Need I say more?

Lydia the One-Armed Wonder

Here's Lydia's telling of what happened.  She was obviously more interested in her fries than her elbow by this time.

Now for the long version.....

Last night I went to the gym for the first time in a few weeks while Tyler was on a bike ride.  I dropped the kids off at the child care center and went to water aerobics.  It was almost over when one of the girls watching the kids came to get me saying that Lydia was crying and asking for me.  When I walked in after changing the girl said that Lydia said she fell down and was hurting.   (Later Lydia said, "I just fell off the chair" when I asked her what happened.  I think she must have fallen and put her arm out to catch herself.)  I took one look at her right elbow and knew she'd either dislocated it or broken it. There was  a definite bulge right above her elbow and the swelling got worse in the five minutes it took for me to drive home.  She also wasn't moving it at all and just kept saying, "Momma, my arm is hurting."  

After a little family prayer, Lydia and I went to the ER to get it checked out.  I got a little preferential treatment since I work there--they got us back really quickly and the X-ray tech came to get us before the nurse had even made it into the room.  Lydia was a real trooper--she hardly cried at all when we had to manipulate her arm for the X-ray.  We read books and sang a song while we waited for results.  The doc said that he didn't see an obvious fracture, but there was definite fluid around the joint which is a secondary sign of injury.  They splinted it and put a sling on her last night and sent us home.  I just got a call from the radiologist, who said that it was a supracondylar fracture with some angulation, so we have to go see an orthopedic surgeon on Monday to follow up.  I don't think it's bad enough to need surgery, but they may cast her arm. Judging by how much she likes her splint and sling already (she's tried to take it off three times this morning) a cast should be interesting.  Lesson learned--Mom exercising is hazardous to her kids' health!

A Happy Week for All

The last ten days have been pretty exciting for Luke.  He cut his first two teeth and started crawling, I'm just a little late getting the video posted!

You may have to enlarge it to actually see his little teefers!

This video is about a week old--he's cruising around now much better!  And I didn't want to leave big sister out, so here is a picture of her and her teefers too!

We have tons more pictures here for your viewing pleasure!

Luke's New Favorite Pastime

I thought I wouldn't have to worry about my garbage can being tipped over since we don't have a dog, but I underestimated Luke and his ability to lunge his way to it when I put him in his exersaucer.  As you can see, he couldn't be happier about his new-found ability!

Two Peas in a Pod

Here are a few pictures of the kiddos doing things together for a change.  Tonight when Tyler got home from work he was watching the Trailblazers game with his feet up.  Lydia crawled under to eat her three M&Ms (bribe in exchange for her eating her chewable Amoxicillin pill) and Luke had to follow to check out what she was doing.  They stayed under there for at least five minutes, which may not sound like a lot of time but considering that Lydia usually tells Luke to get away when he is within two feet of her, it was a miracle.  The second picture is pretty self-explanatory :)

On another note, Lydia about broke my heart tonight.  She wanted me to play with her after dinner, but I needed to feed Luke.  I tried to explain this to her logically, that Mommy had fed Lydia dinner and now it was time for her to feed Luke, and I thought she understood because she walked away and started playing by herself.  As I was cleaning up after feeding Luke his cereal and sweet potatoes, she walked up to me, climbed up on my lap and said, "Mommy, I want you to take care of ME now." It had been a busy day, with visiting teaching, play group, and running errands so I thought she had had a fun day doing so many things with me.  Her comment made me realize that what she really wants is to have some time each day when I focus just on her and what she needs.  Thanks for the reminder, my Sweet Baby D!  

(Looking at this picture it is clear that I should spend more time alone with her if only to gain some of her fabulous accessorizing expertise!)

Gotta Love Dr. Laura!

So, last night Tyler came back from taking the missionaries home (we fed them dinner) and said something to Lydia about having a treat for mommy.  Naturally, I was curious and excited to find out what it was.  After the kiddos went to bed, I got my treat, which was unexpected and amaaaaazing.  Tyler just sat and brushed my hair for at least 20 minutes!  You ladies out there know how fabulous it is to have someone brush your hair!  

It turns out he had been listening to Dr. Laura on the way home from work and she was giving some guy advice, part of which was to brush his wife's hair.  Then she stopped and made some comment about how all women love to have their hair brushed, and Tyler took it to heart.  He checked when he got home and found that I didn't own a regular brush, only a round brush, so he had to stop at the store buy one on the way back from taking the Elders home.  What a sweet and thoughful husband I have.  What made it more thoughtful on his part is that he is getting sick, so he didn't really feel that great but he still took the time to make me feel loved and appreciated.  I love him so much!  Thanks babe!!!

