All in a Day's Quirks

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Sippy?

On a snowy afternoon, Scooter counted down for a game.  In his carefully modulated tone,

Is there anything so difficult as seeing your child in pain?

Nickerdoodle got blasted by a heavy steel door after school today, knocked his sturdy 110 lb. athletic frame to the floor.  His toe, arm and shoulder are bruised and swollen, very sore.  I'm betting his backside will be hurting tomorrow from falling on his tailbone.  He really got nailed bad.  I' m so grateful it wasn't his head, and luckily it was his left side and he's right handed.

The kids in the classroom he was passing were probably excited to get out because they have half days for exam week and threw open the door.  So now besides the stress of exams, my Doodle is in pain.  He's such a good natured kid though.  He was pleasant and polite, getting up to get things tonight when I easily could have gotten them for him.

At first when he got home I hugged him while he explained what happened.  I thoroughly checked him out, gave him Motrin for the swelling and pain.  Then I set him in his Dad's recliner with his foot raised.  Mr. Creative Doodle fashioned an ice pack around his toe/foot by taping it in place after it kept falling off.  It stayed on all afternoon!   I covered him with a blanket and fluffed a pillow, pretending I was a nurse to make him giggle.  I gave him choices for lunch and movie.  He ate popcorn, m & m's and blue raspberry pop (good for the soul) for lunch and we all watched Chickie's favorite flick, "Dunston Checks In".  We all love it, slapstick mayhem with an orangutan, art deco period decor for me - what could be better?  The kids love when I play the funny parts over and over...I've been known to rewind 10 x and more, everyone cracking up more each time (drives my husband crazy, but he wasn't home).  Doodle enjoyed a few requests for ice or more popcorn, asking with a funny smirk, sending Chickie or me to wait on him. Hey, he's normal - who doesn't love that?  Then he took a long nap but got right back into studying for the night.  Great responsible kid.

This brings up another important point - he should have gone to a teacher, to the office or called me for help - a lesson I now have taught them - after his accident.  But these things don't occur to us until they happen.  In normal cirumstances, his next hour teacher would notice and send him to the office.  He was likely embarrassed and just wanted to get to the bus, steely tunnel vision.  He probably didn't let himself start to realize his pain until he was situated and on his way home.  By the time he walked through our door though, he'd let down his guard and fully let his pain flow.  To think he had to walk home from the bus stop on his swollen, bleeding toe.  Ouch

I caught yet another messy virus, a byproduct of kiddie contact 24/7: temp, cough, sinus, aches.  As I sit here feeling miserable and pondering slipping back under my blankets after G gets on the bus, I scroll through facebook and I'm reminded of reality.  The world is indeed bigger than my stuffy nose.

A high school friend is waiting anxiously for surgeons to finish her son's brain surgery (cancer).  She lost her mother this past year and is mourning her support.

Another autistic mom friend is taking care of her brother (also my friend) who attempted suicide last month.

A family friend prays as her niece and nephew wheel into surgery.  Her niece is donating a kidney to her brother.

Another sweet friend brought home her baby yesterday for the 1st time in months.  His heart defect has kept them at the hospital for most of his short life.  He's on a ventilator, but HOME.

Blessings and prayers to all who have real life and death struggles.  My heart goes out to my strong mama friends.  Keep up the good fight.  Love you.  xoxo

Sniffles, coughs and aches?  It's time for me to woman up, take some sinus meds and get on with my day.