Who knew that a 2 year old climbing on a 4 inch tall cardboard box could result in a broken femur? I certainly didn't or I wouldn't have let little Jacob play with it. So 2 Saturdays ago we had just finished breakfast for the morning. Kendall and Noah were up in the mountains camping and weren't due to be home till that afternoon. My brother Joshua was here, thankfully. I was in the living room and heard a box slide a little in the kitchen and then heard Jacob fall and start crying. I went in to make sure he was okay and picked him up and tried to get him to stand up, which he didn't want to. I didn't notice any visible wounds but I DID notice the strong horrible smell coming from his diaper. So I changed his diaper (I feel like the worlds worst mother for doing it too). He yelled at me the whole time I changed him. I got him all cleaned up and held him and tried to calm him down, but he kept pointing at his knee and screaming. After a few minutes of this I decided maybe I should go get dressed and take him into the walk in clinic down the road. My brother held him and I rushed the other kids out the door. We did notice that his upper right leg was swelling up, but I still didn't think it could be broken as he didn't fall very far. I called my mother who said she would meet us at the walk in clinic. Well we got to the walk in clinic and they sent us pretty quick up to the hospital in Arlington. They were all ready for us when we got there. They asked what happened and of course they were hesitant to believe me when I told them. (Heck, I wouldn't have believed me either if I hadn't been there.) You don't break a femur by falling off a 4 inch tall box! They got him on morphine right away, which seemed to help unless you touched him, which they did a lot. They took x-rays and confirmed that it was broken. The Dr. was pretty short with me as he thought I was not being honest and had somehow hurt my child. They decided to transfer us via ambulance down to harbour view medical center in Seattle as they are the best for this kinda thing. This whole time I am trying to get ahold of Kendall and let him know what's happening and needing him there with me. My brother took Emma and Daniel home to my mom's and my mom stayed. Kendall finally called while we were on the way to Seattle. He asked me where we were and I told him all that had happened. He was quite concerned and made plans to have Joshua come down and watch all the kids while he drove to the hospital.
When we got to Harbour View it was a little crazy, but thankfully they let me stay right there with him. The doctors and nurses were awesome, but poor Jacob I think will always have a fear of people wearing blue scrubs! They took even more x-rays and asked me what happened more times then I can count. Finally they came and said that the break was a spiral fracture, which they said made sense with what I had told them. They said that he must have twisted his leg when the box slipped and then landed on it still twisted. They said bones are a lot weaker when they are twisted. They said they would have to take him into the O.R. to set the leg and put the Spica cast on him. Kendall arrived at the hospital around 6pm just as they were putting us in his room. I had not eaten since 8am that morning so my mom and I went and got something to eat. While we were eating they took him down to the O.R. to wait to put the cast on. We finished and went in to wait. Jacob was finally starting perk up a little and had a smile on his face and was playing with all the little stuffed animals he had received from all the nurses. I went with him to the O.R. and watched them put him to sleep (I hate doing that). Everything went well and we got to see him an hour and a half later. Kendall said he would stay over night with him so I could try to sleep. I left about 11pm and got home right at midnight. I am so amazed I stayed awake for that drive!
My mom came by and took the kids to church the next morning and I headed back down to Seattle. Jacob seemed to be much happier the next day! Kendall said he didn't sleep very well. Every time he fell asleep all his muscles would twitch and he would wake up hurting....this happened every couple of minutes all night. He also did this every time he would fall asleep for the first few days at home (which meant we were all a little sleep deprived). But he was pretty happy all day in the hospital and we had the fun time of learning how to diaper him in this huge cast! Jacob had the most awesome nurse while we were there and she was the only person he would let near him! They let us go around 4pm with a new massive car seat and orders for a wheel chair so I wouldn't have to carry him around.
We had to get him a beanbag to sit in as he can't sit up all the way and needs his leg supported. This is him with all his new stuffed animals!
We have to change his positions pretty often as he gets all hot and sweaty and gets restless often. He always has so much energy that this is going to be a long 2 months!
He likes being on his tummy and reading books or coloring or playing with little cars.
This is his cast all colored by the family. Even Jacob added some color.
And this says it all! Oh how this cast smells!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We go for lots of walks around the neighborhood and the kids all want a turn pushing him. We have started calling him our little diva as he is getting so spoiled and remember he is 2 and likes to practice those tantrums! After a week in the cast I think Jacob has finally excepted it and is settling into it.
And through all of this we have been so very blessed! Kendall was able to take 3 days off so he could help. I had 150 pounds of ripe peaches and 75 pounds of pears that all needed to be canned. My mom took one box of peaches and made all my peach jam, a sister in our ward came by and took a box and canned 15 quarts of peaches. Sisters from the Relief Society has brought in meals every day so I haven't had to think about cooking. This has been a huge help and I am so very grateful for those meals! The canning is done and I have been making up all my lesson plans for the kids school, which will start on Monday. So life has been a little more crazy then normal, but we are surviving and learning to adjust to this new temporary normal.
