Like I needed something else to worry about

Here is a recap of our Sunday.

Pootie jumped head first into the deep end (6 feet) of our neighbors pool on Sunday morning. The kids had a Belly Flop contest (which he won) and a Squirrel diving contest (which he won by default) and on his fabulous Squirrel dive slammed his head on the bottom of the pool.  He did not lose consciousness and was able to get himself over to the steps of the pool.  I knew that he was hurt – the look on his face was horrible. 

I took him home put him in the car and we headed to the Ortho Carolina Urgent Care in Matthews.  (see my footnote)

They got him right into the doctor, who did an x ray and saw what appeared to be a fracture on his C-3 vertebrae.  (that’s in the neck).  They called CMC downtown and downtown wanted him there….so because it was his neck…he had to go in an ambulance…..MEDIC quickly arrived. 

He was put in a neck brace, strapped down on a board, and head taped down and loaded into the ambulance.   We got to CMC ER after a slow ride (they didn’t want to bobble him around) and he was quickly taken into the ER and checked out. 

This is Pootie after we arrived at the hospital and they met us at the door and started “assessing” him. You can see the strap going across his chest and the little bit of yellow on the left hand side is the back board.  They had already taken the blankets and stuff off of him. 

It was crazy being met at the door by 2 doctors and a several nurses.

All his neuro functions seemed intact -  which was good.  The ER docs called the Neuro surgeons and we had to wait on them to show up.  They checked him out and also felt like he was ok but the x ray still concerned them.

Once they got him situated in the ER and had him all unraveled, they put him in a hard neck brace…..

The only way to rule out a break/fracture was a CT Scan so off he went. 

We were very fortunate – the CT Scan showed no break or fracture and he was cleared to go home.  He is in a soft neck brace for a while – no activity – no carrying Bubba around on his shoulders for while – and definitely no headers for a bit!  (We were also lucky because one of the neuro docs that saw Pootie was on Bubba’s “team” when he was born..imagine, he recognized the name)

He was VERY lucky and everyone in the ER told him that.  It was very scary (especially for me)but he is fine, just sore.  He said he is never jumping head first into anything again.

Here is my happy boy waiting on the nurse to take out his IV – that thing drove him crazy (which is so me it’s not even funny).  The nurse taking off the tape – CLASSIC – wish I had my flip camera to video that one. 

So, that was my Sunday, how was yours?

 

Also today, don’t forget about those that serve and protect out country.  My brother is military and I love him so much and I am so proud of him.

Enjoy your Memorial Day.

FOOTNOTE: I did get in trouble with the medic folks for putting him the car, I know better, I should have laid him down beside the pool and called 911…..could have really hurt him – so parents, that’s your lesson that I got to learn…

Another punch in the gut

The shock of finding out “we” were pregnant was a shocker.  Ending up in preterm labor and giving birth to a 2 lb, 12 oz,  28 weeker, even more of a shock.   Where am I going with this…..most everything with the Bubba was,  has been a HUGE shock. 

He just couldn’t stop at being EARLY and LITTLE he had to throw us another Whammy!  (yeah I know, he had no control over this either, I’m taking creative license here)

The biggest shock, or punch in the gut, was April 28, 2009, when we found out Bubba had a grade 3 brain bleed (you can read it at The Punch in the Gut April 2009.)

While the babe was in the hospital he had regular scans on his head and spinal taps to drain the fluid that was backing up in his head.  The taps worked and we were so happy.  After the 44 days in the NICU, there were scans and neuro doc check ups every 4-6 weeks until November 18, 2009 when we got the “free and clear”.

And we thought we were in the that free and clear for good.

WRONG! 

We are still feeling that punch. 

As I mentioned in my last post, we noticed the walking funny thing.  We had his pediatric PT evaluation Thursday (for 2 hours).  She noticed several things that he was or was not doing that he should or should not be doing……I can deal with that.  Physical therapy is definitely in his immediate future.

But she also said that she thinks we should see a Neurologist.  And she said the letters CP.  SMACK. WHAM.  BANG.  Right in the kisser.

Now, here are a couple of things. 

1-she has to tell us any and everything that could possibly come into play. 

2-might not be CP could just be that he was a preterm baby who has some muscle tightness and we need PT to get his body working right.

3-even if it is, it’s VERY mild and he’s totally fine and we’ll get thru this.

But I’m a mom and you know how us moms are.

I’ve beaten myself up.

I should have seen the signs sooner. 

I should have reacted.  Faster.  (yeah, I know in one weeks time I’ve gotten all this done, don’t beat myself up, blah blah blah)

But he’s my baby and I’m with him all the time.  I don’t think I made excuses or turned a blink eye to what was/wasn’t happening. I think that I just (a ) didn’t know that (example) a baby shouldn’t be sitting like that and (b ) still wrote some of it off to the fact that he was 3 months early.

So, where are we now.

