So much happened this June that I would normally try to break it up into multiple posts, but I think maybe this time I will just leave it all here! The biggest things that happened to us this month (in order of occurrence) were Paul starting school, Michael starting his new job and me breaking my ankle. I'd say overall, it's been a bit of a stressful month and we would probably all like to just keep moving forward. There was still plenty of fun to be had, though!
Phoebe is our weird cat.
Center for Sight, where Michael began working as an optometrist on June 15!
His picture starting popping up on their sign early in the month. We had to go down and get a picture of it! Unfortunately, because of the way the sign works, even though it looks perfect in person, this is how all my pictures turned out! Still, it was neat to see his face at a busy intersection in Pensacola!(Update: He is now pictured on a bench on Bayou Boulevard! It is the strangest thing to see his face when we drive by!)
Michael spent a few days shadowing at work in the weeks before he started. This was good because it gave me a chance to figure out how to be a stay at home mom again! We work so well as a team and had been enjoying having so much time together as a family. Luckily we have this great park just a few houses away!
My aunt, cousin and four of my second cousins came to spend the week at a house on the beach. We went to visit as often as we could. Paul loved playing with everyone and also really enjoyed the beach!
One afternoon, after a storm, we walked along the beach and found so many shells! It was so fun.
We went to the library near our house and renewed Michael's and my own library cards. Paul also got his own card! We picked out a few books, all of which Paul fell in love with. He gets so sad when we "turn" them.
I decided to try growing a few plants in containers. I bought them all already pretty much grown. Above is a pot of herbs: basil, cilantro, mint and rosemary.
My bell pepper plant. Poor thing got knocked down in a rain storm and never recovered.
My cherry tomato plant.
My big tomato plant. Paul loves to water them!
Exploring the woods next to our house! It is a long strip of woods that I think goes all the way from Bayou to Summit. It separates our neighborhood from the next and it not very wide. It was still a fun adventure for Paul!
Paul and I have both been on a smoothie kick this month. He loves to help me make them and eat them! He usually calls them "moothies". They are so good for him that I can hardly say no if he asks to make one.
Paul has started climbing trees! This is in our backyard. I love having a backyard to play in!
In each back corner of our yard, we have these large concrete patios. They are AWESOME! They are totally shaded at all times of the day by surrounding trees. When we first moved in we had no idea they were there. After cleaning out the yard and clearing off layers of leaves, we found them and were thrilled. It makes it possible for us to go play outside even when it is very hot. Paul especially loves to draw on them!
I'm not really sure what's going on here but it was funny. He must be looking for a certain ball.
This was taken on Dad's first day of work. I did not take a picture of him, although I thought about it, but as Paul was beginning to stress about going to school we were all a little anxious so I didn't want to add anything else to the mix. I did take this picture of Paul enjoying his gingerbread man after a successful day at school!
Grammy and Paul treated me to a lovely song. Paul is on the Elmo guitar and my mom is playing the tiny giraffe piano. Paul sang some very nice lyrics that included "I love you, Mommy".
Later that afternoon we met Lily and Mimi at Cowboy Park. This is also on our street, but about a mile down. We would walk to it and then turn around on my daily walks, so Paul was excited to play in it finally!
Paul and Lily were pretending to be on a rocket ship to the moon!
The next day, this happened! It was just Michael's second day at work, and we were all feeling pretty good. Paul and I had a nice morning playing with Lily, then seeing Julie and Laurel too. Michael had a big lunch break so we met him at Whataburger and then went to Barnes and Noble to walk around a bit before he had to go back. I was thinking how fun it was and how great everything was going. Paul and I had to run a few errands before we went back home to settle down. We ran into Lowe's and then went to Fresh Market for their Tuesday deals. I was carrying Paul back to the car after putting the groceries in and returning the buggy to the store when I dropped my receipt. It was flying away and I squatted down quickly to catch it. I grabbed it, and as I was pushing back up, I felt my right ankle turn beneath me and heard a loud pop as I fell back on my butt, Paul still on my left hip. I was in the middle of the parking lot but I knew I could not get up. I hated the idea that people would see me sitting there but I just couldn't do it. The pain hadn't started yet but I knew it would and I knew it would be bad. Despite years of sports and being relatively active I have never had any kind of sprain or serious injury. Michael had though, so I knew a little about what he'd been through (ankle fracture at 16, ankle sprain at 18, high ankle sprain at 23) and I knew for sure hearing a pop was a bad sign.
