broken wrist = (

I'll start with the bad news (2 things) but I do have some good news, so if I forget, please remind me = )

Schuyler broke her left wrist on Sunday. Things have been a whirl wind. Where should I start?

On Sunday, I dropped Schuyler off at her best friend's birthday party at Lost in Fun, an indoor playland. I filled out the waiver form and on it left my home number. Mark was at a golf tournament and my dad was watching Eli and Mack so I could go to my photoshoot. Around 3:30, I get a call from my dad. Schuyler has fallen and her wrist/arm is injured - she is upset. They had tried calling my home but my dad couldn't answer at the time but luckily, my aunt was at the same place with her grandson and saw Schuyler and was able to call my dad on his cell and bring her home. Dad promises to keep me updated. I get the 2nd call just as I'm finishing the photo shoot. It doesn't look good and I probably need to take her some place. My photoshoot is within blocks of my home so I quickly say my goodbyes pack my gear and head home. I can tell my baby is hurt - it's in her eyes and it's painful for her to move it. We head to Linc Care and wait for what seems like an extraordinary amount of time. It's not until I take off the make-shift splint her arm was wrapped in that I can tell it's definitely broken. They x-ray the bones and agree. The PA comes in to tell me that it's broken and we need to see a Orthodpedic in the a.m. and prescribes Tylenol with codeine.

I'm upset for a number of reasons: I never got to actually talk to the Dr. on duty, it seems like service was so slow, what exactly did I sign on the waiver since I didn't actually read it, why didn't I call our Pediatric Dr. to see if they were open, why do these things happen when Mark is gone etc... It's a difficult night for Schuyler. She's in pain, restless and doesn't sleep much. We put her in my bed with me and Mark volunteered to sleep in the basement. I'm supposed to only give her the Tylenol every 8 hours or when needed but I didn't really follow this.

Monday comes with very little sleep for Schuyler and I. We get her into Nebraska Orthopedic at 10:30. It's actually broke in two places, but the one is barely broken, just "cracked". It's her left arm, right by her wrist. Dr. suggests that we re-align the bones with a manual procedure to insure proper healing. This means she has to go under anesthesia and a trip to Lincoln Surgical Hospital. They wrap her again - in a much better wrap and we're on our way to Lincoln Surgical. I call Mark to have him take the afternoon off. They get her prepped and she's a trooper - SO brave! The procedure is successful and the Dr. and Anesthesia Dr. come and talk to us and rave about what a great patient she is. However, after her stay in post-op, they bring her to me and she instantly starts crying. She is very confused. I'm holding her and she keeps saying I want my mommy, I don't like this hospital - I want to leave, mommy don't ever leave my side again, my tummy hurts, my arm hurts, I'm dizzy etc... It was more than enough to break my heart. The anesthesiologist says she was not like that at all in post-op but it is normal behavior. We try to get something in her stomach but she refuses and they won't give her pain meds until she eats. Ugh! We get her to eat a tiny something and they give her med. Then, she vomits = ( The nurse gets her a popsicle and Schuyler is okay with it. She's still confused but I just wanted to take her home b/c I'm sure she'll calm down just being out of the hospital. Mark's pulling the car up front and I'm in the wheel chair with Schuyler in my lap and sure enough, she starts to vomit and like most Mom's I try and cup my hands to catch it - Yuck. After that, she felt better. We got her home and she slept most all the remainder of the night.

She is in a cast up to her shoulder - it's yellow of course = ) She'll be in it for 3-4 weeks and then an abbreviated one for 2-3 weeks. Hopefully, we'll have it off by Thanksgiving. She was determined to go to school on Tuesday despite the fact she woke up at 5:45 a.m and had huge bags under her eyes. Her teacher called me before lunch and thought I should come pick her up - she's tired and her fingers are swollen. Schuyler rests and elevates her arm but isn't happy about missing school. She made it the whole day yesterday.

She's thought everything through - like the fact she's done with soccer for the year and will miss volleyball camp. We're not sure how long she'll be out of dance. She's very independent and doesn't like the fact she sometimes needs help when using the bathroom at school. However, she has enjoyed having friends and relatives sign her case but I'm pretty sure she still wishes this wouldn't have happened = (

Here's a few pictures to document...

Schuyler finally falls asleep watching TV on Sunday evening. Taken with super slow shutter speed so a bit blurry.


She's not looking but there is a frown on her face. This is before we went to NE Orthopedic.

The official wording, "displaced fracture @ distal end of radius proximal to wrist Left".

