Please keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times...

So, hi!

I'd like to say our Thanksgiving break is well-planned and stuffed full of activities....
... but that's just not true. And, I'm okay with that! We're just staying in town. Enjoying time. Truly a blessing, that! Time, I mean. It's something that you just don't know you need to worry about, until it's gone. So, we are thankful to have this time.

In case you haven't heard, Caleb has had... "an incident." He's okay. We're okay. Just still trying to sort it all out and understand the plan.

On Monday (the 23rd), I got a call at 4:45 in the afternoon. I normally leave school at that time to get the boys. I thought that the call was actually my phone alarm reminding me to go. But, it wasn't. Anywho... I got a call from Caleb's daycare saying, "There was an incident on the playground and Caleb is hurt. She (the director) is already on her way to the ER. Meet Caleb (and the director) at Community ER. Immediately."

I was shocked to say the least. So, I ran. I grabbed my keys and my teacher cart and ran. Ran all the way through the school. Tried not to slip and injure myself on the way to the car. All the way I was trying to call my husband. He usually gets the boys for me on Mondays... and he did not have his cell phone with him. Again. I tried to get the other daycare on the phone - in case they could intercept my husband when he picked up Owen. But, they didn't answer. He is my rock. My husband, I mean. And I needed to lean on him to find my bearings. I did get a hold of my dad. He agreed to be on call when I knew more.

Five minutes later, I was at the ER. I met the director and Caleb at the door. He cried when he saw me but seemed okay other than that. That's when I got the full story. (I should say that I did know a little of what happened with the original call - but, it wasn't real until I saw my baby.) Brant showed up about 10 minutes later. He found out when he arrived at Caleb's daycare to pick him up. They told him to go to the ER. He thought, at first, they were joking. We're good friends with several people/employees/moms there... and they are all in nursing together. Then, he saw the look on their faces and took off.

Caleb was playing on the playground at school. Another child was rocking on one of those springy horse toys. Caleb tossed a bean bag-type toy between the horse and the spring. It landed on the steel plate. The other child was still on the horse at this time. I think. It's all still a bit confusing to me. Caleb reached in to grab his toy, with his left hand. The other child rocked back on the horse at the exact same time. And in a millisecond, his world (and ours) changed. He amputated his left ring finger (tip). The entire nail and half of the distal phalange bone were completely cut off. At the time, we thought that he had smashed his middle finger too. But, as time has passed, there is not a bruise and the x-ray shows that it is just fine. There was no reattaching the pieces that were found. He is now "an amputee."

The ER told us that we should do the bandage changing at home at least once a day. Um. No. I feel so blessed that my husband has a great relationship with the wound care center at Community. We have taken him twice to the wound care center for them to change the bandages and clean it up. It's horrible. There is NO WAY we could do that at home. We don't have the right medical equipment and the wailing that comes from our little trooper is unbearable for me.

We go to see an orthopedic specialist on Tuesday afternoon. We are hoping that we find out that the skin will just grow back over the injury and that will be that. But, as we spend more and more time at the wound care center we are feeling that he will have to have surgery. Not trying to be too graphic here, but I have to say this - so there is your warning...

There is exposed bone, and dead skin. It's gross. We don't know how much will continue to die/get damaged before our appointment. The extensor muscle for the finger is attached just above the first knuckle. If he ends up having surgery that removes the finger to that point, he'll still be able to extend it on his own. However, if not... then, he'll be okay. He'll adapt. He learn how to grip a bat, hold a drink, interlace his fingers with someone to hold hands, etc. But the unknown is so scary.

He is sooo our son, though. He's got a great perspective on the whole ordeal. He's still funny and silly. He's even said that he wants to give us a "high four and three-fourths" (as opposed to a high five). He does keep apologizing... but we remind him that it wasn't his fault. It wasn't the other child's fault. It was just an accident. It happens. He'll be fine. We still have him. We still have time with him. And THAT is (as Caleb says) "awesome!"

So, this can serve as a reminder to you... please keep your hands and feet inside the "ride" at all times. And, if you can't - then make sure you are having a blast, spending TIME with those you love! Thanks for your prayers, as we strive to understand what the future holds for him (and us).