The first lady to notice me was an older lady with her husband. She was asking if I was ok, if I could get up. I said no, I'm not and I can't get up. I was struggling to think of a plan to get home and to a doctor. After a few minutes, there was a bit of a crowd and it was arranged that someone would carry Paul and put him in his car seat and then someone would help me to the car. I realized I could not drive, as it was my right ankle, and a lady working at Fresh Market offered to help me get home. I called Michael at work (which I hated doing but only did because I knew he didn't have another patient for an hour or so and I just needed to figure out what I should do and it was hard to think clearly). He answered and we talked it out and it made me feel a lot better. I called Julie and she arranged for Andrew's mom to take care of her kids so she could come get me and take me to an urgent care place.
When we got to my house, the lady who drove me had been followed by a co-worker (so she could get back!) and they both helped me and Paul into the house and put away groceries for me and filled a bag of ice for my ankle and even took off my shoe! I feel terrible for not getting their full names so I could thank them now but everything was a blur and I was so grateful for their help and so worried about what was to come.
I have to say, Paul was an angel throughout all of this. He stayed by my side in the parking lot and rubbed my arm in the car and said, "I love you, Mommy." The ladies told him to take care of me and my ankle, so he took this to heart and tried to play doctor a bit! It was sweet and he was gentle but I had to tell him to stop because I didn't want him to hurt it more on accident.
Julie got there soon after I got home, and the pain was really kicking in. It was awful. I took Tylenol Extra Strength but that was it since I am pregnant and can't take anything to help reduce swelling. Julie wrapped my ankle for me and brought me crutches, which were hard to use then. She got some stuff together for Paul and we all left.
I had to wait a couple hours at urgent care, and Julie was awesome with helping me fill out paperwork and probably most importantly, by entertaining Paul! She was so great with him! By the time I got to see a doctor, Michael had gotten off work and switched with Julie, who took Paul back to her house for dinner. I was so grateful for all of Julie's help, it was seriously such a lifesaver and I am so glad it was one of her days off so that it was possible for her to help me. I was so glad to have Michael with me, though! The urgent care doctor finally came in and spent about three minutes with me, saying only that they couldn't do an x-ray since I was pregnant and that I should see an orthopedic doctor and that they would call and set up an appointment for me in the next couple days. I left feeling pretty bummed that we had no answers about whether it was a sprain or break, much less how long I might be out of commission. It was so disheartening.
Later that night, Carolyn called and asked if we wanted her to try to get an appointment with a doctor she knew at the Andrews Institute. We said we would love that! She called back and had an appointment for me for 8 a.m. the next morning! I keep saying this about different people, but I was seriously so grateful! I woke up every hour that night, from pain and having to pee (thanks pregnancy! getting to the bathroom on crutches three times in the middle of the night is just lovely!) and I was just counting down the hours until 8. It was so comforting to know I wouldn't have to wait much longer to get some answers. I also remember telling Michael that night/early morning that I was ready for my next dose of Tylenol! He checked the bottle and told me I had four more hours till I could have more. I was in a lot of pain that night but somehow we made it through, and I even slept a little (thanks pregnancy! for real this time!).
Now I need to say how grateful I was to my cousin Haley, who agreed to come pick me up early on Wednesday morning to take me to my appointment! I really can't imagine having done this without my wonderful family here. Michael's mom took Paul to school and planned to keep him for the rest of the day at her house, and my mom would meet me at my appointment and help me at home for the rest of the day. I feel like we had to call in help from all sides in just 24 hours and I'm so grateful to have all the help we had.
We arrived at the Andrews Institute on time and luckily Haley was familiar with the place so we knew where to go. Dr. Hackel saw me pretty soon after 8 and decided to do an ultrasound on my ankle first before moving on to an x-ray (again because I am pregnant). Right away he made some kind of comment and I knew it was broken. He confirmed it and said we would definitely need an x-ray now that we knew it was broken. I moved into a different area and had an x-ray done, then went back to that room to wait for him to come back in.
