"Um,.... I heard a pop!"

+ =

Yea, so can you guess the fun and excitement that came our way Friday afternoon?

The deets: Cute brother Jens in town for the weekend. He (along with my mom) came to see us Friday afternoon. After about 12 fun filled minutes of trampolining with Jack and Cole, I look over and see Jens holding Cole like a new little baby and that new baby is about to let off one gigantor scream...wait for it.....wait for it......BAM! I rush over and hear the phrase..."Um, I heard a pop, I think his arm is broken." Instant silent prayer that I won't puke if I look, ...look it over and see that it just isn't hanging right, something is amiss here. So glad mom and Jens were there to entertain the other boys as we all made a b-line to the local ER.

After signing mounds of paper work WHILE holding a screaming/sweaty/in shock 4 year, we go back with this male nurse. Now I'm not one who really cares what gender you are just as long as you help me, however, I just had to laugh at the difference in shall I say, bedside manner. Case in point: Cole is screaming and sweaty (did I already mention that?) and this nurse (who by the way wore no undershirt with his scrubs with a deeeep V....ga-ROSS) is trying to listen to his heartbeat with the stethoscope (?)

Cole:"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

Nurse:"shhhhhhhsh, stop cry-ing I can't hear anything!"-Napolean Dynamite was the nurse.

Cole: "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

I was amazed into silence.

Fast forward 2 loooong hours and no pain relief yet mind you. He had xrays and I am informed that it is indeed his elbow and it is broken. It will need surgery (pins) and that has to be done at the pediatric hospital about 40 minutes away. The orthopedic surgeon was being notified of our transfer and we will be taking him in for surgery that night.....WHAAAAA? Kyle finally comes :)....grandpa Larry comes and they give him a blessing. I am pooped but feeling a big relief that I know what is going on now and have some support. Other boys go to grandmas, we head to the big city hospital for surgery.
Cole had to have 2 pins inserted into the elbow magically through his skin somehow. The Dr. was great, I was not worried....as much as I thought I would be.
He went in for surgery a little before midnight. The waiting room in a pediatric hospital is full of toys, not magazines I guess. We fought over this ONE. Kyle got first dibs..he does love Paula Deen, and he read to me a very interesting article on eggs! Fun times at midnight.

Realizing this whole elbow saga started at about 4:30 p.m., at 12:30 a.m., we were starving and this was ALL my purse had to offer. I usually had pretzel sticks or fishy crackers or something. I really wanted the burrito on my stupid coupon....but all I could do was dream. I got the fruit leather, while Paula Deen's biggest fan got the dots and transformer fruit snacks. No takers on the cough drop.

He got out of surgery after 1:00 a.m. and they admitted him for the night so he could be monitored. While he was still groggy, Kyle and I finally feasted on a mean panini sandwich and some tasty split pea soup in the deli downstairs. Kyle went home and I stayed with gimpy for the night. He woke up wide eyed and ready to go at 3:00. He was thrilled to have a Popsicle ("in the middle of the night, that's cwazy") and juice , crackers, etc. We talked and had the nurse visit and finally at 4:00, I turned off all lights and called it a night.

7:30, he was ready for breakfast.

The view from my sweet seat/bed.

Such a trooper and ready for check-out.

He's of course home now and doing great considering. Here's my list of thankfuls:

-it was his left arm -he's right handed...that would be bad

-it was Cole my sweet tempered /mild mannered child-Not Jack , he is a boy full of drama, that wouldn't be fun

-my mom and Jens were there to assist me from the get go...or shall I say, pop!

-it was on a Friday afternoon and my workaholic husband didn't have to leave a million things undone to come over
-my fantastic in-laws had overnight visitors sprung on them and it was as always, all good. They are the best.

-The dr.s and nurses (besides nurse "shhhhhsh") were great. I'm so grateful for modern medicine.

-To hear how obedient and sweet and helpful Jack and Brody were during the crazy, scary, where is everybody time?!

So Monday we go back for his followup-second casting. Just in time to leave on his annual father-son-uncle-grandpa-cousin fishing trip.