Our Week - The One with Summertime, Week 2 (Girls Dinner and Olivia’s Hard Cast)

Happy Wednesday!  Today I’m recapping last week leading up to our beach trip!

Monday, May 31

Monday was Memorial Day, so B had the day off of work.  Since we had a little babe with a broken arm, the name of the game was to have a quiet day at home.  We did breakfast and cartoons, and then Olivia painted her mermaid craft that she’d received in the mail… one of our rush Amazon orders to try and brighten her day a bit.

After that, we all worked on the 1,000 piece puzzle we’d gotten (another Amazon purchase that was made after Olivia’s injury), and then we had lunch.  After lunch, we did more puzzle, and then Olivia was begging for a bath.  She still hadn’t had one since her hospital stay (other than a couple of sponge baths), and she was more than ready.  We got her arm in a bag and she hung it out of the tub while I bathed her, and it worked like a charm.

While we did that, the boys played baseball in the back yard, and then Olivia and I joined them for some fresh air.  After that was some video game time for the kids and work for me, and then for dinner we grabbed takeout from our favorite local Greek place. 

After dinner, we watched a couple of episodes of Walk the Prank on Disney+ and then B and I watched Little Fires Everywhere.

Tuesday, June 1

Tuesday morning, I went out for a run first thing, and then we had breakfast followed by a couple of cartoons for the kids.  Olivia had her semi-annual ENT check-up for her thyroid after that, so she and I headed out while Jacob stayed home.  Again, very thankful that B is still working from home right now!  It’s been very convenient on numerous occasions. 

I was super nervous about getting Olivia out of the house on my own (mostly because getting in and out of the car is a bit of a challenge for her right now), but everything went smoothly.  The ENT visit is usually very long, but they got us in and out in about 40 minutes, which has to be a record.  Olivia’s doctor measured the nodule on her thyroid via ultrasound as he does every time, and he found that it grew the tiniest bit larger in one direction, but shrunk the tiniest bit in another direction, which means it hasn’t grown in size.  Obviously, that’s a great thing, and the doc was pleased that Olivia’s growth has been steady, but the nodule has stayed the same… that means it’s stable and she can continue to avoid surgery.  Next visit will be in December!

After the ENT, I needed to swing by the kids’ school to drop off some paperwork and old uniform jumpers, and Olivia said that she was feeling up to it, so we did.  My mom had just texted me to let me know that Olivia’s little gift had finally arrived from them – they’d bought something to give her after her injury, but the shipping was delayed – so I told her we could swing by her office and grab it since we were on campus.

Since everyone in momma’s office is now vaccinated, we were able to go in for the first time in over a year, and we didn’t even have to wear masks!  So wild!  It’s the little things after this crazy last year, right?! 

My parents gave Olivia the sweetest little stuffed dog that also has a broken left arm, and Olivia loved it.  ;o)  She decided to name her “Pancake” after her favorite food and Pancake has gone everywhere with her ever since then.   

While we were at my mom’s office, we were able to see a couple of her coworkers as well as two of our friars, and Olivia was the center of attention because of her elbow, of course.  She told all of them all about it… and she is loving all of the extra attention.  ;o)

After we left my momma’s office, we headed home and had lunch with the boys.  After lunch, the kids played video games for a bit, and then the boys left to get their hair cut.  Olivia and I worked on our 1,000 piece princess puzzle the whole time they were gone, and we got a lot done.  It’s been quite a challenge keeping her from running around a bunch, but I’m sure it would be tough to keep any kid still for days on end.  Haha.

We had breakfast for dinner – eggs, grits, homemade waffles, and sausage – and then we went for a family walk around the neighborhood.  We didn’t walk nearly as far as we usually do, and I made B hold Olivia’s hand the whole time, but at least we were able to get out and get some fresh air and movement!  I do not love all of the inactivity that goes along with having an injured kid. 

After our walk, we worked on the puzzle a little longer, and then we closed out the evening with a couple of episodes of Breaking Bobby Bones and the first episode of Lego Masters season 2!  The kids are STOKED that it’s back!!   