The major breakage is on the right side of the picture and the less concerning break on the left.

Tuesday a.m. Mark signing the cast.

The cast in it's full yellow glory!

The other bad news. Mark's car died on his way to Beatrice, prior to the arm breaking. The official word is it's done dealing and would need a whole new image. The cost of replacing it is not worth it. So, I think we're looking for a new car.

And, a little good news = ) I picked Eli up last week and they said they had news. I'm never sure how to interpret this since it could be good or bad! Eli went to the bathroom on the little potty. Wow! Apparently, he's been watching the older boys. So, we decided to get out our little potty out of storage. Just last night, before bed, he went for us. I'm not sure I'm ready to do the full potty training in full but he can certainly start sitting on it = )

H, for hard love and Huskers

So, I finally had the chance to go to a Husker's game. It's been at least 2 years since I've been to one in person b/c I've been pregnant or nursing. It's too bad it couldn't have been a better game. I also have to admit that these night games are just not my cup of tea. I am NOT a night person and my body just starts shutting down after a certain time! I went back to the van at the start of the 4th qtr and while Mark listened to it on the radio, I fell asleep! Sheesh!

Ms. Denie met with Eli last week at the Montessori and yesterday we had our home visit. She is establishing a relationship with him and working on speech. She is also coaching me on dealing with certain behaviors. He had one of his extreme meltdowns yesterday. Which is good from the standpoint that I need to know how to deal with it. It's also hard in the fact that I know I'm doing some things wrong. For example, I can ignore tantrums to a point. But once they get to that cry, the one where the gasping for air, or he's banging his head, I go and pick him up and give him loves. Well, this is rewarding him for his negative behavior. I'm not so good at the tough love thing. Let's just say there is room for improvement. This is where Mark compliments me well, he's much better at dealing with these situations than I am.

Schuyler has another loose tooth! Seriously, the girl has no front teeth how can she lose another one and how on earth is she going to eat. That would be a total of 5 teeth missing. Although, 2 of the bottom ones are slowly coming in. And, how does it go from barely loose to hardly hanging on in 1 day! I swear the girl plays with it all day long. She was saying this a.m. how she hopes it falls out at school so she can go to the nurses office!! Silly girl!

Here are some pictures. I'm always looking for a good excuse to take some pictures = ) So, when my niece Maddy found this dress of Schuyler's and we had other cordinating outfits, it only made sense to go take some pics. She was much more enthused than my kids. I like fresh meat!!

Here is one in b/w...

I like most of these in color. It's the combo of her beautiful blue eyes, dark hair, and gorgeous freckles!

Love the blue background of the dumpster, yes a dumpster, and the wind blowing their hair. See, Schuyler has NO teeth!

Ms. Mack working the camera!

Had to throw this one in! Last week, Schuyler's best friend rode with us to their Soccer game. I think she could totally fit into our family of blondies!

McKenzie - you know she's up to something! Liking the bowl that I just used to make scones. I guess you would call it scone dough! See the remnants around her face!!

swing time

As my the busy photography season has approaced, I've felt a need to capture the daily happenings in our life and have been pushing myself to look at things from a differenct perspective. The result, this cute picture of Mack. Maybe it's my mommy goggles but I find it pretty cute!



Last Sunday was a great day for Schuyler's soccer team. We saw some amazing things from these girls. We witnessed several pull backs in the game, Schuyler being one of them. Girls who are usually timid were coming out of there shells and scoring. And, speaking of scoring, Ms. Schuyler had 7 or more goals. She had a great game! I've been trying to teach her some new concepts but she's not always receptive if it comes from her mom. So, our coach has another team of 10 year old girls which he brings his daughter to. He invited Schuyler to join. She had a great time working on foot work and drills and was able to witness them scrimage. It was good for her to see the concept of space!

Eli is coming out with more words... arm and side (outside). His first session with the teacher last week went well. She was able to provide me with some cues to use to promote the use of speech. I really think he's on the verge of some break throughs.

Friday we had a lazy evening and enjoyed the sunset on the back porch. We taught Schuyler sprints and got the stop watch out. Eventually, we all took turns racing each other. I'm definitely not as in shape as I used to be!

We starting a new series at church that I'm really excited for. It's call my desperate household. This first message was great and I can't wait for the rest! If you are interested, you can find more info here.

caught red handed!

