Saturday was Sweet Pea’s ninth birthday. This was really strange, seeing as how it seems she was just born last week.
?
Sweet Pea sleeps in later than everyone nowadays. I would have never believed you if you told me this when she was a newborn. The child did not sleep at night for the first few weeks. It was against her rules.
When Sweet Pea woke up, the other children bombarded her and she opened her presents before she could even fully comprehend it was morning.
Here she is with her new mini Kaya doll from her friend, Jordyn.
As usual, I am sure you are praising my photography skills. And I thank you for that.
After all the present excitement, David took the kids outside to get ready for the Winter Olympics birthday party we would be hosting later on that day. I stayed inside to cook, clean, and do laundry, for it seems that is my lot in life, my burden to bear.
A bit later, I heard frantic screaming coming from the girls. It was terrifying, and I was sure somebody was dead, I kid you not. I was running all around trying to determine where the source of the noise was coming from. I looked off of our deck and I saw Handsome Dude, lying on the ground, with a large log on his leg. David had been pulling a tree that he had cut down with his bull dozer, the log twisted, and somehow trapped Handsome Dude underneath. The girls were standing near him, screaming. David had run off to get a tool to help get the log off. And Little Dude seemed oblivious to any sort of trauma and was singing to himself.
I ran downstairs and outside, screaming all the way, hoping the chicken frying on the stove would not burn us all to the ground.
Because I am safe like that.
I pushed the log with all my might and nothing happened, which was discouraging. David came running back with some large tool. Please do not ask me what the tool was, for I have not one clue. David got the log rolled off, picked Handsome Dude, up and ran him into the house.
Chicken was burning. The girls were screaming. Daisy Mae kept asking if HD was dead. Little Dude was mad that he had to come inside.
David and I stripped Handsome Dude’s pants off. His leg was terribly scratched and bruised and there was an open wound in the back of his knee. We knew we had to take him to the doctor immediately.
It takes us about 40 minutes to get to the doctor. Daisy Mae could not be consoled the entire time, poor thing. We got to our doctor’s office and the doctor took one look at the open wound and told us to go straight to the Emergency Room. Thankfully, my dad met us at the doctor’s office and took the other three home.
David felt terrible, since the accident was his fault and would not let go of Handsome Dude. At this point, I have barely seen his leg, nor have I gotten to hold him. While David was holding HD, the doctor flipped HD over and stretched out his leg to look at the cut. The cut was much worse than David and I knew it to be and I almost fainted when I saw it. It was about 4 to 5 inches across the back of his knee and (sorry for the gross detail) his flesh was hanging out.
Handsome Dude was obviously in a lot of pain and kept yelling at everyone who came near him. It was so horrible when they had to give him X-Rays, the poor guy. The doctors thought his femur might be broken at first, but thankfully he had no broken bones.
But, since the cut was so bad, it was decided that he needed to be taken to the OR and be put under general anesthesia so the doctor could check for tendon damage, clean out the wound, and stitch him up.
So, he had to get an IV, which he was not appreciative of. The anesthesiologist came in to ask when the last time he had eaten was. David had fed him breakfast and neither of us had fed him anything since.
But, my son is known to go into the pantry and sneak himself a marshmallow from time to time, so . . . .
Dr: Buddy, can you tell me if you ate anything after breakfast.
HD: I DON’T WANT TO TELL THE TRUTH!!!! NO!!
Lovely.
Dr: We are just going to assume he has eaten.
He is a brilliant man, that doctor.
Finally, about 3 1/2 hours after the incident, the poor boy was finally given something for the pain and drifted off to sleep while they prepped the OR.
Poor boy.
The nurses felt bad for him, too. Each one that came in brought him a new toy. And he would furiously tell us to remove it from his presence. That cranky boy acquired a new teddy bear, stuffed elephant, and a Hot Wheels set.
The procedure took about an hour. While we were waiting, my mom sent me a picture of Sweet Pea, who had opened her birthday present from them.
It was sad to miss out, but I was glad she was having a bit of birthday fun, in spite of the terrible day.
Handsome Dude came out of surgery fine, but he has to wear a full leg immobilizer for one week.
Poor boy.
We got him home, and I got him all set up with a snack and some soda pop.
Yes. I gave the boy soda. Don’t judge me.
He took about one bite of his bread and fell back asleep.
Poor boy.
He decided he would like to watch a little TV with us. He will not allow me to carry him anywhere, just David. Apparently, I am not to be trusted.
He looks pretty lively for the TV show.
He gets it from his father.
