It All Started with Donner...

This Valentine card to Isaac features the name he now likes to be called:  Isaac-Rudolph-Viking-Smallish Bear.

It is getting cumbersome, but it started out innocently enough.  He wanted to be called Rudolph, which made sense because he'd been calling his dad "Donner" for weeks.  (Just in case, some of you aren't aware, Donner is Rudolph's father in the classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer movie that they've shown on TV every year since I can remember.)

He began referring to Mat as Donner shortly after Christmas.  I could tell it was different than his run of the mill pretending game because he called him "Donner" at all times and when I'd call him "Dad" he would swiftly correct me.  Always.

I waited for Isaac to get bored of it, but instead he began calling himself "Rudolph" and me "Dancer."  Then, Josie was labeled "Prancer", Kimball "Comet" and Evan, much to his chagrin, was dubbed "Santa Claus."

He refers to us using these new names often, but he sticks to none as staunchly as "Donner."  I'm truly beginning to wonder if Mat will ever get to be called "Dad" by him again.

During this renaming period, I visited Isaac's classroom at school to talk to them about what Down syndrome is and what it is not.  Ever since Kimball was in first grade, I've visited the boys' classrooms at school and read the book We'll Paint the Octopus Red and answered questions about Isaac and Down syndrome.

This year, it got kind of rowdy because Isaac was insisting I call him Rudolph and when I told his classmates that he has been renaming everyone in the family, they all wanted reindeer names too.  Luckily, he is a connoisseur of reindeer books so we had more to chose from than just the Night Before Christmas variety.

Soon after this, we put his How to Train a Dragon comforter on his bed and he began playing with those toys and calling himself a Rudolph-Viking.  I was dubbed "Viking Princess" for reasons I'm unaware of, other than the fact that I do help layout the plans of where we will hide and where we will attack when the Monstrous Nightmare dragons come.  Oddly, Wilma, our miniature dachshund, is the only other family member involved in this batch of names.  She is, of course, a dragon.

The "Smallish Bear" part of his name he has taken from Disney's Brother Bear.  This older movie revived in our house when Mat and I went on a date a few weeks ago and left Kimball and Evan in charge.  (Can I just say that having a kid of legal babysitting age in the house is the coolest thing ever?  Although what "Donner" says is true--now that he can babysit, it seems that he's gone more than he is home.)

If you have persevered through this rambling blog I'd like to give you a reward:  Come to our house on any given Saturday morning and you will see Isaac tip-toeing around warning you not to wake up Donner.  You'll then know that Mat is trying to catch some sleep, and you can reply, "O.K., Isaac-Rudolph-Viking-Smallish Bear."

For your trouble, you will receive a wondrous gift:  a brilliant smile from a seven-year-old boy and a brand new friend.

My Brave Girl

Josie broke her leg on August 11, 2010 while jumping on the trampoline with her older brothers.

Dr. Chamberlain used a metal plate and five screws to hold the pieces of her tibia together.

She had 3 casts, a walking boot, and a soft splint before she could walk unaided.

The Pink Cast

The Purple Cast

The Robo-Cast

Quite the Collection

October 25, 2010

She didn't let it slow her down too much.  And she is now good friends with Ben the Cast Man.

At Orthopedic Center of the Rockies for cast removal

Waiting for the steri strips to fall off was an unexpected trauma.  Josie hated "the tape" and cried often during the two weeks it took to come off.

One of the hardest things for me was knowing that she had a 2nd surgery looming.  The doctor said she had to get the plate removed once she had gained her strength and range of motion back.

She worked hard.  She went to PT twice a week and progressed quickly.  Just before the surgery, her PT began worrying about the strength of the intrinsic muscles in her foot, but she assured me Josie was still in a good position to undergo the surgery.

Josie felt back to her regular self and was already begging to jump on the trampoline again.

Notice her scar.  It's lookin' pretty good.

Crazy kid!