Office Advice

Just a little tid-bit from Lydia tonight ... I asked her what I thought was a simple question. She mulled it over for a moment then looked at me and said, "I'm gonna go away now." And then she ran off. I thought to myself, "Wow! What a great response." Now I'm wondering if this is something I could use at work. It reminds me of a Brian Regan segment about politicians not taking any questions. So, next time you're asked a difficult question, or one that you just don't feel like answering, you can follow Lydia's lead and just say you're gonna go away now and then run off. I'll try it tomorrow. 

A Week of Firsts

This week has been a week of firsts, starting with Luke deciding to sit up unsupported for more than 2 seconds at a time.

Today I attempted to put Lydia's hair into pig tails for the first time.  She still has somewhat of a mullet but I think it looks pretty cute.

And yesterday we brought home our first loveseat.  What a week, and it's only Wednesday!

Hallelujah!

Lydia is currently upstairs entertaining Luke, who is in his crib.  They are alternately shrieking and laughing at each other, and occasionally she pops up yelling "peek-a-boo!" over the side of his crib.  I stopped doing dishes and went in their room trying to be a part of the fun, but Lydia told me emphatically, "you go back downstairs and wash the plates right now!"  (She said this both times I attempted to crash the party.) This could be the start of something beautiful--my children actually playing together without me in the middle of it all!!!

In other news, my mom, sister, and sister-in-law were here this weekend for "Girls Weekend."  It was fabulous--good food, better company, and we also saw the Broadway play "Wicked," which was wicked awesome!  It's been a long time since I've been to a musical and it was fun to see one again.  I also enjoyed spending time with the girls only--no kids allowed.  We live so far apart that we don't see each other often, and never without kids, so it was a great break for all of us.  Thank you husbands for watching the kids (or in Dad's case, being home alone!)  I have a great family and I love them so, so much!

This Week in Retrospect

This week has felt really busy to me, but now that I stop to think about what I accomplished it doesn't seem like much.  Really, what DID I do this week?

I think a lot of it was spent attempting to clean my house.  The good thing about our counter tops and kitchen flooring is that it hides dirt really well.  So well, in fact, that when I actually stop and look at it closely I see all the nastiness that has accumulated on those surfaces.  So, at least I got the floor mopped and the counter tops cleaned.  For some reason, they keep getting dirty again!  It can't be my kids, they are clearly very concerned about staying clean while they eat.  (This is Luke enjoying his first Biter Biscuit.)

Tuesday night I worked from 7p-1a, and it was pretty busy.  I came home from work discouraged because I felt like I had ignored one of my patients for a long time, and I could tell the family was frustrated at all the waiting they had to do.  I hate feeling like I've given sub-standard care--it really bothers me.  It's hard to balance all your patients when you have a very needy patient with needy family members also.  It can suck you in and it feels like it takes 30 minutes just to go in and give the patient some ice water. Often the 'squeaky wheel gets the grease' and unfortunately some other patients get put on the back burner for a while.  For all of you who have had bad ER experiences, just know that the nurses are trying to take care of you the best they can!  I worked on Saturday and was able to balance my patient load much better, so I felt better about my nursing abilities after that!

Friday I did some yard work and then Tyler and some of his friends, Justin and Kari, went for a 20 mile bike ride while I watched the kiddos, five in all.  The kids were great and the riders had a good time.  We had some pizza and salad and just hung out for a while after that.  It was a very enjoyable Friday.  

Last night, Tyler and I went to a Portland Trailblazers game for our monthly date night.  It was fantastic!!  The energy in the building is amazing, especially since it was a close game at the end.

We met some friends from Salem, Brett and Julia, there (they actually got the tickets for us) and it was great to get to spend time with them as well.  Date nights are great!

Today we forgot about daylight savings time and woke up 15 minutes before church started. Needless to say, we got there late.  We then came home from church and had nap time, followed by a little interview with Lydia.  Two great quotes from this interview are: (pointing to Luke) 

"That my brother, his name is Cinco."   (This is also the name of her baby doll and I think the only number in Spanish that she can remember.)

When asked how old she is, she replied "I be two."  Yes, we are teaching her to speak Ebonics so that she can go visit Uncle Aaron in Detroit on his mission and fit in with the peeps on the street. Congrats to Aaron on his call--Detroit Michigan Spanish speaking!

Lydia during a tickle attack tonight