It's really hard. For us it was wishing the time was up. Wanting desperately for it to be off for our first Christmas, so she could actually sit in a high chair and sit at the table with all the family. Surgeon said to leave it on (but we took it off over Christmas lunch anyway). We cancelled a QLD holiday in the October, because we didn't want to fly and go somewhere really warm if there was a chance she'd still be in plaster. We put it off until March and then Feb creeped around and she was STILL in the brace. But we got told at that appointment we could start to wean her off. Everything you're feeling is valid. It's so **** and hard but now we still sit back and go, wow, look at her go. Look at her run and walk and jump! It will feel unbelievable now and so far away, but they catch up really quickly and it's all the more amazing because of what they went through