raising 4 kids in nh

Thank God that's Over!!

2009-12-28T16:45:00.000-05:00

I love the holidays, I really do. But once Christmas day has passed, I am ready to clean up the house, and make it look like Christmas was never here. Luckily, no one cares that I feel this way, thus enabling me to just pull it all down and pack it up til next year.. I actually waited 3 days this year to get it put away (but only because I was in an ugly, after Christmas funk- much like my husband was..) But I woke up this morning, had a meeting with our builder, found out that he's starting work tomorrow and had to clean out some clutter in the lower level, and just went nuts from there. It feels good in here.. I can breath again.
The kids had a great Christmas, and got a ton of stuff.. one of the main reasons I felt the need to purge. The girls finally got into it this year..after each gift, my oldest twin would come up to me and say "just one more mama" it was cute. They have had endless hours of fun with their new toys. All which are doll, or princess related. It's funny to have girls in the house, especially such girly ones. Being a recovering tom boy, it's hard to understand the love for everything pink, and glittery. But I love it anyway.
Well, I'm currently cooking dinner (noodles..) I did enough cooking over the past week that I can get away with something simple..and something that won't make any one of them cry. I'm heading back to work in a few as well.. I miss it.. mommy needs a break!

This and That..

2009-12-21T13:35:00.000-05:00

Well, I finished my Christmas shopping this morning.. as least I think I have.. I'm sure I'll remember something and have to run out again, but the bulk is bought, and wrapped.. Now I'm trying to nail down the menu for Christmas Eve.. and will have to eventually do some more shopping for that.
My boys are beyond excited. It's been a countdown for the past month.. they are good counters let me tell you! My girls (who are 3 1/2) pretty much haven't grasped the concept. They are far too busy bossing me around, and clawing each others eyes out. It's heart warming, really.
The plans for my mothers in law apartment are pretty much a go. We should hopefully see some work started within the next couple of weeks. I know she's looking forward to having more space than our playroom, and I'm looking forward to a new master suite.. we've never had our own bathroom before!! I will be banning my boys from using it, that is unless the little one gets better aim and can hit the bowl rather than the floor, or the radiator (that's leaving a wonderful smell in my bathroom!!)
We were invited yesterday to our neighbors house for their annual cookie decorating party. It was a lot of fun. They are really nice people. The girls pretty much lost their shit when their very cute, little dog, got too close. I ended up bringing them home and asking my mom to watch them.. she didn't mind, and again we reaped the benefits of having her living with us..
Anyway, I have a ton of stuff that I should be doing, rather than blogging.. I would kill for a good nap, but that is exactly what I would have to do to get one. Kill. So, instead I'll do my dishes, and my laundry and get more bricks for the fire.. and then decorate a gingerbread house when the boys get home, make dinner, go to work, get home from work, get the kids ready for bed.. and eventually pass out. Sounds good, huh?

Fabric Buttons..

2009-12-17T12:04:00.001-05:00

Something new for the holidays.. plenty of my family will be getting one of these pretty little fabric buttons.. to either put on a coat, a purse, shirt.. whatever.. My niece has her very own, which she was thirlled to get.. her only concern was whether or not her mom knew how to use a safety pin! haha.. she may not be the most domestic of people, but I'm pretty sure she can swing pinning it on!

2009-12-15T08:57:00.000-05:00

The kids can barely wait.. Santa is coming, even if I've threatened them within an inch of their lives. He'll still be popping down the chimney in less than 10 days.. much to the concern of my younger kids about the space issue (how will he fit down our small chimney? and what if we forget to let the fire go out??) Poor dubs.. I'm not nearly as ready as I would like to be.. I started out with a bang, then flopped hard! That's ok though, like every year, I'll be ready.. dammit!
My youngest son (who has been cast free for almost 3 weeks) has grown new hair on his arm. Really, dark, long hair. It's weird, and kind of gross. I found out it's from having the cast on for so long, and the hair folicles growing to help with the irritation of the cast. My husband wondered if he should put a cast on his head, and grow some hair up there.. Not sure it would have the same effect.. of course he's not going bald either, just receeding a bit. But I've assured him that I will still love him when his hair is only growing out of his ears..
These pics were taken with our new camera (an early gift to my husband and I, from my husband and I) I've wanted a good camera for a long time (so I can take pictures of my kids toes..) and yay, now I have one! I have some reading to do, and lots of practice, but so far I'm loving it! Merry Christmas!!!

