The Last Days of July

I can't believe July is over, and the first day of school is just weeks away! The pandemic might have put an end to all our usual fun Summer activities, but time isn't slowing down one bit. After 4 months of social distancing, we managed to cram some fun into the end of July!

During the last ten days of July, we spent a lot of time outdoors, celebrated a birthday, reinstated family hikes, and jumped back into a busy cheer schedule. With the exception of wearing a mask in public, life started to feel a bit more normal. It is such a welcome feeling!

July was a fun month! (It was definitely more exciting than the previous three months combined!) I shared the first half here, and here's how we spent the remainder of the month...

The Story in which Lily Cuts Off Her Fingertip

There's not enough time these days. Not enough time to write, not enough time to read, not enough time to exercise, not enough time to clean, not enough time for ANYTHING... An entire season passes by in a blur, and I'm left whirling from constant busyness. Before I know it, months have gone by, and I haven't had the chance to blog about an event or story, so I just give up. But I don't want all those stories to just go by unwritten. That's why I started this blog in the first place - to chronicle life with my family! 

I decided I'm going to play a little bit of catch-up. One story each week until I'm caught up. Today, I'm taking it back to July 12th, when Lily had an unfortunate accident. Thankfully, we can laugh about it now!

Most kids are naturally accident-prone. And when you have four of them, those accidents just seem to happen ALL the time! This doesn't bode well for a mom who gets queasy and light-headed at the mere sight of blood!

This story begins on a hot, sunny Summer day. As you know from reading this blog, the kids and I work on a lot of crafts and activities together. On this particular day, we decided to go outside to work on a project. All four kids gathered up the supplies, sat together on a big picnic blanket, and got to work. I sat with them to supervise. Everybody was getting along and working together.

As every parent knows, everything can change in literally an instant. That instant happened when Liam stood up suddenly, lost his balance, and fell directly onto Lily, despite my efforts to steady him...and Lily just happened to be cutting with scissors at the time.  I'm sure you can imagine what happened next.

All I remember is the unified, blood-curdling screams from three kids, blood spurting everywhere, and cars slowing down to see what was wrong. I immediately went into emergency mom mode, and was able to solely focus on fixing the situation.

I raced inside with Liam so he stayed safe, and grabbed a few towels. I raced back outside and wrapped a towel around Lily's hand, trying my hardest to avoid looking at the large amount of blood that surrounded her. Everybody was still screaming, and the only time I almost lost it was when I spotted the unusually large chunk of skin on the blanket.

In a matter of just a few minutes, Lily was strapped into her car seat with Lexie at her side, and we quickly made the drive to our local hospital. Thankfully, I had rush hour traffic to keep my mind off the blood and the current state of Lily's finger. Grant, unfortunately, was still at his office, which was 45 minutes away, but my parents were on their way to my house to stay with the boys.

By the time we arrived at the emergency room, Lexie had managed to calm Lily down. The staff got us back to a room quickly, and the nurses assessed the damage. Thankfully, Lily had just "amputated her fingertip and part of her fingernail" without causing much damage. And to our astonishment, we learned that fingertips grow back!

The worst part of the ordeal was when they had to clean the wound. Lily started crying again, and I finally got a glimpse of her injured finger. I did NOT take a picture of that, but let me just say that it looked like a finger with a big chunk missing out of it. Instead of a rounded fingertip, it was flat and noticeably shorter than the rest, and the towel was soaked with Lily's blood. The adrenaline that had kept me going came to a crashing halt, and I had to fight against the nausea and dizziness that threatened to make me faint.

To add to the gross factor, Dylan texted me a picture of Lily's fingertip in a sandwich bag, and asked if the hospital needed to sew it back on. (They did not.) Some things can never be unseen. Trust me. I told him to toss it into the garbage, but I did save the photo for some odd reason. I mean, who actually cuts off their fingertip with a pair of scissors?!?