Now I need to say a little about the Andrews Institute. If you are a big sports fan or from Pensacola, you have probably heard about this place. Professional and collegiate athletes from all over the country fly here for surgery and rehab. Dr. Andrews frequently gives ESPN his professional opinion on different athletes' injuries and recovery times and things like that. The facility itself is very nice and has such a great reputation. I was very glad to be in what I felt like were the best hands possible. Looking around the room, I could see tons of framed and signed pictures, all saying thank you to Dr. Hackel or Dr. Andrews for their help in their recovery. Haley and I didn't recognize too many of these athletes, but we both know Jack Hanna when we see him! His was the biggest picture and of course he was holding some kind of cute animal. We both appreciated that.
(As a side note, I should mention that around this time Haley told me she had a weird pain in her stomach. It seemed like it wasn't bothering her too much, but she was a little worried about it. Later that night, she called me and told me she had been to urgent care herself, and they said it was probably appendicitis and she would probably have surgery the next day! Talk about everyone falling apart at once! The tricky thing for her though was that she and Caleb were leaving for Haiti for two weeks that coming Sunday. She ended up having surgery on Friday, after staying overnight on Thursday, and then went home on Saturday. She delayed her trip for a week while Caleb went ahead. I'm glad she got it checked out and taken care of before it got worse, potentially while she would have been in Haiti. And I'm also so glad she recovered well and was able to join him after a week! The only bummer was that she was laying around at her mom's house in Gulf Breeze while I was laying around at my house in Pensacola and neither of us could drive so we couldn't just lay around together. Ha! I probably would have needed another couch anyways, since I was taking up mine.)
Once he came back in and pulled up the x-ray, we could see the fracture. He said I had done a pretty good job of it. I had broken my fibula. He had consulted with his orthopedic surgeon down the hall and they both agreed that normally they would do surgery, but since I am pregnant they would rather not risk it. So on one hand I was happy not to have surgery, but on the other I was disheartened because I wanted it to heal properly. He said I would see the surgeon from now on to access its healing and decide if surgery was necessary at a later date. I was sent to another room to wait. I was expecting to be casted but was so relieved when a guy came in with a walking boot! Michael was in a cast for at least two weeks with the high ankle sprain and then a boot like this one for four weeks. I knew how awful the cast can be and I was just thrilled I wouldn't have to deal with that. They told me I would probably be in it for six weeks. But at least I could take it off for ice, baths and sleeping.
I managed to sneak a picture of the x-ray on the screen. You can see the break in the fibula along my outer ankle. The big white area is soft tissue swelling. The next few days were pretty awful. It hurt so bad to get up that I would only get up to use the bathroom and had to ask for help for anything else. I couldn't be with Paul very much and I had to lay down and elevate my leg all the time. It was very discouraging and it was difficult to even relax enough to watch a show or read a book. At least I had my mom for company.
Sophie was by my side a lot! I love this sweet girl!
That Thursday was our fourth wedding anniversary! We had originally planned to go out on a date but that wasn't really in the cards anymore. Michael was very sweet and arranged for his mom to keep Paul for dinner. On his way home for work he picked up this beautiful bouquet of flowers and a variety of fruit along with a huge dinner from Horizen! It was so perfect and we were so happy to have some time alone with how crazy our life had been that week.
He really went all out on dinner! Not shown are two sushi rolls, fried rice and salad.
Lobster and dumplings!
Veggie and shrimp tempura! This might have been my favorite part.
Phoebe likes to cuddle in the mornings. Paul decided he needed to join us. I love his hair sticking up! And I love Phoebe's expression. She gets annoyed when he messes with her but she is so reluctant to give up her spot so she puts up with a lot.
On Friday morning, I had my appointment with the orthopedic surgeon at Andrews Institute. I was anxious to see if he would recommend surgery. I had to do an x-ray right away, but this time I had to put weight on it, which was scary. The tech was nice and helped me so I wasn't hopping around to get onto the platform. After this I went to a room to wait for Dr. Murawski. In his room was an Auburn jersey from Heisman winner Cam Newton. Now this didn't impress me much, since we was a Gator who got kicked out and ended up at Auburn. Still, I thought it was kind of funny.