New Sewing Machine..

2009-12-08T07:29:00.000-05:00

I got a new sewing machine over the weekend. My old one died.. which I was quite happy that it finally did. It's amazing how much better, and how much easier my sewing has become with a new machine. I also got a sweet deal.. this bag is for my nephew's girlfriend..who btw, does not read my blog (at least not that I'm aware of) Anyway, I hope she likes it..
I'm also thinking of opening an etsy shop in the spring.. maybe. The thing about doing that means I'm really putting myself out there. I'm not sure if I want to do that. Rejection is not something I'm good with..

2009-12-04T08:18:00.000-05:00

We have been busy here getting ready for the holidays.. Our elf on the shelf has returned, and once again my memory is put to the test. It would seem a simple task to remember something that you have to do every night (moving the elf to a new hiding place) but surprisingly, I've already forgotten once. I'm determined to do better though..

I've also been busy making gifts.. my mother in law has asked me to make my sister in law a new bag.. paid of course. Which I've already finished. I love the new bag. I've also almost mastered making wallets. My last one had a zipper. It's a big deal for me... to put a zipper on.. and no, I'm sure when I turned into my grandmother, maybe a few years ago.. I also learned how to make these cute little fabric flowers, thanks to miss crafty pants and her tutorial. Here's how it turned out..

So Lame..

2009-11-28T21:39:00.000-05:00

Every time I sit down to write on this blog, I feel incredibly lame for how little I post. Time is just something I have very little of these days..
Not much exciting has been happening either, I guess. Which leads my pathetic little blog to sit and collect virtual dust.
We had a lovely Thanksgiving, at my in laws. I made a ton of pumpkin and chocolate whoppie pies and some butternut squash. I spent the rest of my day listening to my youngest son begging me for a mohawk (which he now has). Giving in is just much easier than the whining, and really, it's just hair, and unfortunately, it fits him to a tee.
I got to see a beloved cousin of mine last week. I hadn't seen him since my wedding eleven years ago. He's been in the peace corp for the past 10 years, and has married, and had a baby girl this past April. It was as if no time had passed, and like the best of friendships, we picked up right where we left off. He was like a brother to me growing up (the brother I would have preferred over the loser I got stuck with). He's coming back in a year with his wife, and baby, and I can't wait to meet them both.
Last weekend my sister went to New York for her sister in laws wedding, and I had her boys. From Friday, to Monday. Naturally, it went way better than I thought, and despite the exhaustion that comes with having 6 kids in your house, I was happy to have done it. The boys were great, and even my husband had fun with all the chaos, and on the last morning, before he left for work, he went in to get them up, and say good bye.. it was sweet.
Big news with my girls.. They are finally off the bottle! I know.. they are almost 3 and a half, and should have been off of the bottle years ago, but it was their crutch. Their blankie, binky, whatever. It was something I dreaded for months and months, but knew I had to do it. On Thanksgiving morning, after much discussion over the previous week, we wrapped up their bottles in pretty Christmas paper, and gave them to their little baby cousin.. someone who really needed bottles, unlike themselves who were clearly too old for them.. They have not had a drop of milk since (they hate the taste of milk out of a cup.. weird I know..) but are instead drinking lots of water, and eating more food than I thought they were capable of eating. There were a few meltdowns, but only for one day. Of course it was easy. It's always easy once you've just done it. I was thrilled today while at the grocery store only buying 2 gallons of milk, instead of 4. (our normal consumption for milk was about 5 gallons a milk.. cha-ching!) Now we're going to really focus on the potty training.. can't wait to save money on diapering two kids!!! yee-ha!
Yesterday I spent the day making my house look like a winter wonderland.. It looks so perty (if I do say so myself). With this being our first Christmas in our new house, I had so much fun decorating.. I even gave up some control of the tree this year, and let the kids put whatever they wanted on it. And then later, moved a bunch of their shit to the back of the tree.. no one noticed, and Mommy was happy. What's more important than that??
Well, this is getting long.. and as I type, I am trying to ignore the noise coming from my sons' bedroom (sleepover with two of their friends). One of them is named Jimmy. He's a nice kid, and his first time at our house. Every time I hear this kids name, I can't help but think of the Seinfeld episode where Elaine dates a guy who constantly refers to himself in the 3rd person.. "Jimmy likes Elaine" "Jimmy thinks Elaine is really cute" (meanwhile she thinks he's talking about another guy that she thinks is cute) Anyway, it amuses my husband and I to no end..so when Jimmy wanted ketchup with his fries tonight, I couldn't help saying "Jimmy wants some ketchup. Jimmy likes ketchup" I'm a dork, I know.. Anyway, I'm sure to have more to blog about after seeing my most favorite homosexual tomorrow.. It's never dull with that one!

