Monday, February 13, 2017

Suck it Up Buttercup!

Lucy loves the snow
She loves the snow so much, sometimes, she just goes outside and lies down in it....like she's going to make a snow angel but she doesn't
She just lays there with her eyes squeezed tight and her mouth open to catch any falling flakes
This kid loves the snow

Lucy has recently discovered she loves ice skating
Sean has been taking her to an outdoor rink up in Lynnfield and she has an absolute blast
So she was over the moon when I told her that during February Vacation, one of the field trips she'd be taking with camp is to an ice skating at a rink

And Lucy loves Karate
Kicking, chopping, kiai-ing, board breaking...she is never so proud as when she earns another stripe for her belt or moves up a color
Her ultimate goal is to become a black belt
I have no doubt she'll get there

Lucy is pretty much in constant movement
This child fidgets enough to power a small country

You know what else Lucy loves?
Playing ball in the house
She loves bouncing the balls off the furniture, the walls, and her Dad
She'll kick a ball across the room and then chase it down with a tackle
She hops on her Yoga ball and bounces
Then lays on her back and tosses it in the air
She is constantly bouncing or playing with a ball

We try not to let it get to us
But sometimes, the constant bouncing on the floor or the couch or the wall drives one of us to say through clenched teeth (with loads of love)
Stop.bouncing.the.ball.PLEASE.

One time, a few years ago, the three of us were playing ball in the house
I got a little over zealous and threw it at Sean really hard
He moved out of the way at the last second

The ball missed him and instead, hit a little plaster mold of Lucy's teen tiny 2 year old hand prints
It was a  Mother's Day gift she had made for me at Day Care and was proudly displayed on a little easel stand on the book shelf

That mold hit the ground and shattered into a million pieces
As did my heart
I was devastated and sat down on the floor and cried

On that day, I declared, as any responsible mother would and should,
No more playing ball in the house!

But, we've not been great about enforcing that rule

If you look closely at the wall (pick a wall, any wall),  you'll see the imprint of some kind of ball:
A splat ball
Or a super bouncy ball acquired out of one of those little dispenser in the lobby of the grocery store
Or a tennis ball
Or a soccer ball
Or a squishy stress ball
Or a playground ball
Or a titanium metal ball

You put a ball in this kid's hands and she can't help but toss it, kick it, and/or bounce it

Last Thursday was a snow day, no school
So Lucy came to work with me
"Her" desk is right next to the window
She spent a better part of the morning watching the snow fall and counting down the  minutes until we got home so she could go outside and play
We headed home mid afternoon -  just as the snow picked up and visibility dropped
On the drive, she asked if she could change and go outside right away

Her request was denied
She pouted and begged and pleaded
I continued to deny said request

But why?

Because honey - it is too dangerous!
The winds are wild kiddo! The snow actually hurts when it hits your face!
Plus, you can't see anything, which means the plow trucks and other people will not be able to see you (we live in a cul-de-sac, we literally play in the street)
So no honey, not today, maybe tomorrow......

Lucy pouted
It is not too dangerous!

It is pal and I said no so end of discussion please....I'm just trying to keep you safe

We did not go outside and play when we got home

In hind sight, it may have been safer

Instead, when we arrived home, we prioritized what we had to get done (Lucy's animal project, pick up the house, pick up the playroom, laundry, pack for surprise weekend trip to Maine) and got to work

So Sean picked up the living room, I sorted and started the laundry, and Lucy finished sketching out her animal project for school

Then, we all went to the basement to pick up the playroom
And by pick up I mean Sean and I needed to put away the last of the Christmas bins still stacked in front of the closet door
As he and I did that, Lucy was goofing off behind us

And by goofing off, I mean she was playing with a ball in the house

Sean and I were talking when all of a sudden, Lucy lets out a scream and crumples to the floor crying

What the hell happened??? one of us yelled

We checked her for blood - no blood

She's crying so hard she can't answer

We finally get it out of her
She went to kick the ball, missed and hit the chair with her right foot

My toe Mumma!! My foot!! Did I break my bones???
She wailed and cried and carried on

We looked at her foot
The top of it was red as was her middle toe - from impact we assumed

Can you wiggle your toes kiddo?

