Day 108: Our first ER visit

9.5.2012

Day 108 marks a first for us: our kids' first major injury that had us in the ER for the entire day.

Wednesday is our day off preschool so after breakfast we made a quick decision to get dressed and head to the zoo. We were in my room, I was getting ready and the boys were playing. Carson asked to play with my necklace, I said no and apparently he decided to climb up on the dresser anyway. Unfortunately when I saw him up there I told him to get down, but it startled him and his knee slipped, causing him to fall right down hands and knees. I legitimately cannot get that image out of my head. I ran over hoping not to find what I found. His arm by his wrist was obviously going the wrong way. I panicked and really didn't know what to do first. I didn't even know what hospital was covered on our insurance! Duh me. I called Carl and we decided to head to the ER at Children's. 

Sorry for the graphic nature of this programming.......but wow.

 

Both the tibia and fibula completely broke and were off to the side. This was no hairline baby break. And of course it is his right arm...... GRRRRR!

His very first question when I told him we were going to the hospital was if he had to get a shot. He was more upset about having an IV than the actual injury. But I can't blame him because I absolutely LOATHED my IVs when I had the boys.

He headed off for xrays with Daddy and came back with a new car and Spiderman stickers. This is his "brave face".

It was fascinating to see this normally hyper kid lay there for almost 7 hours straight. He knew what was happening and was beyond cooperative, more than I ever expected out of him. We spoke with ortho and decided the best option was to do a reduction which puts the bones back in place, but that meant he would be sedated. Because he had had breakfast at 8am we couldn't do the procedure before noon so there was a lot of sitting around keeping him comfortable and Max entertained. The morphine helped the pain, but he did so much better than I could have asked for. 

Finally at 1pm the team was ready and we had to leave the room. Sedating them is such a tough thing to watch! If it weren't for all the horror stories and "worst case scenarios" it may not be so bad. But they said he did awesome and even was singing toward the end. When we went in he was saying some random things and eventually slept for 45 minutes.

He begged for water all morning so he got a popsicle as soon as he really woke up. After morphine and sedation he had the funniest sleepy eyes though. His blinks were the heaviest ever, but he said it didn't hurt after he came to.

He specifically requested a dark blue cast. But at first we had to explain to him what a cast even was and that he'd get to draw on it. His drugged upset response was, "But we didn't bring any crayons!!"

Follow up X-ray.

Then there was poor Max. He wanted to run and play so bad, but couldn't for obvious reasons. He slept on me for about 30 minutes in the morning and Carl got him to crash for about 20 minutes while Carson was sleeping. He is such a good baby and I love being able to take him anywhere with us. But don't get me wrong, if Carl wasn't there with me to help I would have been having a total meltdown!

And the brave face when we told him it was time to go home.

He crashed before we were out of the parking lot.

So, it all just seemed like way more to endure than you should for a broken arm. By the time we got home we were totally emotionally drained and exhausted. I think if you have a planned surgery or something you can mentally prepare a little, but this was a full shock of adrenaline and then emotional crashes!

 The boys slept good during the night, all things considered and are napping right now (which is how I have time to post this). We're doing lots of snuggling today since he has to keep it elevated. No preschool this week! Oh, and as the doctors were getting ready to sedate him yesterday I got a full migraine aura. I've had one aura in my life about 10 years ago. But for the last month I've gotten at least 10 migraine headaches without auras during the night. I was freaking out that I would get the headache in the middle of this ordeal, but it never came. It had to have been from stress, but I'm a little worried about what's happening with my body right now.

Side note: I'm SO happy I had my camera already in my bag. We took lots of phone pics too, but I would have been bummed if I hadn't been able to document this big first. It's sad, but a big memory nonetheless. 

Day 107: Adoration

9.4.2012

Just a small moment I caught with Max, his daddy and their Jeep.

Day 106: Doggy Pile

9.3.2012

One of my favorite of Max's quirks is that he cannot resist jumping on anyone when they're on the floor. If anyone lays on the floor he hops right on and sits until he is distracted by something else. Carl and Carson were having a tickle fight when I saw Max going for the mount, so I went for the camera. I yelled his name and he gave me this new closed-eye cheese face. I love it.

Days 104 and 105

9.1.2012 & 9.2.2012

Apparently the holiday weekend wasn't too photo-worthy since I don't have any photos at all for Saturday or Sunday. 

Let it be.