Getting Ready..

2009-11-17T09:28:00.000-05:00

I've already started my Christmas shopping, in fact, I've already started wrapping presents. This year is much different than last year. We were in the middle of trying to sell our house, and pinching every penny. I didn't have the time or the desire to get ready for the holidays. It feels so good to be on a more relaxed schedule. I'm taking my time, and trying to enjoy it all.. This past weekend we put up Christmas lights.. I know. It's early for that. But we only lite them for a bit, and we'll wait til after Thanksgiving to keep them lite and get the rest of the decorations up... the lights do look pretty though..

I also started making some new tree ornaments, and I've had so much fun doing it.. when did I turn into such a dork?? Not sure..

I'm also gearing up for having my 2 year old twin nephews stay with us this weekend. My sister, brother in law and niece are heading to NY for my brother in law's sister's wedding. I hope they have a great time.. my sister is going to meet someone famous there.. this couples son is going to be the ring bearer, and my niece is going to be the flower girl. I told her to get LOTS of pictures with the husband of the famous couple.. the wife of this duo is filming a movie, and won't be there.. but the husband will, and him and his wife had twins this past summer, so they'll have plenty to talk about!!

Anyway, here's a pic of the ornaments I've been making..

Say Cheese!!

2009-11-14T23:13:00.000-05:00

Today I went back to Sears, for more pictures..
My husband moaned a bit two weeks ago, about the "twin pic" my sister and I had done, because we hadn't had a family picture done since my 9 year old was 18 months.. I guess we were due.. but really, knowing my husband, I thought he would never want a family pic, and never bothered asking.. But after his complaining about the twin pic, I scheduled a family pic, and today was the day. Of course he tried to get me to cancel (it was raining.. and why, we just might melt) But I'm glad we went.. the girls smiled this time, and finally, we have a picture of the whole big ass family!!
I also must add, that the last professional picture we had done of the kids, my youngest (who was 3 at the time) had a huge scab on his forehead, from stiches he got after falling down the stairs. It was only fitting that the next professional pic we had done, he was wearing a cast.. He could have taken it off (because at this moment it's only held together with velcro) But why would we do that. It is afterall, a snapshot of US. And what would we be, if he wasn't battered or scarred in some way??

Anyway, here are a few of the shots we got..

Party in the Back...

2009-11-11T12:39:00.001-05:00

Someday I will convince one of my kids to sport the classic mullet... til then, I'll just post pics of them in a gnarly mullet wig..

