So.
I have at least 100 other things that I need to tell you about the last 2 weeks, not the least of which is that we closed on our new house. There has been plenty going on around here. And then last night...
We were playing in the front yard (still at the old house, we haven't moved yet), and David was climbing up the steps of the small plastic slide, which he has been able to do by himself for about a week. He's been climbing like crazy lately, and I keep finding him in all kinds of predicaments like this one:
So he's climbing on the slide, and I was standing right next to him, and I reached into my pocket for my phone for a second and he fell to the ground. It was so quick, and didn't even seem like a hard fall, but he landed on his arm in a weird position and I was instantly afraid of an injury because of the way he was crying. But we tried to calm him down to see if he was just scared. After giving some Tylenol, offering dinner, and waiting for the pediatrician to call, David and I were headed to the urgent care. (Brian stayed with Katy).
I think the part of the evening that made my stomach drop the most was walking into the urgent care waiting room. It was packed full of people - most of whom were wearing face masks. I thought, "great, we have a fall and now we'll get the swine flu." But I was able to calm down enough to get through evening full of traumatic exams and x-rays.
The end result is that David fractured his wrist. The right distal radius, to be exact. He has a soft cast/splint that he will wear until we go to the orthopedist in 10 days. Then they will decide if they need to cast, etc.
Worse than the cast, though, is that for all waking hours, David's splint has to be bandaged to his body like this:
This means that he can't crawl, has trouble playing and standing, and is generally MAD at the world right now. (I know this is hard to tell when he sports such a cheesy grin in all of his photos, but truly, he is miserable) Ten days is such a long time, and we're in the middle of moving and having a birthday party for Katy this weekend. Ugh.
I feel about this big. How could I have let him fall when I was standing right there? Why am I always distracted by my phone (ahem....and my computer)? The word "negligent" keeps running through my head as I hear some of the statements the nurses made: "We've never made a cast this small." "We don't usually see fractures in kids this young." and "You were here before?" I should've had my hands on him...he's only 13 months old...still a baby.
But at the end of the day, it's just a small fracture. It could be much worse, and I know he'll be fine. The next few weeks will be frustrating, but he will be fine. I'm thankful for that...
I'll be back soon to tell you about the other 100 things...
9 comments:
Oh you poor woman! If you read my blog today you'll see that boys are crazy and will launch themselves on a routine basis - so no amount of mothering is going to prevent all falls. He's a little trooper so I'm sure he'll be fine.
Congrats on the house! I'm very excited for you and can't wait to visit...
OH! I'm SO sorry to hear about David and YOU having to deal with that!
Accidents happen. They just do. You are a wonderful, perfectly competent Mom. And someday you'll have lots of mommy war stories to share.
Oh I so feel for you! Kaden did almost the exact same thing when he was 17 months old, except he fell from an opening on a playground (the place beside a slide, so it was much higher...he lost his balance). It was HORRIBLE! We felt terrible, and I still do thinking about it. But, if there is a good thing, it's that they heal so quickly at this age. He fell Thanksgiving weekend and the cast was off on New Year's Eve. Don't blame yourself...it's just life with a boy. I figure we'll be lucky if that's the break Kaden ever has!
Look at your Uncle Neil's history. Imagine how Granny feels. Well, how she would feel if Neil weren't so naturally berserk. Be glad you have a son who's daring.
Oh Emily- this is not fun to deal with but I am glad that overall, David is okay. You are a fantastic mom and we have had many "close calls" in terms of falling/injury. It's great that the urgent care staff were so reassuring (note sarcasm)...like you needed help building up guilt. All I can say is: Here's to speedy healing!!
EM! You are a fantastic mom! Love and hugs from Dutcher.
No matter how much you try to protect them, kids are going to get injured eventually. You are a great mommy and always have your kids' best interest at heart. Praying for David's speedy recovery!
The big question will be whether David associates falling or the cast with climbing in the future. My guess . . . NOT!
When I was 2 and my cousin, Eunice, was 3, we were jumping on Grandma's bed. I jumped too high and missed the bed, spliting the back of my head open and requiring several little "clips" up the back of my head until it healed. It was the first of a number of childhood injuries.
Come to think of it, maybe this explains some things . . . .
I don't know if I feel worse for you or David. I think you, because I know I'd feel awful too if it was me.
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