Lurking around...

There are some nasty bugs lurking around here.  First the Noodle, then J and now Mei Mei.  Poor thing :(  I think we have quite a bit more snuggle time coming up.

Do you think I'll be able to fight off the germs?!

The long and short of it all..........

So.  The cast.  The second cast, to be exact.  In less than 2 months.  On the same arm.  Geesh!

I had said earlier that our little family was going through quite a few changes.  The Noodle switched schools (no more Catholic school in our old town) to the local public school.  Change #1.  That meant finding a new sitter for before and aftercare.  Change #2.  We also had this whole Mei-mei thing hanging out there that could come at anytime, but I didn't honestly expect it to be anytime too soon...........Change #3.

And then, about the third week into August, everything coincided together.  I had a meeting at school and the Noodle was going for the afternoon to the new sitter's for a "trial" run before my first day back with meetings the next day.  Easy.  They were going to go to the park.  Fun!  It was, until mid-afternoon when my cell rang. Now, as an aside, anyone who knows me, knows that I rarely have my cell with me and that even more rare are the occasions when I actually answer it when it rings.  I know--annoying.  But....the cell rang right as I was finishing a meeting and thank the Lord, I heard it and was able to answer it.  Not so good news--the new babysitter was calling to let me know while at the park the Noodle had fallen off the monkey-bars and landed on her wrist.  The one that she had hurt earlier in the summer.

I made a bee-line back and picked her up.  Quite honestly I think the poor babysitter was more upset than me--these things happen.  Unfortunately.  But not wanting to take any chances, we drove straight to the hospital, and in the process, the Noodle fell asleep in the car.  When we pulled into the parking garage and I had to wake her up, she informed me that she actually felt better and that her arm was "only about a 2" (on the pain scale which she had perfected the first go-round).  Since she was feeling better and a 2 didn't seem ER worthy, we decided to hoof it home, give her more ice and Motrin it and wait and see.  By the next morning though the swelling hadn't gone down, although thankfully the pain was still pretty minimal (????). Back to the ER we went.

The good thing was, was that at 8 a.m. on a Wednesday, the ER was pretty quiet.  We got in quickly, had the x-rays done where they confirmed that yes, in fact her wrist was most definitely broken this time (grrrreat) and were on our way home by 10 with an appointment with the orthopedic doctor to cast her at 11:30.  At this point in time I'm thinking that after the last appointment we can race home, eat a quick bite of lunch before I take her back to the new sitter's (day 2) and I can get into work for at least a half-day of my first required day back.

Everything was going according to plan and I was just finishing up the lunch prep when the phone rang.  I assumed it was J, since he often calls us during lunch to check in and chat.  Imagine my shock when the voice on the other end said that she was calling from our adoption agency with a potential referral. Whaaaa?!?!?!?!

She filled me in with the details while I stood there mutely and every so often mumbled a "mmmhm" or a "oookay" like a loon.  I honestly don't think my mind was completely processing everything.  As soon as I got off the phone with her, I immediately called J and told him to amazing news.  It wasn't until that evening when we were both home together that we opened up the e-mail to read the actual referral.  That was a hard wait!

The crazy thing is, is that I know the Lord's fingerprints were all over our situation.  If everything hadn't happened with the Noodle's arm, I wouldn't have been home to receive that phone call.  Of course the agency would have left a message, but still.  He used a bad situation for his glory and made something wonderful out it, just like Romans 8:28 states--"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose".  Yes!!  His timing often makes no sense to us and his plans often seem crazy nutty, but they're not.  I need to just remember to remember.  Remember all of the times that God has "come through".  Remember all of the perfect timings that at first glance didn't seem so perfect.  Remember the provisions.  Remember the fingerprints.  Remember.

And that, my friends, is the long and short of it all.

An unexpected visit

Saturday, as the last guests were leaving our house, the Noodle and a friend from church were playing outside in a wagon.  He was pulling her around as she laughed and encouraged him to go "faster, faster".  You know this can't end well.....

All was good until they turned a corner.  Out tumbled the Noodle.  Right onto her arm.  Ouch.

We gave it a little time to see if it was just the shock/scare of falling out, but after about 15 minutes, it didn't appear that this was something that would be fixed by kisses and cuddles.  Thank goodness our friend's mother is a PT and is used to dealing with various ortho issues!  She confirmed that probably our best bet would be to head to the ER............