Another Twin Pic..

2009-11-03T09:27:00.000-05:00

My sister and I brought our twins to the mall this past weekend, for an updated twin pic. It had been about 18 months since the last one, and the only difference was the fact that the kids were a little bigger. Even though we had decided that we wouldn't get an iced coffee in the mall after the picture, we did. And just like last year, we got a few stares, but unlike last year, my sister's boys weren't in a stroller, and were totally mobile, and totally hard to contain. They did have a ton of fun in the middle of the mall at a ramp. Three sets of twins hanging out in the middle of the mall.. good times. Not everyone that noticed us, noticed that my sister and I were twins too, but they sure noticed the two younger sets. It was pretty funny. My sister wants to go to Twinsburg Ohio at some point for their twin weekend.. I'm pretty much all set with that. Sure, I'm all on board with the coolness of the whole twin thing, but spending an entire weekend with a bunch of over the top twinners seems less than appealing. Anyway, here's a copy of the pic we had done.. it's a little grainy, but you get the point..

Happy Halloween..

2009-10-30T15:24:00.001-04:00

This will be our first halloween in our new neighborhood. Normally, we go to my brother in law's neighborhood in a different town because walking with 4 kids in our old neighborhood would have been dangerous, no sidewalks, lots of traffic.. I can't wait. Blogless is coming, with her brood, and my sister too.. My above mentioned brother in law is coming too with his family.

The girls aren't going to be these flower garden gnomes. Turns out they didn't like them after they begged for them in the store. Can you tell by the smug, pissed off look?

So, instead, they are going to be the same thing they were last year. Thankfully they are low on the growth charts, and the outfits still fit. Fickle little girls!

2009-10-23T12:05:00.000-04:00

My son had a field trip the other day, and the teachers asked us to pack them a snack in a labeled brown bag. This was the only brown bag I had.. how lucky were we that it was already labeled! ;)

Back to Boston...

2009-10-23T12:02:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I took my son to get the pins taken out of his elbow. Another trip into Boston, and thankfully a trip home that did not take me 3 hours. I think I may have mastered leaving the city!!

My poor poor little boy.. can I say, he was so brave.. and so very good. I can't imagine what it must feel like to have a broken elbow, held together with pins, and a huge cast.. nor can I imagine having the cast removed, having it xrayed and then having 2 large pins taken out with a pair of pliers. yes, pliers. He was however, a trooper, much like I expected. They didn't let him leave without the cast though, so he got a new one. Which means we are going back down again in a couple of weeks to finally have it gone for good. Oh, and btw, I won't be joining him on this trip, my husband is taking him. Really.

On the way home yesterday, my son told me that it didn't hurt when they took out the pins. It just tickled. When I asked him if that was why he screamed, he said yes. Cutie..

To Give.. Or Not To Give..

2009-10-21T09:50:00.000-04:00

I got some beautiful Amy Butler fabric squares in the mail the other day (yes, the mailman loves me and just brings me random beautiful things..) um, yea, I "won" it on ebay.. so I made a bag.. It's really cute (or at least I think so..) I showed my sister the bag this morning, and she asked me who it was for.. Well, ME of course.. and then I got to thinking.. the holidays are rapidly (and sadly) approaching..so I could give it to someone.. or I could just bask in it's beauty and call it my own.. what to do, what to do... anyway, here's a pic....

Did I mention it's reversible??

New Curtains..

2009-10-14T14:14:00.000-04:00

My fabulous fabric arrived yesterday, and it was all I could do not to lock up the kids in their rooms and just sew away.. I did however, find the time between tantrums and hair pulling to cut the fabric and get it hemmed, and now they are hanging beautifully in my living room.. My husband came home last night and saw them hanging on the rods (all pinned up) and decided he didn't like them. I am convinced though that they will grow on him.. they are afterall beautiful, and handcrafted by yours truly.. Oh how I have missed being creative.. I say this everytime I sew, and then my crazy life spins me in a different direction. Anyway, here they are.. let me know what you think.. I could use a "hell yeah"!!

