...since I've posted, and a lot has happened! I'm not going to try to catch up everything that's happened, but I'd like to share a few things that have happened recently. I don't want to gross anyone out, so don't read this first part if you have a weak stomach!
Last Wednesday when Cali and I were coming home from school, I could hear Kensie crying as I was walking into the garage. Kids have different types of cries and I knew instantly that something was really wrong. When I walked into the house, Steve was standing at the kitchen sink wrapping Kensie's left index finger in a paper towel. Before I could ask what happened, Steve looked at me and said kinda in shock, "This is a bad one." He opened the paper towel for me to see - I involuntarily shuddered at the sight of Kensie's fingernail, along with a good portion of the top of the finger ripped away, exposing the bone. She had slammed her finger in the door leading from the dining room to the garage, just as Cali and I were walking up.
My beautiful sister Sharon moved in with us last June, and (thankfully) was home when this happened. She offered to watch Cali and Mollee so both Steve and I could take Kensie to the doctor. Kensie had x-rays which confirmed that the end of the bone had been crushed. Through the whole ordeal, Kensie was so brave and didn't want mom or dad to hold her. She sat in the big chair all by herself and wanted to be tough. That was really hard for me, cause I just wanted to cuddle her! But that's just not Kensie. She did ask me to go with her when they took the x-rays and I stayed right next to her. It hurt her to hold her hand in the akward positions required for the x-rays. In between x-rays, I gave Kens a squeeze and said "Kensie, you are doing soooo great! I think you're the bravest 6 year old I know!" She looked up at me with big tears in her eyes to say, "...and the saddest." That broke my heart and I started crying (again). It is WAY more difficult to watch your kids suffer than actually experencing it yourself. I just hugged her and told her that I love her.
Her injury was so extensive that she needed surgery. The doctor called the on-call plastic surgeon to come do the surgery. The plastic surgeon's area of expertise just happened to be HANDS! When he walked in, the first thing he said was, "Kensie, I hear that you are the bravest kid these doctors have seen!" He told us multiple times he couldn't believe she was even awake and that he's never done a reconstruction like that on a kid that's awake, rather than under anesthesia. She soldiered through the shot to numb the nerves in her finger, but she cried out several times. When they decided they needed to numb the nerve that runs along the top of her hand as well, she decided to sit on Steve's lap (which means it must've been really painful since she traded bravery for the comfort of Daddy's arms). Once her hand was numb, she called home and ended up comforting Cali, who was really concerned for her little sister! It was sweet to hear their conversation and the love they have for each other.
I didn't ask how many stitches there ended up being, but she had 3 different sets of stitches. Dissolvable stitches at two different levels inside the finger, then regular stitches on the surface. After the surgery they put a brace on, wrapped it up, and we finally went home.
We were blessed in so many ways that day. The fact that the plastic surgeon's specialty just happened to be hands was a miracle in and of itself. Kensie was given an IV with some heavy-duty antibiotics to prevent infection (due to the exposed bone) which we were told would make her system miserable for the next 24-48 hours. Kens only had minimal discomfort for the first 24 hours. They told us that worst case scenario would be infection, or amputation if the tip didn't survive. Yesterday was her 1 week check up with the plastic surgeon. Her finger is pink and healthy with no signs of infection! He told us to expect the nail to still fall off, and we'll just have to wait to see if it grows back later. We'll be back in his office next week to get the stitches out and see how the bone is healing. She has a more managable brace now and she can get the stitches wet (no more plastic bags on her arm to shower!). I am amazed at her strength and resilliance. Prayers were answered that day and I am humbled by the Lord's love and blessings for my little family.
Ok. Moving on.
Steve participated in the Polar Plunge again this year. The Polar Plunge is an annual fundraiser event sponsored by Cache Valley Law Enforcement for Special Olympics Utah. A section of ice is cut away with a chain saw! Before each jump, the surface of the water is skimmed to remove the newly formed ice. Then, the 'plunger' jumps in and runs up the boat ramp as fast as they can to get out of the water! He was on a 'Super Plunger' team, meaning, one memeber of his team jumped into the frigid water of Hyrum damn EVERY HOUR FOR 24 HOURS!!! The first jump of the event, everyone decided to do a Super-Hero theme. Steve was dressed as Clark Kent with a Super Man T-shirt under his button-up. (He even had nerdy black-rimmed glasses from the dollar store!) This year in addition to plunging, Steve did a lot of ice fishing in between jumps and loved it. He's stoked now that he can use his fishing lisence year-round.
While we were gone visiting Steve's family just after Christmas, I got a phone call the morning after we arrived from my sister. I could hear what sounded like a raging river in the background as she asked me how to turn the water off to the house cause our water heater had just exploded and was flooding the house! I hung up with her and called the city. Someone was over at our house in less than 5 minutes after I hung up. He was able to get the water off. Needless to say, our visit was cut short. We left almost immediately for home and I was on and off the phone with the insurance and the disaster clean-up company trying to get things taken care of. The top of the water heater literally blew off! We got money from the insurance to cover the cost of clean up and we used some of the money to help pay for our new water heater. We hope to get the carpet replaced this spring!
While the house was upside down, we decided it was time to move the computer out of the spare room and move Cali into her own room. There seems to be a greater level of harmony in our home now that Cali and Kensie have their own separate spaces. Mollee loves being in her big-girl bed...the bottom bunk in Kensie's room.
Mollee will be 3 in March and is a force to be reckoned with! She has such a tender heart, even at her young age. She feels real compassion when someone is sad or hurt, or otherwise distressed, even if it's just someone on the TV or movie! Mollee was Kensie's self-appointed cheerleader after her finger incident. Every time Kensie took her medicine this last week, Mollee would clap and say "Yea, Kens! You did it!" Mollee got so into cheering Kensie on that yesterday when Kensie got up to clear her empty dinner plate, Mollee clapped and said, "Yea, Kens! You eat you dinner all gone!" We all just laughed!
On Sunday my Mom and Dad announced to the family that they are retiring much earlier than planned. My Dad's last official day is May 7th, afterwhich they will be moving to LOGAN!!! The girls are super excited...almost as excited as I am! I realized that it's been over 12 years since I lived near my parents (which was actually WITH my parents)! It will be a whole new experience and we are looking forward to the summer with more anticipation than usual!
Phew! That's all for now. This post is probably the longest I've ever done! Until next time...love to all my family and friends.
