & hot pink leggings w/ a navy cardigan, & her Pottery Barn Kids pre-school backpack.  Derek & I walked her into school and told her we'd back in a little bit & she was like "Ok Bye" lol!  This was GREAT!!  I thought she might cry because the only people other than us that she has been babysat by is Grandma's & Grandpa's.  She only goes for 3 hours, 2 days a week.  Derek & I went out for breakfast together, stopped by Toys 'R Us to get her a special little "first day of school" gift, & then went to Best Buy to pick up a few things.  We were headed to the school about 15 minutes before it was time to pick her up & the school calls....  She was bawling for about 15 minutes and saying "blankie" repeatedly.  They called just to make sure we didn't think she was in pain because today is her first full day without her brace and she was walking around class all day & even playing on the playground.  That was so nice of them to call just to make sure we didn't think something may have caused her pain --- she was just tired though.  So, we picked her up.  She was excited to show us the awesome picture she drew in class today and as of now she says she stills wants to go to school (we'll see how she feels when I go to drop her off next week lol).

Since I can't make the pacifier clips anymore I decided to take up machine embroidery.  I got a sewing machine/beginner embroidery machine this month.  It's AWESOME!! I love it!  I've already had a big business order & some other orders.  It's hard to find time to embroider with a toddler, so I mostly do it during nap & bed time.  I have a ton of new designs to get samples made for infants/toddlers.  If you aren't a fan of my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Whimsical-Lo/113773698646073 then check it out NOW!!!

I'll check back in soon so there isn't so much to update you on!

<3

Weird

It's weird seeing my 2 year old stand up. What's even weirder is typing that lol. I mean it's been since April since we've seen her stand up. The other day she stood up all by herself when we were at Grammy & Pap's. She was very proud of herself and amused that were all clapping at her. Today she realized she could stand up & turn our one low light switch on & off....and on & off.

She has an appointment with her pediatrician on Wednesday for a check up. She hasn't been there since before her surgery & since she lost some weight they are just going to make sure all is well.

We traded in our little Jaguar for a Lincoln SUV. Ever since we got it she keeps saying "I like our new car". When we showed her it has a built in DVD player she didn't know what to do. She was actually speachless for a moment....that never happens with her lol!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Getting Back to Our Normal...

It's been almost a week since Harlow got her cast off.  Things have been going really well.  She still isn't walking, but every day her legs get a little stronger.  She can actually crawl almost normal now, in the cast she sort of did a frog hop crawl, but now she has more leg movement and can really go...fast!  She is also climbing.  She can climb on her bed and on chairs.  She can stand holding onto something.  She can walk it you hold on to her, so it's only a matter of time until she really gets going on her own. 

I'm so glad to be done with the spica cast change.  I really, really, REALLY hope we never have to go through that again.  Even though it wasn't that tragic, it's not something I would wish on anyone.  Harlow has still been sleeping in her bean bag, well up until today that is.  I took it from her and put it away.  She can lay down flat in her brace and she can roll over just fine, so there is really no reason for her not to sleep in her bed.  I gave her a few days after the cast came off to adjust and get used to the brace, but now it's time for the bean bag to go.  She was so exhausted today I put her in her bed, she mentioned the bean bag and I told her that it was time for it to go bye-bye & that it was just here visiting with her while her cast was on.  She didn't mention it after that and quickly fell asleep.  So fingers crossed she sleeps all night without the "bean bag of beans" (as she refers to it). 

Today I also finally switched out the Hippo car seat and put back in her car seat.  For the first few days she kept her legs the way they were in the cast, but now she can close them more so it was time to get back in her own car seat.  I'm going to give it a few days and make sure it's comfortable for her and if so we are going to return the Hippo seat to the hospital.  I hate using it because it's a $450 car seat and if it gets ruined we have to pay for it.  It's not an attractive car seat at all.  It's huge, bulky, blue, & ugly so I do not want to pay for it because it's not something I would voluntarily put in our car lol. 

Now that it's been a week, it's time for us to get back to our normal....however normal that is I really don't know lol.  It's time to change my blog title back from the spica cast.  I will always continue to update our journey and if anyone ever wants to read our story all they need to do is browse the blog history starting in April. 

I got an embroidery sewing machine this week & it is AWESOME!  It's the greatest sewing machine I have ever owned.  It sews so nice, it's actually smaller than my regular sewing machine and it is just GREAT!  It has an automatic needle threader and sews pedal free - that's like heaven for a sewer.  I made a skirt on it last night which turned out really cute.  My next project is to practice embroidery on a few of Harlow's onesies.  Once I get the hang of it I'll be adding lots of fun embroidery items on my Etsy store.

Cast Off Day

This morning when we woke up, we asked Harlow if she was ready to get her cast off today.  She looked at us, crawled into her bedroom, shut the door, & yelled out "It's mine!" Deep down I know she really wanted it off...lol

We arrived on time to our 11:40am appointment only to be told the doctor was running 30 minutes behind schedule.  This is shocking news.  Everytime we get to there, we are told the doctor is behind.  Thankfully, I came prepared.  We had lunch right before we got there and I made sure everyone had charged iPads.  Harlow played games on her iPad while Derek & I played Battleship on our iPads (he beat me 2 times in a row - darn!).  So while we were playing about 30 minutes passed and the front office receptionist yells out to the waiting area that the doctor is now running 1 hour and 20 minutes behind schedule. Talk about annoying!  I understand this is the best hospital in the area, but really get the timing a little better.  We kept waiting because there was no way I was leaving that office with a kid in a cast!  Finally, at almost 1pm we got called back!!!! YAY!!!

