Anna's Broken Arm 2.0

*Sigh*  Where to even begin with this post.  So many "coulda shoulda wouldas" are running through my head right now, but they don't change one single fact.  Anna broke her arm.....again.  It was on a Thursday in August....again.  It was right after a weekend with G & V.....again.  And two days after the first arm breakage Rob fell down the stairs.  He's not allowed off the couch tomorrow.

Anyway, the kids and I decided to head to the park yesterday instead of the pool as usual.  Riverfest (a local carnival thingy) is going on this weekend, making it near-impossible to find parking near the pool.  So I thought the park would make a much better outing for us.  We picked up some gfree cookies at the gfree store and headed over.  They ate some snack, drank some water, and headed to the playground.  I watched them for a bit, them remembered I had a magazine with me.  Three page flips in I heard a horrifying scream--several in fact--and looked up to see Anna flat on her back.  She had been sitting on one of the raised stepping stones and was scooting over a bit for Ben when she fell.  I raced over to her and she just would not stop screaming.  That was my first clue that something was seriously wrong.  My second clue was her elbow itself.  It looked completely wrong with part of the bone pushing in the wrong direction.  I tried having her sit on the bench for a bit, but she was inconsolable.  She kept crying that she wanted to leave.  We headed home so I could clean off the dirt and look at her elbow a little better.  She just wouldn't stop crying and her elbow looked so odd that I knew we needed to head to the ER.

My poor baby didn't want to walk into the hospital, but she had too and we got her to a couch (still screaming and crying) while I waited for the receptionist to be free.  I explained what happened....and she sent us over to Urgent Care.  Yes, because I want to walk my screaming, pain-filled child to a different building.  In protest, I left my van in the ER parking spot :)  We walked over to where Urgent Care HAD been when Rob hurt his back only to find that it was now a private doctor's office.  We had overshot.  When we finally made it in the correct place, Anna was terribly distraught.  The nurse took one look at her and got us right back into a room.  They gave us a man's shoe splint thing for Anna's arm (which instantly became her security blanket) and let us check in from our room.  God bless that wonderful nurse!  Anna got settled onto the table and the doctor came to check her arm.  We were sent to xray, another fun and wonderful adventure where Anna found new heights in her voice and decibels I didn't know existed.  The boys had to wait outside of the room and Matt told me later than Ben said "If I hear her scream one more time, I'm going in there!!"  It's nice to know her brothers have her back :)  Anna was just in so much pain that it was a challenge to get the exact angles necessary for the proper xrays.  Eventually another technician was called in to hold her on his lap and raise up her lower body while I held her arm in position.  Those lab techs had the patience of Job!!  Then the male tech took us back to Urgent Care and I thanked him profusely. 

We had a bit of a wait while the orthopedic surgeon studied her xrays.  Poor Anna was overheated and thirsty by this time, so I sent Ben out to see if there was a water cooler in the lobby.  (The boys knew the lobby pretty well by now with their numerous visits to the bathroom).  The nurse caught him in the hallway and came in to tell us that Anna could not have anything to drink because she was probably going into surgery.  Surgery?  Yep, she broke her humerus bone, right above her elbow, and needed to have it set and pins put in to help it heal properly.  The doc scooted in quickly to confirm.  Anna was again crying piteously over this news.  They tried having her suck on a washrag, but it didn't do much good.

Before too long, we were taken into ER (finally!) and she got one of the snazzy prep rooms.  The boys got to see the garage where the ambulances pull in and we even saw one arrive (to pick up a transfer patient, so nothing too exciting or gory).  The ortho and the ER doc met us and got her story (it matched, imagine that!) then gave us the run down on what was going to happen.  Everyone was so mice and friendly and we felt well-informed on every step.

I had been texting family and friends with the news and one friend offered to come take the boys and feed them supper.  That was a HUGE blessing!  They were being good, but it was hard to focus on Anna and keep the boys entertained at the same time.  (We did have a rousing game of I Spy going on in Urgent Care).  My friend also called our pastor, who came and visited with us for a bit.  I wasn't able to get ahold of Rob until five, but I left a text on his phone that read, "Anna broke her arm.  Totally not kidding."  He called to get an update at 5pm and said he would be right there.  He made it to the ER before she was taken up to the pediatric ward.

I am so thankful that they moved us up to pediatric!  She was the only child on the entire floor and got such wonderful care and attention and had a new teddy bear waiting for her.  By this time she already had her IV line in (and she was pretty brave for that one!)  and we just had a waiting game.  Because she had a snack at 2, they couldn't do the surgery until around 8pm.  Rob decided around 7pm to go pick up the boys, take a shower, and grab us some dinner.  (The cafeteria was closed for construction.)  They packed an overnight bag for Anna as well. 

