Figuring things out

Several weeks ago, Addie was fitted for her braces and a new chapter in her story began.  I was dreading the day she would have to start wearing them because I didn't think she would handle them very well.  At first, she didn't, but after a few days, we were shocked by how well she was doing with them.  A few weeks in, she decided that it was fun to take them off by herself when we weren't looking.  Most of the time, that happens in the evening when it seems that she has just had enough of them for the day.  She also likes to remove them in the car when she is bored.  Overall, though, she has handled them like a champ.

I, on the other hand, have not handled them quite as well.  I will admit that I cried in the doctor's office after they put them on her for the first time.  I quickly sucked it up and pulled myself together because I didn't want her to pick up on that.  Watching her face plant repeatedly as she got used to them was painful to watch.  Her tears and frustration the first few days broke my heart.  Once she adjusted, though, all was well with her.  She has figured out how to do most of the things she wants to do - they really don't slow her down much.  Her sunny disposition has returned, too.

I have analyzed my own feelings about the braces and I think I have pinpointed why they bother me.  It is two fold: they hurt and they make it hard to snuggle. 

Just yesterday, one of her brothers fell to the ground in pain when Addie came running at him and the metal from one of the braces hit his knee at the wrong angle.  The rest of the kids have complained of similar injuries.  My legs are covered in little bruises from her climbing up and climbing down off my lap all the time.  Clearly, none of it is intentional (though if she were mean spirited, she certainly could do some damage with her apparatus) - the braces are just cumbersome.

Prior to the whole bracing business, I had lots of cuddle time with my girl.  It is almost impossible to find a comfortable position in which to hold her now and that means that snuggle time is being affected.  Today, I was feeling very sad about that, so I took the braces off and put Addie in the Ergo.  You're probably wondering why the Ergo was necessary.  Well, we have discovered an interesting phenomenon whenever the braces are removed:  Addie is incredibly excited and she runs around like a wild lady.  It is both funny and sad.  I knew that the only way I would get snuggle time with her after the brace removal was if she was contained in the Ergo.  For ten blissful minutes, I held her close and we chatted, made silly eyes at each other, and did butterfly kisses.  It was good.  So, so good.  On some level, I feel like our attachment has suffered in the last several weeks and I don't like that.  At all.  I am thinking that daily, brace-free Ergo time might be just the remedy for that.