Accident

My poor little Hamlet.  Yesterday he was having the time of his life, riding his new bicycle with his brother when he hit a nut and veered off the road. He ended up flipping his bike and landing sliding down the embankment, thoroughly entangling himself in a thorn bush. It took Robby and me nearly 10 minutes to extract him from the thorny prison.

By the time we freed Timmy from the thorns, Timmy was a bloody mess. I could tell by the way that he was holding (and hiding) his left hand that he was injured. When I finally coaxed him into allowing me to look at his hand I knew that we needed to go to the walk-in clinic. He had huge thorns thoroughly embedded into all of his fingers and his ring finger looked to be pointed in the wrong direction.

Even though he hates blood, Robby was a big brother rockstar throughout the afternoon. Without missing a beat he crawled under the kitchen table to try to encourage Timmy to let us look at his hand. He desperately tried to keep his little brother calm throughout the visit to the doctor, although there was nothing anybody could do to quell the screams of pain that were emitted when the thorns were dug out of his hand.

Timmy had a dislocated ring ringer and eight large thorns embedded in his left hand. The finger was set and the thorns were removed. Today he continues to be protective of his hand and is reticent to use it. Hopefully it will heal soon, I hate seeing him in pain!

Bike Riding

The air is crisp, the air is dry and the sun is shining. Finally, fall is here! My little Hamlet is so happy to be able to play outside again. It feels like months since we have been able to ride our bikes, jump on the trampoline and play in the treehouse. I am relieved that the muggy rain clouds have finally lifted. My goal is to spend as much time as possible outside before the cool air turns cold and the rain turns to snow.  

While at Walmart last week Scott bought Timmy a brand new bicycle. He still loves riding his balance bike through the house, but having one with pedals like his brother has brought his enthusiasm to a new level. In one short week he has proven to be a pro at pedaling and steering, but he is not consistent braking and stopping. 

Much to his chagrin, until Timmy can demonstrate that he knows how to brake we are not allowing him to go down hills. I am forced to run next to him to physically slow his momentum when he is out riding. I'm a tad concerned that he might run me over, but I will assume the risk if it keeps him from flipping out of control on the asphalt.  

Watching a little one learn to ride a bike is not for the faint of heart. My heart quickens to aerobic levels whenever I see him pedal and cruise around the driveway. Between the anxiety and my running next to him to help him stop, I am definitely getting my work out completed!

Chasing Windmills

Yesterday evening, as I was changing into my pajamas, I quietly lamented having to remove my leg in order to take off my jeans. Such a small task of slipping off the socket so that I could pull the jeans off of the prosthesis suddenly felt inconvenience and frustrating. It only took me a few seconds and it is something that I do every single day when wearing jeans, yet for some reason, I found the modification extremely annoying

Almost as soon as I slipped back into my leg I felt a surge of guilt. Here I was, complaining about having to remove my leg in order to take off my jeans, when I had just met a woman a few miles away who would give anything to have my inconvenience. I suddenly felt embarrassed for my skewed perspective.

Scott called me earlier in the afternoon, asking me to reach out to his school guidance counselor. A student confided that she and her mother were living in a local homeless shelter following a series of medical setbacks. I wasn't sure why my input was requested, but upon receiving the contact request I  immediately called to see how I could help.

It turns out that the mom had developed Compartment Syndrome and had recently had her leg amputated. Due to the combination of missed work and mounting medical bills, the family was evicted from their home and had no other options but to move into a temporary shelter.  I cannot fathom her despair after losing both her home and her leg!

This mom would give anything for the frustration of removing her leg to put on her jeans. Unfortunately, the policymakers in this country continue to tie the means to ambulate with monetary worth. Until this hardworking single mother is able to become financially stable, her ability to walk again will remain the impossible dream.

Today I will be working the phones to try to locate some assistance to help this family. Her daughter's school work is starting to suffer, which is understandable considering the chaos and uncertainty that the family has been enduring. Unfortunately, this heartwrenching situation is unfolding in homes and shelters across this country. As long as the tools to ambulate are intimately tied to financial means, we as a society will continue to further disable the amputee community. 

Blending In

I think it is safe to say that we are done with shorts for the year. The temperatures have been consistently falling, and the long range forecast continues this trend. I haven't completely packed away the summer clothes, but they are slowly being pushed to the back of drawers and onto the top shelves of closets.  

Timmy is having some adorable issues adjusting to the change in clothing. Frustrated by the different feel of his clothing, he works hard each morning to push his sleeves up to his elbows and to pull his pants above his knees. I know that it won't take long for him to adjust, but watching the transition is charming.

My little Hamlet isn't the only one who is adjusting to the winter wardrobe. With my wearing almost exclusively jeans, I have resumed blending in with a crowd. Wearing shorts and sundresses for the past few months I became accustomed to garnering stares and second glances each time I ventured into the community. After a summer of near-constant stares, it is eerily odd walking into a store and not being noticed. 

Like Timmy, it won't take long for me to adjust. Soon I won't even notice the absence of reaction or stares when I walk into stores. It is nice blending into a crowd and, while I prefer warmer weather, the anonymity is one of my favorite parts of the season. 

Relax

After weeks of feeling as if I'm treading water to keep up the pace, this weekend was a welcome respite from the constant movement and chaos. I was planning to take the boys to the farm to play either Saturday or Sunday, but the weather intervened. Instead we stayed home, where the boys played quietly and I was able to relax on the couch and binge watch Halloween Wars on the Food Channel. Our low-key, stay-at-home weekend was just what we all needed.

Timmy spent the weekend alternating between playing with his trains and watching video games. Robby spent his time playing video games and watching Battle Bots reruns on TV. Scott watched football and I caught up on some work and just relaxed on the couch. It has been a long time since we haven't done anything, but I we all needed a breather.

Our lack of ambition was rewarded with everybody feeling energized for the coming weeks which is a good thing because the next few days will be busy.  Between chauffeuring Robby to and from classes and my work schedule, we are about to enter another hectic spell. I'm glad I granted myself permission to relax because I have a feeling my reserves will be tapped soon!