What a week!

I will apologize in advance for the lack of pictures - I'm posting this from my parent's house in Orlando.
Once I remember Vance's password for Picasa, I'll add a few to this...

I'll try to catch up on some stories and give y'all a glimpse into what life is like for us.

Sunday - I discovered that the bar across the front of our big stroller is detachable, so Fox is able to ride around in that instead of the wagon. Much less conspicuous!
We went to church, beanbag in tow. Fox was glad to see everyone and show off his boo-boo. He actually told people "I bwoke my wight femur". Gotta love the 2 year old that uses the correct names of bones!
Vance and I got his fish tank cleaned up and set up on Saturday, so Sunday after naptime we headed to the pet store and picked up a few fish to get our tank started with.

Monday - his foot was still quite swollen, so I called the Ortho doc and they got us in at 11. He was quite the charmer (as usual) and listened intently as I explained how the x-ray machine worked. Doc checked out the x-ray, took a look at him and said he was healing well, and we could start decreasing his pain meds. Remember this phrase.
Monday afternoon my amazing sister Shannon (Fox calls her Shi-Shi) and my nephew Dylan arrived to help me out and keep Fox entertained. What a blessing!

Tuesday - I only gave him 3 doses of medicine during the day, instead of the strict 4 and 6 hours dosing schedule I had been keeping. During the day, it was no big deal. He was entertained by Dylan, playing trains, coloring, and DVDs. Bedtime? That was another story. Basically, he screamed off and on for about 5 hours. We gave up on getting him down in bed and he watched "Pride and Prejudice" with me and Shi-Shi. It seems like the pain got ahead of the limited meds in his system. Note to self - not time to wean off the codeine!

Wednesday - We had a great day. Stayed home and got things done, ran a few errands while Fox napped. It was so nice to have my sister to help! Our friend Liz came over with her awesome kids. They each brough Fox a little something to help pass the time. The big hit, though, was a seahorse that had a glowing tummy (like a glo-worm) that played music. Since getting his beloved seahorse, he's fallen asleep almost immediately at naptimes and bedtimes!

Thursday - Dylan wanted a sticker from Thomas, Fox's favorite teller at our bank (which has a branch in Wal-Mart) and I had a few checks to deposit, so we headed to WallyWorld for an outing. It seriously took us all morning to get out of the house, so we treated ourselves to Moe's for lunch. I also packed up for our big trip.

Friday - got moving super-early, went to Fox's music class at TMH, and hit the road. I had already planned a trip for Fox and I to Orlando to help my sister get some projects done around her house, but wasn't keen on driving the whole way with him in his condition by myself. So after much deliberation (Vance hates it when I take his boy away) we decided it made more sense for us to ride to Orlando with Shi-Shi and Dylan. Vance will join us the following Thursday, and we'll ride back home Saturday.
I am amazed that we managed to pack everything we needed into Shi-Shi's truck. Needless to say, I had everything wedged in just right - except I forgot to leave room for the beanbag. And THAT, my friends, is an essential part of Fox's life right now! So, the beanbag resided at my feet for the trip. Kinda comfy, if a little cramped!

So, we are here in Orlando for a week. I'm trying to block out the trip down (don't ask, just don't ask) but we arrived safely and mostly still sane. My mom (of course) teared up when she saw Fox, but they are impressed with how well he's handling all of this.

I'm impressed with how well he's handling all of this too. Sure, there are times when he gets frustrated after he drops a toy and can't reach it, and any time anything remotely brushes one of his feet he says it hurts, but overall, he's coping.
I hope he doesn't have any memories of the pain or the frustration when he's older.
I hope I can forget how he was hurting and scared.
I hope he heals quickly.
I hope...that I never forget how helpful and compassionate my friends and family have been through this ordeal.

Okay, time for bed. I will try to go back and add pictures later.

Finding our "new normal"

Most of my blog readers (I think) are friends and family members.
However, there is a chance that people I don't know personally read about our adventures.
So, I'll post the emails I've been sending out to update everyone about our situation.

Sent Thursday:
Hello family and friends.
First off, thanks to all of you that have been praying for us today.

For those of you that haven't heard, the short version is that Fox slipped on the playground, fell on the equipment and broke his right femur. He's in a cast, chest to ankles, for 4-6 weeks.

