TWO BROKEN LEGS

By now most of you have probably heard about our complete disaster of a weekend.  We haven't had such a traumatic few days in quite a while.  Here's the story for those of you who haven't heard yet.  *the detailed version, sorry it's long.  I don't want to forget.

Sunday morning we headed to church a little early so I could practice a song with a girl for sacrament meeting.  It was snowing and as we walked in I got a layer of ice on my boots.  I didn't notice as I walked in on the carpet.  Savanna couldn't remember what door led to the chapel so she opened the one to the cultural hall and we walked in that way.  As soon as I stepped onto the shiny wood floor my legs slid apart and I fell forward landing on my knees and elbows while trying to keep ahold of Asher who I was holding.  He was facing me and I was holding him against my chest.  He fell back hitting his head. He immediately started SCREAMING.  I tried to stand up but slid to the floor again.  So I crawled over to the carpet and had Savanna bring Asher to me.  I couldn't calm him down.  Mike took him home where he cried for about 45 minutes.  He finally fell asleep.  I made Mike hold him because I was worried about head injuries.  I even asked a girl in my ward who is a CT tech what she thought.  He never lost consciousness or threw up or anything so I wasn't too worried.  I ran home after sacrament meeting to check on him.  He woke up and was still fussy.  He wouldn't sit up.  He kept tipping over.  He wouldn't roll over or crawl.  I had to run play the piano in another ward so I just had Mike hold him and try to get him to eat.  Then I ran home and we loaded him up and took him to McKay Dee because he was acting like he was in a lot of pain.  I was worried it was something with his back.  So we got to the ER and thankfully they hurried us though.  I don't think they liked hearing us cry.  The dumb Dr. came in and looked at him.  I was holding him the only way he was tolerating so he wasn't constantly screaming.  The Dr. said we should give him some ibuprofen and see how he was doing  in 30 minutes.  I wasn't ok with that so I asked if he wanted to do some x-rays or anything.  He decided on a chest x-ray.  And after hearing him scream for about 15 minutes he decided to do a pelvic x-ray and also get films of his arms and legs.  So they took him down and took 14 x-rays.  The poor kid was beside himself because they kept pulling on his leg and positioning them in painful ways.  It was terrible.  So a while later the Dr. came in and told me he had multiple fractures.  I was shocked.  I was worried about his back and head but they told me he had a fractured right femur and possible left tibia and left wrist fractures.  So they wanted to start an IV and give him stronger pain meds and re-do the films on his tibia and wrist because they weren't clear.  So they only had one extremity to try to get an IV in.  And he's a pretty chubby little guy.  They couldn't get one.  I was trying to help them.  I asked them to put it in his scalp but they didn't dare because they'd never done it and they wouldn't let me try.  But it really was the best place because it's the only place he isn't chubby.  Finally I got them to call peds to come place the IV and draw some blood.  It took 4 pokes. This was hard to watch.  Mike left the room.    After confirming the break in the tibia and giving him morphine they decided to ship us to Primary Children's to consult with a pediatric orthopedic surgeon and monitor him more closely.  Had I any idea that he had suffered so much trauma from our little fall I would have just gone there in the first place.  But honestly, my last thought in the world was two broken legs.  So because of the morphine they had to transfer us down there by ambulance.  It was the first time I'd ever ridden in an ambulance.  I was just so sick about the whole thing.  It was my fault.  I know it was an accident but I was carrying him and even though I was trying to keep him safe I ended up hurting him and I hate that.  Anyway, he finally fell asleep for about 15 minutes in the ambulance.  He'd been up since 11am and it was now 8pm.  He missed 2 naps.  Anyway, we got to Primary's and they had the trauma team come in and check him out along with a social worker.  Apparently any broken femur younger than a year old gets an automatic call to DCFS.  By now I am bawling and telling them that I would never hurt my baby and I was trying to save him from falling but I understand they were just trying to protect him and I honestly didn't understand how both of his legs were broken either.  So I told them the story in detail.  My kids were the only ones that saw because we were there early, but as soon as they heard Asher screaming, the bishopric ran in to see if we were ok.  And I guess because I look like such a nice person :) and we were watching the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and everybody was praying for us, they decided that they didn't need to call DCFS.  That was a huge relief for me.  I don't understand how people can hurt their kids.  ANYWAY, back to the story.  They took 24 more x-rays.  Every bone in his body to make sure there weren't old fractures or anything they missed.  They wouldn't let me be there with him.  It was torture.  So they decided to admit us.  By now it is midnight and he's been up for 13 hours.  He was so good throughout everything even when he was in so much pain.  He's a trooper, I tell ya.  So they put splints on both legs and took us upstairs to try and let him sleep.  It was so sad.  He slept about 5 hours total that night between waking him up for vital signs and pain meds.  I mostly just held him and tried to keep him happy.  The next morning after multiple doctor consultations they decided to let us go home.  We left around 11am.  We are scheduled to go back after Christmas and get casts put on.  They can't do it until the swelling goes down or the casts will just fall of.  This I know well as Carter broke his leg when he was two. WHAT THE HECK??  So now we are home.  I give him pain meds around the clock and try to keep him happy because it hurts him to move.  I'm bummed because he had been so mobile and active lately.  He pulled himself up to things and crawled all over so this will put a kink in things.  We will survive though.  My motto:  I CAN DO HARD THINGS.   Anyway, there's the story.  It's sad but true.  Thank you for the prayers and help you have all given us.  We have wonderful friends and family.  So many people have been so nice.  We have had people take the other kids, bring us dinners, bring the baby treats, bring us treats, send us kind thoughts and messages, and just take care of us.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

Pictures of my sweet baby.

 First ambulance ride.  Don't I look great??  It's not about me though...

 Scalp IV.  Ouch.

 I gave him a sucker.  And he's on morphine.  He was hilarious.

 Two splinted legs.

 His little crib/prison.  They hooked him up to all the monitors and everything.

 Daddy loves him.

 Poor kid.

Coming home.  

 Playing at home.  Trying to be happy.

 Right Femur, Left Tibia.

Bonus picture: Carter's broken leg.  Age 2.