The surgical team came in just before 8pm and talked to me (she had an AWESOME anethesiologist who was so gentle with her) then they gave her the sleepy meds and took her off.  I could have gone with her down to the room, but the nurses said it is usually better to separate in the room.  That was a hard one, but one of the nurses stayed and talked to me for a bit. 

Before Anna left for surgery, she was very scared.  I tried to distract her and find TV shows, but she was just nervous.  So I asked her who would be with her during the entire surgery.  She answered, "Jesus?"  I said yes and that he would be holding her hand the entire time.  I asked her which hand He should hold and she held up the one that wasn't broken.  It was so hard to send my baby girl into surgery, but I knew that Jesus would be right by her side the entire time and it was all in His hands.

Okay, grab a tissue and keep reading.  Rob and the boys arrived about 10 minutes after Anna went down and we showed them the toy room, books, games, and Legos.  They decided to build some Lego decorations for Anna's room and watch some Shark Week.  The nurse popped in to tell us Anna was in recovery, then the surgeon came up to say that her arm went back into place easily!  Praise the Lord!

When she arrived, she was very groggy and barely registered that we were there but super happy that she got some apple juice.  The boys and I kissed her and said our good-byes.  Rob spent the night because there was no way I could have slept in the recliners in her room.  He was up with her off and on, but they both did sleep for several hours.

The boys and I headed back to the hospital after breakfast to find her up and in the toy room.  She had masterfully eaten breakfast left-handed and wanted to play.  We spent the next couple of hours bouncing from one activity to the next and the surgeon arrived around 10am to tell us that Anna could go home!  Hooray!  She tried to get off the bed right away to leave, but we told her it wasn't that simple :)  We dressed her and packed up her stuff, then waited for our discharge papers.  She got to ride out to the van in a wagon and I took her on home.  Ben and I did our best to get her comfortable.  She's had a pretty miserable day at home.  The surgeon told us she would be in more pain than last year's break.  She's on some prescription pain meds which do take off the edge and she has to keep her arm iced and elevated.  We go in on Thursday to see if the swelling has gone down enough to put on a cast. 

And next August, she goes in bubble wrap.

Fourth of July weekend, Part 2: Mt. Olympus

 Every summer, Rob's work pays for a family day.  Our first summer with them it was a catered dinner at an outdoor movie theatre, then the movie (which we did not stay for since we couldn't preview it for the kids).  Last summer it was the Milwaukee Zoo.  THIS summer:  Mt. Olympus in Wisconsin Dells!  For those not familiar with Mt. Olympus, it is an amusement park and a water park, all rolled into one. 

We took off just after 8am, since the park opened at 10am and it would take us 1 1/2 hrs. to get there.  It was a fairly easy drive to Madison on I-94 then up to the Dells on I-90.  We found it with no trouble at all and since the park is on the opposite end of the Dells, the kids got to see all of the attractions in between.  I think we'll have to plan a week-long family trip there in the future.

The company paid for our parking, our wristbands to ride everything, and our lunch.  So thankful for how much they paid for!  We got out and sunscreened our faces, then hit the park just as they opened the gates.  Matt was tall enough to ride the big coasters, so he and I hit Zeus first thing.  He was rather terrified when he got off the ride and I, the roller coaster enthusiast of the family, was laughing maniacally the entire time!  We then found Pegasus, the roller coaster Anna was tall enough to ride.  The kids had been pumping each other up all week looking at the map we got with our wristbands and watching You Tube videos of the ride.  So Ben and Anna got on the roller coaster without a single qualm.  At the end, however, Anna said, "Thank goodness I was strapped in!' and wouldn't go on anything big for the rest of the day!  We had told them ahead of time that we wouldn't make them ride anything they didn't feel comfortable riding, but it was a little like leading lambs to the slaughter on that first coaster, lol!!  Matthew loved it but Ben wasn't too sure. 

Right across from it were three kiddie rides, so they went on those.  And then we tried to hit a go kart track as a family.  Matt was tall enough to ride on his own, but did not feel comfortable doing so.  Rob took each one individually around the track while I put the other two on more kiddie rides and bought a $3 bottle of gatorade.  (No carry ins so parks can charge an arm and a leg for hydration,  Sheesh.)  By the time all three had ridden the go karts, it was time for lunch.  G & V had reserved a special pavilion and we enjoyed burgers, hot dogs, cole slaw, chips, and veggies.  It was a HUGE lunch and almost carried us to supper! 

After eating, Rob took our valuables (camera, keys, etc) back to the van and got our swim gear while I took the kids to meander towards the water park.  We hit the kiddie roller coaster (still too fast for Anna) and an intermediate go kart track that I THOUGHT was the kiddie track.  The boys did just fine, but Anna got scared half-way through and an attendant had to bring her back, crying.  She was crying so hard that a park employee stopped to make sure she was okay and offered her an ice pack.  We explained that while she was tall enough for the ride, she was obviously not OLD enough.  And then I saw the kiddies carts.  Oh well.