Corn Maze '09

2009-10-11T22:48:00.000-04:00

I had to work this Saturday. I gotta say, I hate it. It's stupid, and I can't agree with what I'm doing there.. People come with their lab slips, see me, where I enter them into the computer, and then they wait..again. I'm working in the lab part of the hospital, and I'm registering patients. I got there 10 minutes before my shift, to log onto my computer and get myself all set, but unfortunately, I couldn't remember the passcode for the employee entrance and had to file in with the rest of the schmoo's waiting to have their blood drawn. Which only made their wait a minute or two longer than had I gotten my shit together before they arrived.
Anyway, after my long stupid ass shift, of four hours, I came home to a very untidy house, and wanted to just go back to bed, and forget that this day had even started. Despite the phone call I had made on my one free second three hours into my stupid ass shift, asking if anything was needed at home before I got there.. Just milk.. not diapers, and milk, just milk. (I won't discuss too much about coming home to find the girls in pull ups because, yes in fact, we could have used some diapers..) so anyhoo, I had told my husband that I wanted to do something. I didn't just want to sit at home on our Saturday, and do nothing. Little did I know, that when I got home, I was going to have a huge back ache. One that I hadn't had since I was in my 20's, and in far better shape. A couple of tylenol later, I was feeling 100 times better and we set out, for some good old fashioned fun.

We went to a neighboring town, to a corn maze.. A huge maze, made of corn, in the shape of a skunk. This will be the 3rd year, we have gone, and the toughest one yet. I don't know if my husband's sense of direction was just not as polished as it usually is, but it took us longer than normal to get through, and we back tracked more than we ever did.. It was fun though, and despite a melt down from our 9 year old because we didn't buy him a 9 dollar stuffed skunk and only got him a pumpkin (which we carved today) everyone enjoyed the craze of the maze.. We finished off with a yummy Mexican meal, and a great visit with the in laws.. Life is good.. even if it starts with a crappy day of work.. at least it ended with fun family shin digs! Here's a pic or two..

2009-10-09T08:27:00.000-04:00

I'm waiting for some fabric to be delivered so that I can make some new curtains for my living room. It took me hours on line to find the right material. I searched, and searched, and searched some more. I even tried a couple of local fabric stores, but found nothing that was affordable, or to my liking. My husband, the artiste, insisted that he "approve" whatever I finally decided on. There are days where I wish I had a man who didn't care about the decor of our home, but alas, I don't.

I finally found a beautiful fabric, one that we both agreed upon, and after measuring, I ordered up a bunch, and eagerly awaited the shipping confirmation. Of course the only email I got was one saying that they didn't have enough to ship to me, but would eventually. Oh that was so not good enough. I wanted to spend my weekend blissfully sewing away, so I got back on line and picked another fabric. Another beautiful one.. at least I thought it was. Unfortunately for my hubbers, it didn't pass his approval when I showed him later. I told him that I had ordered it anyway, but I don't think he believed me. Well, he will when he comes home one day with the gorgeous new curtains that I'll be making with this:

The Spazz Family..

