Even a couch becomes a source of danger. In 2012 and 2013, Elliot broke his left elbow in the same spot, which both required surgeries. I thought we were going to have a repeat of a fractured elbow at the same spot last night.
In December 2012, he fell off the high chair and broke his elbow. May 2013, he jumped off the couch and broke his elbow, same spot, again. In 2013, I was at Stanford with Ellis for her vocal paralysis issue when the babysitter called me in a panic. Elliot was playing and fell off the couch, and now he wouldn’t stop crying. He wasn’t talking at the time, so she had no idea where he was hurting. Driving home that Friday afternoon was a long nightmare with bumper to bumper traffic.
Last night, I had just started practicing my single stitches with my yarn and needle and Chris cleaning up the kitchen, when I see Elliot leaping around and laughing and doing some leap holding onto the couch arm rest. Next moment I hear a loud thump and a scream. I ran over and saw him laying still on the ground holding his left arm. Ack!
The place by the couch where he fell is an accident prone area; he almost hit his face on the piano 2x’s, he tried to spin himself on one arm on the couch arm rest, and both he and Ellis fell in the same spot this week. How is this happening again? Do these people never listen to me?? Sadly, my anger was more palpable than compassion.
Within minutes, everyone changed out of their jammies into outside clothes. On our drive to the emergency room, both kids are crying; one from pain and fear and the other from anxiety that we won’t be home for days. I told Ellis that these kinds of emergency visits take few hours and that they don’t require overnight stays. Still tears and a whispering into my ear that she doesn’t know why she’s crying but that she’ll be brave.
Chris dropped us off and told us to call him when we’re ready to come home.
I’m not proud of how I behaved; snappy and angry. I know that Elliot was scared but I was angry and worried and exhausted. How could I do this again? This will require more of me on a daily basis. Also, my sternum pain, which flares up from time to time has been inflamed since last month, and with this fiasco it won’t have time to heal.
Well, maternal instincts or mother nature is a strange and surprising phenomenon. It’s a gift from God because it’s not humanly possible. When Elliot leaned against me and told me that he was scared, my anger and worries dissipated. I love this boy so much and he needs me. Somehow, my caretaker mode was switched on and come what may, sternum pain and all, I will he here to help you. While we were waiting to be seen, I apologized for acting like a lunatic and told him that he was handling himself well despite the pain. I had hurt his feelings. Thankfully, he accepted my apology.
While we were walking out of the house, I blurted out that I wanted to throw the accident-causing couch away and that we have too much stuff. Comical to think that I blamed the couch for the accident. In that moment, I saw everything, piano, rug, laptop table, tv, books, cushions, as a hindrance, or death traps, to safety. It’s not like I can bubble wrap the children and live in an empty space so kids won’t get hurt. When I apologized for what I said, Elliot asked, “are you really going to throw the couch away?” I really should be more prudent with my words.
Long story short, it’s an elbow sprain. He’ll be in a sling while it heals. We’ll see the pediatrician this week to find out our next steps. Does she think we should follow up with a specialist? She sees us way too often.
Just last week Elliot had to be seen for an eczema-like rash that was around his cheeks and chin. It was Fifth’s Disease, aka, slapped cheeks. It’s a viral dermatitis thing that required steroid cream and Zyrtec. The facial redness was in the same shape as his mask. He’s changed to cloth masks now.
What a fiasco Saturday it was. I’ll have more patience and compassion. I need more of God to transform my imperfections into something lifegiving. What a humbling lesson in motherhood for me!
“Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had, and dealing with fears you didn’t know existed.” -Linda Wooten
Categories: doctor visits Hospital visits learning with kids Mom lIfe Play Raising kids
singlikewildflowers
Welcome to my blog! My name is Esther and I'm so happy you are here. I'm an avid nature photographer and a daydreaming thinker. My posts revolve around photos of nature's beauty, homeschooling adventures with my 2 kids, sporadic reflections on my child's heart condition, Bible reading reflections, gardening feats, and other mish mash things. Hopefully you'll leave encouraged, pensive, or smiling at the simple things of life. Thank you for stopping by and hope you'll find some interesting posts to read!
sing like wildflowers 
Hi – that is good news that it was a sprain and not a break!
And I would pray over that area thy is accident prone and ask for God to provide extra protection – i have done that before and recently I have been praying over a certain areas of highway that seems to have a lot of accidents –
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Yvette, that’s a great idea! It makes sense to pray over those areas but never crossed my mind. Thanks for the tip.