10:30 this morning, Sandra and I had her 3 kids, 2 of Carey's, and Fox at Tom Brown Park today. It was still slightly wet from the morning dew, and Fox took off running to the playground.
Before I could even see where he went, I heard him screaming. He was very upset, but I thought he just bumped his knees again.
I took his pants off to change him into shorts, and I couldn't straighten his leg without him screaming.
Sandra and I swapped vehicles and I took him (per the pediatrician's orders) to Radiology Associates to get his leg x-rayed.
At this point, I thought his knee was popped out or something like that.
After the x-ray, they did a quick read of the films and called the ER to tell them we were on the way.
I held him in the back seat while Vance carefully drove us to TMH. He was taken back pretty quickly, where the docs called the Orthopedist.
We weren't sure if he'd need surgery, so he couldn't have any food or drink, and he was still in considerable pain.
Finally the Ortho doc came and said that he could set it without surgery, but he would be in a Spica cast for 4-6 weeks.
The nurse came in with a shot of morphine (for Fox, I had to wing it!) and he was not at all pleased about that.
After a short time, they came in with all of the preparations to immobilize a very active 2 year old boy.
He's in a cast from his chest to his ankles with a bar between his legs. There's a cut-out so we can change diapers.
He was so brave, and has really handled this well.

We've rented a special car seat, and I'm going to look into a special stroller so we can get around a little easier.
For now, he's sleeping, thanks to Tylenol with Codeine and Motrin.
He's got a place set up on the couch, and thanks to the Conrads, a comfy bean bag to help him sit up.
We've got his train set on the coffee table, coloring books, and lots of videos lined up to watch.

Will you please pray that we are able to manage his pain over the next few days?
And that we will be able to keep him comfortable and entertained over the next 4-6 weeks?

Thank you so much, we really appreciate all the prayers and support!
Michelle, Vance, and Fox


Sent Friday:
Well, last night was quite similar to life with a newborn.
Up every 4 hours giving medicine instead of nursing, but the interrupted sleep was eerily familiar!

He's starting to get frustrated that he can't move much, but we try to let him do as much as possible, like turning on the lights when we leave a room, etc.

Last night shortly after putting him in bed, he was crying and really upset.
When I asked him what was wrong, he said he had a big boo-boo on his leg.
So I thought for a minute and asked him if he needed a band-aid.
Since a boo-boo to a 2 year old means a band-aid, I figured it might help. It did, and he went back to sleep.

He's trying to figure out the cast thing. He pats his legs and asks for kisses on his boo-boo.
At one point, he said he needed to poop, so we thought we'd try to get him on the potty.
It went pretty well, and I think we'll continue trying to let him use the potty as much as possible since it is so much easier than trying to keep his bottom dry in the crazy diapering method we are using right now.

We took him for a walk in our neighbor's wagon this afternoon and again this evening. I think he likes being outside and moving around a little more.
We're going to try and make it to church for a little while Sunday, not sure how long he'll want to stay.

We're looking forward to seeing the Ortho doc next week and figuring out how he's healing.
I'm not sure what comes after the 4-6 weeks in this cast. Maybe another, smaller cast, physical therapy, who knows.

We've enjoyed the visitors, but if you are here in Tallahassee, don't feel like you have to come over right away.
We will be home for quite awhile, so just give me a call if you'd like to come by and play trains with Fox or go for a walk with us.

Anyway, time for bed. I'll be back up in a few hours for another dose of Tylenol with Codeine!

Thanks again for your continued prayers. We really appreciate them!

Soup Swappin'

One of my favorite blogs that I read is "Life As Mom".
Today's guest post was a soup recipe swap, so I'm posting my dear friend Robyn's Minnesota Wild Rice Soup.
(It's a REAL Minnesota recipe - she's a native!)

Anyway, this is a delicious soup that I love - I hope y'all enjoy it!

Minnesota Wild Rice Soup (serves 3-4; I usually triple or quadruple the recipe!)

2 T butter

1 T minced onion

¼ flour

2 C chicken broth

2 C cooked wild rice

(can use Uncle Ben’s Long Grain & Wild Rice)

Cooked chicken to taste

½ t. salt

1 C half and half

3 T grated carrots

3 T slivered almonds

Minced parsley

1/3 C minced ham

1. Cook wild rice according to package instructions – set aside.
2. Melt butter in heavy saucepan, sauté onion until tender.
3. Blend in flour; gradually add broth.
4. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens slightly
5. Stir in rice and salt – simmer 5 minutes
6. Blend in half and half, carrot, almonds, chicken and ham
7. Heat to serving temp – garnish with parsley