Tuesday I head down to the early intervention office to sign some papers and they will “issue” the order for the PT to start.  Friday we are going to see the Nurse Practioner of the Neuro-Surgeon that took care of him through out the brain bleed stuff.  Not that he needs a neuro-surgeon, but Bubba is already a patient there so it’s easier to get in, see what they think and if they want another MRI or what…..plus they can get us into a Neurologist faster.  Apparently it can take weeks to get in to see one. 

From there – we’ll figure out what the heck we need to do, or not do, or whatever.

Big breath, our little wild man is still keeping us hopping.

NOTES:

I can only speak to what I know about where I live but having  a preemie baby here in our county we were offered the county services of Early Childhood Intervention.  We were told by the gals in the hospital to “take the service” and let them dump us when it was done, which is sometime between the age of 2 or 3.  We were told that being part of the program would help us if we needed services – they could get things faster….boy was that true.  I am so glad we stayed a part of the program.  Our case worker has been fabulous. 

Baby Steps

The Bubba Baby has always done things in his own sweet time and he usually does those things with his own style and determination.

Last week Hubby and I noticed that he was walking funny.  He’s always walked fast and  dragged one foot, and moved his hips funny…...

So back to the walking funny….he was turning his left foot in and then walking like a pirate with a peg leg.  And yes that is the only way I know how to describe it. 

Then Saturday night our good friends noticed it and TOMTOM (that’s what Bubba calls him) said “what the heck is wrong with his leg"?'  And then Sunday I could tell my Daddy was watching him and not liking what he was seeing…

I called my friend who is a pediatric PT and told her something was not right.  I love her, she is such a good woman.  She let me bring him over first thing on Monday morning and she got in the floor with him and played with him for about 45 minutes.

There is a problem.  What we thought was him being silly is not.  he has tight/stiff hips and is pronating (rolling in) both his feet.   That in turn is making his right foot drag and his left foot pigeon toe in.

So, phone call here phone call there and we are headed in for a evaluation with a pediatric physical therapy group.  He got new anti pronating shoes (they look like regular running shoes) on Monday to force his foot out of the rolling position and he will then have regular physical therapy.

All things considered, it’s not that big of a deal.  It really isn’t.  and whether or not this has anything to do with the fact that he was a preemie, we can’t answer that one either.  It is what it is.

soccer moms………

Almost 2 years ago this fall we were at a soccer tourney (shocking, I know) in Greenville, SC for Crash’s team.  I was sitting in the middle row of the blue goose (my suburban) nursing the babe,  Pootie was in the front passenger seat and Lola was in the middle with me…..  (go with me on this for a minute please)

We noticed these two ladies standing at the back of my car “checking out” my magnets…..I have a few on the back of my car from various soccer clubs.  And I have one that I had made that states “SOCCER -it’s not about THE CLUB, it’s about THE KIDS”.  I got tired a few years back when the boys were at different clubs of explaining myself to a few folks.  So I had the slightly obnoxious magnet made….

Anywho, it caught the eye of these two moms…they didn’t know that we were in the car.  We could hear them chatting and it really was funny.  At the time, there was major turmoil going on in their club…so, they walk away and then, all of a sudden, one of the mom’s is back – and she is TAKING a picture of my rear end…the car people.  The rear end of the car.  So I opened the door and said something funny to her about stealing my magnets and scared to mess out of her. 

And we struck up a conversation.  She’s a soccer mom, tired of all the drama that goes with <insert any activity that involves parents>.   She and her family live in Tennessee and I think she is just a really neat gal and almost 2 years after the fact we still touch base with each other.  Little notes or snippets here and there on facebook – not too bad for meeting in a parking lot at a soccer tourney….

So, right now, I would like add her little girl, Anna to any and all prayer lists. 

Anna was an active and perfectly healthy 10 year old girl right up to the day she was diagnosed with AML Leukemia. We went to the doctor due to off and on fevers and were sure that she had lingering infections from a cut in her toe or possibly strep throat. On May 6, 2011 her life took a huge detour and she is now fighting to win the battle over this horrible disease. Anna has such a kind heart and is referred to as "sweet Anna" by everyone she knows.

Anna is living in the hospital right now, undergoing treatment, away from her “life as she knows it”, away from her friends, her school, all her stuff……and she is fighting a good fight. 

Soccer moms……we rally behind each other when we need to ya know!!!

still alive……just swamped!

I’m still alive and kicking – just seriously swamped with STUFF…work stuff, soccer stuff, kid stuff, pto and pta stuff….STUFF STUFF STUFF.

 

Really quick – Pootie’s middle school soccer banquet was last week…it was really neat.  Somewhat sad to see such a neat time gather one last night…..

Pootie got MVP.  Which was very special.  He and his co-captain and friend Nozie (nickname of course) each were awarded the distinction.  What the coach said about Pootie was pretty cool.

Pootie getting his award