Thursday, June 4, 2009

Life at the ER

Monday morning as I was clearing the breakfast dishes, Kayden decided that she needed to climb in my chair (after I made her get down from hers because she kept climbing on the table). She got up there, and started shaking it. As I told her no and reached for her, the chair fell forward and squished her finger between the floor and the chair. There was much screaming and blood. After a few quick minutes, I decided that the amount of blood and fact that I couldn't get the screaming or blood to stop meant that we were headed to the ER. I told Keeley to get her shoes and she ran quickly to the car. I got Kayden strapped in and we were off. It was a miserable 45 minute drive (lovely rush hour traffic). That was only made more horrible because every time I glanced in the rearview mirror, I saw my baby screaming and covered with blood.

Kelly met us at the hospital and, after a very quick assessment, they determined that she had amputated the tip of her finger. Her finger really looked like you had popped a grape. There was no way to sew it back together. The doctor said that we would just cover it and follow up with an orthopedic surgeon after it healed. Before we covered it, we did x-rays and they showed that the bone was not broken.

As the tech was wrapping it up, he told me that I needed to change the bandage every day for three weeks. That plan quickly went out the window as it was apparent Kayden wasn't going to leave it alone. He the put a splint (sort of like a half cast) on her arm and gave me the instructions to keep it dry.

Kayden fell asleep leaving the hospital and slept until 1:30. She woke up 100% happy. After a quick bite, she was ready to go explore. She quickly figured out how to climb back on the chairs in the kitchen and the see saw in the playroom. You just can't keep her down. I should have known we were in trouble when she stood up to rock the rail in the hospital bed while the tech was preparing to bandage her hand! I pushed the chairs against the wall and the table all the way into them so she couldn't get on them and climb on the table. The only thing that seemed to bother her was that she only had one hand to use for eating.
Later that afternoon I had to call back to the ER and tell them I was having problems keeping Kayden from pulling at the bandages. The tech suggested I put a diaper over the end of the splint sort of like a boxing glove. That worked a little, but then she started biting at the diaper trying to get it off.

After her nap the next morning, I noticed that I couldn't see her thumb anymore (it had been sticking out). While trying to fix that, I realized that her splint now only went to her mid-forearm instead of all the way to her elbow. After calling the orthopedic doctor, they suggested I come in for a cast check.

Apparently, kids arms are still so flexible that they can move around a bit inside the cast. Now she has a real cast. Her arm is bent in a 90 degree angle and she has cast like a mitten over her fingers and all the way up to her shoulder. This isn't coming off, but it also isn't staying out of her mouth. She keeps trying to bite it. Obviously it isn't supposed to get wet, so the tech suggested wrapping it in press and seal. She keeps biting at that too so I guess I will just do that when I can watch her and a diaper over it at night (so she doesn't choke on the plastic).

She isn't sleeping well at night but is 100% fine during the day. I've had to hide all the kids chairs, the learning tower, and her rocking caterpillar. I've also removed all chairs from the kitchen and hidden the step stools the girls use because she WON'T STOP CLIMBING!

I swear this child is going to test my limits to the max! And, just to keep things interesting, Keeley went with us to the doctor in her bathing suit.

Never a dull moment here....

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Happy Birthday Kayden!!!

Our little love bug is one! I can hardly believe the year has flown by like it has. This has been a bit of a rough week for her. We started out at the doctor with a diagnosis of hand-foot-mouth again. Thursday (her actual birthday), she burned her finger on her candle. And Friday we had her one year check complete with three shots. She was a trooper though and ready to play at her party Saturday!

Kayden definitely keeps us all on out toes more that I ever would have imagined possible for a one year old. She is constantly climbing and getting into things. So determined is she to do everything Keeley does, and more! She even showed us this week that she can do a forward roll all by herself!

At her doctor's appointment, they said she is obviously fine on her motor skills. She needs to have one word and she has several. In order of appearance, her words are "keeley", "dada", "mama", "cheese", "quack", "night night", and "this". Dr. Frank said they like for the kids to be off baby food by 15 months. I laughed and told them that she started refusing baby food at 7 months!
Stats:
Weight: 20.5 (37%) - probably a little low because of her hand-foot-mouth
Length: 30 (78%)

She is getting skinny just like sister did when she started moving!

We celebrated her birthday at home on her birthday with cupcakes I made just for that night. She wanted nothing to do with them and kept pointing at the fridge until I got her ketchup and syrup.




We had a little party for her at The Little Gym with our friends Landon, Levi, and Judah. The kids all played hard and had fun.

Sunday, we opened presents. I think Keeley might have enjoyed opening more than Kayden, but they both liked playing with the toys.
Reading with my girls.

I included this for my brother...you'll notice big sister is actually opening the present.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

I think that, deep down, everyone wishes they had a two year old to wake them up at 5:30 in the morning singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" at the top of her lungs.

Admit it, you are envious of my life right now :-)

Thursday, May 21, 2009

"mommy got so sad"

I've been trying a new discipline strategy with Keeley where I tell her "This is so sad. I think it is time for some quiet time in your crib" It is working quite well for the issues we are having. Every time I get her out of her crib, she replays what happened to me and then she frequently tells Kelly. Last night the very first thing she did when Kelly got home was run up to him, look down while pointing to her feet, and say "feet, table, mommy got so sad. get in crib" Cracked me up. Today, I was listening to the girls on their monitors during their nap. About an hour and a half into Keeley's nap, I heard her say "feet. got sad. in crib." I don't know if she was still fully asleep or in her waking phase but it was her toddler babble voice, not her awake voice. I laughed out loud.

Obviously this will not work for us for everything or always, but right now it is clearly making an impression!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

One more week

Kayden will turn one in a week. Today she learned how to climb on to the kitchen chairs, and then the table. And got angry with me when I blocked her from crawling into the gutter. What are we in for?

Chocolate Pudding

We love chocolate pudding at our house. I try to only let Keeley have it because Kayden is a little messy with it.

Here is Keeley. Notice how careful she is being.

And now Kayden.

"Pick me up Mom"! How can you resist that face (even covered in chocolate pudding!)?

Play-doh

My baby is growing up so fast. Here are both of the girls having some play-doh time. Kayden is 100% fine playing sitting in a chair just like big sister.


A little bit of a Buddha belly :-)


Keeley is making snakes - her favorite play-doh activity.