The Holidays are now Officially over!!

And I'm actually kind of glad. Don't get me wrong - I love family & getting together but this year just wasn't as cheery as usual. I don't know if it's been because of all the stress with ER visits & sicknesses, or what - but it hasn't been the same. Christmas was a blast for the kids but Dylan's little phrase "last Christmas our whole floor was covered in presents", bummed me a little. This year was probably one when we've had the smallest funds to cover everything. :( Although they were happy - I still feel guilty. I still wish we could've done more. And now with Kalli's birthday in 5 days. I'm going to be saying that then too. I just hope & {PRAY} that this new year brings easier and smoother times for us!! We definitely would appreciate that!

The cast is gone...

After what seemed like forever, Kalli finally got her cast off yesterday. The doctor done the x-rays and really felt like her arm was healing good enough to have the cast removed. He mentioned how Kalli had such a high pain tolerance and that she was definitely "not a complainer" which of course made me proud! He removed the cast to something neither Kalli nor I was prepared to see - a icky looking wound. The Dermabound that was used to help glue the wound together had been put on while there was blood- so it dried looking like crusty blood the length of the scar. He said not to worry though because it would flake off in no time. She's not quite able to completely straighten it but she's working on it. We have a follow-up appointment in 3 weeks and at that time, he'll determine if she's gotten her full mobility back or if she'll need physical therapy. Our prayers our that it all comes back to her on it's own.

Man I'm pooped...

I am so worn out. I just wish I had all my work stuff caught up so I wouldn't have to work on it every night. Heck - tonight alone I've put in 3 hrs of overtime. Definitely NOT my idea of a relaxing evening. Oh well though, maybe if I bust my butt now, I'll not have to do much over our 2 week off holiday. I absolutely CANNOT WAIT! Hmmm, let's see -- 2 more curriculas to put in, a ton more maps, & oh yeah those darn pilot tests. Good thing is after all this working tonight, I think I'm actually beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel so maybe that'll kick me even more into gear to get stuff done. What's bad is I still don't have all of Christmas taken care of. Actually I don't have much at all done. I've got..hmm.. let's see - Jerry's whole family, Tom, Jess, Jim, Dad & Marsha, & Lexie & Riley to do. Good gawd - so much for seeing that light at the end of that tunnel - I'm winding up in another tunnel.

Kalli's follow-up appointment

Today Kalli had her follow-up appointment with Dr. Aston. They re-xrayed her arm {with the cast on - Thank Goodness!} and then removed the split cast. Dr. Aston said her x-ray looked great & that it was already looking like it was moving into the right position. I was prepared to see her wound but ended up getting light-headed & not being able to watch. The doctor said he had tried to get her arm back together as a plastic surgeon would do to try to avoid an ugly scar. They had used disolving stitches and then sealed in up with Dermabound {the same stuff that was used to glue Dylan's eye together}. Jerry said the wound was super thin & hardly recognizable (although it is still the whole length of her arm). The doctor recasted her in a green cast - just as she wanted. He had us schedule for a 3 week check up where he's hoping that it'll be doing so well healing that they'll remove the cast & she can get to moving it. He did say there was a slight chance she may need physical therapy but that he thought she'd do just fine. Jerry asked about if she'd need it removed & he said only if it causes her problems (itching, irritation, etc.) so we're hoping that doesn't happen. If it stays like it is - the bone will just grow up around it {which still sounds kinda gross}.

I've never seen a kid so popular. Kalli was ready to go back to school as soon as we left the appointment. I brought her down to her class to have all her classmates cheering that she was back. She's got a plan to get tons of signatures on her cast tomorrow so I'm wondering if we'll even be able to tell it was green.

Black Friday

So today we did our Black Friday shopping. We were at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Republic at 4:30 a.m. and finally finished up at Michaels around 8:00 a.m. We ended up with some really good deals on DVDs but that was about pretty much it. Seemed like {NO ONE} really had anything super priced except probably Circuit City or Best Buy but there was no way we were going to even attempt that! Jerry ended up getting a little huffy with Wal-Mart because they wouldn't price match like they advertise just for the simple fact that they didn't want to loose $600 on the deal (laptop that Circuit City had for $199). So, that's my next mission - to look up their policy online so that we can find out what all it says. Really I knew they wouldn't do it because it was $600 but the computer matched perfectly. They just kept trying to put it off that it was a gimmick - YEAH RIGHT the freaking price matching is a gimmick {if you ask me}.

Anyways, all in all - I've decided:

1. If DVDs are pretty much the best deal, then I won't be spending my money on Black Friday (at least at Wal-Mart - I may have to if Michaels or Joann's has a good sale ad though)
2. Standing in line for over 5 minutes totally & royally SUCKS!
3. People are crazy - why would anyone sleep outside in 30 degree weather just to get a good deal at Best Buy? NOT ME {for sure}
4. My planned routine/list is not going to be easy to do next year. Now that Kalli can read she made sure to read all that I had wrote down {and add her comment -- "OH YEAH" next to the Bratz she wanted.}
5. Boys are never happy with early surprises when those surprises happen to be clothes. I got a good deal on Kalli some jeans so I figured I'd let her have them early to wear now, so I had to give Dylan something early too & that bubble jacket was just not pleasing to him. Kalli on the other hand was thrilled to death for a pair of jeans.
6. Jerry can be a real bear during BF. Okay so I could've guessed that but at least he did the driving & was really good at holding stuff. :) Actually though - I would NOT attempt BF by myself!
7. Oh yeah & I've realized no matter what line we get in at Sears, we will almost UNDOUBTLY get some checker that has no clue how to check & therefore we will stand in line for an hour for Christmas tree lights.

