The WHOLE leg story...it gets kinda long.

So remember not too long ago I told you that the boy loves to jump on (and off) stuff? So this has long been a HUGE issue for me. Because, being the smart mom I am, I KNEW sooner or later we would have a major hurt going on. (It has not been uncommon for me to have to tell my sweet children that they are NOT to jump off the TOP bunk in the girl's bedroom.)

Well, 2 weeks ago the major hurt finally happened. You know, as a parent, you can tell when you child is crying for attention. And when they are crying because, this time, they are really & truly hurt.

The children woke up before the husband and myself. We didn't really know they were awake. Because for once they were playing nicely together. And quietly....which doesn't happen often around here (for sure they got my vocals). And all of a sudden we were wide awake, RUNNING into the boys room. Cause that's where the "hurt" cry was coming from. So we ask what happened. The girl told us that he jumped off the dresser and hurt his leg when he landed. We thought for sure it was a twisted ankle. It wasn't until DAYS later that the girl told us "Yes, I jumped off the dresser too. BUT I jumped onto the BED. Not the floor like E..."

Well that evening I took the children to my parent's house. The husband stayed home to finish some homework before the deadline. And my brother, the chiropractor, was visiting from KS. So I had him feel the bones in the ankle...just to make sure it really was only twisted, and nothing was broken. He said it felt fine. Just put some ice on it. So we did. But the boy was crying that evening...more than he had all day. It was interesting. But I put it aside as being tired & in a little pain. So i gave him some children's aspirin and let him fuss. He sat on my lap the WHOLE time we were at mom & dad's and if I put him down FOR ANY REASON he started crying again.

So for 2 days I carried the boy around. It was a little weird (but OH SO NICE) to have him immobile for a minute. He NEVER sits still. He still won't sit through a whole show on TV. But he did this time. It took him a couple days to even try to crawl.

Finally on Tuesday I was changing his diaper. I grabbed his leg to lift up his bum to put the clean diaper under and he started saying "OW OW OW!" So I stopped and started feeling his ankle. Nothing. But as soon as I started feeling around on his leg- pressing, squeezing, twisting- he started fussing again. That got me thinking. Of course my brother could feel if there was something wrong with his ankle, and I trusted that his info was correct that he ankle was ok. But if something was wrong with the leg (or the bone) you can really feel or see that. Unless it's a total break and the bone is sticking out or something.

So on Wednesday I finally decided, after talking to Sister Green, to take him to the Urgent Care. They did some x-rays. There was a hairline fracture. But just to make sure they would send the films to a radiologist and let us know the next day. In the mean time they put a splint on and bandaged up his leg.

First thing Thursday morning we get the call that says sure enough, it's a fracture. They referred us to The Core Institute. I called to make an appointment. They don't have a pediatric orthopedic doctor. So they're not sure which doctor would see the boy. She said she'd check and give me a call back. But even at that the soonest they could get him in would be NEXT Wednesday! I waited for about 4 or 5 hours before I asked the husband if we should call back. He did and the appointment was set up for, not Wednesday, Thursday! A WEEK FROM THE DAY WE WERE MAKING THE CALL. 1 1/2 WEEKS AFTER THE INCIDENT!!!! Now I had to ask- what is even the point of putting on a cast at all at this point??

We took him to his appointment last week. They took new x-rays. The doctor told us that the fracture had already started to heal, but since the boy didn't want to put any weight on it still then he was going to have a cast put on it just to be on the safe side. So I guess the safe side is putting the cast ALL THE WAY UP TO HIS THIGH!! Actually we were told that if the fracture had gone sideways they would have only put the cast up to his knee. But since it went up the leg they put on a full leg cast.

The doctor also wrote a prescription for a cast shoe. So that the boy can walk around. Well really he can walk around anyway. But if he didn't have "the boot" (as he calls it) on then it would wear right through the cast. And it is true. With how much this boy moves around the bottom of the cast has worn down a little. And gotten weaker. So we have started putting the boot on AS SOON AS he wakes up in the morning and only taking it off when he's in bed.

He doesn't love the boot. He is constantly telling us it's too tight. And tonight in the car on the way home from my meeting he said, "Mom I think I'm a little tired." And I said, "Then you could go to sleep if you want." He was quiet for a while-about 3 or 4 minutes....a long time for him. And then he says, "I can't fall asleep with this boot on!!" It was funny. Anything to not have too wear it.

He gets the cast off next week. He only has to wear it for 2 weeks. Again I ask- What's the point!!?!

The boy is funny to watch too. He has it all figured out. About the only thing he can't do is get up in his booster seat at the table with it on. Other than that he has adapted. He even still tries to run. Which he can't. But he tries anyway. And it's sooo funny to watch!

I think it's so cute this HUGE cast. Is that wrong? Yes & No. I have had many people say the same thing to me. Another thing people have said a lot, after asking what he did, is to look at the boy and say, "I guess you learned your lesson. Won't be doing that again, HUH?" To which I want to scream, "HELLO! Are you serious!!?! Have you never had kids!? Or boys?? Of course he HASN'T learned his lesson!" But I don't. I just smile and say, "Yeah I guess so." As I walk away shaking my head thinking what a dumb thing they just said and how dumb that they don't even realize it.