Worst Week Ever

So I had been hoping to write a blog post to tell of our awesome Spring Break adventure, but instead, I have a sad tale.  Last Thursday, while getting ready for swim lessons, Stephen took a tumble, and his face broke his fall.  After many long hours in the Emergency Room at the Children's Hospital, it was determined that he had fractured his jaw in 2 places.  In addition, he had stitches both in and outside his mouth, and had to have one of his teeth extracted - a permanent tooth, no less.

Because of Stephen's issues with his face and head (he HATES to have people mess with him - the dentist is a nightmare), we made the decision to have him sedated so that he could have the stitches and tooth extraction done with minimal emotional trauma.  Because of the tooth extraction, and the sedation, he was kept overnight.  The next day, we were told that he would have to stay for several days, until he could take enough fluid by mouth to stay adequately hydrated.  We were also waiting to see if he would need surgery on his jaw for the fractures.

By Saturday, he was feeling a little better, and was enjoying spending time with his new buddy.

Mickey was supposed to be a surprise for Tuesday morning this week, when we were going to wake up early to take the plane to Disney World with Pa and Kim.  Unfortunately, due to his injuries, we had to reschedule our trip for right after school gets out.  Stephen was released on Sunday, after he was able to start drinking with a straw again (he wasn't able to use one due to the tooth extraction), and he came home to convalesce.

Recovery has been... stressful.  Because he's a kid, he just can't seem to leave those stitches alone in his mouth, and has been having bleeding at night (we think he's messing while he's asleep). Unfortunately, we can't do much about that, but Stephen is proving to be much more aware of what is going on that we hoped - he has been very upset about the blood, and doesn't approve of the measures I took tonight to speed up the middle-of-the-night clean-up process.  We put down a disposable pad over his sheet, and a waterproof pillow cover (I've washed his pillow multiple times over the last several days).  He got into bed, and promptly tried to hand us his pillow while signing "all done," which is how he often tells us he doesn't care for something.  After a little snuggle, I convinced him that this is so he doesn't have to be awake as long during the night, and he went to sleep.  During the night last night, he was very concerned with checking the sheet and pillowcase to make sure that it was clean when he got back into bed - it was awfully cute.

All in all, this hasn't been our best spring break, but thankfully Grandma Janet arrived on Wednesday to help us out.  Thank goodness, too.  Hopefully, my next report will be that he is feeling better.  :-)

In a rut

We've been in a rut, and I haven't had much to blog about.  We're good, Stephen's good... he has a bit of a cold right now, but he's on the mend.  Our weather here has been crazy these past few weeks, but that's pretty normal for this time of year.  Stephen is enjoying school and swimming... we've had a few exciting milestones that I don't have pictures of, but I can share anyways.  In Stephen's classroom, the teacher's aide brings the lunch trays directly to the classroom (for those who do not bring their lunches), but when they are all in 1st grade next year, they will have to carry their own trays (I didn't REALLY pay attention to the exact logistics, since Stephen is on the gluten-free diet and will continue to bring his lunch).  SO, they are all working on carrying a tray.  I just smile when I think about those 6 little boys and one little girl, practicing carrying empty lunch trays up and down the hallway.  At any rate, Stephen is well on his way to accomplishing this particular goal for the school year, and this skill has translated into a few other areas at home.  He carries his snack bowl from his table to the couch (even when he's not supposed to snack there) without spilling, and I expect that this increased hand strength is behind his ability to hold on to the kickboard so well.  The newest activity that comes from this skill, is his ability and desire to carry his iPad all over the house.  He takes it up and down the stairs (he holds it on his lap and butt-bumps down the stairs), and into various rooms to play games and watch YouTube.  He loves to lay on his new bean bag chair and watch videos, while holding tightly on to the letter "U"  (upper AND lowercase), because of course, U = YOUTube!  Stephen's teacher also reported during his last conference that she is quite pleased with how well he has been playing at school, not just with his friends, but with toys.  She is very impressed with the improvement he is making with his social and play skills, and we are THRILLED!

Before Stephen got sick this week, we spent some time at a park with a new friend who was visiting from Tulsa.  Stephen had a great time, and wasn't very excited to take time away from his play to take a picture.