We took off for Posiden's Rage, the big wave pool.  Rob found a spot for our stuff (and we lost Ben, then found him with a lifeguard.  Poor kid got mesmerized by the water and wandered that way) while I went to change.  Everyone else was already in their suits.  We greased everyone up and headed for the wave pool.  I had been warned it was powerful, but words really can't prepare you for the seven foot wall of water coming toward you at a powerful speed.  Crazy!  We did okay when the first wave hit because Rob and I were both holding Anna.  But only I had her on the second wave and I went back about five feet, Anna close to 15 feet!  Of course she was crying again, so I found a spot much further back for she and I to sit in.  We had a ball and before too long, she was standing and taking the waves like a pro.  Matt got pretty scraped up but still had a blast.

After awhile, we decided to explore some more.  We found a play area with smaller slides for the kids, so they had fun doing that while we sat on chairs to rest.  The lines for the big water slides were all over an hour long by that point, so we didn't worry about pushing for them.  We hit the indoor waterpark (another play area for Ben and Anna, waterslide for Rob and Matt) and then reapplied sunscreen and went to the "lazy" river, which was rather fast and not at all lazy, lol!!  That was a fun one for all of us and then we found ANOTHER wave pool, but much gentler than the first.  Anna went right up to the rope for that one and all three kids (five, really) had a grand time!

We hit the snack bar (paying $17 for two nachos and two slushies, yikes!) and then Rob and the boys decided to brave a long line for a slide while Anna and I went to another kiddie area.  There were smaller slides there and she had a blast!  The boys came down after the slide declaring it was NOT worth the hour they had waited.  It was almost five o'clock by this time, so we made our way back across the park to the van for supper.  We all changed clothes and walked up the steepest hill I have walked in ages to get back to the van.  I was exhausted by the time we arrived there to eat our supper.  Ugh!!  Why on earth would a park have a hill THAT steep???

We ate our supper and then headed back into the park to ride more rides.  I was really done by that point, so Rob rode the Cyclops coaster with Matt while I took Ben and Anna back to the kiddie rides.  Matt rode another coaster solo while we continued to rest up.  We meandered back to the kiddie go carts and Anna loved them!  The boys road the bumper boats, although they had a super long wait in line, so Anna and I went window shopping while we waited for them.  Then we explored the indoor theme park, which had tea cups (Anna's favorite--lost count on how many times she rode), bumper cars, two other rides, and a big roller coaster.  Matt and I rode the coaster and it was a super fun ride!!  After that we went back up the death walk to leave the park. close to 9pm.  I can't believe my kids lasted 11 hours at a theme park!!

Other than almost hitting a deer on the way home, our ride back was pretty smooth.  The kids got straight into their beds and went right to sleep.  What a great day!!  And I know you may be wondering about me and the fibro:  I prayed that I would only be normal sore, not fibro sore at the end and that I would have a normal day.  God answered my prayers!  I am sore and tired still, but it's not too bad.  Praise the Lord for his goodness, even in going to amusement parks! And none of us were badly burned!!  Double praise for that one!

Fourth of July Weekend, Part 1

Rob had a four day weekend for the 4th of July so we planned some family activities.  And we had an absolute ball!  Overall the kids were well-behaved and were their usual bundles of energy and excitement for each event.

On the 4th we planned to attend Watertown's parade and see the fireworks later.  What we didn't plan for is Anna to be so tired that morning!  She got up when her brothers did, went downstairs, and fell back asleep on the couch.  We managed to rouse her for breakfast, where she sat starting for a few minutes in between each bite of oatmeal with strawberries and blueberries.  Rob made her drink a very small cup of coffee to try to wake her up.  Didn't work--she went right back to the couch!  We tried to figure out alternate plans, which involved just the three guys going to the parade.  Eventually Anna's desire to see the parade won out and we all went.  Rob had not set out chairs the night before (Main St was already full when he got home from work) so we did our best to squeeze our family into the huge crowd.  We sat outside of a bank and the kids found some nice people who let them sit on the curb.  Not ideal because I like to enjoy the parade WITH my kids, but at least we found seats.  The bank gave out free popcorn and freeze pops, so the kids had snacks and drinks (thus thwarting Rob and I's evil plot to NOT bring food and drink thereby hoping to leave the parade early!)  The parade was wonderful, as usual, and we did have kids coming back to see us off and on so it was enjoyable.  But hot, so this fibro mama had to leave after an hour and a half.  We had seen about everything we wanted to see (including one of our babysitters who performed with the dance team) so the kids were not at all disappointed to leave early. 

