Well Riley's football days are over.. at least for a little bit.
My little boy is BROKEN! And subsequently so is this mommy's heart!!
I swear that "Murphy's Law" applies to us military spouses because when the guys are gone, anything that can go wrong, does. I've been in the dead of winter in Utah without heat while the hubby's away, but this one takes the cake!
Last Thursday I took him and some of my friend's kids over to the park to play. A good time was being had by all and wouldn't you know it, I decided to stay the extra 15 minutes. Riley took advantage of the extra time and jumped right in... or off. He fell off about a 3 foot drop from a playground set and landed pretty square on his trunk. He cried, which I would expect. Any mother of a toddler I am sure has had many spills and bonks of their own. Of course I rushed over and swept him up but when I picked him up to comfort him, he didn't calm down (which normally happens within 30 seconds)! Even in the time it took to walk home (15 minutes), he was still whimpering and dinner was out of the question since he just wouldn't calm down. Luckily sleep didn't seem to be a problem. I took him in to the base pediatrics on Friday and got him X-rayed but a combination of maybe an unclear xray and other tests that seemed pretty conclusive against a broken bone sent me home without knowing what was wrong. All I knew is that it hurt him tremendously when I picked him up under his arms, and he didn't want to play or be far from me. Anyway, we dealt with this since Thursday but Sunday at church as I was telling the ladies in the nursery of his injury, we noticed that there was some swelling (that wasn't apparent before) around his collar bone. Later as I was shopping at the commissary, I saw a "step deformity" under the swelling and when I felt his collar bone- sure enough! There was a palpable bump! I suddenly overflowed with emotion, just knowing that my little guy had a broken bone and knowing that his pain and fussing was justified but there was nothing I could do. I felt helpless. After his much needed nap, I took him to Children's Hospital ER and got the official diagnosis along with the cool pictures. Ahhh. At least now I know what to expect and I have a time line in mind for his healing. Sometimes it just feels good to have an answer, even if it's not the answer you want.
So what now? Ya know, there are certain times when it just hits me how great God is and all I can do is marvel at His creation. The miracle of a child growing from two microscopic cells to a human being within 9 months is one of them. The instructions I got for Riley's healing was another of these moments. The instructions: NOTHING. That's it. Do nothing. Those tiny little bones that look miles apart to me (maybe it's my dramatic motherly eye) will find their way back together and within 6 months will look 100% normal! Wow! Our bodies were uniquely and awesomely made!!!
Just a quick update.. Riley's shoulder is healing amazingly fast and well. He really acts like nothing ever happened and has no visible restrictions in his activity. The follow up x ray revealed that everything is happening just as the ER doc said it would... There is a calcium "scab" forming around the two ends of the broken bone and eventually that "scab" will become stronger and absorb the bones into each other until they are once again straight and there will be no evidence of this fracture!!!
