Back with a Bang (aka Hebs' Adventure)

We had just finished FHE and family prayers Monday night when it happened.  I was in the laundry room when I heard a scream of pain and Zee calling "9-1-1!  Emergency, Momma!"  (He wasn't telling me to call 911, that's just his way of telling me something is wrong.  Charming, yes?  Heh heh heh.)  I turned around to see Hebs (4 years old) on the floor next to the smaller leather couch, clearly having fallen off the arm of it, with his left arm fully extended to catch himself.

As soon as I saw him, I thought to myself, "Here's our second broken bone!"  I'm not sure why I thought that -- heaven knows he falls and tumbles and twists and turns enough in one day to make this little tumble no big deal -- but whether it was mother's intuition, inspiration, or the Spirit, in that instant I knew he'd broken his arm.

I scooped him up and loved and hushed him, and he eventually calmed down.  Now, Keryn, I thought, don't overreact. He's just fine, and he'll fall asleep and be just fine in the morning.  I helped him get ready for bed, and he wasn't freaking out when I gently touched his arm.  I made him bend his wrist one way and the other, and it clearly hurt, but it also wasn't causing him to break out into fresh tears.  I put him into bed next to Gee, and he fell asleep in minutes.

I decided that I had been wrong about a possible fracture, and knew that, if it was still hurting in the morning, I would take him down to our doctor in Spanish Fork.  Just in case.

Of course, we didn't get to wait that long.  Hebs woke up just an hour later, at nine-thirty, crying in pain.  We made a little bed for him in our room, on the floor so his arm wouldn't get bumped, and I went to get him some ibuprofen for the pain.  But by the time I got back downstairs, he was asleep again.  I left the medicine nearby, and tried to go to sleep myself.

About an hour after that, my poor boy woke up crying and just could not stop.  Even after we gave him some medicine, he was inconsolable.  Daddy helped him get his pants and shoes on while I got dressed.  By now, of course, at almost eleven, it was too late to go to any InstaCares, so it was to the American Fork Hospital ER we went.  (I've been to the ER five times in my whole life, I think.  Once with Mandy after her grand mal seizure, once with Kristy when she had a bad reaction or bronchitis, once for myself with mono, and twice with my Hebs.  Golly, I love that kiddo.)

The medicine started to finally kick in as we drove, which was a relief for both of us.  The ER had been very busy before we arrived, and became quite busy after we were triaged, but when we walked in, there was no waiting.  Whew!  We did have to wait for a bed to be cleaned up, and they were (politely) eager for us to be seen and fixed and OUT so they could put someone else in our space.  That was just fine for us!

When we got to our bed, my Hebs was shaking and shivering, probably as a reaction to the pain.  He said he was so cold, though it was warm in the ER.  The nurse brought him a warmed blanket, and that perked him right up.  He was funny, tired and a little punch drunk, but so sweet and talkative.  He charmed everyone in that place!  After about ten minutes, it was time for three X-rays (he was so brave!  Standing there, all by himself, almost not tall enough to put his arm in the right place, while the tech and I stood behind the (presumably lead) partition), and then back to the bed (and blanket) to wait for the doctor.

By now I was feeling a little foolish.  I wasn't sure if I had been overreacting, and I was just waiting for the doctor to come in and tell me that everything looked just fine.  It's a lovely feeling, you know, to wish your kid actually DID break a bone, just so you don't look like an idiot.  But, no, that was not the case.  The doctor informed us that Hebs had indeed fractured his radius bone, right next to the wrist, in what is known as a buckle fracture.  It is a pretty common fracture, in kids especially, when they throw out their arm to break a fall.  (As he did.)  Fortunately, it is well-placed to heal quickly, and didn't need any complicated casting or (horrors) surgery.

We had another wait, which wasn't long but seemed that way, seeing as it was now 12:15 and I was exhausted.  A poor gentleman was placed in the room next to us in so much pain that I practically cried, and desperately hoped that Hebs would stay oblivious to it.  (He did.)  This gentleman was born in 1921 (you can't help but overhear through the curtain), and had just been released from the hospital that morning following gallbladder and appendix removals.  He didn't seem to have anyone with him, and it made me feel so sad that he was all alone and in so much pain.  I hope that his family was driving as fast as was safe, and got there to be by Grandpa's side right after we left.

