An important note about car seat safety...

If you know me, you know I'm passionate about a few things. Okay, more than a few. Maybe you've noticed that even my 8 year old is in a booster. Maybe you've wondered why Jae is in a harnessed carseat at 6. And maybe you've chalked Jack rear-facing up to the fact that we're just too exhausted with five kids to find the time to turn him around.

Maybe not.

Maybe you know this information already, and if so, bravo! It's definitely not common knowledge and most organizations are on a crusade just to get kids in carseats during the bare minimum amount of time. I can't say I blame them. Very few things make my blood boil like seeing an unrestrained child in a car. I think it should be punishable, by law, as parental negligence or endangering the life of a child.

Several years ago my Mother-in-Law lost slid at a slick highway exit ramp while approaching a red light. My daughter was a toddler and rear-facing at the time, but I still cradled around her body in an attempt to absorb the impact. I was so concerned with her safety, and so relieved when she didn't even seem to wake up after the accident, that it took a moment to process what I was seeing ahead of us. I watched as no less than seven people - four of whom were infants or toddlers - piled out of the back seat of the vehicle we had just hit. Not only were none of them in seat belts, not one was in a car seat! They ran off through the trees to get away before the police arrived on the scene, to avoid being ticketed. They were so lucky that night!! I hope that was enough to scare them into using child safety restraints, but something tells me it didn't change a thing.

In our state, the law is 8 and 80 - eight years, 80 pounds. In other states, it's less. To me, the fact that ANY state things 8 and 80 is the bare minimum is enough. It tells me that I had better look into the why.

Over the last few years, more data has come out on child seat safety. I KNOW this information is new to plenty of people. I do not hold it against you for not knowing. I'm here to give you the information, and let you make your own decision based on the statistics, the facts, the videos.

I know that car seats were hardly even used when I was a child. I have a picture of me, sitting next to some huge black vinyl contraption - and pictures of me in a pumpkin seat, ready to go out into the car. Today's roads are different. Cars go faster. Highways are more plentiful. Drivers are under the influence more. Sadly, it is often trial and fatal error that changes things like the aforementioned age and weight minimums. While some accidents are unpreventable, and no safety seat will prevent all injury, all the time, I thought I'd take this time to explain why we feel so strongly about having our little girls in harnessed, latched seats and having our little guy in a rear-facing seat still at 19 months.

When Jack's torso height exceeded the space that was considered safe in his Britax Boulevard seat (due to being casted over the shoulders) we were very limited in our options. Even the hospital couldn't find a seat that would work for us. However, an angel of a friend (thank you, sweet H) helped us purchase a new seat for Jackson that would safely allow him to be harnessed at the proper height, while remaining rear facing. Every time we drive, much less take an 8 hour road trip to his doctor appointments, I am so touched by her kindness and generosity during a difficult time. Someday, when all this is a memory, we will pay it forward tenfold.

Here is Jack in his Radian80 car seat with plenty of leg room, even though he is off the charts for height. (Hmm. Where'd he get that?) The outfit he is wearing is a 3T, for reference.





Watch the videos. Even if you don't have a child, you may one day - or you may have someone else's child in your car. The crash test footage speaks for itself.






It is also very common that people put small children in a seatbelt - or even a low-back belt positioning booster. Why is Jae in a five point harnessed seat? Because of Kyle. Literally, because of Kyle. I saw this video and we ordered a seat for her the same day. I promised to do all I could to help Kyle's Mom find some comfort, to know that her son's tragic death was not in vain. I had no idea. No clue whatsoever that seat belts fail this way. I had Jae in a high back Britax booster with side impact protection - the best! So did she. It wasn't the best. There are safer ways.



http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html
Rear-facing is safest for both adults and children, but especially for babies, who would face a greater risk of spinal cord injury in a front-facing carseat during a frontal crash.

Rear-facing car seats spread frontal crash forces over the whole area of a baby's back, head and neck; they also prevent the head from snapping relative to the body in a frontal crash.

Rear-facing carseats may not be quite as effective in a rear end crash, but severe frontal and frontal offset crashes are far more frequent and far more severe than severe rear end crashes.

Rear-facing carseats are NOT a safety risk just because a baby's legs are bent at the knees or because they can touch/kick the vehicle seat.

Rear-facing as long as possible is the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatricians, and can reduce injuries and deaths. Motor Vehicle Crashes are the #1 overall cause of death for children 14 and under.