With the worst part finally over, the doctor came in to take a look. He did confirm that no stitching would be needed, and the fingertip would grow back. The only concern was possible infection and probable nerve damage which would just cause certain areas of her fingertips to feel numb. He wrapped up her finger and put a splint on it to keep it protected, and sent us on our way home with instructions on how to care for a fingertip amputation. (Yes, that is exactly what the medical term for her injury was!)

Lily's finger healed really well and surprisingly quick. The pain went away after a few days, and within a few weeks the fingertip really had grown back! Three months later, only a tiny scar remains. Although she doesn't have much feeling in that fingertip, it doesn't even look like anything ever happened to it!

Lily declared she would never use another pair of scissors as long as she lives, but of course, was back to crafting with scissors the following day. And when she returned to school and was asked what she did over the Summer, she told everyone that she cut off her fingertip! I guess it really is a memorable story! (A story I hope I never have to relive again.)

Expect the Unexpected: First Broken Bone

When I wrote this post last week, while feeling completely overwhelmed, I had no idea that life was going to get more difficult. I quickly learned to expect the unexpected while raising my kids, but I'm always stunned when the unexpected hits. 

In our 12 years of parenthood, we never had to deal with one of our kids breaking a bone. There have been plenty of ER visits thanks to our boys, Lily's knocked out tooth and Lexie's allergic reaction on Christmas, but no breaks. The complete irony is that I had just mentioned how thankful I was that none of our kids had ever broken a bone. I guess it was just time for us to add THAT to our already long list of parenthood experiences!

We just never expected Lexie to be the first of our kids to break a bone. Skateboarder/Basketball Player Dylan topped the list, with fearless and adventurous Liam coming in at a close second. But our careful, cautious, responsible daughter? No way!

On Thursday evening, we headed to Lexie's school for Open House. Lexie is one of those kids who loves school, and she was so excited about showing us around her school during Open House. She eagerly led us down the hall to her classroom, stopping several times along the way to show us some of her projects and artwork hanging in the hallway. She was beaming by the time we went into her classroom.

Lexie was so excited to show us her desk, her cubby and some projects that she finished. We said goodbye to her teacher and headed downstairs to see the art project she loved the most. We took a detour into the gym before we headed toward the art room.

I sat Liam down so he could run through the gym. When I looked up, Dylan bumped into Lexie and Lexie stumbled, fell to one knee and put one hand on the ground to stop from falling completely. When she stood up, she looked really embarrassed, but there was something more in her expression. She was awkwardly holding her wrist and fighting back tears.

I immediately called Grant over to check it out. We thought she maybe just sprained it, but we weren't certain. We decided to head upstairs to see if the nurse was in her office. Lexie's art project was on our way, so we stopped to look at it, but we could tell her excitement about the night was ruined, and we felt absolutely awful. Lexie NEVER gets injured, and it hurt to see something she was so excited about get ruined.

We decided to take her to the ER. Grant and the boys went to get the car while we went to the nurse's office to get ice. Unfortunately, nobody was there. Lexie started to get dizzy and look very pale, so I made her sit down for a few minutes. She said her ears were ringing, so I knew shock was kicking in and she was close to fainting. We went to wait in the lobby, and ran into Dylan's basketball coach. She took one look and agreed we should take her to the ER.

Thankfully, we have a great ER just minutes away. Lexie started to cry in the car and tell us how much it hurt, so I gave her an Aleve. Although the drive was quick, she just kept saying she wanted a doctor to help her, so it felt like it took forever. Grant dropped us off and left to drop our other kids off with my dad. 

We didn't have to wait long before she was taken to an exam room. They gave her some ice, and Lexie cheered up quickly, and was back to her usual happy self. The doctor came in to check her and they took her for x-rays immediately after.

