Spring break ramblings

• Yes, it’s spring break! It’s only Tuesday and it’s already been fabulous! Who knew I’d be 27 and still loving every moment of not having class!? I’m enjoying it so much I don’t really want to be on the computer very much so this post is a bunch of mini-topics all thrown together!
  
  
• Jackson is doing MUCH better. I know I should have updated everyone sooner, but I haven’t been on the computer much. I feel so blessed to have so many people checking in to see how he’s been doing. Friday and Saturday were hard—taking care of a three-year-old who can’t walk is very challenging. He started taking some steps on Sunday afternoon and has progressively become more active. He’s still not running and jumping, but he’s on the mend. The doctor said it was most likely what they call an occult fracture, which is a tiny fracture that doesn’t appear in an x-ray and it will just heal itself. I kind of figured it was just a heal-itself sort of thing, but I really needed to make sure it wasn’t something bigger, just in case! Mommy worry, I guess!
  
 

• Lately, I’ve been looking for healthy snack ideas for the kiddos. There were some good fruit sales this week and so I decided to try dehydrating. I borrowed my father-in-law’s dehydrator and have been experimenting! The results have been good and people keep eating them, so I guess that’s the real indicator of a successful treat! I’ve done strawberries, apples w/ cinnamon, banana w/ coconut, and two batches of fruit leather {like a fruit roll up}. The process does demand some time in cutting up and preparing the fruit, but I’m super loving the fact that it’s a healthy treat without any added sugar or preservatives. Having a decent stash with what I’ve already made, I was planning on packing up the dehydrator, but I stumbled across a great deal at Aldi’s today and got 15 peaches, 10 nectarines, and 5 plums for 10 cents EACH! I couldn’t pass it up! So on the schedule for this evening: slicing and dicing!
  
  
• Jackson is headed out with Derek’s parents to go to Saint Louis for a few days to visit his cousin Gabe {Aunt Mary and Uncle Brad, too}. They are taking the train and he is SO excited. I’m gonna miss Jackson {not going to miss having him climb into bed in the middle of the night} but I’m really excited to get to spend some time with just Belle. Derek and I both agree that her personality has just blossomed so much just in the last week or two and I’m happy to get some one-on-one time with my second baby!
  
  
• This weather is phenomenal! I am so in love. We have played outside so much!! Of course, the kids love it and really, this weather makes me so productive {hence the abundance of dried fruit, cleaned-out van, and raked flower beds}. Another nice day tomorrow… Yes, please!! Here are a few pictures from this evening:

Jackson is showing off his skills! {which currently include standing, walking,AND bouncing a ball!}

The primary reason I dug out my camera was to capture Belle’s curls! Her hair is typically so, so straight… but today, little locks of curls have become apparent and it is SO CUTE!!!

Check it those cute curls!! I love it!

This is a normal push toy, right??

Nose, nose! Belle’s a genius.

• The Sticky Bellies giveaway ended yesterday.

AND THE WINNER IS...
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Entry #14 Michelle T.

I will send out an email and get you hooked up with Carly. If I don’t hear back within 48 hours, I will pick a new winner.

• Lastly, happy 30th birthday Uncle Philip!

You should see the other guy...

I have to interrupt the posts about last weeks' trip to visit Derek to share about yesterday's afternoon spent at Children's Mercy (once again).

It all started at 10ish this morning when Jackson fell on hit his face on the fireplace mantle. I didn't see the accident, but I looked as soon as I heard the thud. His poor little body was just shaking as he cried- it just hurt so bad! His eye had already turned purple in the time it took me to rush over to him.

This is right after it happened, after I was able to calm him down (Elmo DVD)

I didn't know quite what to do next. I called left a message for the nurse at Jackson's doctor office and I sent picture texts to friends and family for advice. I mean, I don't want to be the mom who takes her child to urgent care several times a year just for dramatic stories to tell. There was a general consensus that we should get it checked out, so we headed over to Children's Mercy.