2009-10-06T07:30:00.000-04:00

It would appear, this is what we are recently.. here are the examples..
I'll go first.. yesterday in an attempt to try and get a brood of Jamaicians from calling me repeatedly (with the wrong number) and calling me all sorts of lovely names, I called the phone company and had my number changed. Two minutes after the lovely woman had cancelled my number, she told me that there were ways we could avoid getting these calls. Ok, so I decided to keep our number, but it was too late since she had already cancelled it. I would have to wait til it was switched, call back and try to get our old number back. So, for at least today, I have a new number, that no one has, and no one ever will. Hopefully no one breaks anything at school today!
Over the weekend, my youngest son, casted from his left shoulder to his wrist, knocked himself in the head with the very hard plaster cast. Leaving a huge lump on his head in the same exact spot where he had gotten the last lump 2 months ago that left him with a concussion. Fortunately for the spazz family, he was fine, and only required a bit of ice and a firm talking to about trying to slow down a bit. This boy is the king of the spazz family.
Yesterday morning, as my kids were leaving for the bus, I noticed that my oldest son had put his pants on backwards. I'm not sure how he didn't notice that.. with two pockets in front and a zipper panel running down his ass.. but thankfully the queen spazz did notice and got him switched around just in time for the bus. And as far as my husband, I've been trying to come up with his spazz moment of the week.. but lucky for him, I couldn't think of one.. he did have a close call when he bought a wood stove on craigslist and didn't do any measuring beforehand, and thought briefly it might not fit. That would have been an expensive spazz moment, but it worked out fine.. I'm sure I'll have at least a few more before the week is out.. we always do!

Why Boston Sucks..

2009-10-03T22:46:00.000-04:00

I took my youngest son, and his brother down to Boston on Friday to have some xrays taken, and to have his arm recast. I'm going to blow through this part, because really, this is more about me, than him.. so there. He's doing great, I saw the pins sticking out of his arm, and yes, it was gross.. but he did a tremendous job, and was very brave. I only took my oldest son because he had never been to the city, and quite frankly, the tears he had going before the bus came pulled at my heart strings long enough for me to tell him he could join us on what was promised to be a pretty lame trip to the city.
Ok, I'm past the stuff that isn't about me.. Now let me explain why I could never live in the city, and why I would never want to.. First of all, the people. God, there are a lot of them. My oldest son wanted to know why there were so many people. Why are they all walking? Public transit is something we have VERY VERY little of here in NH.. which is what I explained. But why oh why are people so rude in the city?? Not sure I could answer that question.. but I tried.. For example after we were done with all my youngest had to have done, my oldest wanted a tour of the hospital. First of all, while it's a great hospital, there are 10 floors, and I wasn't about to tour all of them, in fact, I wanted to end this day and commence the dreaded journey home. However, my oldest was quite insistent that he at least more than just the second floor so fine, I dragged them both down to the basement, to the cafe. They picked out some unhealthy snack, and we got in line to pay. It was going smoothly, until some serious douche bag decided to cut the line. Right in front of my oldest son, who had no idea what to do, and begged me to do nothing.. which I did. She was an employee of the hospital, and I figured she must have an important surgery or meeting to attend. Unfortunately, she was only in a rush to grab a table by herself and eat her waffle fries. Son of a bitch. My son again begged me not to say anything as we waited for the elevator right by her table.Yea, like I would have said boo. I was quite surprised by my son's fear of confrontation.. I've never confronted anything!! good lord.
So we make our way to the loser cruiser, parked on the 5th floor of the parking garage, pay about an arm and a leg to get out, and then proceed to get very very lost. ugh.. It did not help that my phone rang during a very crucial decision making point in our trip (outbound to downtown, which really makes no sense what so ever!) from my husband to see how things turned out. Just great, I tell him, and then pretty much hang up on him, as I know I am about to get really lost!
Which of course I do.. In what should have taken an hour.. took almost 3. I never should have seen downtown Newton, or Waltham. But I did.. All the while, my oldest son is in the back seat griping about how this is the worst day of his life, and my youngest is complaining about how he REALLY HAS TO PEE , but of course won't pee in the burger king cup to his right.. ugh ugh ugh..
Finally, after almost 3 hours, I made it home. Not until I told my oldest son that next time (and yes, there is a next time, in about 3 weeks when my youngest will have the pins removed) that he can stay home, and stopping on I-95 in some mad traffic, so that my youngest could stick his little wee out of the loser cruiser door to relieve himself.. I have already asked my husband to get the day off the next time we have to go.. of course he said no.. and of course he's going to have to change his mind, or I'll be grabbing a pair of needle nose pliers and pulling those damn pins out myself!