Yeah but it  hurts

I pressed on her foot
She winced
I pressed harder, she yelped
I pushed on her toes
She cried

But I declared You're fine! Hop up! Walk it off pal, you'll be OK!

But Mumma it hurts! she yelped as she tried to take a few steps

Honey come on...it's not like its broken! Look! You're moving your toes just fine!

Because yes, I am not sure if you heard, I am now an MD....Mom Doctor

Plus, as all Mums know, if we speak in a bright, chirpy, positive voice, nothing is wrong!
How can anything be wrong or broken or hurt when my voice is this fucking bright, chirpy and positive?!?!?

So Lucy hobbled upstairs and we put ice on the top of her foot

And we made her work on her animal project for the next two hours

When she'd get up to walk somewhere, she limped
At least three times she lamented about how much her foot hurt

Sean and I would look at each other, roll our eyes and chuckle at how dramatic she was being

By the time she went to bed, we noticed a little bruise on her foot
We grimaced a bit but told her it was fine

By the time she woke up Friday morning, the top of her foot was black and blue and swollen
Her middle toe was also swollen and had a ring like bruise around it

It was another snow day so I took her to work with me

At work, I had her elevate her foot and kept ice on it most of the day
She winced every time she put weight on her foot
At one point, she accidentally hit her right foot with her left 
She fell to the floor screaming in pain 

So I called the doctor 
And we took her in to be checked
And they took x-rays and referred us to an orthopedic doctor 

We went to the ortho doc early Saturday morning 

He looked at the x-rays and confirmed what they saw:

Lucy fractured her toe in spectacular fashion 
And there is a slight little hairline on the top of her foot but not really worth mentioning as its more bruised and swollen than anything   

So they taped her toes together
Gave her a little boot thing to wear (really to protect her foot and keep her from bending it)
and gave her crutches to help her walk (because she is supposed to try and not put weight on it)

Then they gave us the following instructions: No activities, ice and elevate, limited weight on the foot 

What do you mean by activities we ask?

The doctor asked Lucy what she did for activities
And then repeated the list back to us word for word:

No gym 
No recess
No sledding
No playing in the snow
No ice skating 
No running, no jumping
No playing ball in the house
No karate 

And try to keep her from bending her foot 
And keep her weight off it 
Elevate and ice it while you're at it 
We do not want her to re-injure or injure the foot more than it is 

For how long we ask
I'm thinking he'll say a couple days, three tops

Two - three weeks 

You mean days? I ask

No, says the Doctor, I mean weeks

Days?

WEEKS

No activity for two-three weeks???!?!??

That's right he says
There is not much else to do in situations like this; you just have to rest the foot and let it heal
It'll get a little worse before it gets better 
And the more she uses it the longer it takes to heal 
So no activity and we'll follow up in a couple weeks 

Sean and I exchange a look
A look which says how in the name of all that is sacred and holy are we going to keep this child inactive for two-three weeks? 

This child moves as much in her sleep as she does when she's awake

Lucy?

The doctor is now directing the conversation to her 

What?

Do you understand what I'm saying?

She cocks her head to the side

You can't do anything until this foot heals OK?
No activity - I don't want you to hurt it worse than it is 
So no gym or recess
No sledding or ice skating 
No playing in the snow 
Try to keep your weight off it and rest it 

Karate? she asks 

No! says the doctor, especially board breaking and kicking
No activities for two-three weeks Lucy, you need to rest that foot
And be extra careful at school OK? 
No horsing around, running or jumping with your friends

OK she says as she hops off the bed

We all react 

Lucy! You have to be careful honey!

She grimaces as she smiles

I forgot she says sheepishly

We left the hospital and stopped to get coffee for us and a donut for Lucy 

She and I waited in the car while Sean went inside 

Hey Mumma 

Yes honey

Remember that time I broke my leg and you told me to walk it off?

You did not break your leg Lucy!

I could have!

Well, you didn't!

Hey Mumma

What honey 

Remember that time I fractured my foot and you told me to walk it off?

LUCY!
Just kidding Mumma! 

*sigh*

Hey Luce?

Yeah Mumma

Sorry I told you to suck it up Pal...

It's OK Mumma, you didn't know ....

Well, I am sorry honey....

It's okay Mumma....but I bet you wish you had let me play outside.....












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