Happy 5th Birthday, Madeline! (Plus a bonus feature!)

Wow!  What a memorable 5th birthday you had, Miss Madeline Grace!  You had a blast with a small glitch.  Starting from the beginning of your birthday weekend, you knew you were going to be 5, and you.were.excited!  This meant "big kid" school.  This meant "holding up a WHOLE hand when strangers ask me how old I am!"  Five is clearly a big deal to you, my sweet girl!

 

Grandma and Grandpa had grand plans for your fifth birthday!  You have been begging them to sleep over at their new house since they moved.  Grandma made a special plan since your birthday fell on a Saturday.  You were going to spend the night on Friday, have a special dinner with Grandma and Grandpa, sleepover, wake up on your birthday to go to the marionette theater, have lunch out, and come home to celebrate with us!  Grandma pulled out all the stops - candles, acrylic wine glasses, cookies, and cake!  Unfortunately, you don't look so happy in these pictures because as Grandma was preparing your special birthday dinner, you took a tumble.  You were dancing, twirling, squealing, spinning, and who knows what else in your socks on Grandma's hardwoods.  You fell, landed on your elbow HARD, and screamed bloody murder.  Well, Grandma doesn't get too worked up about "injuries", but this one got her.  She knew something was up.  You wouldn't let go of that elbow.  You wouldn't smile.  You wouldn't eat.  However, she proceeded with the birthday dinner, and everyone tried to make the best of it.  Grandma put you to bed, called us at 11 PM because you were crying in pain, Daddy did some chopping an adult ibuprofen pill conversions over the phone with Grandma, you insisted you were staying the night, and back to bed you went.    

 

After your ibuprofen pill that Grandma fashioned into a kid version, you woke up all smiles even though you were still cradling the elbow.  Grandma decided it wasn't broken, but it wasn't right.  Grandma consulted with us and shared your insistence on the marionettes, and we agreed to let you carry on with your special date.  Grandma's old school nursing came in handy, and she fashioned you a sling, let you wear one of her diamond necklaces (um, Grandma?! Seriously?!), and off to the marionettes you all go!

All smiles at the marionettes.....

Upon your arrival to the house, you were cradling that arm pretty badly, and we decided to hit the urgent care.  Daddy snapped a few photos of the swollen arm and elbow area.  It was kinda nasty.  This over the top, freak out Mama is actually REALLY glad this little incident happened with Grandma and Grandpa who do not get rattled.  I would've been at the ER in a flash.

But, being the awesome parents we are, we celebrated Madeline's birthday BEFORE hitting up urgent care.  She was okay with it, and we wanted to celebrate.  SHE wanted to celebrate!  So, we did, sweet girl.

You loved your cookie cake!

You loved your gifts!

Your little sister also loved your gifts!

You loved your crown from a card.

 

Despite your little birthday glitch, you had a WONDERFUL DAY, and you were such a trooper which was no surprise to us!  Grandma and Grandpa sure did feel awful about the mishap, but falls, bumps, and bruises happen. 

 

Urgent care told us it was a broken elbow.  The pediatric orthopedic doctor told us it was a bruised growth plate in the elbow.  He put you in the cast for two weeks because you started Kindergarten on Monday, August 19, 2013.  Yes.  That's right, you turned 5 two days before you started Kindergarten, and you were put in a bright pink cast the afternoon you started Kindergarten.  It was an awesome beginning to the school year, seriously.  All the "little people" counselors, helpers, and teachers knew Madeline Grace!  You didn't need their help, but you sure had the extra help ready and waiting if necessary! 

 

Sunday, August 18, 2013 - Wild Wing fun after church to continue the birthday celebration.

 

First Day of Kindergarten - August 19, 2013 with your fancy pink cast - Madeline, you no kidding asked for a "pink, purple, and glittery sparkle cast" when the orthopedic tech asked your color preference.  He was dumbfounded & looked to me for guidance.  I said, "Nope.  Dude, she's serious. Got sparkles anywhere in here?"  We settled for hot pink!

A week into the cast, and she barely notices she's wearing it.

 

Happy 5th birthday, you sweet, sweet girl.  Our Madeline Grace!

Amelia Strikes Again

Running full speed ahead to greet Mommy at the gym kids' care + clunky sandals + clumsy Amelia = forehead into the door jam = urgent care

Yes, this happened at pick up at the kids' care at Gold's.  Naturally, I panicked.  Then the kids' care ladies panicked, so I panicked even more.  They've seen a lot of accidents, but this one freaked them out.  Needless to say, I headed to urgent care immediately.  One of the ladies went with me because I am not the calm parent in this situation.  Two of the ladies kept kids' care open past the closing time to keep Madeline for me.  We received a "yep, she smacked it good" at the urgent care and was sent home with a 24 hour watch period.  Of course, Amelia was fine.  However, I really appreciate the kindness that was extended to me.  Those ladies at the kids' care love my girls (and me) like family.

 

After the urgent care visit, my sweet Madeline coddled Amelia like a little Mama.

 

Sweet Sisters

 

Two days later, the bruising and knot really showed up.

 

Will I ever get used to all these boo-boos?  Probably not.

Madeline's First Dental Appointment

Oh, this girl was born to be pampered!  Yes, Madeline felt pampered at her first dental visit, and no we didn't take her to some fancy spa dentist!  :) 

She LOVED the dentist from the silly pink glasses, to the hygienist that worked on her teeth, to the awesome Dr. M. who goofed around with her, to the "goody bag" that included a PINK flosser, to the treasure box loaded with jewels from which to choose.  Yes, our first dental visit was a glamorous, wonderful experience! 