MSNBC article
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9916868

His study, presented at a recent meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics, involved 870 children under age 2 who had been in either rear-facing or forward-facing car seats at the time of an automobile accident. He found that the children in forward-facing seats were more than four times as likely to be injured in side crashes as opposed to the children in rear-facing seats. The study also found a small but not statistically significant benefit for facing rear in frontal crashes.


http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/StayRearFacing.aspx


American Academy of Pediatrics states: If a car safety seat accommodates children rear facing to higher weights, for optimal protection, the child should remain rear facing until reaching the maximum weight for the car safety seat, as long as the top of the head is below the top of the seat back.3

http://www.carseatsite.com/rear-face_article.htm

WARNING: GRAPHIC....but necessary

Rather it is the rigidity of the BONES in the neck, in combination with the connecting ligaments, that determines whether the spine will hold together and the spinal cord will remain intact within the confines of the vertebral column. This works for adults, but very young children have immature and incompletely ossified bones that are soft and will deform and/or
separate under tension, leaving the spinal cord as the last link between the head and the torso. Have you ever pulled an electric cord from the socket by the cord instead of the plug and broken the wires? Same problem. This scenario is based on actual physiological measures. According to Huelke et al,1 "In autopsy specimens the elastic infantile vertebral bodies and ligaments allow for column elongation of up to two inches, but the spinal cord ruptures if stretched more than 1/4 inch." Real accident experience has also shown that a young child's skull can be literally ripped from its spine by the force of a crash. Yes, the body is being held in place, but the head is not. When a child is facing rearward, the head is cradled and moves in unison with the body, so that there is little or no relative motion that might pull on the connecting neck.



Keep your babies safe. We love them, too!

Busy Bee

It's been a busy month here at our hive - John will no doubt hate that analogy, what with his fear of bees and all.

Because we homeschool (or maybe that's just an excuse) I try to really go all out for the little holidays, too. Valentine's Day is, contrary to popular belief, NOT just a "Hallmark Holiday." It is the feast of St. Valentine! No, we don't reserve that day for the only expression of love year round, and no we don't feel the need to spend sixty two dollars on a dozen roses just because the florists say it's a rose day. It's one of those fun days when we can go a little beyond the call of duty and have some fun things to do. The kids woke up to a decked out table, which I learned the night before was, "The best part of Valentine's Day." (Whew! Good thing I had already planned the table!)

We also had a "do - over" for the girls' birthdays. Sky's was back in December, but an early December cast meant we weren't going to risk getting sick and then we DID get sick and missed Christmas as well. January was supposed to be the second attempt for Sky and an early birthday for Jameson, but then we all got the flu! So, we finally were able to bring out the party supplies this past weekend and had a very nice family gathering. It was great seeing those who could make it, and we hope we can catch up with the rest of you soon at Easter!

Let's see - what's new with Jack? Wild man insists on climbing up on EVERYTHING now. Last night he grabbed John by the finger and led him into the kitchen, pointed at the stove where I was plating up dinner, and then walked over into the dining room and pointed to his highchair! Not only is he EATING - he's enjoying it!! I wish I could say the same for clothing and coats. It was 18° outside today and this child is convinced that a jacket on his body will melt him, I think. Oh - speaking of clothes - he got his first pair of big boy shoes!!! We are firm believers in soft soled shoes for kids with developing legs and feet, but his Pedoodles boots just aren't quite up to wet ground in the backyard. Since that seems to be his favorite place, we decided it was time to get a pair of soft rubber soled shoes. The first pair were stride rites - a size 6.5!!!! But, he refused to walk in them at Laurie's, startled by the sound of the helium machine (which sounded exactly like the cast saw). So, we took them home and sure enough, he did a zombie walk and fell over, crying. The next day we took them back and got some lovely eccos and now he's super stylin' in his big boy shoes that he will even sleep in, if I let him. Yay! They're nice and flexible and still good on the concrete. This one is going to keep us on our toes this spring when the weather finally warms up!

Without further ado - the month in pictures (sorry for the yellow cast - low lighting inside and I'm not feeling up to photo editing for color right now - I suspect I have gallstones, so bear with me for a bit).

"I SEE YOU!"

Any time I pull out my camera, I either get the super silly cheesy grin or a shy boy who won't look at me. So, very often I will say, "I SEE YOU!" From his profile, I immediately see his dimples deepen and he'll eventually turn his face to look at me. But, it's his little game - his way of asserting control.

He was just sitting up on the cube, clicking on the keyboard, and one of his sisters put their hat on him. He loves his sisters' hats, but will he wear any of the dozen darling BOY hats I have for him? No. Never. Rips them off immediately.

