Wednesday, January 31, 2018

In An Instant

Yesterday I had all four kids at Tracey's little dance class, which I do every week.  And I had Howard, Caroline, and Addallee in the lobby, like I do every week.  And Howard and Caroline were playing like normal two-year-olds, like they do every week.

But this week, Howard ran toward the bathroom door of the small lobby, and tripped just right for him to fall face-first into the bathroom door and slam his forehead against the rectangular door hinge.

The accident left a rectangular gash in his forehead and cause for three stitches for our little boy.

Howard never lost consciousness, and I was in the lobby with three other parents, two of whom were nurses, so we were able to work together to apply pressure to Howard's head and access the injury.

Just as we determined that Howard did need to go to a doctor's office to have the wound closed in some way (stitches or souchers or glue, etc), I picked up my cell phone to call Hubby... and he walked through the door of the lobby.

He had been out running an errand for work, and decided to just swing by Tracey's dance class to watch her dance for a minute before heading back to work.  He has done that once in nearly eight months of her taking dance lessons... but he did that today, and walked through the door to the lobby just as I was calling him, and as Howard was (still) crying for Daddy.

He and I assessed the situation and decided that he would take Howard to the doctor's office in the hope that they could treat his head in the office without needing to go the emergency room.  They were able to do just that.

They put a numbing bandage on his head and gave him an oral medication to make him "loopy", and then they injected his head with lidicane and the doctor sewed three stitches.

When Howard and Hubby came home, Howard was definitely loopy, and he was tired, but didn't want to sleep, and the affects of the medication were such that he couldn't even walk without falling over.  Hubby never went back to work because we had our hands full with Howard's situation and our three non-injured children.





 
All that to say, I got to see first hand how your entire day can change in an instant.  I was sitting on the floor, not even two feet from Howard when he tripped and fell into this door hinge.  He wasn't playing recklessly or disobeying me -- it was just an accident that happened right in front of me.  I watch him fall head first into this door hinge, and there was nothing I could have done to stop it from happening.  Hubby and my entire day changed the moment his foot caught the carpet causing his head to strike the door hinge.  In that instant, the rest of our day would be spent getting our injured son medical attention.

In an instant our DAY was changed -- and that was for a (thankfully) minor injury to his head.  What if it had been a worse accident?  What if not our day, but our entire lives were changed in an instant?  The accident happened so fast.  What if the blow to his head had caused a concussion or intracranial bleeding or paralysis or worse?  In a small, safe dance lobby with four adults within arm's reach, Howard had an injury requiring three stitches.  That's a scary thought.

My only take-away is that I cannot put him (or my other children) in a bubble to give myself peace of mind for the next thirty years.  I cannot lay awake at night thinking over every scenario of the day that could have been worse or instants that might change my life forever.  I can just remember that God is in control.  God knows my children better than I do.  God loves my children more than I do.  God allowed this accident to happen yesterday, but he surrounded me with three other adults in that stressful situation to help me care for Howard and my other children while he was hurt.  God surrounded me with two nurses on the scene to help me access Howard's injuries and make wise choices as to what medical care he would require.  God sent my husband through the door of the lobby, the exact minute I was trying to reach him.

Motherhood is very scary, and the number of people, things, places, and simple accidents out there that can hurt my children are terrifying.  But my God is over everything.  My God knowns everything, and my God is watching over my children.  I still have fears, but I also have faith.  Faith that in every instant, God is in control.
 

Monday, January 29, 2018

Addallee Marigold -- Three Months


Addallee is three months old... or she was just before Tracey's birthday, so here is her three month post a few days late.
 
Here she is at three months
 
 
Here she is at two months
 

Here she is at one month


Here she was at one week


And here she was as a newborn



Weight: 

She went to the doctor on her two-month checkup a few days before she turned three months, and she weighed 12 pounds 3 ounces.


Length:  

At the same doctor's appointment, she was measured at 22.5"


Clothing size: 

She wears 0-3 month clothes, 3 month clothes, and a few 3-6 month outfits that are big on her. I actually need to officially put the newborn outfits into storage and unpack three and six month clothes.



Eating:  

Addallee nurses on demand and honestly, I don't really think about it anymore.  She nurses in the morning, mid-morning, when the twins nap, then afternoon, and then once the twins are in bed.  She sleeps for a nice long stretch from about 10-3 but then she doesn't go back to sleep well after 3am.



Sleeping:  

Addallee sleeps in our room in a bassinet and in a dock-a-tot at night.  She sleeps for a nice long stretch from about 10-3 but then she doesn't go back to sleep well after 3am.




New things/discoveries: 
  • She has found her fingers
  • She's getting better at tummy time
  • She can sit up in supported seats
  • She had her first Christmas
  • She had her first day at a baby-sitter's house while Mama worked
  • First time celebrating Howard, Caroline and Mama's birthdays
  • First time visiting the Vail condo
  • First time meeting her St. Louis family and all the aunts, uncles, and cousins
  • She has started to be happy playing by herself with hanging mobile toys










  New Accomplishments: 
  • Longer tummy time
  • Sitting up in supported seats
  • Finding her fingers
  • Being such a trooper for anything and everything to which I bring her along 
  • She has officially entered the category "easy baby" from my perspective -- she really is so easy going and content no matter what we're doing or how much attention she's getting.  It has been such a blessing.




Likes: 
  • Being held
  • Pacifiers
  • Nursing
  • Her siblings
  • Warm baths
  • Being worn in a Moby wrap
  • Sitting up in the panda chair or bumpo chair





Dislikes:
  • Being hungy
  • Being cold


  Places She's Gone:

  •  To Christmas Eve church service
  • To her siblings birthday parties
  • To Mama's birthday party (out to dinner with Mama and Daddy)
  • To adult date nights (out to dinner with my mom and dad)
  • Up the mountain to Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park including a gondola ride







Special Memories:
  •  Time spent with all the St. Louis family
  • Time spent with my parents in January
  • Sibling birthday celebrations
  • Addallee just has as smile for everyone -- if you notice she's smiling in the majority of these pictures, it is not because I am good at capturing her smiles, its because she smiles almost all the time, and at anyone who looks at her






Nicknames:
  • Addallee Marigold (Tracey calls her this, which is adorable)
  • Lee Lee