The next day, he was still in pain and refused to try and walk all day long. But finally, right before bed, he decided to give it a try.
And now, there is no stopping him!
For now, he is sleeping on a mattress on our floor. The girls have a fun time making up a bed for him and doting on him.
The astute reader might notice the weighted hula hoop to the left of Handsome Dude.
I use this a lot, as is evidenced by my, *ahem* rock-hard abs.
So, that was our weekend. It was very scary and sad and a lesson learned in safety with kids!
I am so thankful that he is going to be ok and it wasn’t any worse than it was!
My poor boy.
Awww…I’m so sorry that all of you had to go through this! Prayers for a speedy recovery!
Thanks 🙂
OMG!!! I am so sorry! That was truly scary and I wasn’t even there. I hope that he is feeling better and the same goes for David…I can only guess at how he feels. Tell HD that your imaginary friends are thinking about him and are sending good wishes…but I have to ask…did he break his glasses? =o)
The lenses did pop out during the incident, but David was able to fix them once we got home 🙂
That makes me laugh, I’m so glad he’s going to be okay. I think this will be a birthday everyone in your family will remember for the rest of your lives. Thanking Jesus for protecting that boy.
Hold on just one stinkin’ minute here.
YOU are not to be trusted?
Who does he think dropped the log on his leg in the first place?
(Not that it was intentional, or that I blame your handsome Lumberjack, but come on!)
Dads get all the breaks, don’t they?
My thoughts exactly 😉
I don’t know why I read the post title and thought “Oh, another zany post from my favourite lumberjack-electrician’s wife! Ooh, it’s about a birthday!” And then AAGH! It’s so awful to have a child hurt – I’m so thankful HD was able to get good care so quickly and is bouncing back already. My six year old broke her leg last year and I feel your pain.
Awww….poor HD 🙁 What a scary thing for you to have to see your child trapped under a log! Glad that they were able to fix his leg, and that the injury wasn’t worse. Praying for him!
I know that was scary!!! Thankfully he will be better soon!!
That sure WAS a scary weekend! So glad to see the smile back on his face in the last 2 photos. I am thinking he will be back to his old self before you know it! Hopefully, you will not make it a habit of visiting the ER. It is never good when they know you by name in the ER. I may or may not be speaking from experience. 🙂 Praying for a speedy recovery, and I agree that a little soda surely makes a boy feel better. Get well soon, HD!
How awful to happen on your daughters BDay…We had a similar experience with our 3yr old falling off the bed on Dad’s watch and getting a concussion and her second ambulance ride and catscan in like 3 months…There is nothing worse than that helpless feeling you have during those times.
Glad he is on the mend and it was nothing more serious.
Blessings Kelsie
So glad HD is on the mend and that everything ended okay!
Oh I am so glad that HD is on the mend and it wasn’t as serious as it could have been. I am sure that Sir Lumberjack must have felt AWFUL, and am sure that it wasn’t that much fun for you either.
Happy birthday Sweet Pea, don’t they grow up fast?
Poor HD, I’m glad to see he’s walking around again. What a scary thing to happen, lucky he has those big sisters to love on him. He’ll have a story to tell and the scars to impress all his teenage friends when he gets older. It’s a good thing LD wasn’t too affected, blood can be scary for a little guy. Prayers for a speedy recovery.
My hubby just walked in and said why are you crying. I am like oh my goodness this poor boy. So sorry about what happened, poor little guy. A belated Happy Birthday to your 9 year old, wow, who would have thunk you would have a child so old when your so young!
What an awful thing to go through! I know from experience that we Mom’s would a whole lot rather go through something ourselves than watch our kids be in pain. So glad he is doing better. And glad Sweet Pea still had a good birthday – yay for grandparents!
I’m so glad there is a happy ending. I’m sure you aged a few years on Saturday. Happy birthday to the birthday girl…she looks like she is enjoying her day in spite of the ‘excitement’.
Give him a big kiss from us!! =)
Poor boy…and poor Mom! What a scary day, but I bet you’re so thankful that it wasn’t worse! We’ll be praying for a quick recovery =)
Taylor! Oh my gosh! I am so sorry! Poor Handsome Dude. I can’t imagine hearing the words “surgery” and “your child” in the same sentence. Poor David, I’m sure he feels awful. Poor Mom, being rebuffed when all you want to do is hold him tight for the next 15 years or so.
So glad it wasn’t worse.
Glad he is doing better.
Oh my. I’m so glad that sweet boy is okay! He’s is my favorite of your children, you know? lol.