We were all giggling at him, in his plum newsboy cap with the embroidered flowers and I grabbed the camera. He turned and looked at the computer, pretending to be oblivious to me and the camera. Until I said, "I see you!" He smiled, still keeping his face forward, and said, "I SEE YOU!"

His very first sentence!!!

Literally, not a week ago I was considering a call to our primary care doc for a speech eval. He had missed so many of his speech milestones I was beginning to get concerned. Then, in the last week, it was, "Maaaaama," then "Dadda," then, "No," and "apple," and "Uh oh," and "choo choo," and something similar to "all gone."

And today - the little man busts out a three word sentence on me!

Here is his very pleased with himself response...

Superbad Silly

Cast Four - A CURE

We had an awesome, awesome experience in Birmingham.

First, we met with Dr. Khoury, his resident, and Kara in the clinic. He looked at our x-ray, but we only had one from June because Chicago STILL has not sent them our films. But, by Tuesday that was moot because Dr. K had his own.

We talked a lot about the prognosis. To recap, Jack's first (Miss Mehta applied) cast did not hold the correction. He started at 70° (right thoracic). In the first, by the time it was removed (same hour) it was back up. Dr. Sturm told us that casting doesn't work for every child and that we may be just using the casting as a brace until he could have surgery at age three. Cast two got him down to 28 in the cast and his out of cast x-rays were down to 47°. The third cast got him down to 22° and Dr. Khoury had us cut it off at home. He said that it can be off for up to a week without causing any problems, and that it gives time for the skin to heal.

I asked Dr. Khoury what happens from here. He said that starting with a 47° curve (presumed) at 18 months is very late. He mentioned that Jack had a slender build and that he may not have a very flexible spine (I forgot to ask after the casting). I said, "When Jack was diagnosed, we were told that a curve over 50 was a surgical curve. What happens if we have a relentless curve down the road? Does it then transition to a surgical curve?" He said no. He explained that one instance of no improvement doesn't phase him. He will do it three times before he considers it unrelenting. After the third time, he believes that it will no longer improve and then we move into a night brace. He said, in a case like that the curve will often very slowly continue to get worse in a brace and then we can go back to periods of casting if necessary. Then, at age 8 (which he said is best for this) again - IF he had a curve that deteriorated in a brace - they would just do a spinal fusion. But, he said that is if we get up to like 80 even in a brace. I wanted to hear worst possible case scenario. HOWEVER - this is working! We are SO thrilled. We know that this is nothing short of a miracle. Our son, whose curve was SEVENTY DEGREES six months ago - four months ago, even! Who we thought would have growth rods at *three* - we were told now will not EVER need growth rods!!!!!

Okay, so back to our days...
Dr. Khoury does x-rays under sedation to get better numbers, which we LOVED. Jack is completely traumatized by radiology now and has to be forced to stand, all while he's thrashing around. He said the numbers are far more accurate that way, and we totally agree. They were able to take him back 40 minutes early and we requested Versed, but Jack didn't seem to react to it. We carried him to the doors and the nurse took him at which time he screamed hysterically, reaching his arms up for us. I don't know what went wrong, but he didn't appear sedated or loopy like he usually is.

The casting didn't take long at all. Dr. Khoury came down to our room within 45 minutes and showed us his films...
Prior to this cast, he was down to 38°!!!!!! That is a ten degree improvement from out of cast 2! Dr. Khoury got his curve down to 22° - but, what really sent me reeling was not just the number, but the appearance! His shoulders were level, his pelvis was balanced. Instead of having that sharp C in his spine, where the apex is, he now just has a balanced and gently rounded curve!!!!!!! It is AMAZING - I almost cried looking at it! I can *see* now how this is going to go and I'm just in awe of his work. Every other time it was still a sharp turn in the spine, but more internal to his body. This looked like an entirely different child!!!!

The cast itself is very different. It goes under the arms - very high. Dr. Khoury said every inch is essential and he will put up with skin breakdown as long as there are no open sores. He said the arms can be up high under the arm, even causing them to "walk like a wrestler" - but that it helps that way. His cut outs are so different - and there is a tremendous amount cut out on the opposite side - which just seems logical to me looking at his curve. Jack came out of anesthesia the most alert he ever has, and the anesthesia team there is SO great! Everyone there was so great. We had some delays in trimming - we were told they would petal his cast in the OR and they didn't finish, so we had to walk down to Will's clinic and have him do it there (which took over an hour) but I hope that it will improve next time.

Jack seems so happy today. He's throwing balls around and playing with his sisters. He doesn't have any residual grumpiness and has total mobility in the cast.