As the x-ray tech walked us back to the exam room, she asked if they had given her something for the pain. I said I had given her an Aleve and she said she was going to need something stronger. I asked her if she saw something on the x-ray, and she replied, "I really can't say, but yes." She told me that she was so impressed with how calm and happy Lexie was, because most adults can't handle an injury like hers. At that point, I knew it was going to be a long night.

Grant was waiting in the room when we got back and the doctor came in a few minutes later. He handed us Lexie's x-ray and pointed out the severity of her injury.

Not only had she broken her wrist, but the bone was completely off to the side. As if that wasn't already enough, she also had a buckle fracture. This all happened from her simply putting her hand down to brace herself from falling. It was unbelievable.

The ER doctor said that she was going to need to have her wrist set under sedation, but mentioned that she might need surgery based on the severity of her injury. He put on a temporary cast, then we were transferred to Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. We stopped by our house to grab a few necessities, like Blankie and BunBun, then made the short drive into the city.

We got to the second ER, which was overflowing with people, and we waited. And waited. And waited. (Side note? WHY do people use the ER as a doctor's office?)  It was a hectic night in the ER and the hospital didn't have any rooms available, so the kids who had just been admitted were spending the night in the ER exam rooms. We finally got called back 2 1/2 hours after we arrived. It was nearly midnight. Surprisingly, Lexie stayed happy and calm the entire time, despite us not being allowed to give her anything else for pain.

Once we were in the exam room, things got moving very quickly. The doctor came in almost immediately to examine Lexie. She left to take a look at the x-ray, then returned to tell us what was going to happen. The orthopedic doctor would be coming down ASAP and trying to set her wrist under complete sedation. If that failed, they would have to take her to the OR.

While we waited, the nurse put on a movie, then gave her some pain medication. Another nurse came in to place the IV, which took two tries, and put monitors on Lexie to prepare for the procedure. Shortly after 1 AM, the orthopedic doctor came in to tell us that Lexie's injury was very unusual and would be very difficult to manipulate back into place. She said she was going to do her best, but if she was unable to, Lexie would need surgery as soon as possible.

At 1:30 AM, they gave her the medication to put her under. That was the worst part for me. Lexie was handling the entire ordeal like a champ, but to watch her get put under was completely unnerving. It was so tough to see her like that, but the alternative for her would be incredibly painful. 

Grant and I had to leave the room for the procedure, but Blankie and BunBun were allowed to stay with her. The wait felt like it took forever. I tried to read, then browse through my Facebook feed, but it didn't help. I just kept praying that everything would be okay.

Just after 2 AM, we were called back into the room. Lexie was waking up, but very groggy. The orthopedic doctor was able to set her wrist, but Lexie needed a cast much bigger than expected to stabilize her wrist. We were told that it was definitely a great sign, but surgery wasn't completely out of the question. It wouldn't be imminent, though.

We had to stay in the ER until Lexie woke up completely and was monitored for an hour, ate a popsicle and kept it down, and got another set of x-rays. By the time we were allowed to take her home, it was almost 4 AM. All three of us were starving since we hadn't eaten since noon, and completely exhausted.

It was a long night in two different emergency rooms, but Lexie blew us away with her maturity, calmness, and poise while dealing with such a painful injury. Even the entire ER staff kept saying it was unbelievable just how well she was handling it. That kid is amazing, and so much stronger than her wimpy mama! She was even smiling and waving goodbye to everyone as she left the hospital in her big cast and a hospital gown.

We ended up stopping at a convenience store to pick up some prepared food, so we could go home and eat. As soon as we pulled into the garage, Lexie got out of the car and threw up all over the floor. No food was in her future, but Grant and I sure enjoyed that convenience store food!

By the time we finished our food, it was already nearly 6 AM. Dylan, Lily and Liam were at my parent's house, so we decided that Grant was going to stay home from work and we were going to let all of the kids stay home from school. Lexie crawled into bed with us and we fell asleep quickly. The next thing I knew, it was noon!

