Aftermath of the Break

Dearest Castillo Children,

The weeks that followed Annalise's broken leg were long and kind of a blur. I remember still having obligations that I had to fulfill, like teaching pre-school for my co-op and teaching voice lessons, while taking care of a child that couldn't walk or move very easily. It was difficult but at least Annalise always seemed to have a cheery disposition about the whole situation.

 

Annalise in her blue cast, which she picked out herself. She had to have a diaper stuffed inside with another one wrapped around the outside. When they put on her cast they had ran out of the water proof layer for her size, which means any urine that leaks will go right into her cast lining. Yep. She smelled pretty bad somedays. Todd would spray the lining with fabreeze just to keep her from smelling too badly.

 

 

Outside picking roses for Mommy

 

 

Daddy and Annalise playing against Nora in Minnie Golf, which Daddy bought for them on one of their Daddy/Daughter Adventures

 

 

Me and my girls!

 

How Annalise and I both felt most days (please excuse the horrible picture - at least it is honest)

We didn't want to stop doing fun family things simply because Annalise broke her leg. We are very fortunate to have a friend who had a wheelchair in her home. My friend Kaylee Baldwin has a son with Down Syndrome and they keep a wheelchair because he needs to have so many surgeries. They were happy to have us store it for them for a few weeks so we could get Annalise around. It was a HUGE help! I was able to take her to church without carrying her around. I could take her to her Doctor appointments without having to carry her all the way across the parking lot. I am so grateful that they were willing to let us borrow it.

Two weeks later Todd was asked by our Primary Presidency to help out with a Book of Mormon activity. It was Nora's first ever Primary activity and I so wanted to make sure she got to go. Todd was asked to dress up like Nephi and talk to the kids about what he did in the Book of Mormon. Of course my husband has to get really into it - it's in his blood.

 

Nephi and some of the other prophets

 

 

Todd decided he needed to add some details to his costume and went fabric shopping and sewed on cuffs and a collar for his shirt. As he was using the sewing machine he kept giggle that he was channeling his mother.

 

He also made this bow the day of by cutting a branch and using twine. It was actually really tight and could have probably shot an arrow. The kids LOVED it.

 

 

Annalise rode around in her wheelchair with her "golden plates" with Nora's group.

 

 

Nora loved being at the activity.

 

 

She liked that we were matching that day. Whenever I wear my strip skirt she wants to wear her strip shirt.

 

 

 

Annalise started to get stronger and wanted to help out around the house.

 

 

She sang Sing Sweet Nightengale from Cinderella as she cleaned. So sweet!

 

 

Often her days would result with this.

 

 

We had another ward activity where we did a pinewood derby. We got two cars and decided to see how a plain block of wood would do and how a car with a big piece of pine attached would do. The answer: horribly. :)

 

 

Nora with her very good friend Tylee.

 

 

Annalise helped Daddy to race the cars.

 

 

Nora was a great big sister to Annalise. She would bring things to her and play with her, even when it was hard to play because of the cast.

 

Annalise found a grasshopper while playing outside. She missed being outside so much.

 

 

 

 

Still had to teach Pre-school, so here's Nora with her Robot mask during our inventions unit

 

 

One day Nora passed out on the stairs - just felt like sharing it since it made me laugh :)

 

 

Even with a broken leg Annalise was still willing to tackle Daddy.

 

 

Towards then end of the 5 weeks Annalise was walking around in her cast. She was like a newborn again, learning how to crawl in it, then pull herself up and finally walking. She even got to a point where she would climb up on chairs while in the cast. You can't keep a 2 year old still for long. (which is part of the reason the heal so fast. I would have stayed in bed the full 5 weeks)

 

 

The weekend before Annalise got her cast off Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit

 

 

We cut a bunch of fresh basil for Grandma to take home (our basil in our garden went crazy this year! It was huge!)

 

 

My beautiful girls getting a cuddle in

 

 

Nora was proud that she stuck so much basil in the swing. I love when she asks me to take pictures of the random stuff she does.

 

 

The Sunday before the cast came off

 

 

I have to say it was a huge trial having Annalise in a cast. As you can see, it was a huge cast that went above her belly button, down one leg, and half way down the other leg. The support bar between was the worse! I was 5, almost 6, months pregnant and as my belly grew it was getting harder and harder to carry her up our stairs and around the house. I couldn't tell you how much I would pick her up in a single day. At one point the diapers weren't working well and she would leak like crazy into her cast. So we decided to just take her to the potty whenever she needed to go. It was hard to have to pick her up and stop everything to take her to the bathroom but I think that helped her getting back into being potty trained. I was so worried she would regress and have to be potty trained all over again, but she was fine and able to do it all by herself within a week.

 

I tried really hard not to complain as much I wanted to and to have a good attitude through the whole thing. I know for sure the Lord blessed me during it. I was stressed teaching Pre-school in the morning and then voice in the afternoons. I had made promises and commitments and I didn't want to have to back out of them. However, on those days I prayed to be able to get through the difficulties and obligations, and I got everything done and to the best of my abilities. I know that Lord strengthened me and helped me keep going when I didn't think I could. I finally understand the story about Alma the Elder and his people being captured and enslaved. Although the Lord didn't free them right away He made their burdens light. That's how I felt. I knew they were burdens and I knew that it was difficult, but they felt light and manageable.

 

 

Finally the big day had came - the day to take the cast off! It was going to be amazing and wonderful! I was going to take Nora with me but my friend Kaylee offered to watch her while Annalise got the cast removed. I am SO glad that I took her up on her offer! It was horrible. Annalise had been so strong for so long, but getting the cast off was so scary and painful for her. She doesn't like doctors now because of the hospital, so she was really on edge from the moment we got her there. The tool they used was really loud and although it can't cut them, was so scary. As they started to cut it off Annalise started to cry and asked me stop it. I told her she had to keep going. She begged for her cast to stay on. I tried to explain to her that her cast thinks she is strong enough to do it alone and needed to go help other kids that break a bone. She MOURNED for that cast. It was totally unexpected. I guess 5 weeks to a kids is so long that she probably couldn't remember not having a cast. It didn't help that once the cast came off she had the worst diaper rash I have ever seen. It looked so painful. Her skin was yellow and flaky from her skin not being able to breathe for 5 weeks. And the smell... oh, the smell... I was so happy to be rid of that horrible thing, but it was so sad for Annalise.

 

The doctor told me not to be surprised if it took a while to get her to walk and that she might have a turned out foot for a few months. Well, within a week she walking great and had her foot straighten out. I know her priesthood blessing is why she is doing so well. She hasn't had her follow up with the doctor yet and I can't wait to see what they say about her. It has been almost 6 weeks and she doesn't even have a limp while running. Her bone growth was impressive to the doctors, so hopefully she'll never break her femur again. It was super cute seeing this 2 year old tell people that she broke her femur.

 

Well, the cast is gone and life is still getting back to normal. Now it's time to start to prepare for our new little girl to join our family.

 

 

With All My Love,

 

Your Mother