Today marks two weeks since Leilani has been in a full leg cast... that's half way to the end of this madness. And although she's been a trooper and has barely been slowed down by having the cast, I still hope the next two weeks go by very quickly! I want to get her back to Gymboree and to our daily walks around the neighborhood.
Today is also the one year anniversary of the day Leilani was supposed to be born on. And by that I don't mean her due date, rather the day that my prenatal doctor scheduled her to be born on (through induction). I changed the date because my parents were flying into town the very next day, and I wanted to wait until they were here. So I rescheduled the induction so that she'd be born on August 1st instead. To this day, I still feel a little weird about 'playing God' like that, but in reality, it's the same thing my doctor was doing by scheduling me for an induction in the first place. Looking back, I kinda wish I would have been able to experience that cliched moment of my water breaking and heading to the hospital in a mad dash. Oh well, the induction went very smoothly, was convenient for everyone involved, and who knows... maybe I'll get that experience the next time around!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Deluge
Last Thursday, we had what seemed to be a heavier-than-normal thunderstorm. Although strong, nothing about it really seemed that bad.
Then the lights went out.
Then the cul-de-sac turned into a lake.
Then the creek overflowed.
All in all, we were lucky. There are eight houses on our street. Six of them had flooded basements. We were one of the lucky ones. Today, there are huge piles of wet carpet, artificial Christmas trees, and other random stuff you'd typically find in a basement in front of all our neighbors' homes, waiting for garbage pickup.
I read in the newspaper that there have been at least 6,000 homes flooded. And that's just what's been reported. I'm sure there's really a lot more. I am so grateful that we stayed dry.
Then the lights went out.
Then the cul-de-sac turned into a lake.
Then the creek overflowed.
All in all, we were lucky. There are eight houses on our street. Six of them had flooded basements. We were one of the lucky ones. Today, there are huge piles of wet carpet, artificial Christmas trees, and other random stuff you'd typically find in a basement in front of all our neighbors' homes, waiting for garbage pickup.
I read in the newspaper that there have been at least 6,000 homes flooded. And that's just what's been reported. I'm sure there's really a lot more. I am so grateful that we stayed dry.
Friday, July 16, 2010
The "Accident"
Sunday evening, in Mike's mom's kitchen, Leilani pulled a freestanding wooden cabinet (one of those kitchen trashcan cabinets) down on top of herself. She was being watched by her Grandma who turned her back for just a few seconds when it happened.
When it happened, Leilani was trapped underneath the cabinet and pinned against the side of another piece of furniture. She wasn't trapped like that for long; it took only seconds for me and Grandma Sue to get to her. As well as Mike, who saw everything happen through the sliding glass door.
After all this, she was of course crying. Relentlessly. We took her outside thinking that might calm her down. It didn't. We gave her a bottle, but that only helped until she finished it. She just would not stop crying.
It took us about 10 minutes to realize that something wasn't right. She normally relaxes and stops crying after a knee scrape or tumble very shortly after they happen. This was obviously different. Mike also noticed that she wasn't putting weight on her right leg.
We called our after-hours pediatrician who said we should take her to the ER. So we quickly packed her bag and ran out the door.
After several hours at the hospital, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin to be exact, we were finally told what they knew.... nothing. They poked and prodded her up and down. They took four different x-rays. And still, they couldn't figure out anything that we didn't already know. And we knew nothing.
All they could do was put her right leg in a splint since there seemed to be something wrong with it. They couldn't figure out what... a sprain, a small fracture, who knew?
We made an appointment with an Orthopedic Specialist for three days later.
At the Orthopedic Specialists' office (also at CHW), the doctor was able to pull up the same x-rays that were taken at the ER, on her computer. Within seconds she noticed a fracture. They took a second set of x-rays to double check, but they had found the problem. They immediately cast her leg.
So here we are now, Leilani in a full leg cast for the next four weeks. The saddest part of the whole ordeal is that Leilani loves walking. She absolutely LOVES it. We go for daily walks around the neighborhood, we go to the zoo, we walk around the mall, and anywhere else she can walk on her own. So when we were told that she'd have to be in a cast for four weeks, I was devastated.
As it turns out, Leilani is full of surprises. It took two days in the full-leg cast, but she has mastered the art of walking in a cast. She's surprisingly mobile. Sure she can't go for long walks outside, but she can get around fairly easily at home. Who knew?!?
So that's where we stand, 3 days in a cast down, 25 more to go.
When it happened, Leilani was trapped underneath the cabinet and pinned against the side of another piece of furniture. She wasn't trapped like that for long; it took only seconds for me and Grandma Sue to get to her. As well as Mike, who saw everything happen through the sliding glass door.
After all this, she was of course crying. Relentlessly. We took her outside thinking that might calm her down. It didn't. We gave her a bottle, but that only helped until she finished it. She just would not stop crying.
It took us about 10 minutes to realize that something wasn't right. She normally relaxes and stops crying after a knee scrape or tumble very shortly after they happen. This was obviously different. Mike also noticed that she wasn't putting weight on her right leg.