Lexie slept until after 2 PM that day. When she woke up, she was still groggy and nauseous, and complaining of some pain, but she was in a good mood.

Lexie adapted well to having her cast over the weekend, but she is bummed about how much she can't do right now. No riding her bike, no jumping on the trampoline, no riding her scooter and no swinging. Going outside isn't the least bit fun. It's such a bummer that it happened at the beginning of Spring, but her cast will be coming off just before Summer break. She's mostly upset over the fact that she can't participate in hip hop until the cast comes off. I feel so bad for her!

Right now, we don't have too many answers just yet. Lexie has an orthopedic appointment on Tuesday afternoon, and we should know more then. Specifically, if they think she will need surgery and how long she will need to have the cast. We're praying that her wrist is healing well and that no surgery will be needed. And obviously, 6 weeks in a cast will be much better than 12!

To those of you who sent so many thoughts and prayers on Instagram and Facebook, THANK YOU. We read each and every one, and we were so thankful for all the love for Lexie. She's doing great right now and I will update when we know more!

Lexie was so excited about Open House this year. Although it didn't turn out anything like how we expected, I have no doubt she will always remember her 4th Grade Open House!

The Saga Continues...

I've been MIA all week long.  It was quite a week to say the least!

My last post was about Liam falling on Saturday, going to Urgent Care on Sunday, and getting sent to the Children's Hospital ER in Pittsburgh. The doctors didn't think his nose was broken, but we were supposed to wait and see...

Well, things took a turn for the worse.

On Monday morning, Liam woke up fussy, which is very unusual for him.  While I nursed him, I noticed he felt very warm.  Sure enough, he had a fever.  I gave him some medicine to bring it down, but he seemed to be "off" all day.  The only thing that made him happy was sitting outside in the sun.

At that point, the swelling from his injury spread above and below his high.  Or so I thought.



Within a few short hours, the redness had spread and his fever was above 105.



I knew something was wrong, and figured he had some sort of infection from his injury.  As soon as my sister picked my nephew up, Liam and I headed to our local ER, which is less than 10 minutes away.  We were taken back quickly, and a doctor was in the room before the nurses even finished taking his stats.

It only took a few seconds before he said he was fairly certain Liam had Cellulitis.

In Liam's situation, it wasn't just a mild case.  It was spreading rapidly, and it was on his face.  There weren't any visible cuts near the area, so the doctor was mystified. The best guess is that when the doctors in the ER were examining Liam's injured nose on Sunday with a scope, which caused his nose to bleed, bacteria entered the cut inside his nose and entered his bloodstream.  It resulted in a very serious case of Cellulitis, and the doctors were very concerned, because it was over his left eyelid.  If the infection got into his optic nerve, it could go into his brain, and the results would be absolutely devastating.

They immediately put in an IV, gave him medication to bring down the fever, ran some blood work, did and xray, and started him on IV antibiotics.



Grant was at home with our kids, but I was very surprised when my dear friend, Steph, walked into the room.  It made the long wait a little less scary!  Grant eventually showed up once his mom came over to watch the kids, and it was a good thing, because we found out we were going to be transferred to Children's Hospital.

Once the medication kicked in, Liam had a few smiles to share with us.  It was temporary. It only brought his temp down to 102,  and the infection just kept spreading.



Once we heard they called for an ambulance, Steph followed Grant home so he could drop off his car, and she brought him back to the hospital.  She stayed with us until after 3 AM, even though she had to wake up at 6.  We were so thankful for her help and support!  She left just as the paramedics arrived.

I rode in the ambulance with Liam, and Grant followed behind in my car.  It's a short drive to the city, and Liam slept through it.  It was my second ambulance ride EVER, both times were with him, and both instances happened within a 3 1/2 month span!



We arrived at the Children's Hospital ER around 4:30ish (honestly, I lost track of time!), and the doctors agreed it was Cellulitis.  They administered more medication, and he ended up getting a CT scan around 6 or 7 AM to check for any fractures in the nose or abscesses under the skin.  Thankfully, he slept through that, too!