Finally, the nurses had a chance to come in and splint Hebs' arm with an Ace bandage and some cool material that hardens, when they add water and air, into the correct shape.  I was given the normal instructions (don't unwrap it unless his arm swells, check for circulation, ice it through the bandage, keep it dry, and see your doctor on Thursday or Friday for a cast), and we were released!  Hooray!

We got home at about 12:45ish, I think, and settled Hebs on the little bed on our floor.  He slept really well, considering.  It probably felt so good to have the arm all cosy-wrapped and braced.  The pain was really manageable, too; better than when he broke his leg.  He only needed children's motrin a couple of times a day for the first two days, and then just once on the third day.

We saw our doctor on Friday, and Hebs picked out a stylish green cast for himself.  It's a short cast--just below the elbow--and he'll have it for four weeks.  We've already decorated it with glitter glue and jewel stickers (which promptly fell off), and so it is quite the sight.  Fortunately for all concerned (especially me!), it does not hinder him from playing his favorite addiction, Lego Pirates of the Caribbean.  Oh, and he is my only leftie, so of course he broke his left arm.  Heh heh.  At least he's not in school yet.

Merry Christmastime

Election Day

I'm on pins and needles today, and trying to keep myself busy.  Yes, I voted (no line, two others voting at the same time), easy-peasy.  Oooh, and I did my first write-in vote!  Couldn't vote for Orrin Hatch, wasn't excited about the other choices, so I voted for my father-in-law.  Heh, heh, George--you've always wanted to be a politician, haven't you?  :)

I really really hope Romney wins.  And now I will go keep myself busy until polls start closing at 4 MST.  Eeek!

Moose and Bears and...Hopefully Not Cougars

Seems my new neighborhood is going to be a tad more exotic than we realized:

It’s common for deer and elk to come down the mountains to the outskirts of Lindon, but a few weeks ago a bear wandered several blocks into town, and residents are still talking about it... 

The bear had wandered several blocks into one of the neighborhoods on the border of Lindon and Orem, Cullimore said...

The bear wasn’t the only big animal to come through a Lindon neighborhood in September. A bull moose also caused quite a stir.

Our new neighborhood is on the border between Lindon and Orem, but we are a little further from the mountains--closer to State Street, really. But still! How exciting!

Main Floor Framing (With Bonus Pictures from Em)

The main floor!

View from our driveway--yes, it will be very steep.  Our lot, it turns out, has quite a bit of slope.  You'd think one of us (cough-cough-the-geologist) might have noticed, but...not so much.  That's okay.  It's going to be fun to landscape and design around, and you should see the way-awesome front walkway we've designed, to eliminate the need for steps.

From the back corner.  See, some parts of the lot are really flat!

Em took this picture.  I thought it was cool, in an artsy type of way.  Not that I think she was trying to be artsy, I just think that's the way it turned out.

Yummy at the top of Grandma's stairs.  Another cool picture by my Em.

Also by Em. Since I'm often behind the camera, I thought I should put it up.

And finally, I think we'll call this one "Hebs in the Hallway, by Em"  (Gee and Daddy were also there, promise, but her pictures of them were very blurry.)

We're so excited by the very visible progress of the last little while.  I'm starting to get a little freaked out by the whole moving thing, though.  I really need to get cracking.

Stairs!

Tobler side stairs, with Yummy and Em in the rec room (the left window is for the Spare 'Oom, the right window for the girls' bedroom) 

Peek-a-BOO!  (Her favorite pose whenever I point a camera in her direction.)  In the Spare 'Oom. 

Standing in the storage room, looking through the studs into the rec room and beyond to the downstairs master bed and bath (where Bradley is standing). 

The cold storage room, AKA the bunker 

Boys in the boys' room! 

Girlies in the girls' room! 

Oh, the joys of sawdust 

Standing in my garage, looking toward the framing happening on the main floor.  That's my front door, my front windows, and beyond is Mema's living space.  Hooray!

And the angels sang...

Be still my beating heart!!!!!  I thoroughly enjoyed Lego Indiana Jones, and mostly enjoyed Lego Harry Potter.  A couple of months ago, I was telling my sister that I wished Lego would make a "Lord of the Rings" video game, because then I could enjoy it without the gore and first-person-shooter or whatever that a non-Lego game would have.

And look!  Glorious day!  My wish has been granted, or will soon be, because the game doesn't come out until October 30, and we won't buy it (barring some awesome coupon or something) until after Christmas, because it will probably drop in price $15 or so.  But still!

(Yes, I freely admit being a nerd.  And playing Lego video games.  I'm unashamed.)