After a while, a doctor/resident (I'm honestly not really sure) came in and sat down and told me what I really wanted to know -- that there was no need for surgery. He said it was not displaced and should heal fine on its own with six weeks in the boot. I was so relieved! I saw the doctor next, as well as the x-rays. From this one, the bone seemed closer together along the fracture line (because of weight) but we could also see a couple other fractures. He told me to put weight on it and walk as soon as possible (in the boot of course) as that would help spur on the healing process. He seemed a little surprised that I seemed so hesitant about that and brought up the idea of a cast, but I assured him I would walk on it as soon as I could and he sent me on my way with an appointment set for three weeks out.
I couldn't carry anything while walking around on crutches, but I learned I could fill up this cross-body purse with the essentials. This was my first time I was all by myself, but I was starting to feel a little better, so it worked out well.
Michael took Paul out a lot on Saturday so I had some time to myself. He also got a new game for the Wii for me and I had a lot of fun playing it! It was the Lego Harry Potter game, and finally I felt like I could relax enough to enjoy things like games and TV shows and movies.
Paul and I being goofy.
I enjoyed my game so much that we decided that night we should get a Wii U. It was kind of an impulse buy, but we had been letting Paul play the Kirby demo set up at Target for weeks and he could actually play it (it's on a tablet and you use a stylus to draw lines to help Kirby move). We figured it was a very nice treat after the long week we had been through, plus Fathers Day was Sunday and I hadn't gotten anything special for Michael yet. Also there was the fact that I would be in a boot for five more weeks at least and we'd be spending more time inside than out. So all around I would say it was a great buy and a perfect time for us to get it. The system came with Super Mario 3D World and we bought Kirby and the Rainbow curse because we love Kirby. We have since added Super Mario Kart and Super Smash Brothers to the collection. Paul loves Super Mario Kart and is getting better all the time. It's fun that we can all play together!
Sophie couldn't stay away.
I had been really missing my buddy during the day, so the next week I asked Mimi to bring Paul and Lily over to play at our house in the afternoons. This helped so much! Paul had been missing being at home too, so it was fun to have these two around! Paul showed Lily how to play Kirby.
Paul's newest interest is space! I can't remember how it came about, but we have jumped on it. We bought him this National Geographic Kids book about space and he loves it.
I came up with some things Paul and I could do on the couch. Luckily I had this fun I Spy game that Krystal made for us!
Amy and Stephen's crew came to visit for the weekend and Paul had so much fun with Stephen! He absolutely loves spending time with him and they got to go to Chuck E. Cheese together. Paul was in heaven.
My view at the pool the next day. We had all of Michael's family together! I only wished I could jump in too!
He loved wearing his cousin's goggles! With these floaties, he can really kick himself around the pool. It's a lot more fun for everyone!
Paul loves checking on and watering our tomato plants! Here he is enjoying our first big tomato, which he picked himself.
Just a day before two weeks post-fracture, I started walking around in my boot without crutches! I can't tell you what an accomplishment it felt like. I could actually do chores and make myself lunch and take better care of Paul. It was a huge day for me and I was so thrilled! It was perfect timing too because I had Paul all to myself the next day. I decided to do a messy craft with Paul. We made "moon sand" (flour and baby oil) and he loved it! It was super messy but it occupied his interest for a long time. I left the room for a minute and came back to find a five-foot radius of flour around the table as well as Paul happily pushing his newest train into the sand. Whoops. It took some sweeping and paper towels and vacuuming but it was decently easy to clean up.
Paul has not been napping since January, around the time I found out I was pregnant. It was working out pretty well because he would sleep from 7-7:30 or 8 and only get very tired around 5 or 6, just in time for bed. Well recently, our schedule and life has been so different. He'd been going to bed a little later and waking up earlier. Add playing at school and playing with Lily in the afternoons and he was worn out all the time. This translated to a grumpy boy who did not listen well and who did not play well with his cousins. He would completely fall apart later in the day and was just very frustrating. So, I decided to do what I could to bring naps back. Some days he still resists and we have skipped a few, but for the most part, he has been napping 1 1/2 hours after lunch and it has drastically improved his attitude! We have our sweet, happy boy back, and he actually listens! It's so wonderful! Michael and I miss that 7 p.m. bed time -- now he won't fall asleep until closer to 9 -- but he is so much happier and so we are too. I occasionally fall asleep as well!
June was a very busy month for us. Hopefully July will be a little less eventful!
