It has been a day. I woke up at 6am and realized that I slept right through Little Boy's 3am feeding. He definitely woke up, because when I checked on him, he had kicked off his blanket and turned about 110 degrees around in the crib. That only happens when he's riled up.
Then, while I was getting Elli ready for school, Little Girl and Big Boy got into it in the girls' room. Suddenly I heard an all-too-common sound: Little Girlcrying. I was totally overwhelmed at this point with the demands of the morning -- they had been extremely needy and started early and I hurt my back getting Elli from her bed to her wheelchair. (I had the brilliant idea of helping her "walk" through the house. That is not so easy when she doesn't sustain bearing weight on her legs. Carrying a limp 37-pound girl by the armpits while desperately trying to get her to stand is quite a physical strain, especially when it's only been 2 months since you've had a baby.)
So I ignored Little Girl, brushing her off as being melodramatic as usual.
When I got back in the house from putting Elli on the bus, I knew something was wrong. Little Girl was carrying her left arm against her body and still crying. She pointed at her elbow, and wouldn't let me move it. I knew it was either broken or dislocated. Big Boy said he had pulled on her arm when they were playing.
I called the doctor and they got us right in. On the way, Little Girl did something that really hurt and burst into new tears. When I got her out of the van, she was using her arm fine. It's one of those laws of motherhood -- when you ignore something, it turns out to be a big deal; when you are proactive, it's normal and will run it's course or it corrects itself on the way to the doctor.
Turns out her elbow had been dislocated, and somehow she fixed it herself! I learned this is a very common injury and very easy to fix. No orthopedics or x-ray necessary. What a relief!
We all headed back home so I could actually eat breakfast. Then I made a menu plan and shopping list, grabbed snacks for everyone, and headed out for my big grocery shopping trip of the month.
Our first stop was the office supply store. With six people to keep track of, I need a calendar with larger squares and more room for notes. While we were looking, a guy entered the same aisle wearing biker clothes: bandana, ponytail, leather vest with some loud pattern on it, tattoos, the works.
Big Boy eyed him for a minute and then asked me, "Mom, is he a pirate?"
Stifling a giggle, I glanced at him, and then pondered how to answer that question. I knew the guy could hear our conversation and I was praying that he was laughing on the inside. I replied, "No, he rides a motorcycle." But Big Boy and Little Girl had decided that he was a pirate and spent the next 5 minutes til I could get them out of there running around saying things like "Run! He's going to get you!" and "Watch out for that pirate!"
At the grocery store, the kids were doing their usual masterful job finding such gems as super-sugary Shrek cereal, "spooky" toys (that's what they call ghosts), and chocolate-dipped Oreos. In a moment of weakness, I agreed to get pumpkin Funfetti cupcake mix and frosting. I figured it would be a great activity this week if we ever have a quiet day without last-minute doctors' appointments.
Then we arrived at the meat section. They had requested fish, so I had in mind something flash-frozen in the freezer. But we had to pass the fresh meat case on the way, and they spotted the rainbow trout. Eyes-in, fins and skin, still-looks-like-a-fish rainbow trout. In a strange turn of events, they began a campaign to try the fish with the buggy eyes. The guy behind the counter overheard us and told me how to fix it. So I got some. It was so nice to have them asking for something healthy for a change!
We had the trout tonight. It was kind of a bust. I stuffed it with a crab-meat and blue cheese concoction. This made it really filling for those of us who actually ate it. I learned that the kids don't like shell fish. They like simple, no-frills fish, which is actually easier and cheaper anyway. Too bad I have one and a half trout left over!
I wonder if Little Boy will sleep through his 3am feeding tonight since he survived missing it last night?