Hmm, what do you think is going thru his head. How about, "Sheesh, I've been caught again. Oh well"! See his little table in the bottom right that he pushed over. Pretty clever little man! He is starting to use some more words!! Shoe, Juice (refers to any drink), done, more, nana (banana), shar (sharp)! I met his teacher he will be working with this past Monday. Her name is Denie and I think she will be a great fit. It can't hurt that she has raised 4 boys of her own and has a grandson! She read his evaluation and the first words she said were, "Sounds like one of my boys"! We start working with her on Monday. We'll start with weekly visits with the intent to reduce down to once or twice a month after the first month.

Tonight is Fun Night at Schuyler's elementary. It should be fun. We told the girls if they get their room cleaned we would treat them to cotton candy!

I got to spend a little one-on-one time with McKenzie last weekend, which was good since her play date got cancelled. I took her for a little shopping and we stopped and got my mom. She truly does have distinct likes and dislikes when it comes to fashion. She got some silky ballerina pj's, a dress, a horse shirt, and a sparkly headband. She was very happy = )

always count your blessings

Before you go to bed, do you count your blessings? After an incident last Friday, I've been couting mine. The kids and I went to Runza to use our free ice cream cone coupons. It was a beautiful evening and we were eating outside. Eli had just got down from my lap and was looking at some rocks right beside me. I noticed his cone was getting down to the wrapper level so I went to take it off for him so he didn't eat it. After I did, he was MAD. He made a dash for the drive thru and I could hear a car coming. I screamed, probably at the very top of my lungs "NO!". He had both feet just off the curb and was ready to take another step and throw his spoon. Luckily, I was able to catch the hand that was going to throw the spoon and pull him back. The truck must have heard my scream b/c he had veered slightly away from the curb. My poor little boy was probably 6-12 inchs from getting hit. It was a big F150 truck and Eli's head would have taken the brunt of the bumper. People from inside came out and the driver of the truck was upset. It took me a moment to come out of my shock. Luckily we were all okay. After the driver left, and the people went back inside, I sat holding my head in my hands and cried. I sent a prayer up to God. There is no point to this story. It just needed to get off my chest.

On a more light hearted note. Schuyler had her first fall soccer game. She just loves soccer. She plays kickball every recess.

Mackie had her first dance class. I think the girl is in love with it. She didn't want to leave. She wanted to join Schuyler's class since it's right after her's on Tuesday nights.

Here's 2 of my beautiful sunshine! Look at that toothless grin in the last one!

Chindian

So, what is a Chindian you ask? It's a new McKenzism! We were being silly Monday night and there was left over flour on the counter and Mark was putting it on my face. It had been a challenging day with the kids and I commented that this was my war paint and he replied that I was the chief indian. Well, Mack walked in about that time and said "I want to be a Chindian too!". So, Chindian in our household represents "Chief Indian". And yes, all the kids had to have "war paint" on there fact too!

Eli has been giving us some good laughs as well. The boy loves lotion! He will cover his legs, belly, and arms in it. The other thing he has taken an interest to is his sister's music box/jewelry box. I think his main fascination is how to get the music to play and trying to figure out how to wind (sp) the box. The other thing about Eli, which he might get from his mom... he LOVES having his feet tickled. Before bed, when we're cuddling and reading stories he will sometimes stretch out and put his feet by my hands or up by my face. This is his sign that he wants his feet tickled.

I think my body is now in the routine of my new earlier work hours. I love picking Schuyler up from school! She is such a chatter box and I hear so much about her day = )

If you all have a chance, stop over to my photography blog. It was time to separate my personal life and photography business.

Here is the pic that would not upload last week. Eli getting a big smooch from his sisters'. I'm pretty sure he's not loving it as much as they are = )

getting better at updating!

I'm finally getting back in the rhythm of posting again!

Monday was Eli's 2nd evaluation with LPS and my mind has been put to ease. The boy is smart. He is cognitively where a 2 year old should be. However, his speech is lacking. He is not far from the average level. So, part of the problem is the fact he is preverbal. Part of the problem is there is such a gap between where he is cognitively and speech wise, that it is frustrating to him. Meaning, he understands A LOT of things but can't communicate back. Part of the problem is he is very strong willed and determined. So, we will begin the program with LPS and work on some of these things. And, I thought Mackie was the strong willed one!

8 years! Yep, Mark and I have been married for 8 years. We celebrated with a dinner out and NO kids = )

I hope everyone has a great labor day weekend! Since the patio project is complete, Mark will be putting the privacy fence back up. He'll take a break to watch the Huskers play = )

I have one more picture but blogger is having issues. Ugh!