A really rotten, truly terrible day

Yesterday was a rough one, friends. I will tell you all about it and shamelessly ask for your sympathy, because I love attention of any sort.

It started out nicely enough. Dropped the kids at Mom's Morning Out at church, had a cup of tea with an awesome friend.  We discussed a lot of things, including haluicination-inducing tea and how happy I have been that my kids have been relatively healthy this year (so far).

I had a follow up appointment with a doctor for a surgery I had two weeks ago..and then headed back to pick up the chuckle-heads.

They had not had a good day at "school".  A had two time outs, and B had three.  Not cool. My boys know better than this, but are going through a stage where they think it is hilarious to misbehave.  And they totally encourage and feed off each other. Little terds.
But more concerning was C. She had fallen off a slide on the playground and taken the brunt with her hand.  I didn't see any swelling, but mommy alarms went off anyway. I know my baby girl. She is tough. She has to be with two slightly older brothers. And she is independant. So when she did not want to climb in the truck, then her carseat by herself, I knew she was hurting. And when she didn't want to buckle her own seatbelt and whimpered when I moved her arm to adjust the strap, I called our pediatrician.  I love our pediatrician. And her entire staff. There is nothing more reassuring and important as a mom as having a pediatrician you really trust. Especially if you can call her on her cell phone! I have called on Saturday mornings, at 2 am in the middle of the week, and, just like this time , when the office is closed for lunch and I can't wait an hour for it to open. Hmmm, she very well might change her number one day and not tell me.

I took the  twin terds ( they earned that name for the entire day yesterday with their behavior at school) to a friend's house so I could actually focus on C while at the doctor. Have you ever taken three preschoolers to the doctor?  I hope you haven't, and hope you never have to. It is madness. anyway

As I was sitting in the parking lot of the peds office, I noticed a stinging feeling in my abdomen. I looked down to see that while hoisting my kids around, I had somehow torn off some of the derma-glue over my surgical sight and the incision is beginning to SPLIT OPEN. Nothing too horrifying, no organs protruding, but definite splittage. Shit!  And C's appointment is in 13 minutes as soon as the peds office reopens from lunch. double shit!
Thankfully, my general practitioner's office is in the same center. I ran in with C, explained the situation, and was back out with brand new steri-strips and a giant bandage in 12 minutes. Tell me that is not an awesome doctor!

Then we went over to the pediatrician's office, where she was promptly cooed over and examined.

From the pediatrician's office to the children's hospital for x-rays.On the way,  I picked up the twins, hence rescuing my friend, and met my husband half way to the hospital to relegate him custody of the boys so he could take them home.


She wimpered only a little during the x-rays. Both tiny bones in her tiny arm are broken just above the wrist. My poor, poor little monkey. But she was so strong. Stronger than her mommy, that's for sure. She answered questions for the doctors and sat still and brave while they put a temporary cast from her fingers to her shoulder. The entire time my mind was whirring....how uncomfortable will she be? How will this affect her development?( she is right handed and has broken her right arm.)  How will she run, play and enjoy her life the next few weeks or months?  What the hell am I going to dress this child in that will fit over a cast? As previously reported, she has a lot of lovely clothes, but not many with the ability to morph and expand over a cast 4 times the size of her baby arm. I know I am not the first mom to have a baby with a broken arm, but it was still heart wrenching and pitiful.

But there are bright spots of yesterday. It was reaffirmed that we have excellent doctors seeing to the well-being of our family.  I am blessed to have friends and a husband that are so helpful and present while I am having a mini crisis. And most importantly, I got some one on one time with my daughter.

One on one time is very limited when you have three little children. As a whole, they entertain and frustrate me daily, but I don't often get to really admire them as individuals. Sure, I appreciate them for their different personalities and strengths and talents, but it is rare that I am alone with one for any extended period of time.

What I got to experience yesterday is that my daughter is truly delightful, even with a broken arm.  She charmed the doctors and nurses. She counted and recited her ABC's in the hospital room. She made me laugh even though I wanted to cry for her. She is an awesome little individual.

As we left the hospital, she sang loudly as we walked down the halls. She bopped her head with her arm resting in a sling at her side and sang nonsense words when she was unsure of the real ones and smiled at people who marvelled at her cuteness.  One gentleman said "that is the happiest kid with a broken arm I have ever seen."  And I laughed, because she probably was.
She was also her brothers' hero when we arrived home. She had a cast, a sling and the highly coveted hospital bracelet.  And the twins lost their terd status because they helped her carry her juice, her snack, her toys etc since she is temporarily one handed. They are pretty awesome little individuals, too.