So, Saturday night was spent calmly in our local ER.  Thankfully they have a peds side, so it really wasn't too bad (if you have to spend time in an ER).  It was early enough that things were still quite and uneventful.  The highlight was being able to watch Disney on the TV while waiting.  Small pleasures :)  We left with a bright purple splint and instructions to see the doctor on Monday.

Prognosis?  Probably a fracture of the growth plate of the right wrist.  She gets to wear a cast for 2 weeks and then we go back to determine if it can come off or if she has to wear it for another 2 weeks.  Already the Noodle says it feels better, "like just maybe a 1!", and she's certainly acting like it doesn't bother her.  Not exactly what we had expected for July, but it could have been so much worse! 

Back to normal

Yes, thankfully, we are back to normal.  No more fevers.  No more being quarantined to the house.  No more Toy Story 2, which we just happened to pick up at the library on Monday, the day before the Noodle got sick.  Good thing, though--it kept someone entertained, even if she did watch it over and over and over....!

I really can't complain.  I think that last time she was really sick, was like a year and a half ago.  That's pretty darn healthy.  I'm just glad to have our little Noodle back to normal!

Poor little dragon

She looks like a little dragon with the medicine vaporizing out (too bad the camera didn't catch it).

As many of you know, The Noodle has been receiving speech therapy since late last winter. She has made huge gains, especially since the late summer, when everything seemed to start "clicking" for her. Our state provides early intervention for children up until the age of 3, but once they turn 3, it becomes the local school district's responsibility to meet the child's needs, if they continue to qualify. Knowing all this, we went through the evaluation process and had her meeting to determine the test results last week. Going into the meeting I had my doubts as to whether she would qualify. Sure enough we found out she didn't. While most parents would be thrilled with this news, I have mixed feelings. Not that I wanted her to be identified as a preschooler with a speech disability, but she still has quite a ways to go, especially when you hear other almost-3 year olds talking. The special education teacher in me certainly sees where the gaps are. Going into the meeting however, my prayer had been that the Lord's will would be done: whether that meant her qualifying or not and so I trust that He is in control and knows what is best for her. I have no doubts that once she starts nursery school in January (2 days a week for 2 hours/day), we'll see another huge jump in speech and language. There's also the option of private speech, which I think we'll probably utilize at some point in time too. So, all in all, the news was good. She really has come so far. It is amazing when you think about it really. What a Noodle :)

Advent Chain Day 7--Make peppermint milkshakes

Take a few scoops of vanilla frozen yogurt, add some crushed candy canes and a splash of milk, whirl it up in the food processor (because the mixer is so far out of reach for lack of use) and enjoy!! Don't forget to include Raggedy Ann.









Unfortunately, this post is late because we have just gotten home from the doctor...again. The Noodle has had this persistent cough since the middle of October. We've seen the doc 4 different times and she's been on 2 different antibiotics but nothing seems to be shaking it. Thankfully, it doesn't seem to be slowing her down too much, but still. After doing a breathing treatment in the office, we were sent home with yet another antibiotic and a breathing treatment machine with a follow-up appointment for Friday. Let's get those lungs healthy and free of junk!! Last year we had only 1 trip to the doctor. Can't say the same thing about this year :(

The Limp Noodle

Well we knew it would be just a matter of time before it happened, but are you ever really ready? I was talking to one of my best friends from high school yesterday, when she and her daughter were over for a playdate, about how fortunate we've been that the Chinese Noodle has been so healthy. I mean a runny nose here and there, but nothing beyond that. Of course as I'm talking, the poor Noodle's eyes are watering, her nose is running and she is feeling warmer and warmer. By the end of the playdate, all 4 of us had gone upstairs to get the thermometer (break it out of its brand-new packaging) and attempted to take the Chinese Noodle's temperature (she was SOOO not into that). Sure enough she had a full blown fever, poor limp Noodle.

The rest of the day was spent taking it easy in Mama's arms and attempting to get fluids into her. Thankfully the fever seemed to ease up around midnight and while she woke up quite frequently, she quickly went back to sleep. After she went down last night, I ran out to the library/drugstore to pick up some Elmo DVDs and some more Motrin. We spent the morning hangin' on the sofa with the little red guy and by lunch she seemed to be back to normal. I had harbored secret thoughts of getting some cleaning done while she vegged, but she was adamant about wanting me right there with her. Hopefully when she wakes from her nap, she'll still be feeling o.k. We've got a busy day planned tomorrow!!

Happy weekend :)


Hmmmmm, maybe this being sick thing isn't so bad. At least I get to watch TV and DVDs.
Feeling much better