A friend from church came to look after Chacey and James so I didn't have to take three kids (Debbie, you are awesome!). It took about an hour to get checked in through triage, to get a room, and to see the doctor. Jackson didn't like the doctor much at all cried, "I'm done!! I'm done!!" the entire time she just tried to look at his boo-boo. She decided stitches were necessary (though she called them something else) and she started to explain about the numbing gel that needs to set for 30 minutes and I was like, "Yeah, yeah... we've done this before. I know what's going on."

The numbing gel under the patch

Jackson was actually pretty good for being hungry, tired, and having what I can only imagine as being an awful headache. Children's Mercy is stocked with all sorts of goodies to pass the time. Jackson colored with markers and played with trains. He was having fun.

It was over an hour before the parade of staff crowded into our room- the doctor, a nurse practitioner, two RN's, and a child entertainer (I'm sure she has a more official name). And from this point on, Jackson did not have any more fun. They wrapped him up in a contraption that looks as if it were taken from a toddler psychiatry ward-- a long board that velcro-ed him in at the shoulder, mid-section, and legs. It took the two RNs to hold his head still and I held his legs. The child entertainer came with all sorts of gimmicks in her bag to distract him-- bubbles, Elmo books, flashy toys-- but nothing helped at all. He was just mad. The doctor reassured me that he wasn't in pain, that the numbing gel did it's job. It was only because of the restraint. That makes sense, but it was still awful to help hold him down and to hear his screams, even if you know it's for the better!

He ended up with three stitches. It didn't take long to settle down after they were finished, especially after one of the nurses brought in some juice, teddy grahams, and a lunchable. He's back to his normal self, though he looks like he got in one heck of a fight! Here are some pictures from this morning:

Stitches up top, black eye on bottom

He's a happy boy, back to his silly, rambunctious self!

I'm still wondering if there is a patient-rewards or frequent-flyer program for the hospital. So anyway, this was our day yesterday. I will be back tomorrow to talk about Derek's actual graduation. It was probably the coolest part of the whole weekend.

Falling Down

Jackson really outdid himself with his latest boo-boo. Between a fight with the concrete and his forehead, the concrete definitely won. Considering he's had three major falls on concrete in the past five days, I'd say he's looking pretty good.

In other "falling down" news-- Jackson loves to play Ring around the Rosie and is so dramatic about falling down. This is what the kids want to do all day. I have considered purchasing a CD with this tune, so I don't have to sing it over, and over, and over, and over.....

Isn't is super cute how signs and asks "more, more" each time??

Larry the Home Depot Guy

Today I took two one-year-olds into Home Depot to buy some grass seed and fertilizer. Since they didn't have any double-seater-stroller-race-car available, I put both kiddos in the basket of a normal cart and headed to garden department. Things were fine until we were in the same spot for too long (choosing a type of grass- who knew there were so many!?) and Jackson got bored and Chacey was just super tired. Did I mention it was nap time?

So, Larry the Home Depot guy, comes over to ask if I had need help. Not only does this man have answers to all my questions about grass and fertilizer and the basics of getting grass to grow--if it's called Tall Fescue does it mean that it grows taller faster and needs mowed more often? (answer, no)-- but he was so helpful and patient with me as I had to interrupt the conversation constantly to attend to my child who had already put one leg out of the cart in efforts to climb out. Larry the Home Depot guy even continuously picked up my keys off the floor as Jackson kept throwing out of the cart while I held Chacey who had pretty much fallen asleep in my arms.

Then went to find a big cart, loaded up the grass (a mixed blend if you're curious) and the fertalizer. He walked it to the cash register, scanned the items himself, and then followed me out to load it all in my car. Then, he even waited for me to get the kids buckled in so he could return both carts.

Talk about customer service! Since it is so easy to focus on complaining sometimes, I just wanted to take a quick moment and focus how a great employee made a dreadful task so much easier!