They decided he needed to be admitted, and we had to wait for a room.  We were exhausted and starving, so we helped ourselves to the snack pantry, and ended up having Cheetos and chocolate milk for breakfast.  Trust me, it's even more repulsive than it sounds. We didn't go upstairs to a room until after 8:30, and by that point, we had been awake for 26 hours.  Liam had been sleeping since just before his CT scan, so Grant and I tried to sleep.  Within 5 minutes, another doctor came into the room.

Basically, they decided to treat him with strong IV antibiotics every 6 hours, and watch his eye very carefully.  We were told that we couldn't leave until the redness and swelling decreased.  Right after the doctor left, the nurses started another round of antibiotics. 

Grant and I were beyond stressed.  We had a REALLY sick little boy, and the location of the Cellulitis was very unusual and worrisome.



After the IV treatment was done, we managed to sleep for about 2 hours before Liam finally woke up. Grant ran downstairs to pick up some pastries a sweet friend had dropped off for us in the lobby, and to get some caffeinated drinks for us.  I tried to feed Liam, but he wasn't very interested.  His fever spiked again, so they gave him more medication, and he slept some more.



It was a really long day filled with IV antibiotic treatments and visits from doctors and nurses.  During all that, he got moved to another room, and we tried to keep him on a normal routine.



Later that evening my sister, Kelly, came to visit.  Shortly after she arrived, our close friends, Gary and Tracy, came by with dinner, snacks, tons of drinks, and toys for Liam.  They were so sweet and so generous, and it was very much appreciated!

After everyone left, the exhaustion and the impact of the situation hit us.  Luckily, Liam's fever had finally broken, and he blessed us with a smile.



The Cellulitis, unfortunately, continued to spread.  The doctor said he would get two more rounds of antibiotics, and if it hadn't improved by morning, we would have to change the treatment method.  Liam was so feeling much better now that his fever was gone, and decided to stay awake until his midnight IV treatment.



We all fell asleep after the nurses unhooked him from the IV stand.  We got a little bit of sleep before his 6 AM treatment.  He was still asleep, but his face didn't look as bad as it did just 6 hours before.

Sure enough, when he woke up, he was back to his joyful self!  His face was still red, but it was definitely improving! He had some breakfast, explored the room, and played with some toys.



When the doctor finally came into the room, she agreed that it definitely looked like he was improving.  She said she would happily keep him in the hospital and continue IV treatments until the Cellulitis was completely gone, or she would allow us to take him home as long as we picked up his antibiotic and medication from the hospital pharmacy before leaving and were absolutely certain his pediatrician would be able to see him the following day.  She told us that he wasn't out of the worry zone yet and explained what symptoms would warrant an immediate trip back to the hospital, but she was confident he would continue to improve.

We decided that it would be best to take him home and let everything go back to normal.  He would definitely get more rest at home!   When the nurse came in with all the discharge papers and instructions, she was shocked that we were going home.  She said he was the sickest kid on the floor and they all expected him to stay the week, but he ended up being the first child to receive his discharge papers. She said the doctor obviously trusted our judgement. We were all thrilled about how quickly he improved!



It took a few hours, but we were finally able to leave!.  It was SO nice to go home, take a quick nap, and to finally be reunited with our other kids!



Liam looked so much better yesterday! He got a great night's sleep and woke up so happy.   His pediatrician said he made drastic improvement based on the timeline photos, and that we absolutely did the right thing by taking him to the closest ER.  Liam is expected to make a full recovery, with no complications!



We are beyond thankful for all the love, support, good thoughts, and prayers!



Thank God our beautiful boy is back to his healthy, joyful self!

ER Take Three

We're only 4 full months into 2015, and we just had our third ER visit this year. Just for the record, we did go almost 3 weeks between visits. Apparently, Liam thought we were due for another visit!

