Merrick Breaks His Arm

Wednesday started like any other day.  Jeremy went to work, Merrick went to school, and I went to the preschool.  Just before 10 we were finishing up circle time and my phone rang.  It was Merrick's school.  They said that Merrick had jumped off the play structure and hurt his arm and he was really pale and sweaty.  I told them I would be right there to pick him up and rushed off to get him as quickly as I could.

When Merrick saw me he started to cry a little, but was remarkably calm.  He did look really terrible though and I was not sure what to do next, should I try to get him into the doctor, take him to Urgent Care, or to the ER?  I ultimately decided that I couldn't make the decision by myself in the car with him in the back seat and me in the front.  I called Jeremy but he obviously couldn't tell anything over the phone so I decided to take him home where I could evaluate him and see where we should go from there.  The problem is that when we got home he looked so terrible and I knew that if I somehow managed to get him out of the car I would never be able to get him back in the car to take him anywhere.

We turned around and headed for the hospital and on the way there he started falling asleep which really scared me.  When we finally made it to the hospital they immediately brought him a wheelchair and started giving me hints to prepare me for how bad it was going to be.  The first step was to get his shirt off so they could evaluate him.  Unfortunately he was in so much pain they had to cut it off.  Next came an IV and morphine.  After that we had X-rays and the diagnosis of a Supracondylar fracture.  There was concern not only that part of the bone was significantly displaced, but that the displaced piece of bone was pressing on the nerves.  It was decided that they would splint the arm and we would go to the Children's hospital for surgery.

Our arrival at the  Children's hospital was a bit of a debacle.  We were told to go the children's ER entrance only to be told there that we needed to be at the regular entrance to the children's hospital and we had to walk all around the building.  Then they didn't have a room for us and we were left waiting in one waiting room after another.  Eventually we were given a room to wait for surgery (which ended up being delayed because the surgeon couldn't find us because we weren't in the ER like we were supposed to be!!!!).  In any case, eventually everyone got on the same page and we headed in to surgery.  The surgeon was really great and explained everything very thoroughly.  He even drew us diagrams on the sheets of the bed. (They also gave him a Build-a-Bear doggy, a blanket, and new pj's at the Children's hospital so I guess it wasn't all bad.)

The surgery went off without complication and in five minutes Merrick went from having a significantly displaced bone to everything being in place and having three pins in place to make sure it stayed that way.

After a VERY long day we were finally able to go home about 10:15pm.  We have four weeks ahead of us in our new super cool blue and green cast and then will hopefully be good as new.  Merrick has been a real trooper and feels better each day.

Summer or Winter?

It has now been two weeks since you have really heard from me (I hope you enjoyed the break) and over those two weeks, and really our whole Spring thus far, the most dominant thing has been our wacky weather.  Apparently this year Spring doesn't really want to feel like Spring but either Summer or Winter and it likes to swing violently back and forth between the two (we are talking 40 degree temp changes from one day to the next).  When the weather is nice we try to spend as much time as possible outside because who knows what the next day will bring.  Here are some pictures that I have accumulated over the last couple weeks of our time hiking, at the park, riding scooters, and playing in the sprinklers.

 

Today it is cold and raining so we sit inside, enjoy these memories, and wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

Father and Sons' campout

This week we will all get a treat as I am handing the reins for today's blog to Jeremy so that he can write about Merrick's and his experience at the Father's and Son's Camp out.  So without further ado, here is Jeremy.

Last weekend was our ward's annual Father and Son's Camp out.  It was held at Camp Merriweather which is a really cool campsite located on the Oregon coast right outside of Tillamook and the weather was perfect.  Our campsite was on a cliff that overlooked the ocean.  While the Oregon coast is not as fun in my opinion as the Southern Californian coast that I grew up with, we wear pants and jackets to the coast here instead of swimsuits, it is prettier with the forest growing right up to the ocean.