Wednesday, June 2

Wednesday morning, I got in a cardio workout and got ready for the day, and the kids built Legos aaaallll morning long.  Most of the time, they like to build by following the instructions, but Lego Masters had inspired them to come up with some of their own creations. 

I left late in the morning to go get my hair highlighted and trimmed, and since B was working and couldn’t give the kids his full attention, I parked them in front of the TV before I left.  I didn’t want to risk Olivia getting hurt while I was gone. 

We had a late lunch when I got home, and then the rest of the day was puzzle, playtime, video games, and more work for me. 

Wednesday evening, I met my girlfriends for dinner for our first girls night out since before March 2020!!!!  Two of them weren’t able to make it, but four of us were there, and it was nice to catch up with everyone face-to-face.  We went to a local restaurant downtown that I hadn’t been to as it had opened not too long before the pandemic started.  The margs were yummy and the food was delicious (the street corn dip was AMAZE), and it was just a great evening catching up with them.  That particular restaurant doesn’t have much outdoor seating, so we had to sit inside, but they had everyone spaced out pretty well and all of the employees wore masks, so I felt totally comfortable.  Still weird being out and about and just being normal again.

When I got home, I was ready to crash on the couch with B and the kids, but Olivia was begging to take another bath, so I helped her do that, skipping the hair washing portion to save some time.  Afterward, we watched a few acts on the new season of America’s Got Talent, and then we got the kiddos in the bed before watching one episode of Little Fires Everywhere.  Olivia was still sleeping in our room at that point, but it wasn’t as important to keep her arm propped up anymore, so she ended up being able to get into a more comfortable position for the first time in over a week.

Thursday, June 3

Thursday was a lazy day.  (I mean, every day is a lazy day when your kid has a broken arm.  Haha.)  The kids played with Legos most of the morning yet again while I did a yoga workout and got ready, then they watched a couple of shows while I caught up on blog reading.  We worked on the puzzle together for the rest of the morning, and then we had lunch.

After lunch, we finally got outside for a walk.  It was shorter than usual yet again, but at least the kids were able to get fresh air and sunshine.  After that, the kids played some more and then tidied up the house (Olivia was even able to help out a bit!), and then I retreated to my office to work for a couple of hours while they played video games.  So much screen time right now, y’all.  Ugh.  Olivia’s finger swelling was basically gone by then, and she was able to start using her fingers on her broken arm a tiny bit, so she figured out how to use the game controller on Thursday so she could play a little bit, too!  She was super excited about that!

We had an early dinner Thursday evening, and then B headed off to his tennis match.  While he was gone, the kids and I hung out on the back porch, and I started reading Little House in the Big Woods out loud to them.  The whole Little House series was my favorite when I was little, so I thought it would be so fun to re-read them all with the kids.  Y’all, my kids are so bored with this book.  How?!  I’m going to make them finish it with me, though... I’m determined to keep going until they find that they enjoy it.  Haha.

After we read a couple of chapters, we headed back inside and worked on the puzzle and listened to music for the rest of the time that B was gone.  We made loads of progress on it and it was about three quarters done after that.

When B got home, we finished catching up on America’s Got Talent, and then the kiddos went to bed while B and I stayed up just long enough to watch A Million Little Things that we’d recorded from the night before.

Friday, June 4

Friday was the big day for Olivia… she was finally able to get her hard cast!!  We had to get up bright and early because her appointment was at 7 AM.  I basically told Brian that he was going to have to take her to the appointment because we weren’t sure what to expect with regard to the pin-pulling and arm cleaning, and after seeing what I saw when she broke it, I have been especially squeamish.  I couldn’t risk fainting or getting sick if I was the only parent there.  Lol.

I got up and got her dressed and they were out the door by 6:40 AM and Olivia wasn’t nervous in the least… she. was. thrilled.  And I was, too, because her splint was starting to fray and come undone by that point and there was NO WAY I was going to change that thing even though they’d sent us home with all of the supplies.  NOPE.  Sorry.  Haha. 