We called our after-hours pediatrician who said we should take her to the ER. So we quickly packed her bag and ran out the door.
After several hours at the hospital, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin to be exact, we were finally told what they knew.... nothing. They poked and prodded her up and down. They took four different x-rays. And still, they couldn't figure out anything that we didn't already know. And we knew nothing.
All they could do was put her right leg in a splint since there seemed to be something wrong with it. They couldn't figure out what... a sprain, a small fracture, who knew?
We made an appointment with an Orthopedic Specialist for three days later.
At the Orthopedic Specialists' office (also at CHW), the doctor was able to pull up the same x-rays that were taken at the ER, on her computer. Within seconds she noticed a fracture. They took a second set of x-rays to double check, but they had found the problem. They immediately cast her leg.
So here we are now, Leilani in a full leg cast for the next four weeks. The saddest part of the whole ordeal is that Leilani loves walking. She absolutely LOVES it. We go for daily walks around the neighborhood, we go to the zoo, we walk around the mall, and anywhere else she can walk on her own. So when we were told that she'd have to be in a cast for four weeks, I was devastated.
As it turns out, Leilani is full of surprises. It took two days in the full-leg cast, but she has mastered the art of walking in a cast. She's surprisingly mobile. Sure she can't go for long walks outside, but she can get around fairly easily at home. Who knew?!?
So that's where we stand, 3 days in a cast down, 25 more to go.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Mortified
For the first time in her little existence, Leilani embarrassed the heck out of me.
As Mike was checking out at Target in Menomonee Falls, I was letting Leilani walk around the children's clothing area near the registers. She was loving it. When I noticed Mike was done paying, I picked Leilani up to leave. At which point she started screaming. And not just any scream. A top-of-your-lungs, high pitched, bloody murder scream. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, in the general area around the registers starred at me as I took the walk of shame out of the store, screaming baby in hand. All the while, hearing a couple of comments from people under their breath.
It was mortifying.
As Mike was checking out at Target in Menomonee Falls, I was letting Leilani walk around the children's clothing area near the registers. She was loving it. When I noticed Mike was done paying, I picked Leilani up to leave. At which point she started screaming. And not just any scream. A top-of-your-lungs, high pitched, bloody murder scream. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, in the general area around the registers starred at me as I took the walk of shame out of the store, screaming baby in hand. All the while, hearing a couple of comments from people under their breath.
It was mortifying.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Summer
We've had such a fun few days.
Yesterday Mike, Leilani, and I spent some time in the backyard together as a family. Leilani played in her kiddie pool with some toys while Mike and I played Ladder Golf next to her. After three games, we heard the ice cream truck's familiar tune. Mike grabbed Leilani out of her pool (still dripping wet!) and ran down the street after it. We enjoyed a couple of Astro Pops while going for a walk together. We then ran into a neighbor of ours and stopped to chat.
What a classic Summer afternoon. I kinda felt like I was in a Country Time Lemonade commercial.
Today was a lot of the same. I took Leilani for a walk in the morning and we all spent some time together in the backyard in the afternoon while Leilani played in her pool. Much to our surprise, Leilani figured out how to climb out of her pool today and went running naked around the yard! It was adorable! To top the day off, we built a fire in the fire pit in the evening.
All in all, it's been a nice couple of days.
I do find myself reminiscing about last Summer and all the fun Mike and I had while I was pregnant. It makes me a little sad looking back... I consider last Summer to be one of the best times of my life. The reasons for that are simple... we had the house to ourselves. For the first time in 3 years, Mike and lived alone together and for the first time, I felt comfortable in this house. Things are back to being the way they were before, but with the addition of our little Leilani, this Summer looks to be great also!
Yesterday Mike, Leilani, and I spent some time in the backyard together as a family. Leilani played in her kiddie pool with some toys while Mike and I played Ladder Golf next to her. After three games, we heard the ice cream truck's familiar tune. Mike grabbed Leilani out of her pool (still dripping wet!) and ran down the street after it. We enjoyed a couple of Astro Pops while going for a walk together. We then ran into a neighbor of ours and stopped to chat.
What a classic Summer afternoon. I kinda felt like I was in a Country Time Lemonade commercial.
Today was a lot of the same. I took Leilani for a walk in the morning and we all spent some time together in the backyard in the afternoon while Leilani played in her pool. Much to our surprise, Leilani figured out how to climb out of her pool today and went running naked around the yard! It was adorable! To top the day off, we built a fire in the fire pit in the evening.
All in all, it's been a nice couple of days.
I do find myself reminiscing about last Summer and all the fun Mike and I had while I was pregnant. It makes me a little sad looking back... I consider last Summer to be one of the best times of my life. The reasons for that are simple... we had the house to ourselves. For the first time in 3 years, Mike and lived alone together and for the first time, I felt comfortable in this house. Things are back to being the way they were before, but with the addition of our little Leilani, this Summer looks to be great also!
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