It has been awhile since my last post. It has been a very busy time for us the last few months. A quick recap-- mommy graduated residency in June, we went on your first cruise with grandma the week after graduation, daddy had his fellowship graduation dinner end of June and you went on your first east coast trip and we had a wonderful time with daddy in New York for a long weekend and then most recently, mommy started fellowship. Also, sometime within that month, you and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary. It's been over a year since you moved down to San Diego and it's now about a year since it's just been you and me as we're nearing the end of your dad's fellowship. On a side note, daddy will be coming back "forever" as you say in about 10 days! Although, we will have to wait another year to join daddy in LA to truly start our "forever" as a family of 3.
But let's go back to mom starting fellowship. July 1st was mommy's first day. And I really just got thrown in. I got assigned to covering the emergency room from 5-12pm the first ten days of fellowship as an attending (aka no supervision; no one is there to check my work; what I say is the final word aka totally petrifying!). Since we started on a Friday and it was 10 days in a row--there was the holiday weekend. Since I had to work the holiday weekend, I took you to OC to stay with grandma on Saturday and my plan was to commute back and forth so I could spend the day with you.
On Sunday evening (the 3rd), we said good bye and I drove down to San Diego to go straight to work. At approximately 4:50 PM, grandma calls me in a panic. She's screaming and I can't understand one word she's saying and I hear you screaming and crying. I finally calmed grandma down and was able to hear what happened. Your grandparents are in the process of moving and a huge wooden sculpture that your grandpa had for awhile was in the living room. It's been there for years but it has always been leaning against a wall. However, for the new house, he wanted to hang it up and he had some people come by to take a look at it to see how it could be mounted. Unfortunately, they did not put in back in the stable position it used to be in.
Grandma was upstairs doing laundry and she told you to hold on as you two were going to go to the park to feed the ducks. You were excited and went downstairs first. You are such a careful child and we never have to worry about you touching things you aren't suppose to and so I know it was a complete accident. You even told me. You were waiting for grandma. You put on your backpack and the big thing fell on you. Grandma came downstairs and saw you stuck under the huge wooden sculpture and your poor little left foot was pinned. I'm not sure how she did but she lifted it up and got you out and called me.
Back in San Diego, I pull over and ask grandma to send me photos of your foot and we Skype. I am able to see that there was no open fracture. I asked grandma to check to see if you are neurovascularly intact. You were. So I gave her two options. One was to take you to a children's hospital in Orange County but unfortunately, nobody was around to help her. Grandpa is out on the country. Your uncle wasn't home. And your dad is still on the east coast. Second option was to drive down and we go to a children's hospital in San Diego where mommy and daddy has rotated before and where I am familiar with the system.
We went with option 2. I called the ER PM attending in charge to sort out my options. There wasn't much as there was no back up. So I went to work and worked until you and grandma got to San Diego. Then I left, we went to ED together and I promised to return when I could.
Grandma made it around 6:30PM and we got to Rady's children hospital by 7PM. We were seen right away and your daddy from the east coast was able to contact the orthopedic resident (aka bone doctor) to see you right away. An x-ray was taken and my gut feeling was confirmed--you had a broken bone. Here's your adorable little foot x-ray.
Luckily, it's a non-displaced base of third metatarsal fracture, which means no surgery and no cast. You just have the most adorable little hard sole shoe.
As for now, it's been 3 days since your injury. You still refuse to put any weight on it. Grandma is staying with us in San Diego so mommy can go to work at night. And since she's here, I am keeping you at home this week so you're getting a week off school so you can rest. My heart still breaks every time I see your little foot and if there was a way, I could feel the pain for you, I would in a heartbeat.
However, the whole point of this post is not just to document your first fracture but how you handled it. Despite your frustrations at being unable to walk, you have the brightest disposition that would put most adults to shame. You tell me "mommy, it's okay! I'll be better soon. I'll just crawl like a baby until I can walk." When I told you "I don't know what I would do if something bad happened to you," you responded with "don't cry mommy! nothing bad will happen to me. you're my mommy--we will be together forever." I don't know how at 3 you are so perceptive and so positive.
Once again, it reminds me that I had it all wrong when I was pregnant. I thought there would be so many things to teach you, little one but it is you that continues to teach me day in and day out on how to be a better human being, a better mom, a better wife, a better daughter and a better doctor. Thank you C, it is truly a blessing to be your mama!
Love, mama
