For healed bones.

(don’t let the thumbs up fool you, two casts was cool for all of 10 minutes, the other 8 weeks were filled with tearful times)

It’s hard to believe that this time last year we were dealing with broken bones and a very discouraged little boy! So thankful to have made it through that season. Amazing what the ability to use your hands and arms can do for morale! While I don’t think I will ever get over my stair anxieties I am thankful we are on this side of that little snippet in time for our family. At the time the healing felt like an eternity. Today he is healthy, non-stop active and still keeping us on our toes, and for that we are thankful.

I joked in a previous post about the Doom’s day kits that I often see on Pintrest and how really what the world (at least the world of young families with children) needs are stomach bug preparedness kits. Laugh now folks. Moving beyond the joke….you know you want one! {and dad, just because this seems atrocious that your daughter would write on the world wide web about something like throwing up, doesn’t mean I shouldn’t share….I would hate to keep such a treasure a secret! It would just be wrong}

After each and every family member took their turn on the stomach bug this winter I grew weary of the running around the house to each closet to get this or that, all while trying to get back to my patient before the next round began.

My sister-in-law Sara made us an emergency kit for Christmas complete with collapsible water jugs, special granola bars, matches, etc. It lives down in the laundry room and is handy in the event that we might need it in an emergency or times when the power is out for long periods of time due to storms. And now, residing just next to it is…

Neat sheets- I have been on the hunt for these for a while. I used to see them at Target and Walmart. I found these similar sheets at Michael’s for $6. They are basically waterproof, thick sheets for picnics, etc. Easy to wash and happen to not be towels. Not sure about any of you but I got soooo tired of washing load after load of towels.  My plan when the bug strikes next year is to whip these puppies out and layer them. When one bites the dust it will go straight into the washer….leaving the next neat sheet ready to go. They are big enough to cover the boys beds which means I won’t be layering up loads of towels to cover every inch. And I imagine they will be quieter than making the kids sleep on trash bags!!

Cheap blankets- walmart and target are marking down blankets right now as the seasons change. Grab a few super cheap blankets. When the bug hits take off your kiddos bedding and replace with these. That way your good stuff won’t get ruined and you won’t be running to the laundromat. I speak from experience on this. When Jackson got the bug I actually went up to Owen’s bed and pulled off his comforter. After 4 days I figured he was in the clear and gave the poor boy back his comforter…guess who got the bug that night?! huh?!

Clorox wipes- obviously you will need to do big time cleaning but in those wee hours of the morning and middle of the night you need something disinfecting that is handy and can be thrown straight into the trash.

Pedialyte packs- I love these, I normally don’t go for all of the individual packets because they are pricier but these are worth the cost. I don’t know about now but it used to be that pedialyte in the bottle had to be thrown away after like 24 hours. These packets allow you to mix them with water just what you need, as you need it!

Straw cups- our kids have accumulated these at every party. They don’t fit well in my cabinet but instead of throwing them away I keep a few for “special occasions”. Who knew the stomach bug could be considered a special occasion?! Anyhow, with sick kiddos it’s nice to have cups that close securely and have a straw so they can keep hydrated in bed or wrapped up on the couch without the risk of spilling.

Bucket or bowl- let’s face it, who wants to reuse the bucket or bowl for anything else once it’s been used for major sickness so just buy a cheapo bucket and throw all of your “kit” into it. Then you can sterilize it and use it again.

Garbage bags- in the middle of the night when the washer is already working away and you have more loads incoming, toss them into a trash bag while they wait to spare everything around them getting “the bug”.

Something bubbly- not of the alcoholic variety, although that will be helpful for you as the parents once this all passes!! Something more along the lines of gingerale or sprite to settle tummies. If this is stored upstairs its gone and not ready to go. Stash a bottle with your kit so it’s available!

Now don’t be deceived these items are not propped nicely out of a bucket down in my cabinet….this little display is especially for you my wonderful readers. And while it looks colorful and cheerful I advise you not give these as gifts to friends. They might thank you someday but most likely they will think you are wishing the bug on her and not be so thankful. Just a wee bit of advice!!

I hope none of you EVER need a kit like this!!! Feel free to pin it if you think you might! People might laugh but they will be so jealous when they know you are rockin’ the kit while they run frantically for all of the necessities!!

Disclaimer at the end of the post I will post a picture of Jackson’s arm….you will have to scroll down to see it to avoid shocking those that don’t want to see it!! So beware!

