It Is Always Something

In the last ten days E2 and I had a stomach bug and/or food poisoning, E2 got a bad cold filled with snot everywhere, and just today E1 fractured her elbow.

Raising girls is supposed to be filled with coloring, arts & crafts, rainbows, hair bows, sugar, spice and everything nice. I have that PLUS running, fighting, swinging, climbing, racing, biking, hanging, jumping, balancing, tripping, falling, breaking. My girls are the literal tomboys in tiaras. All dressed up in ribbons and bows and covered in mud from head to toe. AND I LOVE IT.

Today we met friends at our elementary school's playground. The climbing structures have huge tents over them so the equipment does not get hot and the children can play. Genius. All the kids are playing, having a great time when their eldest and E1 decided to play on a "zip line." It is a metal handle you hold onto and swing your body back forth to travel across the way.

The hubs gives E1 a little advice to "pump her legs" to keep it going and she falls. Whatever. No biggie. She falls all the time. E1 landed on her feet, fell to her bottom then braced going back with her arms. Again, whatever. She fell. E1 seems fine, seems fine, says she is fine, looks at me, seems fine.....here come the tears, eyes are filling up, and THERE IT IS...CRYING!! "IT HURTS!" E1 is dramatic and therefore it does take some time to assess the situation.

The friends say, "Hey, that's how our kid broke his elbow. He fell just like that."
Fuck you very much for that information.

The hubs who apparently got his medical degree in the last 30 seconds says she is fine. She rests, it still hurts. Then E1 sits on the hub's lap and it actually seems she is ok. The crying has stopped and she is sort of dangling her arm in a way that seems to indicate nothing is wrong.

A few minutes more.....tears resume. At this point, I am arguing with my husband about which ER to use. He swears she is fine and is just being an attention whore. Since this is a strong possibility, we go home. The hubs, again using his google medical degree, tells E1 and me "RICE." WTF is "RICE?" Are we ordering Chinese food????

REST. ICE. COMPRESSION. ELEVATION. RICE.

Whatever. So we RICE her arm and depending on which way she moves....tears.

DAMN IT. I AM LEAVING. I take E1, against Dr. Dad's advice, to the stand alone ER.
An hour later, X-Rays show a small fracture. She is in a splint and sling for a few days and then will wear a cast for three weeks.

Dr. Dad was wrong.
Mother knows best.
It is always something.