Break a leg! Orrrrrr... an arm.

We've had our first break in the Kelly home. 
My little A's #2 and #3 were playing with the Radio Flyer spring horse, and the little one fell off. Hard. Caution. This post may display some weird arm images.

I was cooking dinner, and was about to start plating up the Carne Picada (yeah, I even had a "fancy" dish all ready), and SLAM! 

Now, anyone who knows me, knows my children are somewhat, um, bricky. 
They fall. A LOT. And they are very rarely hurt.
We get scraped knees, and occasional bruises. But for the most part, their falls just scare them a little, I hardly react (which I swear by. No reaction from me usually = little reaction from them), and they get over it. 

But not this time. 

She fell. 
I saw her fall out of the corner of my eye, and her brother jumped off right after her. But, in my way, I didn't react. I watched. 
She stood up, and starting crying... and trying to lift her right arm. 
It was crooked from the elbow up. And hung there, pulsating... ohmygosh.

I freaked out!!!!
I didn't know what to do! I knew it was broken. I could SEE it! 
Mom adrenaline kicked in, but I still didn't know what to do. 

I swooped down and scooped her up, cradled her arm close to her so she wouldn't try to move it, and interrogated my poor boy to try to figure out what had just happened (he jumped off the back of the horse, but I didn't know if he landed on her or WHAT! I didn't know how she broke it - did he land on it? did she hit the metal rod that links the bottom of the horse? did she catch herself wrong? I still don't know, but it doesn't matter. Fact was, it was broken.)

Husband was still at work, and wasn't going to be home until after 10. 
Aidan was in shorts and nothing else. 
And my little baby... oh, my baby. She was only in a diaper, like she does. 

So, what is a mom to do?! There is no hospital here!
I set up Annie with her baby sister on my bed, slung Adeline's tiny little arm in a stretchy infinity scarf, and frantically darted around the house. 
Shirt for boy. Shoes for boy. Call neighbors to see if they can take boy.
Shirt and pants for baby. 
Diapers in car. Wipes in car. 
Bottle? Milk?
Send boy to neighbor's house.
Put Annie in front seat holding baby's arm in place.
Drive!

I drove to the next town and took her to the ER. By the time I got there it had been almost an hour from when she fell. I held her. Annie cried, and kept saying "I'm so sad! She's just a baby!" And I kept trying to hold it together and be strong mom, and kept saying "It's only an arm." 

We sat at the hospital in Muleshoe, waiting for news. 

It was the saddest thing ever, and apparently my face shows
my heart in this one. I was so sad for her, and she was so strong!

 

Then, they took x-rays. And then, I looked, which was NOT a good idea. 

Awwwwww, SNAP!

They splinted her, and I waited, holding her tight on my lap, singing to her, stroking her hair, reassuring Annie that everything would be okay, and PRAYING LIKE CRAZY that I wasn't lying.

Husband eventually got dropped off at the hospital where we were, thank GOD!

When he arrived and walked into the room, he looked at his little baby (who was extremely big and strong through the whole ordeal - she whimpered from time to time but hardly cried), squatted down, looked at her with such love, and said "Well, I have to say I never thought it would be YOU." 

I didn't either. With the crazy shenanigans her brother and sister pull, it still surprises me that the baby is the one walking around with a little cast.
The doc told us that with the severity of the break (and considering he thought it looked like the break hit her growth plate - which REALLY freaked Annie out. She convinced herself that Adeline would forever have one tiny arm) we needed an orthopedic surgeon. And needed to drive the 1.5 hours to Lubbock. Tonight.
And so, we loaded up, and hit the road and got to the next place close to midnight and were placed in a room.

From the first ER, to the next, to our hospital room, the nurses kept interrogating me... asking me how it happened, looking over her legs and body to see if there were "any other bruises connected to this fall"... when I knew what they really meant was "checking to see if you beat your kids." It was pretty uncomfortable. Especially considering my explanation was that she'd fallen off her spring horse. :| I mean, she and her siblings have fallen off that horse (usually when attempting one-legged rodeo clown tricks or something of the sort) one zillion times! This one just... ugh. I understand why they had to ask and look, and I appreciate that so they can help the children whose parents who are actually not good to their kids... but it definitely made the situation even worse for this already-freaking-out-momma!

Cuddling with my strong girl.

Splinted and hooked up to an IV.

Smiling at the "sleeping doggie" cover over the IV in her hand.
She kept smiling at it, saying "Doddie seeping."
This pic was just before they pried her from my arms and took her
to the back for surgery as she screamed "MOMMY!" over and over. :*(

And so, 
Overnight in the hospital,
a quick orthopedic surgery (!)
where they put her under (!) and
screwed THREE PINS into her tiny little arm.
(thank God my mom and Christy were there. I can't imagine trying to keep my mind off all that by myself. Plus, they're beautiful company...)

Recovering after surgery. She was finally able to eat some Fruit Loops
and drink a little juice. Grandma came to see her all day,
and brought books for her to read.

Play area on the children's floor. She recovered so quickly
and was using her left hand right away!

And then...
she had several more falls through the week which sent splitting pain through her body, and I had a week and a half of no sleep (she would wake up screaming bloody murder like once a night - that arm had to hurt!).

She forgave the horse. I, however, did not. And immediately after
she climbed on and I snapped this "forgiveness" photo, she was OFF!

Driving like a left-handed champ. And playing like nothing had even happened.
She kept trying to climb onto the trampoline! Um, NO! :(

Chocolate cake for breakfast.
What else could I do after that traumatic experience?

I made a trip to Lubbock a couple days ago to get a cast put on (hot pink = precious!). She waited like a rock star.... a bored one, maybe.

Then, the kind nurse removed her splint, and I saw THIS! (Do not look at the 2nd one if you get queasy.)

Removing the splint and trying to clean up her surgery wound...
it was so uncomfortable for her but she did so good!

THOSE are the pins in her arm! HOLY COW!
I didn't know they were so... so... THERE, or I would have
wrapped her  in bubble wrap and made sure she didn't even
BUMP her elbow! Moms heart = BROKEN.

And now, we wait. She only has to wear her cast for TWO WEEKS, which trips me out. I mean, babies must heal with the best of 'em.

This girl has adapted to being a lefty like nobody's business. She eats and draws left-handed, and has kept to giving me heart issues with her climbing up on stools and cabinets and jumping off of things. At least she is happy and energetic and in good spirits! But LAWD, she scares me.

Basically, the last couple weeks encompass one of the scariest moments of my parenting life. And one I hope to never have to encounter again!
Sweet Adeline, my crooked-arm booger.

Annie is hopeful that little Adele will still have an arm when all of this is over, that it won't be crooked, and that she will still be able to use it like "normal" kids.
I assured her that all those will happen. And that, if they don't, psssssh, it's only an arm.

Casted. Like a boss.

P.S. Please, PLEASE send up prayers for us. We go to have the cast sawed off and pins pulled out in less than two weeks. I am very scared. The doc warned me that it is going to freak her out in a pretty bad way, and will be a bit uncomfortable for her to have the pins pulled. :( Pray for her complete healing and my strength!