We get back to the room and right away the nurse started to cut Harlow's cast off.  They just have a little hand saw.  Nothing to big and scary but it is a little loud.  Harlow took it very well.  She did fuss a little but no screaming or thrashing around.  She was very tired as 1pm is normally her naptime.  He got the cast cut off without any problems.  He cut up the sides of each leg and then up her hips, so it could just pull right off in two pieces.  Shockingly, she wasn't hardly dirty at all (not too stinky either).  She didn't realize it was really off right away.  I got out the soapy wash cloth I brought along and wiped her down.  Putting a normal size 4 diaper on her skinny little butt was so weird!  Putting her pants on was a little hard because she wasn't ready to move her legs from the position they were in for twelve weeks.  We got them on though - pants for the first time in 3 months!!

The nurse came back in and took us to weigh & get her height.  She weighs 20lbs and is 34 inches tall.  She lost over 5lbs while in her cast.  Before her surgery she weighed 26lbs. With the last cast being tighter around her belly she wasn't eating as much, so I know she'll gain it back quick now that she is free.

Next, a man from Orthotics came in with her new brace.  There really isn't much to it.  It has a plastic mold around the back of her hips and her back.  The rest is just some foam as padding and some velcro straps.  It keeps her legs in a similiar position as the cast did, to give them more healing time but also time for her to adjust to the cast being gone.  She has to wear the brace for basically 24/7 (except bath time) for 3 months.  Than she will go back and as long as everything looks good she will only have to wear it to bed for a year.  When we were leaving she said "Where's cast?" We replied, "Your cast is gone."  She says, "Cast all done!"

Once we got home she was pretty eager to start playing with her new found freedom.  She can walk with her hands and feet on the floor (like a bear), but not just on her feet.  Once she starts building the strength up she'll be able to walk on her own again. She got in the bath tub for the first time since getting the cast on.  She was so excited!  She played for a good 45 minutes before she was so pruned she looked like a raisin.  Once I got her out and dried off she was asking to get into her bean bag.  She was sound asleep by 6:30pm! 

To finish off this great day, Derek brought me home a $5 Phillies lottery ticket tonight and I won $100!  The craziest part is today is the 18th and almost all the winning #'s on the ticket were 18's!  My psychic did say 8 is my number for the year :-)

Getting her cast cut off. You can see how little the saw  is.

CAST FREE!

Just got her new brace put on.

Front view of the brace.

Back of cast.

Trying to stand up!

Spica Cast Tips

It's been awhile since I've given some tips to living with a Spica Cast.  Since we are finishing up that stage I thought I would go over a few things and add some pictures since it's been awhile. 

I've found that umbrella strollers work nice for the cast.  Also the Baby Jogger City Mini stroller also works nicely.  You need a stroller that the sides don't stick out further than the seat.  I must say in general I really, really love the City Mini stroller. You can get lots of cool add-on's for it (like a little cooler just perfect for sippy cups or bottles).

Standard Costco Umbrella Stroller

Harlow in the Baby Jogger City Mini Stroller while we were at the beach.

We've discovered that sponge bathing next to the kitchen sink is much easier & more fun than a boring old sponge bath on a towel on the floor.  Harlow loves to lay next to the sink and splash around in the water.  She thinks it's the next best thing to a real bath.  She always asks for "tubby on sink".  Being able to rinse her hair with the sprayer on the sink is also much easier and cups full of water.  

Spica Cast Version of "Tubby Time"

 I'm so happy I found this booster seat at Target.  I was picking up some Organic fruit packs in the baby department when I stumbled upon the My Booster by Soft Gear.  It works perfect for the cast.  She can use it on the floor, on the stools at our table, on a chair/booth at a restaurant, anywhere really!  It is really awesome. It's a Spica Cast must!

Ready for Dinner! Sitting in her My Booster by Soft Gear.

My most important tip!  Just because your child is in a Spica Cast doesn't mean the entire 12 weeks (or however long) has to be miserable.  We've had good days & bad days, but the good days really outweigh the bad days. I feel like everything I've read on the Internet whether it's been blogs or information sites always make it seem like this is going to be such a hard time and your child isn't going to be comfortable or happy.  It's really not like that though.  Don't get me wrong we've had sleepless nights, screaming fits, painful knees, & some other problems, but we've had many more good moments.  She is happy 98% of the time.  The cast is part of her life.  She acts like it's always been there and she doesn't let it stop her from doing what she wants to do.  She learned to crawl in the first week. She learned to sit up it. She learned to pull herself into her bed.  She's been trying to stand on it (although she's not allowed and we don't let her).  If you're reading this because your child needs a Spica Cast do not go into it thinking it's going to be the worst time of your life and your child's - It's NOT going to be.  You will have a lot more work and it will be harder, but it's not going to be sad & miserable, unless YOU make it that way.  I mean do these pictures look like a miserable 2 year old a Spica Cast or a 2 year old who is happy & silly?

Who says a Spica Cast has to be miserable?

"My Spica Cast hasn't stopped me from being silly!"





Shopping

Today we went shopping.  Harlow got to pick out new bath toys and new sneakers.  I don't keep bath toys more than a few months because of them getting icky from being wet and all, so when Harlow got her cast on I threw away all her bath toys since they wouldn't be used for so long and they would just get gross from hanging in her frog toy pod.  She picked out some dolphins that you try to throw through rings, 3 little turtles that each have a different feature but they can connect together, alphabet & number foams, & catepillar cups.  Now she just has to wait for her first bath on Monday evening to use them! Then in the afternoon we went to look for new sneakers because she outgrew the ones she had prior to surgery.  She picked out some of the Skechers that light up and then a pair of pink/gray Nikes.  They are both super cool ;-)

Less than 36 hours till the cast comes off!