May is going to be one long month, I suspect.
On Sunday afternoon, I popped out to get my oil changed, run to Target, and get a pedicure. When I got home, Jeff and I decided to swing by Toys 'R Us to get Jack a toy blender, as ours had met an untimely fate. Yes, the blender finally broke on Saturday afternoon. And the ramifications were awful. I tried throwing it away in the trash, but Jack kept digging it out. So, I had to toss it out in the garage when Jack went down for his nap. When he woke up, he was quite upset that he could not find his blender. Obviously, a child can't play with a broken blender (and perhaps should have never been playing with one to begin with...but I digress) so we decided to get him his very own. So, off we went to Toys 'R Us. Jack had so much fun running around and exploring in the store. Afterwards, we decided to take Jack to the park. On my way to get my oil changed, I drove past this park that had a really great "tots" area, so off we went!
Jack had a really great time swinging...
And climbing...
And then, he made it to the top of the big kid's equipment. Jeff was with him, of course. Safety first! Jack wanted to go down this big, twisty slide. I thought that would be okay, but I wanted Jeff to go down with him because I was afraid he'd spin off. So, Jeff put him in his lap and went down the slide. As they were going down, Jack's leg got caught behind Jeff's leg and twisted. When they got down to the bottom of the slide, Jack was hysterical. So, I quickly picked him up to console him but he wouldn't calm down. I've always said that Jack is a "thirty second crier" - meaning he'll fuss like crazy for about thirty seconds and then he's over it and on to the next thing. But this time, he wouldn't settle down. Jeff was concerned about his left leg, so he told me to put him down to see if he'd stand or walk. That just made him cry harder, so off we went to the emergency room.
They took x-rays while we were there, and someone associated with the hospital's "children's services" spent some time with us. Her claim was that she was there to help calm the child down, but let's be honest - she was just making sure we weren't child abusers. She stayed with us for about a half-hour, blowing bubbles with Jack, and I guess decided that we passed the test. Nana and Papa came up to bring Jack some dinner and provide (me) moral support. The doctor we saw diagnosed Jack with a soft tissue injury, told us to give him some ibuprofen and that he'd be fine in a day or two.
Maternal instinct is a weird thing. I can't describe it - but somehow I just knew that Jack's leg was broken. There were the obvious signs, of course, but maternal instinct is like some kind of sixth sense. He went down just fine on Sunday night, and slept pretty hard. He woke up a few times during the night, but was able to go right back to sleep. When we heard him wake up on Monday morning, both Jeff and I raced into his room, hoping to see him standing in his crib. Obviously, he wasn't. So, I decided to stay home with him and take him to his pediatrician. She was wonderful - we had another set of x-rays and she thought that she saw a small fracture in his tibia, so she pulled some strings and got us in with a pediatric orthopedist on Monday afternoon. The doctor looked over Jack, listened to us describe the mechanism of injury and his symptoms and diagnosed him with a Cozen fracture. Basically, it's a small fracture in the top of the tibia (which is right below your knee) if you want specifics. The remedy - a full leg cast.
This does not please Jack. He's frustrated. He hurts. And it breaks his poor mom's heart.
The good news is that the cast only has to stay on for three weeks. The bad news is that the cast will come off and he'll literally go in for his adenoid surgery the next day. So yes, May will be a rough month for us. But, come June, we should be back on track and won't have missed too much of summer.
On Tuesday, I took him down to my office so I could get some work done. He was pretty subdued the entire time. We went home and I thought he might like to have a picnic outside and enjoy the nice weather. All the kids in the neighborhood came over to sit with us, and that seemed to depress Jack even more. It was like he was wishing that he could be up and running around with them, which I suppose he was.
Its hard work to carry around that child to begin with - and now add a cast into the mix just multiplies it by a million. He's sort of mobile - he kind of crawls and rolls around on the floor. He can still pull himself up on the furniture, which means he can climb it, so we still need to keep an eye on him. But he's been so sweet through it all. We've got some new toys (or previously undiscovered ones) that he likes to play with, and a couple of episodes of Mickey seem to make him a pretty happy camper. On Tuesday night, as I was putting him to bed, he wrapped his pudgy little arms around my neck and gave me a real hug and a kiss. It was almost as if he was thanking me for everything. It makes me tear up just thinking about it.
So, we went up to his daycare on Tuesday afternoon to talk over going back to school. The daycare rearranged some staff and he's got his own special helper in his classroom - Ms. Ruth - whom Jack just adores. They've also got a little red wagon to put him in and they brought in a high chair for his meal times. I dropped him off this morning and both of us were in tears though. And I miss him like crazy.