Unfortunately, I was partially to blame for this visit, and I feel AWFUL.

On Saturday evening, I was sitting on the couch, and Liam was on my lap. I had my hands around Liam's waist. I had to go make dinner, so I leaned forward to sit Liam on the floor, and he threw himself forward.  I didn't have a tight grip around his waist, and was unable to catch him before his face slammed into our hardwood floor. 

He immediately began screaming, and when I picked him up, blood began spurting out of both nostrils and out of his mouth.  We ran to the bathroom, stopped the bleeding, and assessed the damage.  In less than 5 minutes, Liam was sitting up, smiling. His nose looked a bit puffy, but he was acting completely normal.

Even though he was back to his happy self, I felt horrible. 

Shortly after putting him to bed, I noticed his breathing sounded noisy.  He still had a cold, but this was a bit different.  When he woke up, his nose was so swollen.  It was at least twice its normal size, and the swelling was starting to cover the corner of his left eye. His appearance was altered, and his profile was almost unrecognizable. 

We ended up stopping at the Urgent Care, which is only 5 minutes away, for a quick check. 



The attending doctor was concerned because he had so much swelling, and bruising was beginning to appear around his eye.  He didn't have the proper tools at the Urgent Care for a pediatric xray of the face, so he sent us to the Children's Hospital ER in Pittsburgh. 

Grant stayed home with the older kids, because there was homework and projects that needed to be done, so my dad rode into Pittsburgh with me.  When I got there, I assumed we were in for a LONG wait, because the waiting room was packed. 

Liam was the only injured child there.  Everyone else there was for fevers (I'm sorry, that annoys me! Save it for a pediatrician and make space in the ER for emergencies and injuries!).  Because of that, he ended up getting bumped up to the first on the list, and we were called back within a few minutes.

A doctor came in quickly.  After a very painful exam of his nose, which involved lots of screams, more blood poured out of his nose.  Another doctor came in a few minutes later to do a second exam.  Thankfully, they couldn't feel any breaks in his nose.  Because of his happy demeanor and ability to breathe through his nose, they felt that it was unnecessary to sedate him and expose him to radiation for a scan.  They decided that the wait and see approach was the best choice for him.

The staff was wonderful, and we were in and out of the ER in one hour!

Now, only time will tell.  He obviously has significant swelling and bruising, and is having some difficulty breathing due to the swelling.  We have to wait 5-7 days for the swelling to go down.  If his nose still looks different or if he's still having trouble breathing, we have to make an appointment with his ENT, and they will proceed from there.  I'm praying it heals quickly, and no further treatment is needed!

On top of all that, the poor little dude has an Upper Respiratory Infection!  He got sick earlier in the week; most likely from all the visits to the doctor for Dylan's leg. He ended up passing his germs to me. I was sick with a fever, sore throat, and body aches all weekend, so I now know just how awful he felt earlier this week.  He made it almost a year with only one respiratory infection, and is now dealing with all this at once. Fortunately, he's tough!



I still feel awful.  I know it was an accident, but his poor little nose!  It's almost unrecognizable, especially from the side, and the swelling and bruising just keep getting worse.  Tonight, it looks even worse than it did in the ER.  It's a normal progression, but I sure hope it heals quickly!



It looks awful, but no big deal!  He's still smiling!



It was a long day for my sweet boy.  Hopefully tomorrow is a MUCH better day!



I think-HOPE- we reached our ER visit quota for the year!

PSA: Don't Climb Trees

As a mom, nothing fills your heart with dread like the sounds of panicked screams coming from your child.

Thankfully, I only had to experience that a few times in the past, but I can now add another notch on my kid-in-the-ER belt.

