4 times in 9 months!!!!!!

Chase will be 11 next week. In 11 years I have visited the ER only 1 time with my 3 oldest children. When Chase was 3 he fell off his bed during the night and kept complaining in the morning. We thought his collarbone was broken. I honestly can't remember if it was or not because they don't cast collarbones.

As of last night, Piper has now been to the ER four times in 9 months. Our latest trip? A broken leg! Yes - that's right a spiral fracture of the left tibia.

So here's the run down: Sept 2007 - McCall Idaho - upper airway obstruction (croup like)

December 2007 - Lancaster General - deep 2nd degree burns on hands

February 2008 - Heart of Lancaster - upper airway obstruction - this time she was admitted and spent 2 days in the hospital and came home on a nebulizer

June 2008 - Heart of Lancaster - broken leg

Not to mention that she spent her first 6 days of life in the nursery at the "Heart", where she was born, under bili - lights. She has spent more time in a hospital in 19 months than I have my entire life!

Yesterday started out as a great day. The kids and I picked 13 pounds of strawberries. We are making jam with my mom tomorrow. We came home and packed a lunch and headed out to the park. On Mondays we meet friends from Ainsley's preschool to play at the park. It's worked out well since many of her friends have older brothers so the boys don't mind going either. Piper fell asleep in the car on the way there so she actually slept the whole first hour. When she got up she followed the kids around and played on the playground equipment. It's pretty safe equipment for all ages.

We were packing up and I said to the boys - I'm going to load up the car, you guys go get the baby. MacGregor and Piper had been in a little tunnel. Piper came out of the tunnel onto a platform. She sat down on the platform and went down the slide where MacGregor was waiting for her. The slide was tiny, maybe four feet. It was made of hard plastic. I saw all of this going on out of the corner of my eye while I was packing up. Then I turn and see MacGregor carrying a crying Piper to me. He said, "Mommy, I think she broke her leg, her foot got caught when she was coming down the slide and I heard a crack." Well - he's 8. I didn't really think her leg had broken. I held her and tried to put her on the ground but her legs just turned to jelly. She wouldn't put any weight on it.

She continued to cry, not a screaming bloody murder cry, just a sustained cry while she leaned her head on my shoulder. That's not really like her. She usually gets over things and wants down. I knew she wasn't tired because she had only gotten up 45 minutes before.

I got in the car and called Daniel who told me to go to his office nearby and have Dr. Heise look at it to see if we should take her to the ER. Daniel was at a different office (across town) that day. Dr. Heise told me he didn't see anything obvious so I should take her home and see if she calms down. If she was still protective of it in the morning then call the Dr. So we took her home. She did calm down and seemed fine while sitting on the couch or in her high chair. But when she got bored she'd try to get down and then start crying and want to be held. She's very frustrated that she can't get around. We thought it was her foot but later I had her in the bathtub and was squeezing her foot and she seemed fine with it. I told Daniel I thought it might be in her leg because it only bothers her when she puts weight on it. So he started squeezing her shin and that did NOT go over well.

We decided to call the pediatrian and see if we should take her to the ER last night for an X-ray or wait until the morning. He said, we should go ahead and get the X-ray. So Daniel took her in. After looking at the X-ray Daniel said, "that looks broken", pointing to the crack on the X-ray and I don't know if it was the X-ray tech or the ER doc said, "No, that may be just a nutrient canal. Let's get the Radiologist to read it." So Daniel waited another hour with the baby to find out that indeed it was a spiral fracture, which is cause when the bone twists. As she came down the slide her rubber shoe got stuck but momentum carried her body forward causing her leg to get twisted behind her. The bones are not displaced at all. Nothing is swollen. The bone looks perfectly straight on the X-ray - it just has this little black line running vertically (but diagonal) through it.

Last night they just put a splint on it and wrapped it in an ace bandage. Today I have to take her to an orthopedist. I'm really not looking forward to a baby in a cast, especially on vacation! M told me that they make water-proof casts. I'm definitely going to inquire about that. Wish us luck.

And poor MacGregor who feels so bad, like it was his fault because he was standing there. I told him that many times while I've been there her legs have gotten stuck. Rubber shoes and slides don't mix.

Here she is - trying to walk but not wanting to put any pressure on the foot.

I'll give an update and a new picture after our visit today.