When she was done with her cleaning and exam she looked at me, smiled, and exclaimed, "Look at my beautiful, shiny teef!"  Yes, our girl was born to be pampered even at the dentist!

Jamaica, 2012

Thanks to this wonderful girl's (J) planning and organization, Dr. D's dental study group had a wonderful trip to Jamaica! Eric is a part of this study group as a result of his job, and I am a lucky spouse to attend such luxurious trips. J and Eric attended the lectures each morning with the speaker and the doctors while we spouses slept in, relaxed at the pool/beach, received spa treatments, and shopped! Fabulous!
This group of dentists and oral surgeons and their spouses are a welcoming, fun group to travel with, and I have enjoyed getting to know them over the last couple of years.

The dentists and surgeons in this group work hard and give premium care to their patients, and the wives are very supportive, hard working women (both inside and outside the home). On these trips it is enjoyable to sit down with the women and talk about kids, school, toddlerhood, housekeeping, work, and life in general. Being on these long weekend trips without our children gives us all the "break" we need to be the hardworking Mamas and Daddies back at home. The Jamaicans are also determined to make sure we have a fun time...responsibly, of course! :)

I had a spectacular time getting to know Dr. D's wife, Susan, and Dr. C's wife, Jessica. Kindhearted, fun ladies!

Sadly, this is the ONLY picture Eric and I took of ourselves, the day we were leaving. Rain and clouds make it easier to leave Jamaica! Our lack of pictures is a testament to just how much fun and relaxing we had.
Special thanks to my Mom who kept my children for FOUR long, 102.5 feverish days while I was relaxing in the tropics! Thanks, Mom, for dealing with the virus and teething issues that flew through our house while we were away! :)

Four Weeks

This is my broken foot at four weeks! I know, GROSS! It needs some serious TLC, but no pedicures in my near future. My toes are still black and blue and really wanky looking. Yucky!! I don't have pretty feet anyway, and a broken foot definitely hasn't helped my foot aesthetically.

I went back to my orthopedic doc this week, and he had an X-ray done. As it turns out, I broke two metatarsals --- the middle one and the fourth one. No wonder I saw stars! Apparently, the swelling and such was so terrible that it wasn't clear on the first x-ray. A little bone lesson took place at this appointment: Bone has several stages of healing. I am in the stage of healing where the hard cartilage part (think: kids' bones) is repairing. By 6 weeks, the bones will start pulling calcium into the process to starting forming new bone. Basically, no "real" healing is visible on the x-ray until 6-8 weeks. Awesome.

The good news is that I've been good about wearing my boot and not walking barefoot, so everything looks as it should. The other piece of good news is that I've been given the thumbs up for the stationary bike at the gym. I patiently listened to the Doctor and all his doctor talk, but my first real question was, "OK, Doc, so what can I do cardio wise at the gym?! It's been FOUR weeks?!" Yes, he rolled his eyes, and yes, my husband was there reminding him to choose his words wisely with gym talk. I think Eric's exact words were something along the lines of, "Be careful what you say to her. She tends to take what you say to the utmost extreme." So, yes, cycle class here I come!!

I was also given clearance to wear a shoe, BUT it has to have a stiff sole & not much binding over the broken area. To quote my doctor, "Barefoot is the WORST.SHOE.EVER!" Ladies, this criteria is not conducive to a cute, stylish shoe AT.ALL. So, heels, wedges, boots, flats, a flip flop, and even my running shoes are a BIG NO-NO, but my Chacos (pictured) are a winner. Too bad it's winter time, but I wear these sandals around the house. The boot is hard on my ankle and my lower back because it has my alignment all out of whack (my left foot is higher than my right, and it keeps my ankle super still and stiff). I am really nervous about being out in public and dealing with the girls, so I wear my boot to the gym and while we are out and about. Around the house, I am able to walk on it barefooted on a very limited basis (like in the shower), and most of the time, I wear my Chacos. The more bending in the broken area = longer healing time was the gist of the shoe conversation. Cleaning day requires my boot. :)

I go back in a month, and hopefully, that will be it with this broken foot issue. While it's certainly not ideal, it's much better a month into it. My anxiousness has been relieved as far as taking care of my girls and going about my day-to-day routines. Now, I'm just anxious to get back into the gym like I want. Then all will be right with the world in Anne's world.

Treacherous

These steps:

Plus These Shoes:
Equals = A Broken Foot
ONE WEEK before my Disney, 2012 Marathon!

Big Sigh and Gigantic Sad Face for this Mama! Stupid me decided to dash up our stairs in my heels and landed myself a broken fourth metatarsal bone.

Very ouchy! Now I see why cartoons always show stars when the characters fall down. I literally saw stars when I fell, and I immediately knew something serious was wrong with my foot. When the doctor was pressing on the swollen, bruised area, I almost fainted & barfed. For a girl who has never broken a bone in her life, this has been quite an experience.

For a Mommy of two little ones, this is quite inconvenient.

For the stay-at-home Mom who cleans, launders our clothes, & does all the errands, this is stressful.

For the work-out fanatic Anne, this is frustrating that I'll be out of the gym for at least 6 weeks, maybe longer.

For the Anne who can usually handle whatever life throws at her, this causes a great deal of anxiety.

But, the silver lining in all of this is that I don't need foot surgery, and I wasn't carrying one of my children.

Definitely NOT the way I wanted to end my holiday season and begin 2012!