We got there on Friday afternoon and after we set up camp we went to the lake that is located in the camp. Last year we got in trouble for taking the canoes out of their storage shed and using them.  Something about liability and worrying about being sued if something happened and other woosie stuff like that.  Anyway, the guy that reserved the campsite told us that there was a mix up and they weren't expecting us so the scout staff was not there and wouldn't be there until the morning.  Since the staff wasn't there I thought that was a great opportunity to take out the canoes.  So me and a couple other people hiked over to the storage shed and grabbed some canoes and paddled out on the lake.  It really is a beautiful site being on the lake in the canoe.  Merrick wanted me to take him for a ride but he had already put on his swimsuit and was catching salamanders in the lake with his friends and I wasn't going to get in the canoe with a soaking wet kid, so he didn't get to go on the lake this year.

That night we roasted hot dogs over the camp fire and then everyone made smores.  It is always fun to sit around the campfire and talk with the other guys that are there and watch as the kids see how long they can keep a flaming marshmallow on the stick before it falls off.  These kids are a bunch of pyros,

The next morning the ward provided a breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and sausages, which were really good. After that we went down to the beach and the kids played in the ocean, or rather, tried to see how close they could get to a wave before running away and hoping the water didn't get them.  Merrick was not successful and ended up soaked by the 40 degree ocean water.  Merrick also played in the sand with his cousins.  They took turns playing "dead man."  This, as you can see in the picture, consists of burying one kid in the sand, having the other kids shout, "Dead man, dead man, come alive on the count of five." and then having that kid bust out of the sand and chase the other kids.  A little morbid, but they seem to enjoy it.  Merrick also had fun jumping from tide pool to tide pool.

All in all it was a great weekend and really tuckered us all out.

Carrigan's 3rd Birthday

This last Wednesday Carrigan turned 3.  We celebrated both on her actual birthday and had a birthday at the park yesterday with cousins and Nana and Papa.

On the big day itself we met Jeremy after work for dinner at Pieology, cupcakes, and a trip to Build-a-Bear.  The pizza and cupcakes were delicious and after dinner C.C. got to open her present from Merrick (A "Frozen" doll that she was over the moon about).  Then we headed to Build-a-Bear. This was the first trip to Build-a-Bear not only for Carrigan, but for everyone in our family and we had a blast.  C.C. got to pick her animal, help stuff it, give it a heart, give it a bath, and fill out a birth certificate for it with the name she picked out.  Carrigan named her new pony "Beauty Pie".  She also bought a complete outfit for it (with the help of mom and dad and her birthday money from Great Grandpa and Grandma Clifford).  Unfortunately, we didn't get it dressed until we got home and then neglected to get a picture of "Beauty Pie" in all her glory.  My favorite part of the day was Carrigan whispering "I love her so much" as we were building "Beauty Pie".

Yesterday was all about Carrigan again as we got together at the park for more presents, cupcakes, and a pinata.  C.C. had requested a "Pinkalious" birthday party and we did our best to deliver.  I think everyone a great time.

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention two of C.C. favorite gifts.  Nana and Papa gave her a travel case full of art supplies which she calls her "homework" or her "diary".  I may have mentioned this before but that girl is all about her crafts and this gift was perfect for her.  The other gift was pretend make-up from Grandpa and Lollie.  Literally every day since she got it, she and I have sat and done our make-up together.  She loves feeling like a big girl and I love that her "make-up" is made of plastic and craft foam.

Happy birthday C.C. girl!  We love you and are so happy you are part of our family!

Weekend Fun

The weather this week has been a little cold and even rainy some days so when the weekend rolled around with clear skies and highs in the upper 60's and 70's, it was a welcome change.  I don't have a whole lot to say about our adventures this weekend other than we were outside as much as possible.  We went to the zoo on Saturday and as you will see the kids were really into comparing and measuring themselves against the different animals.  Today we went to the river after church.  We had considered going to the coast today, but didn't get our act together in time so we settled for the river beach and feeding the ducks after church instead.

It was a great weekend refilling our depleted Vitamin D reserves.