Day 103: Protege

8.31.2012

While loading up in the morning yesterday to head to preschool Carson asked me if I had my camera. He loves when I let him take a picture and pulls it down to see the screen before the camera has even processed the photo. He told Max to hug me, took two quick pics and although this is blurry and from the ground, it made me smile. Especially because he took it. I'm trying to teach him for my own selfish reasons. :)

Bath time last night produced this. We titled it, "I'm Ron Burgandy?"  hehe

Day 102: Pit stop

8.30.2012

Our van had been in the shop for a week when Carl picked it up and found it still wasn't fixed. Thursday morning we had to get up and leave the house at 6am so we could get it dropped back off and take Carl to work. Luckily we live so far the other way that it didn't make sense to go home before preschool. (yes, I'm being sarcastic)  So we killed time at McDonald's. So dirty, yet so fun for the kids. 

Max looked at me with a cheese just as I took the photo.

That afternoon his preschool had a back-to-school thing going on. Normally we go in the back door of the class and not through the actual school. As we walked down the hall I spotted this and giggled. I had to get this memory on camera.


And randomness of Max. I am always so amazed at how well he plays by himself without a fuss at all. Carson never ever did this sort of a thing. Max just hangs out and keeps himself busy while I'm getting ready.

Day 101: Boy friends

8.29.2012

Wednesdays are our days off to go play. This week we played with Jen, Jack and Luci. Carson and Jack are so funny together, copying everything the other does and laughing constantly. I can't wait for it to get out of the 90s though! It is brutal to taken them outside to play right now.

Max at dinner. After his THIRD helping of food. This kid eats!


My extremely proud moment of asking Carson to write his name and without any help at all he produced this. ::::::Swoon:::::

Day 100: What cat?

8.28.2012

Well, it's day 100 of "daily" posts and/or photos! I could have planned better and done something fun for this day, but since I've been being on posting these I didn't even realize it was 100 at the time.

The day's photo? More of Max tormenting old Lily. That's a cat bed, meant for an old and sleepy cat, but contains a toddler instead. He won't leave the thing alone. The real problem comes with that plug. We're re-proofing it now..........

Day 99: Lock Down

8.27.2012

It's officially that time in our house again, the time I hoped wouldn't come at all with a second angel child.......office lock down. I can't take the craziness anymore. Every paper got torn, all my computer stuff was being pulled apart, the shelves were being emptied. The gate have gone back up. Max thought it was fun to help until he realized what the gates actually meant.

Day 98: Mt. Bierstadt

8.26.2012

Well, yesterday we attempted our first 14er, Mt. Bierstadt up Guanella Pass in Georgetown. Here in Colorado it seems like everyone hikes, bikes and does all of the stereotypical crunchy stuff you think of with Denver. Me, Carl, the boys, my mom, Christy, Andy and Dustin all headed up the what was supposed to be one of the easier 14ers to hike. This scenery could not have been any better. In the end we didn't make it nearly as far as I'd hoped because of the boys, but it was wonderful either way. At one point Carl stopped and said we were "so Colorado" on a 14er, wearing a baby and drinking out of Camelbacks. hahaha!

On the drive up I rode in the back between the boys. My sleepy little companions.

The hike was made more difficult for the fact that Max was strapped to me while climbing. I'm a wuss and he's crazy heavy. I wore him for the first half up, Carl took him for the second half up and I wore him for the full way back down. He definitely had the best seat in the house! Carson tried giving up a ton of times, but eventually made it most of the way on his own.

The highlight of the hike was as soon as we got going. We looked up to the lake we were heading for and realized there was an enormous moose swimming in it! This was one of the coolest things to see in the wild. After we came back down there were two of them. Christy got the best pic of it here:

Max REFUSED to leave his hat on. Apparently we lost it, didn't even know it, someone hung it on a bush and Dustin found it long after we left!

Up above the trees. What a view!

Then a well-deserved amazing BBQ lunch. Mmmmmmm.....Brisket.......

Then we headed to Carson's favorite park in Idaho Springs. We needed to get ahead of the tunnel traffic and were waiting for the rest of the family to finish the hike. The four of us left long before they were done because of the kids. This playground is build right along a river and one of the most fun places up there!

Max is discovering a whole new world of playing now that he can walk!

And a day of play wouldn't be complete without ice cream.