I didn't want Josie to feel the anxiety I was feeling so I decided not to tell her about the upcoming surgery until the morning I had to take her in.  As the day grew closer, I began questioning my decision.

I was feeling stressed and guilty about keeping it from her so I began a few family discussions on all the surgeries we've had.   We talked about how they put the mask on your face to help you go to sleep and how you don't feel anything.  Still, a few days before the surgery, I tried to bring it up.  I stopped when she began crying a little.

When the day of the surgery dawned, I was more nervous about how Josie would take the news than for the actual surgery.  I was prepared though...I had presents.

Isaac thought we were having a birthday party.

I had the gift in my hand as I said, "Josie--Dr. Chamberlain is a good doctor isn't he?"  She agreed so I pressed on, "He did a great job fixing your leg and now he says it's time to take the metal plate out.  We need to do it today, so I got you a gift to help you be brave."  

Her eyes stayed fastened on the pink present in my hands.  It was working!  She pulled out the Care Bears and I explained each one, "Braveheart Lion will help you to be brave for the surgery and Good Luck Bear will remind you that all will be well."

That's when Poppa Gary arrived to help Mat give her a priesthood blessing.  The blessing truly did assure that all would be well.

Grandma Cindy came with him and brought more presents which served their purpose in distracting her the one time she hid her face in the couch and looked like she might lose her composure.

She got into the van without reluctance despite the fact that the morning air was freezing and it was still dark.  As I helped her buckle in, I reminded her that I still had a big blue present waiting.  I told her that if she felt scared, she need to picture that present in her mind and know that it was waiting for her.  

I am a firm believer in distraction when trying to control ones thoughts or emotions.  I learned while potty training Isaac that if you can just think of something else for a split second besides how scared, mad, or frustrated you are, you can usually get a hold of yourself. (I would just like to say that I got all the Care Bears that were contained in the pink and blue presents from my stash of old toys in the basement.  I keep them around for times like this.)

I couldn't believe how well she took everything that morning.  She was a perfect patient as they prepared her for surgery and sincerely seemed unafraid.

When I showed Josie this picture she said, "I'm a muffin!"

The surgery went well.  We arrived at 6:20am and were discharged from the surgery center at 9am.  Josie's recovery nurse was counting her tears because she was so impressed that they were falling without any wailing accompanying them.  She counted five tears and declared Josie the best child she'd ever taken care of.  I must admit I counted a few more tears, but chose to believe her kind words about how well Josie was handling her pain.

Josie felt much better after she got settled at home.  She asked for the blue present right away.

Dr. Chamberlain gave us the hardware that had helped Josie's leg heal.  The kids all thought that was "way cool."

The plate is much smaller than I imagined.

Dr. Chamberlain also bandaged the legs of both of the Care Bears that accompanied her into surgery.  This is the same doctor who I thought was rather stiff when he worked with Kimball's broken elbow.  I think it's safe to say that he has a soft spot for Josie.

I'm sure Josie and the Care Bears will feel better before long.

Dr. Chamberlain did one other incredibly awesome thing.  He helped me understand how to care for her in a way that I've never understood even though my kids have had lots of broken bones and surgeries.  He explained to me that what we are battling for the next week or two is the swelling.  If fluid gets into the holes in her leg and remains, it will slow the healing process.  So her leg needs to be kept up with ice on it and she needs regular Motrin regardless of pain.  I have always based everything on the how much pain the child is experiencing.  It makes a huge difference for me to understand this.

I feel so relieved knowing that this time as she makes progress, she is truly working toward full health.  I hope to use this recovery time to teach her to read some BOB books and to get her into the pool so all her big and little muscles can get strong.  Dr. Chamberlain has urged me to have her swimming everyday if possible.  I watched her progress with PT last time and allowed myself to ignore that one piece of advice.  Seeing some problems develop with her foot and ankle have strengthened my resolve to find the time.

I hope our whole family can help her through this recovery and we can keep our spirits up while focusing on the fact that we can now see the light at the end of what has been a very long tunnel.