It was a typical, completely crazy Tuesday.  Tuesdays are always overbooked for me.  I put the kids on the bus, completely cleaned my house, had Liam's Physical Therapy session in my home, gulped down a quick breakfast, and had Liam's Speech Therapy Session and 6 month Early Intervention Review.  As soon as Liam's ST left, we got in the car and rushed to the library for Lily's Storytime Session.  I made it home just in time to remember I needed to file our local taxes (I always forget these ones!), and by the time I finished, it was time for Dylan and Lexie to return home.

We rushed through homework and dinner, then Grant's friend and his son, and Grant's brother and his family came over to watch the baseball game. All the kids ran outside to play. I put on my pjs and I was so relieved that I was finally able to sit down and relax for the first time all day.  It wasn't long before I heard that panicked scream. "MOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!" 

My heart dropped, and I knew going to the ER was in our immediate future. I could just tell by the tone of their voices. I took off running, and met Dylan as he stumbled into the house.  He just kept screaming my name.  I could see blood running down his shin.

I can't quite remember the next few seconds, but one of the boys or Lexie said they were climbing trees, and Dylan fell out of the tree. One of them said his leg was really, really bad.  I only caught a glimpse as he moved his hand, but it did look bad. There was basically a hole in his leg. Grant came racing into the room, took one look at it and said we had to go now.

As I quickly changed into clothes and grabbed my purse, Grant mentioned that he thought he could see bone.  We left Lexie, Lily, and Liam behind, and Grant carried Dylan to the SUV. After a ridiculous wrestling match with a car seat in our driveway,  which included Grant and I frantically yelling at each other (I'm sure it was quite a scene for our neighbors and people at the stop sign who didn't realize what was happening), we headed to the closest hospital, which, thankfully, is only 10 minutes away.

Up until that point, Dylan was screaming bloody murder, which is not like him at all.  He's tough, and he hides his pain.  I finally calmed him down by asking him tons of questions about his day.  Thinking about it and explaining things to me kept him from hyperventilating.  Once we reached the ER, he was completely calm. 

We waited for about 10 minutes, and as soon as the nurse saw his leg, she said he would need stitches.  The doctor came in, and did a thorough exam since he fell quite a distance.  The nurse cleaned his leg, then Dylan had some X-Rays done.



While we waited for the results, another nurse brought in a big, remote control car for Dylan to take home.  He was so excited, and it took his mind off the upcoming stitches!

Dylan got staples in his head when he was a toddler, and got stitches in his forehead when he was 5, so he was a pro!  The worst part was the numbing process.  He was in so much pain, and it hurt me knowing that I couldn't take his pain away.  He didn't cry, but he gripped Grant's hand, and his face was frozen in a silent scream.  I swear, I held my breath until I saw his face relax.

Once his leg was numb, the doctor got to work.  Dylan was back to his normal, chatty self, and had a great time talking to the doctor.  Blood makes me light-headed, so I kept my face turned the entire time.  I saw his leg for a brief second while the doctor was cleaning the wound, and that was enough.  Think melon baller to the leg with lots of fatty tissue hanging out.  Absolutely disgusting, and it hurt just looking at it!

Dylan was amazing during the entire stitching process, and the doctor even thanked him repeatedly for making his job so easy.  He was the same way when he was 5.  That kid amazes me with his bravery!



Thankfully, his leg wasn't broken or fractured!  Dylan was still in a lot of pain, and having trouble walking, so the doctor suspected he sprained his knee when he landed. After fitting him with a knee immobilizer, and crutches, we were finally able to leave!



After three very long and worrisome hours in the ER, we arrived home.  Dylan has to see his pediatrician in 1-2 days, see an orthopedic specialist in 3-5 days, and have his stitches removed in 10 days.  No gym is allowed for 2+ weeks, and he can't go to school tomorrow.  He is in the middle of taking PSSA's, but doctor's orders!

Dylan is still in a lot of pain, but he's hiding it well. I'm praying he heals very quickly!

The doctor in the ER told him he's lucky he got away with only these injuries, and he's right. It could have been so much worse.  He fell at least 6-8 feet. We're so thankful he's okay!