Anyways, I'm off to eat me some more pumpkin pie & forget the fun that we've had today.

Week from HELL...

This seriously has been a week from hell for me & my family. Tuesday I had to take Dylan to the ER to get his eye glued back together. Well Friday topped that off. I had just went over to see Dylan's Thanksgiving Feast & had went back to work when I get a call from the school saying Kalli had hurt her arm & I might want to come. I run over to find her in a wrap, crying because her left arm was killing her. She had a sweatshirt so they hadn't even really looked at her & pretty much assumed she was wanting to make out for an early weekend (even though Kalli is the most studious 1st grader I know). As I found out the whole story later, Kalli had been in gym & running when another little girl shoved her down, landing on her left elbow.

Well I go ahead & run her to the ER in town. Doesn't take long & we're in the back & they have to take off her sweatshirt. They gently remove it to the most horrible looking thing I'd ever seen {Kalli's arm clearly broken}. I could seriously see her arm deformed with the lower half of her forearm completely limp. My baby even opted to get a shot (in her butt for that fact) just to help her with the pain. After that I had to see my poor baby go through excrutiating pain when they stretched her arm for the x-ray. From the x-ray she had a broken ulna & a dislocated elbow. I'm telling you - this girl is brave. Anytime anyone would ask her how she was - she'd say "Good".

Well the ER doctor looks at the x-rays & decides that it's something he doesn't feel comfortable resetting & that she should be seen by a pediatric orthepedic surgeon. So he sends us up to a major hospital about 45 min away with x-rays in hand. We walk in that ER for them to call her by name & take her straight in. They told us that they would put her out but they were 95% sure they'd have to do surgery - that setting wouldn't fix it. So within this short amount of time, I find out not only will they have to put her out but also reset her elbow & open her arm to fix it & put in a plate with screws. An hour and 20 min later (which seemed like eternity because surgery was only suppose to take an hour), the doctor came out to let me know how it went. THANK GOD - EVERYTHING WENT GREAT. He said the break (called a Monteggia fracture) was very uncommon - rare for adults & even rarer in children. They put her in a split cast & after 40 more nail-bitting min, I finally got to see her. We spent all night Friday night in the hospital & finally got to leave around 1 pm yesterday.

I've got a release for Kalli & me for school/work for us through Thanksgiving break so at least I can be home with her. Tomorrow I make the follow-up appt when they'll remove the split cast, check on her stitching & put her in a new cast. Kalli's really taking it well but I just hope & pray everything stays clean & okay with her arm so there is no risk for infection & everything goes well with the plate & screws.

Here's what Dylan looks like a day after his encounter with the evil coffee table...

Poor guy... just looking at his eye turns my stomach. It actually looked worse the day after because of all the bruising and swelling. He seems to be taking it all well though. He told me yesterday that he got to stand up in front of the kids in his class & tell them about his run-in with the coffee table. It was hilarious when I asked if any of them had asked anything or said anything about it & he just replied - "they went like this -- (with his mouth gapping open)". Apparently they were in shock.

Well I came to the realization today that we probably won't be having family pictures as I was really hoping we would. {believe it or not - we own NO professionally-taken family pictures, which is really, really sad}. I figure even if his eye heals super quick, that'll be around the time Kalli loses her bottom two front teeth. She's been working really hard to get them worked loose but they won't fall out until we get ready for the family pics - I just know it - that's how things {always} happen.

She has got to be the most hardest working 1st grader I know...

It's only 7:00 p.m. & Kalli's already sacked out for the night. Spongebob couldn't even keep her awake.

Here's our very exciting Tuesday night...

Well last night we came home as usual & started to kick off our shoes & relax. Dylan decided that he wanted to do a little jig while taking off his shoes & fell right into the coffee table where he hit his right eye. {OUCH!!!} He hit it below his eye brow but not quite to his eyelid. It immediately was bleeding and scared me to death but by the looks of it, I couldn't tell if it was something they'd be able to fix or if they'd just have me bandage it up. I called Urgent Care for them to tell me that if it was gaping at all - to go immediately to the ER (where later we find ourselves sitting an hour later). We get over to the ER & finally after sitting an hour, Dylan gets seen. They look at the wound, clean it up & then ask - "Would you prefer glue or stitches?" & I opted for the glue. I never knew they could do that sort of thing but I figured it had to be better than watching them stitch my son's eye together. Dylan was being such a brave boy - I was so proud of him! Anyways, they get the glue ready, each the nurse & doctor get on each side of the bed & then squeeze his wound closed on both sides. I was doing fine being the supportive mommy until they did that - then was when I knew I better go sit down or I was going to pass out. Dylan was saying the glue was cold and then all of a sudden it started burning. It was all I could do to listen to my poor baby screaming. We finally left 2 hrs after we had first arrived & finally got to eat dinner. Needless to say, Dylan woke up this morning looking ten times worse than he did the night before. Now his eye is entirely swollen & bruised and pretty much looks as if he were in a fight.

So... for my first post...

my {first} blog-- hmm, what to say? This whole blogging thing is new to me but it's kind of cool to think that I can document my thoughts/pictures so I'm giving it a try. I don't know that I'll be too successful but I'll try {i will}.