Laughing

Well, these last two weeks have been comical (??) and we're going to stick with that perspective!  On Thursday afternoon, October 20, your brother Ben broke his arm while playing on an extra mattress with your brothers.  It's one of those moments that I knew was coming.  Doesn't every mother want to be the fun mom?  I do.  It's just a mattress; they just want to play and have fun.  It's unfortunate that I had been telling them all day that I.DO.NOT.WANT.TO.GO.TO.THE.HOSPITAL.TODAY.  I'm pretty sure I talked in all caps each time I said it.  I even walked out of the room after warning them yet again to be careful and said out loud to myself:  "famous last words."  Yep.  I sealed the deal right there.  Must have been less than two hours later I was having a complete hysterical melt down as I saw Ben's arm and screamed at everyone to get in the car because his.arm.is.BROKEN.  It's not a moment where I passed any kind of spiritual test or became a nominee for mother-of-the-year.  Nope.  Lost every marble in that moment of seeing Ben's deformed arm.  I couldn't get ahold of your Dad.  I was feeling frantic. 

We drove like mad people down our road.  I say this as if anyone was driving but me.  We went to the Peds office.  One look at the arm and we were sent to Radiology with xray orders.  Ben handled the xrays like a champ and we were back at the Peds office with confirmation that not one but both of his forearm bones were broken.  Awwww.  Good times.  We were told to go to the ER where one of the Ortho staff was already fixing someone else and we would be seen by them.  Ben would be sedated, arm would be reset and casted.  At this point friends had swooped in to pick up children, and we had even run into friends *by chance* in the Peds parking lot.  They hugged and prayed for us right then and there.  The Lord's providence just astounds me at every turn.  Off we went to the ER where Ben amazed me with his complete calm demeanor through every part.  Thanking Apple for the ability for Ben to watch Dora or Diego on Daddy's phone.  It saved the day and provided the perfect distraction while we were waiting.  All the staff was assembled, everything was explained, sedation was gone over, and then we began.  Ben looked at Shane while Shane held his face from seeing the IV go in.  Ben watched Shane, got big crocodile tears at one point but never let out a sound.  I'm in awe of this boy.  The sedation took effect, I was sent out of the room with you while they used a mobile xray machine as they reset the angulated radius (the ulna was also broken) and then began casting.  It all happened so fast, and then Ben was left to come out of sedation.  He was looped out of his mind and so funny to watch.  He went off for another xray with the cast on, all looked good, we waited for another 1/2 hour to 45 minutes for the sedation to wear off completely and home we went to pick up children from various friends' houses.  He has done so well and the cast has not stopped him from doing everything he always does.

Fast forward eight days.  Sarah was at a birthday party at a rollerskating rink.  I was having my hair done in a blissful two hours of quiet and adult conversation.  I got a call from Shane just as I was paying and getting ready to leave.  "Sarah fell and thinks she broke her leg."  I just started laughing. "Really?"  That was about all I could get out.  The battle in my mind was between "no way" and "well, everything else keeps turning out differently than I thought, so..."  Off we went to the Peds office again and ended up following Shane into the Peds parking lot.  Sarah was in the back of a van that belongs to the grandma of the boy whose party the kids were at with Shane holding her leg up and trying to console her.  Not to be that night.  Our favorite pediatrician came out to see her in the van, gave us xray orders and we headed back over to the hospital.  Deja vu?  Yep.  Of the most surreal kind.  Our pediatrician told me to call the back line as soon as Sarah's xray was done.  As soon as I called I got the "well..."  I'm really not a fan of conversations that start that way... "...she has a nasty spiral fracture of her tibia."  "Really?"  That was about all I could get out again.  In the meantime, Sarah was in extreme pain and Shane had to keep her leg elevated at all times.  He now has a hunchback...I digress.  We ended up back at the Peds office where our pediatrician splinted her leg (Friday) and told us she had to be seen at Ortho on Monday for a cast.  It couldn't be casted right away due to swelling that is normal for this type of fracture.  Shane went to the nearest pharmacy to pick up pain medication, Ryan and I assisted Dr. S. with splinting Sarah's leg while you laid on a blanket on the ground. 

We somehow made it home through lots of tears and agony on Sarah's part while she was as flat as possible in the backseat with pillows propping her leg up.  That night was so long.  None of us got to bed until midnight and then we were up every 1/2 hour to an hour trying to help Sarah.  The narcotic for her pain wasn't working at all.  We ended up getting a different medication on Saturday and started augmenting with Motrin and at least her pain was mostly tolerable by Saturday afternoon.  Word got around and friends started bringing meals, presents for Sarah, and as always, lots of love.  We got Sarah into a long leg purple cast Monday afternoon at the Ortho office, and each minute is an improvement.  We still haven't had a decent night's sleep due to pain and needing to change positions, but her pain is under control at least.  Really, that's about all that's under control!  I have laughed in my mind so much at how out of control life feels right now, and yet I have so.much.peace.  How is that possible?  I know because I am known.  The Lord continues to stretch us, and it has not felt good, but now we are laughing at the absurdness of thinking we ever have any control over anything anyway! 

So, we now have two kids in casts along with trying to continue with homeschooling and daily treatments for you, Kate, and life in general.  Lord, let us keep laughing.  We will keep trusting you.  You have never failed us!  No more, Lord, thank you!  Plate's full for now.