I’m relieved that it’s only a sprain but it still causes too much pain to move his arm. Thankful for sure! A fracture would’ve been much worse and the recovery long.
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😊🙏
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Yikes – I would not make a good mother as I don’t have thee patience that you have and you need to have a lot of patience with young children. I did not realize there were two previous breaks – Elliot can thank his lucky stars it is not a permanent break and just a fracture. Hope he is doing better and you’ve had your follow-up appointment. Tell him he’d better drink more milk, eat more yogurt to build stronger bones until he grows up.
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Patience is an up and down thing. If you were a mother and had small children, you’d develop it too. It doesn’t come naturally and I’m always trying, retrying, praying, and apologizing for my various moods and responses to them. But it grows with time and realization that I need patience too from these kiddos; I’m sometimes as clueless as them.
He had 2 breaks in the same elbow in the span of 5 months. Both required surgery. He refused to wear short sleeves for years because of his scar. The thought of it breaking again in the same spot took me for a mental breakdown. His arm is slightly bent from it. I hope he grows out of it. Something we need to see the orthopedic surgeon about.
He takes growing bones vitamins. yes, I’ll let him know!
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I dunno about me Esther. I get annoyed, exasperated and gritting my teeth over this dog next door with its incessant whining, so I would probably lose it if I couldn’t control a situation with the kids. I’m surprised the doctor doesn’t have Elliot wear an Ace bandage or some sort of support to keep it from breaking while he is growing – of some type of padding just for an incident like happened. If Elliot doesn’t like dairy, this would be a good incentive for him to like dairy – even chocolate milk or strawberry milk or yogurt drinks.
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That whining dog still whining!! I’m sorry. That’s got to be so annoying and there’s not much you can do to stop it.
Elliot’s arm is doing so much better. He was wearing a sling until Friday and then he said he didn’t want it anymore. He can move it up and down but it hurts when he’s changing shirts or when he bends it a funny way. He’s my picky eater and he only ate three fruits: strawberries, blueberries, and orange, with the occasional grapes. Recently he started eating pears (small pieces) and apples (thinly sliced). This is progress!
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Yes, I am going to need to get a white noise machine or noise cancelling headphones as I can hear the whining and yelping now and her windows are closed … I don’t know what else to do. I thought of getting huge wind chimes, but I would have to be able to secure them in case someone tried to steal them … they may bother me while sleeping too as I sleep on that side of the house.
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That’s so annoying! Noise cancelling headphones may work but that might get uncomfortable to wear for an extended period of time. Wind chimes make soothing sounds. I wish we could have one but our HOA does not allow. Our HOA is very strict. I left a plant pot by the garage and I got a letter stating that it goes against community rules. Whatever!
I wonder how the dog’s owner deals with all that dog’s whining and yelping.
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I found a website of soothing sounds, mostly nature, but all day long, with breaks now and then for the news, is too much. They also have some white noise, which sometimes puts me to sleep. And I don’t want to mess up my hearing by blasting music in my ears all day either. I am annoyed – the dog starts when she walks out the door, is quiet when she is home (thankfully). It is a Bichon Frise rescue dog – maybe it is high strung. I didn’t know a HOA would forbid wind chimes, but it makes sense – some of them are really huge.That is strict if they have an issue with a plant pot, but I’ll be the community is very nicely kept.
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That dog is high strung and perhaps has serious separation anxiety. Little dogs have piercing barks too…yikes, that would get annoying. Gosh, I wish there was a way you could get some peace and quiet without any of the soothing sounds or white noise.
Our community is nicely kept and it should because our HOA monthly fees keep going up. Ugh. They were big stinkers about parking and had people’s cars towed, even the people living here. That was annoying because it was hard to have anyone visit with fear that the cars will be gone after the visits. Pre-covid of course.
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Yes, you’re right Esther – yappy little barks and howls all day long and the kitchen table where I sit is probably 20 feet from where that dog is all day. I know she leaves the TV on in her living room all day for it – I can hear that when I am outside in the Summertime. The fact that she barely closes the door and it starts is just ridiculous in my opinion.
That’s terrible about the HOA fees, but at least you have no worries about crime and people at least adhere to rules. A young couple moved into a house kitty-corner from my house. They’ve been there about two years and leave their wheeled garbage bin and wheeled recycling bin out at the curb from week to week. They should be fined or given a warning. It looks bad.
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Some people are clueless. ugh…sorry about the barking dog.
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