Back to School..

2009-09-29T09:52:00.000-04:00

After a VERY long week off from school, my youngest son returned this morning. He was worried about going back, how was he going to open his lunch box and have a snack? Or how was he going to play on the playground? I reassured him that his teachers would help, and that his friends must miss him so much, and really, going back was going to be fun.
I drove the boys in, and what a reception my little guy got! It was wonderful. One of his classmates made him a card, and everyone else came running up to him with all sorts of questions, mainly wondering if he felt better, and if it hurt. It was very sweet. I talked with his teachers, who both gave me a hug (feeling my pain as well..)
He could have gone back yesterday, but the thought of that made his elbow hurt (quote, unquote). But last night, after a very trying day with him, we both decided that today would be the day. We're scheduled to go back down to Boston on Friday and have more xrays and most likely a new cast put on, depending on how well it's still fitting after the swelling from surgery has subsided. I'm looking forward to putting this all behind us. It's been a draining experience. It's also been a wonderful bonding experience for me and my son as well. We've had so much time with just him and I that I've gotten to see a sign of him that I rarely see. A smart, funny adorable little boy, who thrives from just one on one attention. Instead of the whiney upset little boy who just wants to be noticed.. It's made me realize that I need to spend more time with all of my children on a one on one basis.. If I can find the time.. oy. Ok, well, now I'm off to muddle through the rest of my day! later!

Childrens Hospital..

2009-09-26T11:28:00.000-04:00

Our day in Boston started out rather bumpy, when my youngest son fell down the stairs in the dark of 5:30 a.m. Nice.
It quickly proceeded downhill when we arrived at Children's Hospital and were told that he was definitely going to need surgery, and that it would most likely be around dinner time as they were swamped with cases. Nice again.
We were then "set up" in a waiting area (the only ones in this waiting area thank God). We were given movies and a goody bag full of paper, pens, markers, slimy goo and a bunch of other things to try and keep my son's attention away from the fact that he was starving but couldn't eat a thing.
It was roughly two hours later that we were told by the surgeon that there was a rumor going around that they were going to open up another O.R. and get my son in there for surgery. Yay! The day was finally looking up..I couldn't believe I was actually looking forward to my own kid having surgery. It put things in perspective. It was clear that he needed the surgery, and now the only obstacle was waiting, and having to listen to my son whine about how hungry he was. Food is one of his favorite things, and it was torture with holding it from him.
We were brought up to the O.R. waiting area at about 10:30. We were elated. Even my son was in great spirits. The wonderful thing about Children's (well one of the wonderful things because honestly, there are plenty) is that the people there are incredibly friendly, and are a huge source of knowledge. It's also like an assembly line and they have it down to a science.
I was allowed to go back to the OR with him, and be there until he was out. They gave him some gas which knocked him out, then the IV. No pain.. yay! Roughly two hours later the doctor came out and told us the surgery went great. There was no tear in the cartlidge surrounding the bone, which meant they didn't have to embed the pins and remove them surgically a month later. Rather they put the pins in and can take them out in the office with no pain, and no surgery. He got it all casted in his favorite camoflague design and we met him in recovery. The nurse gave him some morphine after he woke up because clearly he was in a lot of pain. He napped for about an hour and roughly 45 minutes later we were on our way home.
I am so happy that he is on the mend. He slept great last night, but woke up this morning in quite a bit of pain. The pain medicine worked great and right now he is waiting for me to finish up on the computer so that he can go back on line. If all goes well, he could go back to school on Monday. I'm hoping it does, I know he misses his teacher and his classmates. We have to go back down in a week for another xray, and maybe a new cast, depending on how well this one continues to fit after the swelling subsides.. Here are a couple of pics.. before and after surgery...

Boston Here We Come!!

