Monday, February 22, 2010

4, 3, 2, 1

*** UPDATE***

The drama has ended with a best case scenario stamped all over it. After a visit to a pediatric orthopedist this afternoon, he came to the conclusion that Marianna's elbow isn't fractured at all! What appeared to be a fracture to the radiologist was a jagged edge in her growth plate. That means we have a healthy girl on her hands with no need for pins, surgery, or even a cast! Smiles all around as we celebrate what was indeed nothing more than a case of nursemaid's elbow to begin with. Yay!!!


Original Post

4 -- the number of times we have been to the ER with one of our girls.

3 -- the number of times we have been to the ER with Marianna.

2 -- the number of times we have been to the ER with Marianna in a 24 hour span this past weekend.

1 -- the number of doctors I'm hoping it's going to take to finally tell us what needs to be done.


This weekend, which began as a relaxing beginning to Nathan's vacation, turned into total craziness starting at about 9:30 Saturday night. We had friends over and the kids had been playing together all night upstairs. Some of our friends had just gone upstairs to get their kids ready to go, when I heard a thud and crying. It took just a few seconds to tell this was serious crying, and it was Marianna. I ran up the stairs, scooped her up, and brought her back down to hold her while she settled down. But she didn't settle down. She kept complaining about her arm, crying whenever we tried to look at it, and down right screaming when Nathan tried to straighten it. I don't have any experience with breaks, but to me her symptoms seemed tell tale of a fracture, so we decided we better head in and have it checked out.

Of course it happened on a weekend late at night. That's how it always happens =). So the ER it was. We checked in at 10:30, had had her x-rays by 11:00 and were hopeful about being home quickly after all.

That was not to be.

Three and a half hours later, we were finally called back to see a doctor. Marianna had been amazingly chipper up to that point, but by 2:30 am, her perk had fizzled and she wasn't interested in seeing the doctor. Especially when he took her arm, twisted it up and around and pushed, popping her dislocated elbow back into place. The good news, he told us, was that her arm was not fractured. He said she would be just fine, only a little sore while the torn ligaments healed. We were good to go.

We got back home and in bed just before 4:00 am. Marianna woke up happy and excited about her arm mobility, and our only indication of the soreness the doctor had warned of came when I tried to help her put a new shirt on. She couldn't move her elbow in a way that allowed her to get her left sleeve over her arm. I wasn't at all concerned, especially since she was feeling, what appeared to be, 100% better.

Fast forward a few hours when we were all settling in to take a nap in front of the hockey game, to a phone call we received from the ER. The nurse explained that upon second review by a radiologist, they discovered that her elbow did indeed have a fracture, one that might require surgery or pins. They told us we needed to return to the ER immediately to have a splint put on until we were able to see a pediatric orthopedist.

We were not going to be caught unprepared again for our second trip to the ER, so we loaded up an overnight bag with a pillow, Marianna's Leapster, DVDs, books, and food. This time we were there just over two hours, but the experience was surprisingly 100% more traumatic for Marianna. The splint freaked her out. Big time. She wasn't just upset about it; she was angry. Nothing, and I mean nothing, could make her calm down except time. After an hour, I was ready to call back up to the ER and ask them how to cut the thing off of her. It was awful. But an additional hour seemed to do the trick, and by evening, she was at peace with the splint and its effect on her mobility.

She woke up as bright and happy as sunshine this morning, and she is ready for her third appointment, this time in a doctor's office setting. We are hoping that the orthopedist will be able to tell us exactly what needs to be done, and I'm praying for no surgery. But whatever the case, I'm grateful for the second check that was done that caught the fracture. I hate to think that it might have gone unnoticed and caused her problems down the road.

I have never broken anything, Nathan has never broken anything, so this is new territory for us. It stinks having to see your baby go through something like that, but we are trying to make it fun any chance we get, and I'm awfully proud of her for how she's handled the unpleasantness. I'll let you know how it turns out today.

Monday, February 15, 2010

MPM-Shopping


My weakness is a sale. For me, buying something full price is akin to being stuck with a needle at the doctor's office, and I absolutely hate needles. I will be the first to admit that I am a sucker, and at times I buy too much because the deal was too good to pass up. But I am really putting forth a concentrated effort not to buy anything that I don't like just because it's on sale. Ebay has been my own worst enemy in that regard ever since children, but I've made a committment to put that bad little habit to rest. I will not buy it if I don't like it. Not even if it's just $2.95 plus shipping. Not even if it's something I think I might be able to talk myself into liking in a few days if I just concentrate on the deal. Nope. No longer.

But all of that was just a tangent. I stray from the topic at hand. What is my most eventful shopping experience lately? Well, just today I was pretty happy to see that the Gap was having a 40% off everything in the store sale. A new pair of jeans for $35.00 is always a happy event!

But much, much better than that was my buy several weeks back at Ann Taylor. An email coupon for 40% off the lowest sale price enabled me to get a $178.00 cashmere sweater for $17.98. That kind of deal gives me an all over glow of a frugalista at her finest (a term coined by a Target commercial. I love it).

I would be cheating this post if I also didn't go back a few months and tell you about my shopping experience at Remember Nguyen. Back at Thanksgiving they were having a blowout sale on all of there summer merchandise, so I stocked up for the girls' spring and summer wardrobe. I didn't pay more than $15.00 for any of these outfits. Most were less than $10.00. I can't even make clothes that inexpensively!





So now you have it. A compilation of exciting shopping lately!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

10 Things Wednesday

1. My sister-in-law called today and let me know that my blog updating has something to be desired. That's why I'm sitting down this afternoon and getting to it =).

2. I think Anne of Green Gables is one of the best movies of all time. LOVE IT! I've been watching it this week over the course of several days, and I have proven once again that it doesn't matter how many times I see it. I will always cry.

3. I'm crazy about my new camera. For those who have asked, it is a Canon Rebel, and snapping away with it is pure joy. Here is a picture from this week's snow.


4. I have decided to run in another half-marathon sometime in April. Motivation is what keeps me going, and I've had the chance to prove to myself that without it, I just don't run.

5. Adrienne is developing quite an opinion on just about everything. Gone are the days where she allowed herself to be pushed around by an older sister, or where she could be counted on to be an angel in a shopping cart, or when she wanted nothing more to share anything and everything she had. She is almost two, and she is letting us know =)

6. Overstock is my best friend. I just ordered blinds for my entire house for 1/3 of the price we had been quoted from a local blind company. Best part? They look fabulous!

7. I continue to be a complete and utter failure at early wake-ups. 6:30 alludes me every morning, no matter the pep speech I give myself the night before. Oh the things that could be done if I would only get up and get to it!

8. I am trying to find two new frames to hang pictures of the girls. I love fun frames, but I'm having a hard time finding just the right ones. Anyone have a favorite frame shop? I'm all ears.

9. I'm almost done reading a book that I'm sure will impact me forever. It's called Adopted for Life by Russell Moore, and I feel like it's a must read for those who have ever thought about adopting, and a great book for those who have never even considered.

10. I don't wish that I lived 100 years ago, but if there is one thing I do envy from that time period, it is waltzing. How I would love to waltz!