The drive home sucked, though - we drove through tornadoes, I'm sure, and there were several times we had to stop on the side of the highway until the rain eased up. There were overturned tractor trailers in a few spots on the highway in Illinois and something that happened to a train near the highway, too. It was crazy! But, we made it home safe and sound after a veeerrry long drive.

Thank you all for your support and hugs!

Quick update from Birmingham

I apologize in advance if you're on the board...I just copied my post there ;)


We just met with the doctor and he doesn't do out of cast x-rays until the babies are sedated. While that's great news - because radiology totally freaks out Jack and he doesn't stand still for the x-rays - it also means we don't have any numbers for you yet. But, when they put him under tomorrow we'll find out the out of cast x-rays and get a totally accurate number because he'll be sedated.

In Dr. K's experience, being out of a cast up to a week doesn't cause any real detriment, so that's good. He's been out since Friday and his skin looks SO much better already.

His process is this...

He will continue to cast until he gets three casts in a row that do not show improvement or we get down to 0. He said one is not discouraging, but three tells him the curve will no longer get any lower. I asked what happens when we have an "unrelenting curve" - do we then move on to surgery or bracing and he said, "Oh, I really don't see a need for growth rods. If we get him down to 30* and it stays at 30* after three casts, we would just put him in a brace. And, likely, over the years that curve would very gradually increase in the brace and then we could go back to a short period of casting even through later in childhood."

However, he would still have to have that "final fusion" - where they fuse his vertebrae together. (If we can't get down to zero - worst possible case scenario) He said the earliest they could possibly do that without majorly obvious influence to his growth is seven years. He said, ideally, it would be around age 8. At that time, his torso would stop growing entirely and he would only grow from the legs. But, that's still a GAZILLION times better than having growth rods.

Of course, then we'd have to continue coming down here regularly until Jack was eight - so another six years and possibly beyond.

His cast is being put on at noon tomorrow, so we have to be there at 9:30. They wanted us to spend the night but it's DD's birthday and no way I'm not going to be home for that. So, I think they're going to let us leave. They said if we have a local doc who will trim issues, we'll be okay. I'm very anxious to see what we're talking about here. It's hard for Dr. K to know how flexible his spine is and what kind of correction he can obtain. But, I know that Dr. S in Chicago got him down to 22, so that's GOOD, right? I mean, it has to be.

The worst part is that he can't nurse after 4AM and he isn't being casted until noon. That is going to SUCK. Suckity suckity suck.

But, we'll get through it. Dr. K was the type of guy you'd go sit down and have dinner with - just a totally down to earth, easy going, conversational guy. We're very happy.

The commute was long - we hit some awful fog for the first two hours, then torrential rain in Nashville, but we're here safe and sound and it's beautiful here today.

I'll try to update with some numbers tomorrow. I know some of you are as anxious as I am to get the details!

Thanks again

A turtle without his shell

We're back from our home town Shriner's and all settled in. They cut off his cast this afternoon and thankfully the roads had pretty much cleared by then. Though, we did see lots of remnants of early morning accidents and mishaps on the highways.

Kelly was fast and confident with the saw and got his cast off in record time. Jack cried, but it went quickly. The girls were so thrilled to see him without his cast on for the first time in six months. Everyone is tickling his back and giving him big (but gentle) hugs.

After we got home, we gave him some time on his feet to figure out how to balance again. We played catch and he very quickly learned. His shoulders are looking great - one doesn't seem higher than the other anymore. His shoulder blades still seem very asymmetrical to me. But, all in all, we see some improvement and are really anxious to see what the x-rays show.

His first bath at home in six months was a disaster, since his fear of water has really gotten bad. He nursed in the tub and let me wash his hair very quickly, then wanted out. We put on lots of calendula and got him in his jammies for bed a little early. Now he's running around with his sisters, being a wild man as usual. I so badly wish I could say we were finished with all of this. I feel like I've teased him now - giving him a little taste of freedom, then cruelly yanking it away next week. But, our primary source of consolation right now is just knowing what capable, experienced hands he'll be in at the new hospital. I am excited to see what progress we have made and even more excited to see what progress the future holds for him. Six months down. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. It may be a speck right now - but it will grow, and with it so will Jack - straighter and straighter every day.

Check out these super cute custom photo cards

Birth Announcements/


Rosemary does an amazing job, doesn't she? If you have super cute pics of your kiddos, she'll work with you to find the perfect layout - she does holiday cards for all occasions (check out those Valentine's Day cards!) and, of course, birth announcements!

With the fiasco of having Target print Jack's birthday collage SO poorly last year, we'll be sure to use Rosemary from now on.