A Broken Boy

I knew it was coming, and to be honest, I'm surprised it didn't come sooner. So after 4.5 years of keeping the twins in one piece (which is quite a feat when I think back to the park playdates when they were 2 years old), we have our first broken bone. And to my surprise, it was NOT my daring, adventurous, stubborn girl, nope, it was passive, sensitive CJ.

Everything yesterday morning hinted at me that I should cancel our trip to CALM (a local zoo). The house was a mess,  I had friends in Fresno I needed to go visit, it was hot, and it was still raining ash from the fires that started during our freak lightning storm. But I had told the kids we were going and one thing I always TRY to do, is keep my word.

We survived the majority of the zoo and I was enjoying catching up with the small group of friends that went. KC, JG and I were watching the Bald Eagles and CJ went ahead to the playground with some of the other kids and moms. Now CJ loves play equipment, but he is also usually cautious. He never goes on the monkey bars unless RJ or I are close by. Oops, did I say "never"? Well, scratch that. He decided he could go on the monkey bars all by himself (keep in mind, I wasn't even within sight of him) and Murphy's Law won- he fell. When I finally arrive, he is in tears and keeps asking me "Where were you? Why didn't you catch me? You are suppose to catch me." (Insert broken heart here).

We are not ones to rush our kids to the doctor, so rather than take my crazy trio to Urgent Care, I wait until RJ gets home and CJ and I head over. The nurse does the preliminary check and CJ won't answer any of his questions. Before the doctor comes in, I tell CJ he needs to answer the doctor's questions. With a tear-stained face, and in a serious voice, he answers "I can't. My foot won't let me." This kid, does he break an ankle or an arm (you know, "typical" fall-off-the-monkey-bars-breaks), nope. He breaks the bone on the top of his foot. Needless to say, he is getting spoiled now. He is just in a splint and cannot put weight on it, so I am getting my workout carrying him around (thank you Fit Body Bootcamp and those heavy kettlebells!). He is looking forward to getting an Angel's Red cast (yup, everything in our house revolves around baseball).

KC is doing her best to keep her twin happy and comfortable. When he finally goes down for a nap, KC says to me, "It is hard having a broken boy." I think about my brother who broke his neck when he was 16 and I am thankful that all we have to deal with is a broken foot (and perhaps some broken trust in mom right now).

As I write this, KC insists that I remember this wasn't our first trip to Urgent Care. In June of 2010, the twins were wrestling (after getting out of the bath, needless to say, they weren't clothed). While naked wrestling, KC falls off the bed and dislocates her shoulder and sprains her wrist. Have you ever tried to put clothes on a kid with a dislocated shoulder? It doesn't happen. So RJ takes KC to Urgent Care half dressed, while she tells everyone she was naked wrestling with her twin. *sigh*

I'm sure we will be visiting Urgent Care more times in the future. But let's hope it is not for a long, long time.

You are so Predictable

Thanks to Megamind, that has become CJ's favorite quote. He seems to never use it in the right context (except when he says my chick flicks are "so predictable", but I think he heard that one from RJ).

"It's a Boy" -the first words I heard when my second child was born. The smaller of the twins, he was 4 lbs 4 oz, and 17" long. While in NICU he dropped to 3 lbs 10 oz and battled ROP along with the typical preemie As and Bs. Boys are meant to give their moms heart attacks, right? Well, the first time I held him he stopped breathing and the nurses had to resuscitate him. It took awhile for me to be able to hold him again, but once I did, I couldn't let go. He is definitely a mama's boy and my little cuddler.

His blonde hair and big blue eyes have made him a charmer from the beginning. A nurse once commented that he reminded her of a puppet, he was all eyes. He is sensitive and always looking out for his family. From the beginning he has made it a priority to keep big sis happy. He will pretty much do anything she says and he always gives in to her. While I was on bedrest with JG, he would bring me the trash can and wipes when I was sick, brush my hair and rub my shoulders. When I cry, he cuddles up next to me. He would constantly talk to the baby in my belly and was overjoyed when JG was born. Any time she cries, he is the first one to run to her and sing or bring her a toy. He always wants to hold her and feed her.

CJ is also the future class clown. He LOVES to make people laugh (especially his sisters) and will do just about anything to make them smile. He loves baseball and is a south paw in tee-ball. He enjoys football, but also likes to hold the football for KC to kick it. He is good at darts, fooseball and video games.

I have to admire CJ's honesty. When I was pregnant and would not be "fully" dressed during the HOT summers, CJ kindly told me "Nobody wants to see that!" When I try to lay down in his bed at night, he tells me "Get out of my bed, you are going to break it!"

Some other favorite quotes-
* One day he lets out a big sigh. When I asked him what was wrong, he replied "All the girls want to marry me."
* Another time he sighs "Oh Pam" (one of my friends). He continues "She made this a walking toy and now JG is ALL OVER the place" (referring to a ride-on toy that converts to a walker).
* After having to help keep JG off the treadmill while I'm running on it- "Having a baby is hard work"

I absolutely love my little man and am so thankful that he has a servant's heart (poor boy needs it with 2 sisters!).