One a completely different note, this is Jackson's black eye. He fell last night and hit the coffee table- he went to bed with a scratch and woke up with a black eye.

He's glued and good to go

What were you doing exactly five weeks ago tonight? We were at Children's Mercy Urgent Care getting Jackson taken care of-- which is precisely what we did this evening as well. For my sanity and checking account's sake- I hope this doesn't become routine.

It started out as a nice evening watching the alumni game at the school. Jackson is chillin' with Daddy and enjoying a chicken nugget.

This was about the only five seconds that Jackson sat still. We lapped the gym several times in the 45 minutes we were there. Jackson was his normal, super busy self. Next thing I know, HanNah says, "Jackson just hit his head," and I see Derek walk off with Jackson. Too myself, I think, "Eh, it's no big deal, he hits his head all of the time." But then I see Derek and Jackson across the gym and even from that far away I could see all the blood. 

 I remember a story that Mom used to tell about how I got a cut on my head when I was just a little older than Jackson. She would tell me how worried she was because the would bled so much, but then it turned out to be a little scrape. So, I kept that in mind as we began to clean him up in the boys bathroom. The cut was small in size, but pretty deep. Fortunately, we got the bleeding to slow way down. Brooke found us some juice and a cookie and Jackson was back to his normal self. But still, we thought it'd be better to get it checked out for sure.

The temporary band-aid to hold us over.

My mom had called earlier to say she decided to come visit for the evening. She wanted to check out our finished master bedroom and to come play with Jackson. She got in town right as we were getting ready to leave, so Jackson and I left with her to head to Children's Mercy. Derek stayed behind just because we didn't think it'd be necessary to have three adults and he could at least enjoy the rest of the game. While Mom did get to spend the evening playing with Jackson, she has still not seen our bedroom.

Thank goodness she was there! He was super busy and I was super pooped. Mom reads Jackson a book.

She also teaches him Ring Around the Rosie- he loved it.

Seriously, who needs a fish tank when you can just have a huge tv and a fish DVD (think of the perks-no fish food or cleaning the tank!). Jackson LOVES fish, so he was very entertained by the ever changing fish tank.

After a reasonable amount of waiting, we go back into a room and wait another 20 minutes to see the nurse. I wish we could have just stayed in the waiting room because there was lots to keep him occupied. Instead, he has fun crinkling up the paper on the exam table, opening and slamming the cabinet doors, and even took time to play Patty-cake. 

And he broke a clipboard. That's okay, just put it on the tab.

The nurse comes in around 9:00 to put some numbing cream on the wound so that it can sit for thirty minutes before the doctor would come repair it. While the picture looks like the cut is pretty lame, it really was deep and wide cut.

Forty more minutes later in the tiny, nothing-to-do room, way past Jackson's bedtime, the doctor comes in to take a look. Jackson cried as soon as she put on the gloves. She decided that glue would be sufficient. If we had gotten stitches, it only would have been one and then we'd have to come back to get it removed. Since it was a straight cut, the glue prevent the cut from opening back up and wouldn't contribute to more scarring.

What happened next was miserable to watch- horrible. They swaddle Jackson tight and it takes two nurses to hold him down and still while the other nurse flushes out the wound. This takes about 10 minutes. Then, the doctor glued the cut together and put a different glue on to hold down the bandages that would cover the opening. It probably took around 10 minutes as well. But seriously, it might as well have been an hour. It is pure torture to hear your baby scream SO loudly and so desperately. 

He calmed down after several minutes of consoling- and after we turned on the television. The swelling has gone way down, but a definite bruise is already forming (to match the one he got yesterday).

As expected, Jackson fell asleep on the way home around 10:30ish. The plan was to get Jackson's Easter pictures taken in the morning- but that's not going to happen. I suppose it can wait- assuming that he can stay away from any major bumps and bruises in the meantime. Doubtful.