Moral of the story?  No more climbing trees!!!

Overnight ER Visit and Week 46 {365 Project} In Review

Last night was a first for us.  Our first middle-of-the-night sick visit to the ER with one of our kids.  Dylan has been in the ER before, but it was to get his forehead stitched up.

Our kids were blessed with good immune systems.  They don't get sick often, but when they do, it's a big deal! They usually manage to keep from catching everything that's going around, but we've hit a rough patch. Most recently, it was Lexie's week-long fever/virus.  Soon after, Lily ended up with a runny nose. Dylan was the last to get it, and it came on fast.

On Friday night, at bedtime, he complained that his throat hurt.  When he woke up Saturday morning, he had a mild cough that sounded like Croup, but he was running through the house within minutes.  He acted completely normal all day, so we went to our friends' house, as planned.  After a few hours of playing, he started to act grumpy and tired, and he quickly fell asleep.  Just before we left, he woke up with a horrible, croup-like cough.  He was crying and having a hard time catching his breath.  We returned home, but it quickly became evident that he needed help.

After watching his father die last month, struggling to breathe, Grant was beyond worried.  Dylan was acting sicker than he has ever been. He couldn't stop coughing, his lips were slightly blue, and he couldn't catch his breath. 

Just before 1 AM, I took him to our local ER.  Luckily, we were the only ones there.  The nurse heard him cough once, and promptly called to have him set up with a breathing treatment.   The X-Rays and strep test ruled out pneumonia and strep, which left him with croup.  The doctor gave him a strong dose of some medication, and said he would be feeling better within 24 hours.  We stayed for a few hours, so he could get breathing treatments. He was finally released around 4 AM. 



True to form, Dylan recovered at lightning speed.  He woke up late this morning, and only coughed a few times. He has improved so much since last night. He is almost completely better!

WEEK 46

NOVEMBER 11th

We spent the morning/afternoon at home. I finished a lot of projects that needed done around the house.  After dinner, we went to my sister's house to celebrate my nephew's birthday. Afterward, Dylan went home with my dad for a sleepover. That evening, Grant and I got caught up on past episodes of the shows we watch.



NOVEMBER 12th

The kids were off school for Veterans Day, so we stayed home ALL DAY!  It was gorgeous outside, so we spent some time outdoors before the storm/cold front came in.  It was a much needed relaxing day at home!



NOVEMBER 13th

The big kids went back to school.  That afternoon, I went to Dylan's school for parent visitation day.  His class was celebrating his birthday early, so I got a chance to play a birthday dodgeball game with him and his class.  It was a lot of fun watching what he does at school!  That evening, I hosted a Pinypon Party.  After the party, we went to our friends' house for dinner. 



NOVEMBER 14th

Grant drove the kids to school. After picking Lexie up, we came home for a quick lunch, then I took her to gymnastics.  The rest of the evening was spent at home.




NOVEMBER 15th

It was a typical Thursday.  That evening was Moms Night Out!  I met my friends at Red Robin for a great dinner, and then a few other friends and I went to see the 10 PM showing of Breaking Dawn 2!  It was a fantastic night with wonderful friends!  I was up really late and didn't get much sleep, but it was definitely worth it!




NOVEMBER 16th

After I drove the kids to school, we went Christmas shopping to pick up a few presents.  We picked Lexie up from school, then spent the afternoon/evening visiting my parents.  We got home around 9, and I did a lot of cleaning before finally getting a chance to relax.



NOVEMBER 17th

We spent the morning/early afternoon at home.  Later that afternoon, the kids and I spent some time with my mom.  We returned home, ate dinner, then went to my best friend's house for the evening.  We had a great time!  The kids played, then fell asleep early.  We ended up staying past midnight since they were sleeping. Dylan woke up as we were leaving and looked and sounded horrible, which led to the ER visit overnight.