What is it with boys and Ers? SERIOUSLY!
that is one scary weekend! Makes me glad that mine involved no logs, lumberjacking-wannabe husbands or living in ruralville.
I am also very glad that he is okay!
So glad he is okay and that his femur wasn’t broken; that is such an ordeal at his age!
How scary!!! Praise God for His hand of protection!
YOWZA … I’m so sorry! but there you go putting a hilarious spin on things, as per usual. Poor boy – I’m glad everything turned out all right!
It takes nerves of steel to be a parent.
I’m sending you positive thoughts . . . and wishing I could add a bottle of wine or a pitcher of Margaritas as well.
congrats on your nerves of steel and not fainting when you saw his cut.
That is AWFUL!! You poor thing. Yep, I can hear the new family safety rules now being proclaimed by the Lumberjack. Good Luck!!
Aw, he is a poor boy! That is so scary – thank goodness he’s okay! And just think, he’s probably the only one of his friends with a leg immobilizer!
My goodness! I am so glad to hear that HD was not seriously hurt!
A cunning twist to the old saying, “As easy as falling off a log,” eh?
Now THAT’S a birthday Sweet Pea isn’t going to forget in a hurry! Praise God he was okay. And well done you for retaining a sense of humour in the telling of the tale … Little Dude is funny – a typical little brother!
So glad to hear that HD was fine – hope he’s doing better, and that you’re feeling better, too!
That is very very sad and yucky and scary! Glad it wasn’t broken though and that he’s able to be up and around. Hope it heals smoothly and quickly!
Happy Birthday to Sweet Pea! I have a Sweet Pea too, but she turned three on Christmas Day. I also have a Wild Flower. She’s 11. Be afraid of 11. Or maybe she’s just putting the “wild” in the flower part. Oh wait . . . she’s never NOT put the “wild” in flower. Hence the name. Aaaaannnnnndddddd, I love her!
Wow I know that scary feeling. Our youngest had a 4 wheeler wreck in the 3rd grade. We griped at her the whole way into town(15 min drive) for showing off for the kids down the road. She had to go from our local hospital by ambulance to the next bigger and then form there to another big hospital by another ambulance. Surgery for spleen, liver and lung damage… She is now married with 2 babies. Whew ! We sold that damn 4 wheeler! So glad he is ok. How we survive their raising up I wonder sometimes! xo
Well, you beat out the Christmas eve broken nose at our house by a mile.
Prayers for a speedy recovery, and your sanity…as small boys with big boo-boos are so very easy to care for…
OK, I hate to admit it but the first thing I think about when a trip to the ER is involved is “Whew, thank goodness I wasn’t in charge when that happened.” ‘Cause, after all, the only time I have been supervising when an accident occurred was when Middle cut off the tip of his finger. With child safety scissors. Which is obviously the fault of the Third World country where they were made. And those people have enough problems, don’cha think?
Stevie @ ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com
So scary! Glad he didn’t have any broken bones.
So glad HD is in recovery mode. There is nothing more scary than your child in trauma. Being a parent takes nerves of steel.
I sincerely hope the Lumberjack doesn’t beat himself up too much over the whole thing. Though I know I would be doing so. But these things happen out in the country when you mix children and any kind of country activity. Things can happen so fast. It’s a lesson learned the hard way unforunately, so glad it wasn’t any worse.
Prayers to you and your family.
Hey, Taylor,
I know I have your email somewhere, but I can’t find it.
So I will ask you in this lame way if you would be interested in guest posting at Sweet Peas and Buddies in February? You could even post something you have already posted on The Lumberjack’s Wife. I know you are a busy homeschool mom and farmer of bunnies, and hunting the wildlife off you land, but I would be honored if you wanted to write a story for my readers!
Well, not the post I was expecting, but I guess you weren’t expecting any of that either. Seeing your child hurt is the worst feeling in the world. I’m so glad that HD is doing okay. Happy birthday, Sweet Pea. Did she get to have her Winter Olympics party? Just curious.
I am so glad he is going to be ok. Sometimes being a parent is terrifying. Praying for a quick recovery.
Oh my goodness, Taylor!! I am so glad he is okay and that there were no broken bones! But still, what a scary experience to go through!! Will pray for you all to recover from the trauma as quickly as possible.
Being a Lumberjack’s wife (or son) is not for the faint of heart. I had tears reading this, even though I already knew he was fine. It is so terrible when one of our kids gets hurt. I am so glad he is recovering! Hope everyone else is too!!