Snowboarding Accident and Broken Bones

Jarom has been snowboarding for about ten years now, so I guess I figured something would happen sooner or later.  Yesterday Jarom took a bad fall onto some icy asphalt.  He was going over a berm on his way to the parking lot on his last run and didn't see that there was a five foot drop below.  He was knocked out for several seconds and even though he was a little dazed afterward, he knew he was hurt pretty badly.  Thankfully he was with his friends Nick and Mike, both of whom work at hospitals and they were able to help him, especially since the ski trauma center didn't do a very good job with triage and assessment.

Bryson and I met them at the emergency room a few hours after the accident.  After several hours, x-rays, and CT scans, we found out that he broke his scapula (back of shoulder), his first rib, and had a partially collapsed lung, which thankfully resolved without a chest tube.  He spent 24 hours in the hospital so they could observe the  pneumothorax  and will be released later today.  Thankfully he wasn't hurt worse and he has pain medication to help him get through the worst of it.  Of course  his accident occurred the same week flu hit our house and I started experiencing pre-term labor, so not much fun, but we'll just focus on all of us getting better, bones healing, and getting baby boy number two to full term, and we'll do just fine.

Update as of December 19: Yesterday Jarom visited the trauma surgeon for a follow-up and we found out that he has at least two more broken ribs than originally thought and that he might have a fractured hip as well. We'll know more after the x-rays and scans come back. She also told us how lucky he was to be in as good of shape as he was. Apparently, the broken rib is fractured right where the rib articulates with his vertebrae, so he was lucky that he didn't break his back. I'm glad he always wears a helmet, that he was with friends who could help him, and that Heavenly Father was watching out for him so that he's alive and well. Jarom is still in a lot of pain, but he's getting more mobility in his shoulder, is able to work, and is helping me and Bryson around here while I'm on bedrest.

Kindergarten Citizen of the Month

We are so proud of our kindergarten citizen of the month!  Bryson was chosen because he is always prepared, accountable, and supportive.  He works hard, helps others and is always volunteering to answer questions or do a job for his teacher or other students.  When getting the award, his teacher also said she appreciates that he helps her understand things from a five year old perspective so that she can better relate to him and other students.  He was proud of himself, and we are too.

Nutcracker Ballet and Birthday Weekend

Last weekend was a fun one, especially as opposed to this weekend when Bryson's been throwing up and the warmest it's been outside is 6 degrees.  Bryson went to the Nutcracker ballet with Grandma Jane, great-grandma Pearl, great aunt Shiela and Uncle Rudi, and their granddaughters. He said "it was a little long" and he didn't know what was going on the entire time, but he really enjoyed the outing, and boy did he get spoiled. They took him out to dinner afterward and he came home with all sorts of goodies from Grandma Pearl and Aunt Sheila (Christmas toys, an advent calendar, and an ornament). For my birthday, we went bowling after Bryson helped make me a cake. Yesterday evening, before Bryson got sick, we went to the town center for the lighting of the town Christmas tree. It was absolutely freezing (about 4 degrees) and we only lasted a few minutes, even with hot chocolate. Bryson did, however, manage to write a letter to Santa, ride the electric train, and take a picture in front of the reindeer. Hopefully Bryson feels better soon and we can have another fun holiday weekend next week.

Thanksgiving and Christmas Preparations

This Thanksgiving we did a lot to get in the spirit of gratitude.  We made a gratitude turkey that we added feathers to throughout the month.  It finally donned on me that I should laminate it so we can use it again and again with dry-erase markers.  Next year, it will be easy to put up and not have to start from scratch.

Bryson and I also went to a Thanksgiving orchestra concert with Grandma Jane and Grandma Pearl while she was visiting.  The orchestra did The True Story of the Three Little Pigs with narration and it was a fun concert for children.  Bryson loved it.  We also decorated our home for Christmas this Thanksgiving weekend.  Jarom put up some lights and Bryson liked putting up the ornaments he's made or accumulated the last few years and hearing the story behind each one.   Jarom and I have always loved setting up for Christmas and it's fun to see Bryson getting into the holiday spirit too.   

We sent Thanksgiving with Jane, Randy, and Molly and enjoyed lots of good food.  Aunt Molly helped Bryson make cookie turkeys and had fun helping with meal preparations (like peeling potatoes and washing vegetables).  We actually ate Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday this year because both Jarom and Molly had to work on Thursday.   Boy was it nice to just be able to pop in leftovers all day on Thursday after Bryson, Jane, and I went to see Free Birds at the theater.

Our reusable gratitude turkey

Kindergarten Friendship Soup and Field Trip

The kindergarten classes celebrated Thanksgiving a week early by sharing "Friendship Soup." Each student brought a vegetable to add to the soup, and Bryson was extremely excited to bring the potatoes he peeled and I cut for him.  He's not a big soup and vegetable eater, but he did try a few bites.  Although he wasn't a huge fan of the soup, Bryson did enjoy the pumpkin pie. . . with lots of whipped cream.

The next day I accompanied Bryson's class to the Children's Museum for their first field trip.  I had a group of six kids that kept me very busy the entire time.  Bryson had a blast with his friends playing at the grocery store, building a house, and blowing bubbles.  His favorite areas were the veterinarian room and the "balls in motion" room.  He was upset that he didn't get to do everything in the time we had, but I promised him we'll go back sometime because it is such a fun place.  With that assurance and the pleasure of getting his first ride on a school bus,  Bryson was a field tripper.

Paws to Read

Anyone who knows me, Jarom, or Bryson know that one of our favorite places is the library.  Besides being able to check out awesome books, we love the programs that libraries offer.  This past weekend, I signed Bryson up for the "Paws to Read" program.  He was able to practice his reading by reading some "easy readers" to Blue the therapy dog and his trainer.  The trainer provided some guidance as Bryson read and Blue provided the entertainment as she asked to be petted, pointed to book pages with her paw, and licked Bryson's face.  Bryson loved reading to the dog and is really taking off with his reading, and will continue to practice this skill with and without reading to Blue.

Paws to Read from Melissa G on Vimeo.

More Than Halfway

More than halfway there! 21 weeks, and so far, so good. There have been no signs of early labor yet, which is such a difference from last time.   Doctors put me on Progesterone five weeks ago which seems to be helping to prevent my cervix from shortening and dilating too early, which is what happened with Bryson.  And no, I am not sticking my stomach out on purpose; I just have bad posture and a semi-crooked back and while I may seem "tiny" to so many of you, I feel huge and very pregnant.  I believe Jarom's exact words to me the other day were "Wow, you're looking rather bulbous."   Bulbous or not, I am happy to be pregnant and am so glad things are going well, and hope that that trend continues for about 19 more weeks!