Two weeks down....two~four weeks to go

We've gotten through our first two weeks with the casts, but not without incident. I can't blame it all on Amelia~I'm also to blame.

Relaxing in the hotel before dinner...she's very comfortable!

Sorry, I just can't seem to handle the sponge baths~that's what I'm suppose to be sticking to but I have failed as a mother in that department. She just gets so very dirty some days and I can't help myself. I bought two bags that were specifically made to cover a cast to keep them dry while bathing. So I put the bags over the casts, sit her on a stool in the tub (so she's not submerged) and give her a nice bath. Well, nice compared to a sponge bath (my grandmother called it another kind of bath ;-). But those bags don't work very well if there are holes in them, which I discovered on Monday night when I removed them after my version of a "sponge bath". Needless to say, the cast was very wet.

So, long story, very short...Amelia will be getting those casts replaced tomorrow in St. Louis by Dr. Dobbs nurse since between the two of us, we have destroyed them. Amelia played a pretty active part in this little incident too. For instance, she lays on her back, stick her legs up in the air, puts her hands down in the casts, by her toes and pulls on them. I've tried to capture this on film but have not been able to so far. We won't go into the break dancing and log rolling that she performs for people when she wants to show off. I'll also leave out the fact that she decided to crawl down the concrete drive a few times leaving a lovely trail of white plaster of paris.

Waiting for her "sponge bath", no one should be able to lay like that...especially with those casts!

So you see, it's not just me being a germ-o-phob mom, Amelia's done her fair share of destruction too! I had to re tape the casts within the first three days home due to all the crawling she was doing!

I've taken several trips to St. Louis with just Millie (yes, Millie!). Let me digress for a moment. We tend to give nicknames in the Clevenger family...every one's name seems to morph into something other than their Christian name. So Amelia has gone from Amealwah, to Mealwah, to Millie to Millie Moo. I know it sounds korney, but I love calling her Millie Moo. She does not like to be called by her Chinese name and will shout "NO", when I call her Yuan Yuan. But she likes Millie! Go figure!

Back to the trips. I decided to try the trip on our own and was delighted at the outcome. I was blessed to see a different side of my daughter when she was by herself. We were able to bond in a new way and I fell in love with a child that I had not seen before. So when people say that children act differently when they are without their siblings, I couldn't agree more. So, I've taken this opportunity to travel alone and get to know my Millie Moo in a different way. It's been such a blessing!

Next time I'll have to ask for two double beds...how am I suppose to sleep in a king size bed with her sleeping like that? I'm sure I'll figure out something. After all, I am the mother!

She's sleeping now and I'm heading that direction. We have the early appointment tomorrow and will be back on the road to home ASAP. It's a power trip, but worth every minute! I can't wait to see what color casts we leave with. Hopefully it will be pink or blue and we'll skip the orange this time.