We got home to our lunch already done (mac 'n cheese in the crockpot) and let the kids run around outside with waterguns.  Rob and I really did not want to hit the pool as it would be extremely busy, so waterguns were a close second :)  We all lazed around in the afternoon and took a brief shopping trip to buy a hat for Matthew.  And other things, because one simply does not go into Walmart without picking up at least 10 more items. 

Supper was biscuits and gravy with strawberry jello salad for dessert (the kind with pretzels, yum!) and then we went outside at dusk to catch fireflies.  Ben is our bravest bug collector, so he caught on real quick.  Matt was great at hunting....but didn't really like to touch them.  Anna would get close, touch it, squeal, and then bounce.  So thankful I got that on video!  We came back in for a snack, then went out to our front yard to enjoy the fireworks.  Two other neighboring towns had their displays slightly before ours and we could see both!  Then when Watertown's display started we moved to the pizza place next door to see better.  It was a pretty good spot, but I think we might do better next year to move down to a park right on the water.  It was Anna's very first fireworks display and she clapped after each one.  We just really enjoyed the togetherness of our little family.  The kids were asleep that night when their heads hit the pillow!

We kept Friday pretty low key since our big day was on Saturday.  The kids had a library party in the morning, so we dropped them off and went grocery shopping.  It's amazing how fast the shopping can get done without little people!  And the kids appreciated it because they HATE grocery shopping.  That evening we did hit the pool for an hour.  Fridays nights are the only time you can take floatation devices into our pool and Rob had never been to a family float night, so we HAD to go.  It was another super fun family time.  Then it was home and bed to prep for Mt. Olympus the next day.  I'll blog about that later after my hands have had a rest :)

We got him good

Recently, I"ve been putting the cute stuff about my kids on Facebook, but this story needs it's own longer post.  Rob has taken to "scaring" Matthew recently, just little things like popping out of a doorway when Matt runs past and stuff like that, but last night we. got. him. good.

I have started something with the kids called "Movie Night with Mom" and last night was Matthew's turn.  I put the other two to bed (and they know they have to go willingly or they don't get their special night), made popcorn, then settled down with Matt to watch the fourth Harry Potter movie.  (Too scary for the younger two and the last one Matt gets to watch until he's older.)

Matt was so funny to watch and fun to talk to, because he has read the first four books, so he was catching all of the differences and enjoying the cinemetography.  Partway through I realized that he was sitting very close to the window and his daddy was very close to coming home.  (insert maniacal laughter here).

So I texted Rob and told him to come in the front way, but to pound on the window first.  And to text ME before he did it so I didn't freak out too.  He came up to the window and texted me and here's what happened:

Me:  Matt, I think there's something at the window!
Matt:  I'm not looking!
Rob:  (Pounding furiously on the window)
Matt:  (completely panicked):  What was that??   What was that??  (then cowers under the blankets)
Me:  I don't know!  Look out the window and check!
Matt:  I'm not looking!  (continues to hide under the blanket)
Me:  There's nothing.  I'll check out the front.  (I go to the front door to let Rob inside).
Matt:  (After a long pause)  DAAAAAAD!!!!  You scared me!!!

And of course, Rob and I are still chuckling about it this morning.  Oh, and did I mention Matt and I were watching the part of the movie where Harry is wandering around the maze?  Hee hee hee..... :)

Wow, it's been awhile!!

It has been quite a long time since I have updated my blog!  I think the longer it goes, the less I want to update because the more I have to say!!

We haven't been doing anything too terribly exciting around here.  We stayed in Wisconsin for Thanksgiving but went down for an extended trip to Illinois for Christmas.  All five of us are currently crazy for Legos.  I have been having flare-ups with weather changes but on the whole am doing better than I was at this time last year.  Rob has fully recovered from the back injury physically, but we're still trying to catch up financially.  The kids are just over halfway through their school year and are doing well.  We added a handwriting program and while I was nervous about having Matthew start one this late in his school career, he has adapted well and will start cursive this week.  The other two love it!  We also broke down and got a science book because we simply weren't diligent enough to make sure they are getting enough science.  I let the boys pick what they want to study (land animals) and they are soaking up every bit of it.

Today's is Rob's birthday and we treated him to lunch out, apple crisp for dessert, and showered him with cheese balls and chocolate from the new Lindt store at the outlet mall.  Very curious to see how he likes Wasabi flavored chocolate :)  He also redeemed a free coffee he had coming from Berres Brothers, but the caffiene did not deter him from a nice nap.  I had bought him a Wii game a few weeks ago but he accidentally found it and has been enjoying it already.

I will try to update more often....if there is anyone out there still checking on us!