A Sling and a Gift

Caroline has received many a card and gift for her broken arm.  She has received lots of doll clothes (seriously one of her favorite things), Legos, stuffed animals, candy, and cash.  She has gotten a package or something nearly every day.  We have been humbled with the kindness of everyone and she is very grateful for it all.  With her arm feeling better every day, she's had a pretty good week.  She did have one rough day on Friday, but she was able to lay around all day to recuperate.

Earlier in the week, we went to the doctor's office to get her overcast put on.  Her cast had been cut down the side to allow for swelling, so now she had another layer of hard cast put over it.  She chose pink again, because they gave her options (lots of options!).  She did say that for her next cast, she's going to pick blue.  The tech also made her a very simple sling out of the cottony sleeve material with a little padding put inside to cushion her neck.  She has loved this sling and wears it all day every day.  It isn't hot like the other one and gives her a lot of freedom with her movement.

Now that she's recovering so well, we need to get her talking again.  She has turned silent when adults talk to her.  She looks at me and mouths complete sentences that are so long, I have no idea what she is saying.  It's been happening ever since she landed in the ER last week.

We also did two baths this week.  Not an easy feat with a full arm cast.  This nest was the reason for the first bath - a complete mess of the back of her head from all the lying down and using her head as leverage to move around on the couch.  Copious amounts of detangler was used. 

The kids started their activities at church this past week.  Caroline was finally old enough to go to God's Girls which is the girl version of Boys of Iron.  She really liked it and kept asking to go back, but then she always followed it up with, "But all we did was tell everyone our names."  Well, maybe you'll do more now that you know each other's names.  Henry enjoyed his class.  He has had the same leaders the past three years and he really likes them.  They've done something new with the 4th and 5th graders this year.  They're all together in a big room, and they're each assigned to a table.  Josiah wasn't keen on the idea at first, but he seemed to like the first day.  He definitely like the Domino's pizza that they got everyone.

The boys have had a harder week witnessing all the gifts and attention that has been showered upon Caroline.  I did ask Josiah if he wanted me to go out back and break his arm so he could get some gifts, too.  He declined.  In an attempt to show the boys that they were still loved, Todd and I took them out separately.  I took Josiah to McDonald's because he really wanted the NASA Snoopy toy that was in the Happy Meal.  After our delicious and nutritious meal, we walked around Walmart.  (This was one of those classy McDonald's that is inside of the Walmart.)  We looked at Halloween costumes.  Part of my purpose was to see if they had any costumes that Josiah could use for his Faces of History paper that he'll do in the spring.  Instead, Josiah was drawn immediately to his beloved Forky character from Toy Story 4.  I texted Todd, "Don't be mad at me."  And left it at that.

This afternoon, Todd and Henry went out for tacos and then stopped at Target to pick out a lamp.  He's been wanting a bedside lamp for his new room.  Todd said Henry picked out the silver lamp and the taupe shade by himself.  I asked if it was a manly lamp to which they said, "It's a lamp."  When I saw it in his room, I really liked it.  Very manly.  (Much more taupe looking in real life.)

While the boys have had a rough time with Caroline getting a lot of attention, tonight the tables were turned and Caroline cried a good long cry, because "I can't do anything."  The boys have two pool parties coming up and she could have gone to both, but won't be able to.  She can't go to playgrounds, she can't go to trampoline parks.  It's tough.  I told her the best thing was that she broke her left arm, not her right.  So she can still write, draw, and paint.  She painted some really good pictures this weekend.  It was a small consolation.

Surfer girl

Twins and an older sister

Google got me again with a Now and Then picture.

That was our week.  This week's character trait is thoroughness.  It may seem like a weird one, but it's important for them to do each job/school assignment/chore all the way.  Finish all their assignments for the week.  Clean up all their mess.  Put all their dishes in the sink.  Wipe off all the table.  There are so many ways that it can be applied.  I'm looking forward to a week of them applying it.  ;)