So if you're wondering what ole Dax & Tero's been up to or thought to yourself "where's she at? Doesn't she usually blab to the masses by Tuesday at least?" Mama made an oops, whoops or "bad call" and poor little guy is suffering for it...
Saturday Dax and I went to the park and just like usual he chased around pretty girls and hollered at them in his untranslatable language, ran straight toward the swings (while kids were in full swing - yikes), climb slides backwards ("Dax, no no!")... the usual. I usually don't take my camera with me because, let's face it, a camera can be a huge hindrance at the park. But this time I did and here are some of the pictures. They are saved in my
Autumn 2009 pic folder titled
"Dax at the Park before Mama Crippled Him."
After riding the “big ” slides for the seventh time, the fun came to a screeching halt!
Mama's little tiger hurt his paw.
On the way down, Dax decided to kick the side of the slide and when he did the rubber on his shoe grabbed the plastic and twisted his poor little leg around like a cork screw. When we got to the bottom I looked at him (with probably the most horrible face) waiting for him to start screaming. And scream he did. I took his shoe and sock off to see if it were even red, and nothing. After a minute passed, little man got tired of crying so he just stopped and then took a nap (???).
My first instinct was to take him to the ER and I actually started to head that way but since he wasn’t even acting like he was hurt and there was no swelling or redness, I decided to go home and call our pedi’s after hours nurse. She told me he probably just strained it but if I was concerned she would call the after hours clinic to get an appt and take him in. Well, they were booked, and even though he was acting just fine (maybe a little tender footed) there was NO WAY I wasn’t taking him in to be x-rayed.
This is the hurt leg the same night. If I'd have known it was fractured, I wouldn't have let him sit like this. He wasn't even bothered by it.
So, we got an appt for first thing Sunday morning and off to Children’s South on Acton Road we went bright and early. When we walked into the waiting room and I got a look at all the toys, I felt so bad for Dax, There were jungle gyms, little Flintstone cars (you know, with the feet out) and red wagons lined up like red Ferrari’s at a car dealership and activity table after activity table. Why is this so bad you ask? Because he couldn’t run around to play with them - so we thought. He managed to get around just fine. Though I didn't know his leg was fractured at the time, I still didn't want him trying to walk on it so I just pulled him in the wagon.
They x-rayed Dax’s foot and his leg. When the doctor walked in and told us he had a fracture she read me like a book (she must have saw the guilt in my eyes) because she looked at me and said "don’t beat yourself up so much, mom." She told us we would need to get an appt. with an orthopedic doc ("OD") to make sure it’s not broken (what??? I thought you just said fractured) and then she got out of the room quick!
I think she knew I was about to start crying and I did a little. My 15 mos. old has a fractured, possibly broken leg and it’s my fault! They put a splint on his leg until he was checked and cast by the OD. I realized what a big baby I was being for crying over a fractured leg and that it was ridiculous considering there are parents that have had to watch their children suffer with terminal diseases and etc. so I sucked it up quick and stopped feeling sorry for myself. Plus, Dax was the one with the fractured leg, I'm sure he was think'in "Mama, you have got some nerve! ;o)
So, Monday back to Children’s South (the OD happened to be in the same location that day). My mom went with us this time and while we waited in the waiting room, Dax was crawling around lightning fast and standing up when he'd reach another kid and start hollering at them (I don't know why he does that, but it's too cute). He sure wasn't letting that splint slow him down. When we saw the OD - Dr. Khoury, he couldn’t believe that Dax was putting pressure on it. He said “let’s get a cast on him before he breaks it clean through."
Dax has a spiral fracture. Dr. Khoury called it the most common toddler fracture. He said “we see it a lot.” He further went on to tell me that there had actually been a study about the safety of toddlers riding slides with their parents. The study showed that toddlers are actually more likely to be injured riding in their parents laps, then riding by themselves with the caveat that if the toddler is not big enough to ride by himself, he shouldn’t be on the slide.
Wow, so there are so many parents out there that do this same thing that they’ve done a study about it, huh? Did that make me feel better? No. Of all the things I read, as careful and cautious as I usually am to keep Dax safe, I FAIL.
There, I got all my tail hurt'in about it out and can now look at the positive side of this from here on out.
In just one week the cast has done wonders for Dax's balance. Last night he stood up and took 2 steps by himself. He's actually not supposed to be able to do this. That is why the cast is up his leg (with the knee bent). He did it so fast, we didn't have time to stop him. So I'm thinking that with this better balance will come the likelihood of saving him from worst accidents when the cast is off maybe? I hope so!
As for the color of the cast... ha ha, you’d think I’d have picked a color that was a little more inconspicuous, but Dax likes the bright colors and let’s face it, there’s nothing inconspicuous about a 15 mos. old wearing a cast. He goes back in 4 weeks to get his cast off. Let’s hope the time flies. In the meantime, the little man just amazes me. He acts like it’s not there. He can’t walk, of course, but he sure isn’t letting it get him down. He’s not fussing or anything. Babies and kids are so resilient, there's much to learn from them!
Dax riding the lawn mower with Paw Paw and saying hello to the horses.
At least he can still swing