While they were gone, I worked out, did the dishes, tried to tidy the house (it’s just been a mess lately, y’all), made the bed, watered the plants, and did everything I could to keep myself busy to keep my mind off of things.  I HATE not being with the kids when something big is happening in their lives, but it was the right call for me not to go, because I fear my anxiety would have gotten the best of me.

B kept me in the loop via text as much as he could, and the appointment was over in about an hour!  They called me from the car, and Brian said that Olivia had done absolutely amazing.  It turns out, we had misunderstood about the pins… they don’t come out until after the HARD cast comes off, not the splint.  Originally, we’d thought that they were removing them before they put the hard cast on, and I was dreading it… I was so worried about the bones coming apart again.  It makes way more sense to pull them out after the bones have healed.  Lol. 

B said they unwrapped her entire arm and cleaned it well at the appointment, and he said the whole thing looked totally normal other than the pins sticking out of her elbow.  I thought for sure it’d be horribly bruised and maybe even still a bit swollen, but he said it wasn’t at all.  They let Olivia choose the color for her cast, and she chose pink, of course.  Brian said that she was a total champ the entire time – no worries, no tears, nothing.  She is so much braver than her momma.  For that, I’m so grateful.

At checkout, the lady at the front desk told Olivia that it was National Donut Day and that she should get her Daddy to take her to pick up donuts on the way home, and so they did.  And just for the record, Brian doesn’t need a national day to convince him to get donuts… he’d eat them every day if he could.  Hahahaha. 

They arrived back at home around 8:15, TWO DOZEN donuts in hand (forehead slap), and we all had breakfast together and admired Olivia’s cast.  Olivia has been the most excited to have people sign it and she’s been talking about that nonstop.  One of her friends from school had a broken arm this past school year and she thought it was the coolest that everyone got to sign it.  So after breakfast, Jacob signed it (and wrote, “speedy recovery” – you may remember both kids thought it was hilarious that so many people had commented on Facebook and said that) and then I signed it, and B signed it, too.  She was so proud.  We did snap a picture of it before it was signed, though.

The rest of the morning was spent doing some blog reading and then FINALLY getting started packing for our trip.  When I finally started packing, we were a mere 24 hours away from leaving and I hadn’t packed a single thing… not to mention, the house was still a mess and I hadn’t done much to keep the blog afloat while we were gone.  I typically start doing all of those things at least a few days in advance, so it was just not like me at all to be so behind.  But what can you do after a crazy couple of weeks?

On another kind-of related note, packing for Olivia was insane because she can't wear anything but spaghetti straps right now because that's all that will fit over her big ol' elbow!  Since she still has the pins in, they had to wrap her elbow a ton, plus add the cast, so it is positively GINORMOUS.  Just look at it... it's half the size of her torso.  Lol. 

Friday afternoon I squeaked out most of what I needed to keep the blog going while we are gone, and then I got a lot more packing done.  Friday evening, we picked up takeout for dinner and poured some adult beverages, and then I collapsed on the couch feeling somewhat accomplished. 

We had a family movie night, and then B and I caught up on Handmaid’s Tale and watched some more of Little Fires Everywhere – LOVING both – and then we hit the hay, too. 

Normally, I recap Saturday and Sunday in my posts, but since we were at the beach, I’ll save those for the beach recaps.  If you’re not following along with our adventures, you can do so here.

As for Olivia’s elbow, the doctor said that because the pins are still in it, her arm is an “open wound” which means absolutely NO water play whatsoever (not even with the cast cover that we just wasted $45 on – haha) as any wetness could lead to infection.  Since we were scheduled to leave for the beach the next day (of course we were) we just knew we’d have to find other things to do there.  On the bright side, her cast gets to come off in THREE weeks instead of four, so she’ll still be able to enjoy half of her summer in the water!!!!  Too bad it’s not the half that includes the beach trip.  Haha.

Happy Wednesday, y’all!