2009-09-24T16:36:00.000-04:00

I brought my son to see the orthopedic doctor today. I thought we would get his arm in a real cast, and be on our way. Hah! It only goes to show me, yet again, that you can rarely get what you expect.
We're bringing him to Children's Hospital in Boston tomorrow. The doctor is afraid that there might be cartilidge damage, or a sort of break that would require surgery, with pins.. Thankfully my little boys 6 year old brain wasn't paying much attention at the conversation that the good doctor and I were having. If he had, he would have been pushing us out of the way, looking for the nearest exit.. They'll be putting him under and doing some sort of fluroscopic imaging to check the blood flow to his elbow.. If he does require surgery, they'll do it then.. we were told to expect to have a long day, and not get home til tomorrow night sometime..
We have to be there at 7:15, A.M.!! Which means we'll be leaving at the ass crack of dawn.. and the kid can't eat, or drink! This is not going to make his "hollow leg" very happy, but hopefully we can bribe him with enough toys and junk food later that he'll suffer through the ordeal leaving us fairly unscathed..
I will surely update as soon as I can.. Wish us luck!

A note to my previous post..

2009-09-22T14:34:00.000-04:00

I wanted to add that my son has the best teachers, and the most thoughtful staff at his school. His teacher was absent yesterday when he got hurt, but she just called me to find out how he was doing. His classmates are making him a get well card.. that just made his day!
Last night, after I got home from the ER with him, the school nurse, also known as Nurse Judy called me to find out how he was. I thought that was very sweet, and above and beyond what she needed to do.
And one last note, on my son.. He's sort of a pain in the ass kind of patient. Yes, he's a trooper, but he's also like the guy you give a bell to and say "ring it when you need something.." Only it's my mom's cell phone, and he's been calling me from my room (where he is camped out) about every 5 minutes.. "I'm thirsty" or "I'm bored" or "I'm just calling to say I love you" ugh.. needless to say, my mom got her phone back, and now he's relying on his lungs to call for me, which coincidentially works just as well as her cell phone.. sigh..

Supporting Our Local Hospital.. it's what we do!

2009-09-22T11:02:00.000-04:00

Nothing gets you out of the house faster than a call from the school informing you that one of your kids is hurt. Yesterday afternoon, I got that call.. again I might add.. This time the nurse was telling me that my oldest son had fallen in gym and hurt his arm. She thought it might be broken. Great.
Less than 10 minutes later, the girls and I arrived at the school and head for Nurse Judy's office. Much to my suprise, I find my youngest son, not my oldest son, laying on the couch in the nurses office. It's really not all that surprising though as my youngest son has had more trips to the ER than my whole family combined. And I guess when you have as many kids as I do, someone is bound to confuse them. Anyway, the poor little kid immediately starts bawling when he sees me. I can tell he's been trying to be as brave as he can be, but once momma is there, the flood gates are opened. At this point I see his elbow, and it is freakishly swollen, and clearly this is not going to be the day I anticipated where the girls and I chill at the house enjoying a day off from babysitting. Nurse Judy helps me get everyone to the car and I start making phone calls.
Long story short... his elbow is broken. Yes, his elbow.. who breaks their elbow?? Apparently he does.. After spending 4 hours in the ER, having about 12 different xrays, and shuffling kids around with the help of my mom and mother in law, the doctor put a cast on him, gave him a sling, and a perscription for codeine. He slept like a rock last night (thank you pain killers..) and we are meeting with an orthopedic doctor on Thursday.. They will most likely put a new cast on him, and restrict him to limited activity.. no soccer this season.. no riding his bike, and hours upon hours of boredom is what he can look forward to. This will surely enhance my favorite season of the year! Can you sense the sarcasm here??
Anyway, I'm thinking of getting this kid a bubble.. and maybe never letting him out of it.. I'm also thinking of starting a bank account specifically for the copays to the ER.. it would be smart of me to think ahead, don't ya think??