Getting hammered on a Sunday Afternoon

Yesterday the boys and I went into the dollar store, they were both drawn to the tool section. They thought it was cool that there were tools their size and both asked for a hammer. I'm trying to create a yes environment, and they were only $3 each! M was super excited about his. He held it in the car the whole way home and even slept with it under his pillow last night (which is something my late grandmother did, but that's a story for another day). This afternoon I set up an invitation for them to use their hammers. I found a small 2x4 piece of wood that we had around the house and some old roofing nails. I opened up B's hammer and started hammering in the nails. Within seconds M was right there with me. B, who is always more reserved with things sat back and watched for a few minutes before asking for his hammer. You guys, they got along and worked together hammering for 30 minutes! I was able to quickly snap this picture of M hammering his little heart out. Proof that sometimes it's the simple things in life that bring the mose enjoyment to children.

Your love is the sweetest thing

Now, seeing as its the day after valentine's day, you're probably thinking that this is about my husband. While his love is pretty sweet, it's not the love a child has for their parent and vice versa. When you fall in love with another person, it's a process. Your love grows, you feel it as it happens. But the love a child has for their parents is truly amazing. They are born loving you. In every little action they do they love you. If you stop and thi k about it, it's pretty powerful. As is the love a parent has for their children. It's instant, it's powerful, it really could move mountains. I remember finding out I was pregnant a d immediately loving these little people I had never met but I already knew.

It was something simple that reminded me of this this morning. B asked if I could blow up a balloon for him (he and M were playing balloon basketball in the basement). He offered to make me a coffee while I helped him out,we have a Keurig so it's pretty simple/safe task for little hands, so I of course took him up on the offer. When he came back he had wrote me a note on his BoogieBoard. Five simple words that reminded me of the power and sweetness the love between parent and child is.

Is this week done?

Have you ever started out the week where you had everything organized and ready for things to go smoothly? That was how my week started. B still can't play hockey due to his concussion, and M was done hockey at 3 on Saturday. After hockey I meal planned and went and got groceries and did the weekly lunch prep. I had everything planned that I needed for work this week. I had nothing to do Sunday. It would finally be the day of rest that it was intended to be.

Sunday morning the boys went out to play while the hublet was doing some 'man stuff' outside. I had peace to drink my coffee and catch up on Coronation Street. Bliss. Sunday afternoon the boys were playing and getting along (playing AND getting along. Red flag!) I thought I would lay down for a little nap. Ahhhhh-mazzzzzzing! I loved this Sunday! 

Then it happened.

B came running into my room telling me M was puking. I bolted out of bed and ran into the living room to find him on the couch with his face in my biggest Tupperware bowl (thank god for the sanitize cycle on the dishwasher!)  Luckily hublet was right with him. He spent the rest of the afternoon on and off facing the bowl.

Monday he stayed home from school. Luckily/unluckily my nephew came out with the same bug so he was able to go to my sisters while I went to work for the morning.

Tuesday everyone was healthy and at work and school. After I was done work I did some school work and caught up on some stuff around the house. I got the boys from the bus they told me about their days on the walk home. It was a beautiful day so I suggested they play outside. Not even 10 minutes later I hear crying. I go out M is losing it and B is crying telling me that M is bleeding. I go out into the snow, barefoot to get him. I get him in the house and look...Ya he totally needs stitches! Luckily my neighbor across the road works at the doctors office in my town and told us to go over there, and had called to tell them what happened and that we were on our way over.

Three stitches later we were on our way home. I'm not going to lie, it was a tramatic experience all around. Even the nurse who helped me hold him down cried after we left. But all things considered he was back to himself after the shock wore off.

Wednesday hublet had a convention for work. So we were all getting ready at the same time. Which is very rare and kind of throws everyone off. When B woke up he said his stomach hurt. Damn! I called my sister and he was able to go there. Literally 5 minutes before we were to be walking out the door, he gave me the look and told me he was going to do it. Let her rip little man, there's no sense holding that stuff in! That day was pretty rough for him. And just when I thought he was over, it started again at bedtime! And to add insult to injury....hublet was now sick!

