Joie Unplugged and Unstapled

I forgot to mention Joie went from a toddler bed to a "big girl" bed (twin) last Friday...the day before she bumped her head. The transition was flawless.

Joie got her staple removed yesterday morning and handled it really well...didn't even flinch! Here is the staple after being removed:

Earlier this week, I tried to get Joie singing. Here is some video of my efforts:

She's actually a pretty good singer! I regret not recording longer, but thought she'd get mad if she found out I was recording. She's singing the song "Magic". If you are like me, this is the version I remember. This is the version from which she learned it. Regardless, each of the three singers has pretty hair.

Not To Be Outdone

Today, Joie fell off the couch at church, hitting the back of her head on either the floor or the chair next to it. We didn't think much of it until we saw blood. We couldn't see the wound very well as her blood soaked hair kept blocking our view. Heather thought it best to take her to Children's to make sure everything was fine. Here is the best shot we could see:

A picture of the band-aid they put on it to apply the numbing ointment:

Long story short, Jo needed a staple to fix it and was a trooper throughout the process (though she never spoke to anyone there). She is doing great and is already her old self. We have some tough kids! I just hope we're done getting them damaged!

Below are more pics and a video of the stapling. Two of the pictures are of Joie blowing in the cuff they used to take her blood pressure.

On the Mend - Part 2

Livvi went back to the hospital on Wednesday for a follow up to see how her arm was healing. The old cast was removed and Liv headed to x-ray.

The x-rays indicated it is healing nicely. While the view from the top doesn't look like it, this is apparently well within the range of acceptability (and hasn't moved since being set 3 weeks ago). The view they are most concerned with is the side view and that is perfect!

With the good news, Liv was able to get a new, waterproof cast! More good news is it doesn't go over the elbow. Even more good news is, after about a week, she can start many of her activities again. This means she can resume her Tae Kwon Do, though she obviously can't be sparring (or any other activity that involves her hitting that hand against anything). We are certainly encouraged by her progress thus far! She didn't waste any time and jumped in our small pool shortly after she got home!

In other news, Joie's eye is feeling much better!

Shy?

Most of you have a hard time believing Joie speaks. She is very shy in public, but in private, she can be a different little girl. We were reminiscing this evening about her singing about a year and a half ago as posted on our blog. I also came across a video I shot back in March:

Tonight she was trying to "(s)pin like a princess" in the restaurant where we had dinner (in public) and smacked her head on the table. Probably gonna leave a nice shiner.

She's doing pretty good now. And all is quiet...she's asleep!

On the Mend

Livvi went back to the hospital on June 23 to see how the bone was healing. After reviewing the new x-ray, it appears the bone has not moved and seems to be healing nicely. She then had the ace bandage taken off the splint and a cast was put over the splint, making it much heavier. Here are some pictures:

Getting the glitter added in that last picture!

She went back to the hospital on June 30 for yet another x-ray and, again, everything is looking really good. She'll need to keep this cast+splint for one more week. Next week, she has a good shot at getting a waterproof cast.

Sending Their Love

I was at the Cincinnati Commandos playoff game last night and didn't get home until a little after 11:00 p.m. I texted Heather I was on my way and Livvi hijacked the phone to text me she wanted to show me something when I got home. She actually fell asleep before I got home, but Heather told me what happened:

About 9:45 p.m. last night, there was a knock at the front door. Wondering who in the world would be visiting at that hour, Heather answered the door, expecting to see one of the neighborhood kids. Instead, it was a few folks from church, more specifically, from the Vacation Bible School Livvi was in prior to the accident. Livvi came down wearing my t-shirt as a night gown (big arm holes). They gave her a big card they made wishing her well, telling her they are praying for her, and sending their love. Livvi had a huge smile on her face and twinkling eyes. Heather could tell she felt very special, almost like a superstar. It nearly brought me to tears to know how much our church family and friends love our Livvi. If you are one of those folks and are reading this, THANK YOU! We love you, too! God is good indeed!

Livvi is doing much better and has an appointment to see the doctor again on Wednesday.

Broken

I got a call from Heather in tears around lunch time today. She was sad because her little girl was broken. Livvi was jumping over her Wavemaster in the basement, which she's done quite a number of times. Well, this time she fell, landing on her left arm, breaking it. Heather took her to Children's in Clifton and they took good care of Liv. When I arrived, she had already had X-rays taken. This is what I saw when I entered the room:

Heather said that looked better than when she was at home. By the time I saw it (above) some of the swelling had gone down. The X-ray showed a break all the way through the radius and a buckle fracture in the ulna:

She had an IV put in so they could administer pain medication (which didn't help much). They also had to put her out in order to set the arm back in place. They pulled in back in place and placed her arm in a splint.

Our girl was a trooper! She never really cried, even when they did the IV. We were warned that when she comes out of her sleep-mode she would be extra affectionate, have none-then-double-then-blurry-then-normal vision, and be a little forgetful short term. All came true! She kept telling Heather, Joie, and I that she loved us and wanted to hug and kiss us (we soaked it all up!).

We are home now, resting. She's in some pain, but doing pretty well. I'm sure disappointment will set in tomorrow when she realizes she can't:

• test for her next belt tomorrow night
• participate in her board-breaking camp next week
• participate in a Tae Kwon Do tournament in Indy next weekend
• participate in her weapons camp the next week
• participate in much of anything for the next 2-3 weeks
• swim for the next 3 weeks
• etc.

We take her back on Wednesday to get more X-rays to make sure it is staying in place. If OK, they'll put her in a cast, but won't be able to get it wet. It will be at least 3 weeks before she gets a waterproofed cast.

While our heart breaks for our angel, we are so thankful and blessed. She's a healthy girl with a minor set back. We saw a baby less than a month old getting X-rays for some reason, a little boy who was bald (we assume from cancer treatments), etc. God is good and took care of Liv today. It could have been so much worse.