We're officially Coloradans! :)

Day 97: Tattooed

8.25.2012

For my entire life I've said I will not get a tattoo. Not because I look down on them, but because I'm so freaking indecisive that I knew I could never commit to something. But recently I got the bug and decided I wanted something small that represents the boys. I also discovered white tattoos and that sent me over the edge for the decision. It has taken me months to decide what to get and I still hadn't totally made up my mind when we walked in for the appointment. LOL 

I ended up going with crossed arrows for a few symbolic reasons and the boys' initials. This is nothing like my original plan, but I totally love it. I'll post pics when it has healed. Right now it is not too pretty!

I wasn't too nervous. Okay, just a little nervous. I worried more about the outcome than the pain.

Getting prepped.

 

I didn't know this was a video, but Carl was recording this as we got started. Calm and collected, but man it hurt more and more and he went! I look a little nervous here.....Carson was peeking at me and trying to make me laugh behind Carl. Toward the end of the video Carl is trying to get my attention, but I remember in that moment thinking that I didn't want to move because it was nerve-wracking and painful!

Here is a preliminary shot of the tattoo!  See, the ink is white, but my skin is so red that it's hard to tell what it will actually look like. haha  It still really hurts after two days.


Before all this happened I was at a photo shoot all day and Carl took the boys to play. We hadn't ever been to the REI and Confluence Park area downtown, but know it's a popular place. Apparently they have a cool trolley and the boys loved it. It has been fun to go do my own thing and get these updates of Carl getting alone time with the boys!

Day 96: Already?

8.24.2012

Friday was pretty quiet. It was an iPhone pic kind of day. 

Max sneaks into Carson's room at any moment we let him out. He has figured out how to open the doors now that he is tall enough (ALREADY?!?!). He crawled in here, grabbed a book and plopped right on the little couch. So cute.

Thursday we dropped the van off at the dealership to get looked at. That means we have to take the Jeep, which only has two doors. Do you know how impossible it is to get Max in and out of this thing? Carson can climb in and out alone, but we literally have to get Max in and out through the back hatch. I'm missing the van so much after 4 days!!!

We tried a new library after preschool. It is so much fun seeing Carson get into learning and Max just wants to pull every book off the shelf.

Day 95: Biker Boys

8.23.2012

Max has found a new happy place. He's following right along in Carson's footsteps, which are right in their daddy's shadow. :)

Day 94: Together

8.22.2012

Carson's preschool is off on Wednesday's this year so we had the first day back and then the next day off. So weird. But just about everyday I still can't help but sit down for nap time with the boys. I always have a million things going on with work and my business and sometimes it's hard to mentally take a break when I know I could be getting stuff done. But I welcome the quiet time and feel like it helps them bond too. I posted these pics on instagram yesterday saying that I know I'll regret it if I don't do this now. They grow so fast and it's making me super emo lately! I'm learning a lot about myself and about how my only regrets in life are regrets. Soul searching is good and taking time to weed out anything that isn't important to your family can't do anything but help. 

My point is......I love nap time with my babies.

Day 93: PRESCHOOL!!!

8.21.2012

Did I mention preschool??? Preschool is finally back in session. It was so nice to take him since he is excited to go back. And we need a little time apart, you know, to appreciate each other again. He is one of only 3 kids from his last class that didn't go onto Kindergarten. He told me and his teachers he was going to be the leader this year because he knew what was going on. :)  When we got there he put his stuff away and went right in to hold the towels and help the teacher get everyone's hands washed. It amazed me that he really was being a leader!

Based on this photo you wouldn't think he was too excited. It was just way too bright and he can't function outside without his sunglasses. He was trying so hard for me to smile and open his eyes at the same time. LOL   Like father, like son....  You should have seen Carl when we got our engagement photos done in the snowy bright mountains!

And as for Max? He's found everything in the office. With Carson I gated it all off since there are no doors and I now know why. At first this was cute......not so cute anymore.

Day 92: Night Light

8.20.2012

At bed time a lot of the fun comes from playing with Carson's turtle night light. Max loves it and Carson loves that Max loves it. I told Carson to turn off the lights and it made for some difficult, but neat photos.

Day 91: Messy messy

8.19.2012

We met friends for breakfast on Sunday and I forgot to take Max a bib. He was obsessed with watermelon and ended up totally wearing it. After going home for more play, I just never changed him. The poor kid went around in public like this all day.  #badmommymoments

The after:

The during:


And his new thing is climbing. He's giving me heart attacks constantly! The newest one is climing up on the ledge inside the bathtub. That's above the water and super slippery. Grrrrrrrrrr!  But check out those buns. :)