Since so many of you are asking about Jackson’s accident I thought I would post the story. He was across the street with Seth delivering cooking to the neighbors while I cooked dinner. It all started with these cookies…

He played for a few minutes with the neighbor and when he came down the stairs to head for the front door he fell forward off of the stairs and landed on his arm. Seth left Jackson with the neighbor to run to get me and the car. I ran over to get Jackson…who wasn’t crying but was in shock. Seth threw a cup of water on our freshly lit fire in the fireplace, turned off the burners from my cooking and grabbed Owen.  I ran across the street with Jackson and held him in the front seat trying to brace his arm as we drove.

We went to the Reston hospital ER because it was closest and we weren’t sure how severe the damage was. Looking back had I understood more I would have taken him the 30 min to Fairfax where they have a pediatric ER. Anyhow, we were helped quickly. Jackson was hooked up to morphine and fluids on arrival and sent for x-rays within the first few mins. It broke both bones in his left arm and it remained in what they called a “stair step” or 90 angle until they re-straightened (reduced it) it. The nurses were great and made sure he was comfortable. Seth went home with Owen and met my brother who stayed so Seth could meet me back at the hospital. 3 hours after arrival the pediatric attending told me that the ortho at Reston wasn’t responding to calls and quite honestly wouldn’t be comfortable fixing a pediatric break anyways so they sent us via ambulance to Fairfax Hospital. It was a long 4 hours of looking at the break. Luckily Jackson remained in shock and wasn’t processing much of it. The morphine helped!

The ambulance crew and greeting staff at Fairfax were great and got things rolling quickly. The doctor came in almost immediately and the ortho team arrived within 20 mins or so. They looked at the x-rays and got Jackson sedated so that they could fix his arm. He now has a temporary cast. One that allows swelling that they will actually just add the extra layer of hard cast to. The nurse pulled in a wheel chair for us to take Jackson to the car. He was still slightly sedated and looked at me with heart broken eyes, he said ” Mom, will I have to be in the wheelchair the rest of my life”. Poor guy, couldn’t remember if he broke his arm or leg.

We left home at 6 pm and arrived back home at 1 AM. Owen, who had slept soundly through the night woke up at 5:20 AM!

Jackson is going to be in the cast for 6-8 weeks once it is on. Basically I told him we hope it’s off when Santa comes just to give him something to look forward to.  His first question as he came out of sedation when his words weren’t even clear yet was if he could still be on the basketball team with his buddy. There will probably more tears in the coming weeks then there were last night. He remained in shock much of the evening and honestly did not cry until he came out of sedation and was disoriented. It will take a lot of adjusting to this new way of moving and lifting a cast that honestly is about half his body weight. He is such a string bean already.

My prayer requests at this time are that he would adjust back to school with his limitations at the moment. I had him home Wed and Thurs but Friday he managed most of the day at school. He was welcomed back with so much love from his class and felt so taken care of. I think once the cast signing and celebrity wear off he might have a hard time not being able to be active. The pain is lessening by the day. The first days were roughest but I think it was more from adjusting to it all (sort of a grieving time that I hadn’t totally expected) and the morphine wearing off. He is still having tough times when he realizes a new activity he can’t do. Yesterday it was not being able to ride his bike. Other than those tough times he is making do and joining in. Who says you can’t be the drummer or rake leaves with one arm!

Pray for me as I juggle Owen and try to teach him how to be gentle. The hard cast will go on on Wed which will reduce risk for the healing bones.

Pray for rest. For all of us! The first nights were very rough, they are improving. Jackson still needs pain medicine in the night so we are setting an alarm, feels a bit like having a baby again.

Pray that my nerves will regroup! So far we are doing well but I realized Tues night at the hospital that I was kind of coming down off the storm hype when this happened and I have just felt wiped out this week with the addition of the arm drama. I am trying not to be anxious about every little thing the boys do but I will say that stairs are still scary to me

So that’s the story. There are so many random things that I am thankful for. Had Sandy not blown through here Seth would not have been home to help me. Because of Sandy we had to postpone putting up a swing set for the boys. I was so bummed and frustrated about that last week but I cannot tell you how relieved I am to not have to restrict Jackson from a new swing set. I am so thankful Seth remembered to put out the fire in the fireplace and so thankful that my brother was able to be with Owen so he could sleep and Seth could assist me at the hospital.

Disclaimer: look at the below picture at your own risk. I did a thumbnail size, feel free to click on it to enlarge it if you are a glutton for punishment.