This will not be the last broken bone of Jack's life, I know this. And, I also know that kids are resilient little creatures and can adapt better than most adults can. But I also know that I can't keep him in bubble wrap and he's got to learn how to do things on his own. If nothing else, it gives him confidence and helps him gain independence. Even around the house yesterday, when he pulled himself up on a piece of furniture, you would have thought he won first prize in some kind of contest, he was so proud of himself.
So yes, this too shall pass. And in a month's time, this will all be just a distant memory. Until then, though, I'm going to savor the cuddles and the fact that he needs me more than he did a week ago. That's okay, right?
And then, he made it to the top of the big kid's equipment. Jeff was with him, of course. Safety first! Jack wanted to go down this big, twisty slide. I thought that would be okay, but I wanted Jeff to go down with him because I was afraid he'd spin off. So, Jeff put him in his lap and went down the slide. As they were going down, Jack's leg got caught behind Jeff's leg and twisted. When they got down to the bottom of the slide, Jack was hysterical. So, I quickly picked him up to console him but he wouldn't calm down. I've always said that Jack is a "thirty second crier" - meaning he'll fuss like crazy for about thirty seconds and then he's over it and on to the next thing. But this time, he wouldn't settle down. Jeff was concerned about his left leg, so he told me to put him down to see if he'd stand or walk. That just made him cry harder, so off we went to the emergency room.
They took x-rays while we were there, and someone associated with the hospital's "children's services" spent some time with us. Her claim was that she was there to help calm the child down, but let's be honest - she was just making sure we weren't child abusers. She stayed with us for about a half-hour, blowing bubbles with Jack, and I guess decided that we passed the test. Nana and Papa came up to bring Jack some dinner and provide (me) moral support. The doctor we saw diagnosed Jack with a soft tissue injury, told us to give him some ibuprofen and that he'd be fine in a day or two.
Maternal instinct is a weird thing. I can't describe it - but somehow I just knew that Jack's leg was broken. There were the obvious signs, of course, but maternal instinct is like some kind of sixth sense. He went down just fine on Sunday night, and slept pretty hard. He woke up a few times during the night, but was able to go right back to sleep. When we heard him wake up on Monday morning, both Jeff and I raced into his room, hoping to see him standing in his crib. Obviously, he wasn't. So, I decided to stay home with him and take him to his pediatrician. She was wonderful - we had another set of x-rays and she thought that she saw a small fracture in his tibia, so she pulled some strings and got us in with a pediatric orthopedist on Monday afternoon. The doctor looked over Jack, listened to us describe the mechanism of injury and his symptoms and diagnosed him with a Cozen fracture. Basically, it's a small fracture in the top of the tibia (which is right below your knee) if you want specifics. The remedy - a full leg cast.
This does not please Jack. He's frustrated. He hurts. And it breaks his poor mom's heart.
The good news is that the cast only has to stay on for three weeks. The bad news is that the cast will come off and he'll literally go in for his adenoid surgery the next day. So yes, May will be a rough month for us. But, come June, we should be back on track and won't have missed too much of summer.
On Tuesday, I took him down to my office so I could get some work done. He was pretty subdued the entire time. We went home and I thought he might like to have a picnic outside and enjoy the nice weather. All the kids in the neighborhood came over to sit with us, and that seemed to depress Jack even more. It was like he was wishing that he could be up and running around with them, which I suppose he was.
Its hard work to carry around that child to begin with - and now add a cast into the mix just multiplies it by a million. He's sort of mobile - he kind of crawls and rolls around on the floor. He can still pull himself up on the furniture, which means he can climb it, so we still need to keep an eye on him. But he's been so sweet through it all. We've got some new toys (or previously undiscovered ones) that he likes to play with, and a couple of episodes of Mickey seem to make him a pretty happy camper. On Tuesday night, as I was putting him to bed, he wrapped his pudgy little arms around my neck and gave me a real hug and a kiss. It was almost as if he was thanking me for everything. It makes me tear up just thinking about it.
So, we went up to his daycare on Tuesday afternoon to talk over going back to school. The daycare rearranged some staff and he's got his own special helper in his classroom - Ms. Ruth - whom Jack just adores. They've also got a little red wagon to put him in and they brought in a high chair for his meal times. I dropped him off this morning and both of us were in tears though. And I miss him like crazy.
This will not be the last broken bone of Jack's life, I know this. And, I also know that kids are resilient little creatures and can adapt better than most adults can. But I also know that I can't keep him in bubble wrap and he's got to learn how to do things on his own. If nothing else, it gives him confidence and helps him gain independence. Even around the house yesterday, when he pulled himself up on a piece of furniture, you would have thought he won first prize in some kind of contest, he was so proud of himself.
So yes, this too shall pass. And in a month's time, this will all be just a distant memory. Until then, though, I'm going to savor the cuddles and the fact that he needs me more than he did a week ago. That's okay, right?
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