So today, Thursday, B and hublet stayed home. B apparently was okay and he thinks he should have went to school. But better safe then sorry when it comes to issues of the tummy.

I'm almost afraid to see what tomorrow will bring. It's my day off so that pretty much guarantees that I will indeed be sick. Can't wait!

Concussed!

Pardon me if this is brief, I'm shining my mother of the year trophy as I type this!

So 3 nights a week B, the oldest, goes to an after school program. It's sport and nutrition based. He's very athletic, so it's a perfect fir for him. Wednesday night I dropped him off, came home and continued my binge of how to make a murderer. About 20 minutes later my cell phone rings. It's in the kitchen, so I rush to get there all the time trying to think of who's calling me on my cell and not at home? My heart sunk as soon as I saw that it was the program coordinator. This is his third year attending, I've never received a phone call. I'm sure the panic showed in my voice when I answered. She immediately assured me that everything was okay, but.... (ya there's always a but that tells you everything's not fine) B had been hit in the head with a hockey stick fairly hard. He had a good sized goose egg but he wanted to stay. She told me that he was keeping ice on it for 20 minutes and then she would reassess the situation and get back to me. 20 minutes later she texted me that the swelling had gone down enough and he seemed fine that he would be okay to stay. Fine and well.

So Thursday morning I make a note in his school planner explaining the situation and jotted down my work number in case anything should come up. The phone didn't ring all morning, everything must be okay. So I went on my lunch visited with some coworkers about a few ikea purchases I had made and my plan for them when the phone rang. It was his teacher. After recess he started to feel unwell. I, being an awesome mom kind of played it off like he was wanting to come home. And in all honesty, the kid complains of an upset belly probably 5 times a week...or more! He sleeps with a bowl because he's not convinced that he isn't going to throw up. I explained all that to her. She agreed that he was fine to stay at school,  and said they would keep a closer eye on him. We said our goodbyes and I go back to my lunch.

Not even 10 minutes later she was calling back. When she got back down to the classroom she went to talk to him and he was now feeling dizzy. She thought he better get checked out just to be sure he was okay. I told her I would pack up at work and head out to get him. So I get to the school talk with the principal about the situation, she's with me not too concerned, but better to get it checked out then to let it go.

Let me start by saying that I don't have a Dr or a hospital in my town. Ya, it's that small! So I drove to my Dr's office thinking they could give him a quick once over and we would be on our way home for a nap. HA! The Dr's office was closed! So off to the closest emergency room 40 minutes away!

We waited in the waiting room for 2+ hours, then waited almost another 2 hours to see a Dr. When the Dr finally made his way in he was very friendly joked around with B, and really treated him like he was an adult. Which is huge for an 8 year old boy. The Dr was able to confirm that we were indeed looking at a concussion. Concussion treatment has come a long way since I was a kid in the 90s!

First off today we was on complete cognitive rest or brain rest. That means no tv, no devices (which we don't allow for kids in this house anyways) no reading, no music, nothing to stimulate brain activity. It's been a long day. He's no bored. I agreed that he could play some dominos for about 20 minutes this morning and again this afternoon. Just to keep him busy in some way. Tomorrow were allowed to slowly return to normal activities. This means he can play for 20 minutes and then rest his brain for 60. Or watch 20 minutes of tv, then rest for 60. If he starts to show symptoms, we go back to fully brain rest.

Also, because he's athletic and plays in organized sports, he has to go to a return to sport program in London (about 50 minutes away) at a sport medicine clinic.

Monday I will take him to school and have a meeting with the principal so we can make an individualized return to learn plan for him based on his current state of recovery.

It will be interesting to see what the coming weeks bring for B as well as the rest of us.