Crack to the Head

Long time no blog my peeps...the Shorties have kept me ultra busy [but that just gives me more blog fodder]. Can you believe that it's already October? Where did August and September go? [Is it June yet?]

The laatest saga [could be trauma at some people's houses but at my house it was par for the course] happened on Monday. We were having a lovely day, at home, finally unpacking some little boxes [which were simply junk traps - we could have thrown them out without opening them since we threw them away after opening them] and hanging out. I had just cleaned the living room [yes, I do clean up...sometimes] and I was working on getting Emma's room in order [OMG....could she have anymore junk?] when I heard Gabe cry. He ran in there and told me that his sister pushed him and that he hit his head. Now his cry was not a I-just-impaled-my-head-on-the-kicking-tee-laying-in-the-living-room cry but more like an I-am-really-mad kind of cry. I asked if he was OK, he answered yes, and we both went about our business. Fastforward about 30 minutes....I was in the shower and Craig yelled, "Did you know Gabe has hit his head?", to which I answer, "YES!", to which he answers "Did you know he's bleeding?" [Well let's think about that for a moment...Yes, Craig, I did know he was bleeding but I decided to run a bubble bath, eat bon bons, and have a glass of wine...] "NO! I didn't know he was bleeding!!! Oh my gosh!! Is it bad? Does he need stitches? Is he ok?", to which Craig answers [with one answer to all of my questions] "I don't know." [You don't know if he's ok? Is he breathing? Is he alert? Is blood squirting from his head? I mean really...it isn't rocket science brother. You've scared me half to death the least you can do is give me a quick assessment of the injury while I'm getting the soap out of my eyes!] Next thing I know, Gabe was in the shower with me. Remember me telling you about Cooper's bloody nose and how I had to leave the room? I don't do blood...at all...for any reason. Now Craig was wanting me to wash the wound out and decide if he needed stiches - WHICH REQUIRED LOOKING AT THE BLOOD! Literally, with one eye, I made an executive decision: He needed stiches. [And I could have needed them too since I shaved my legs in about two seconds - sorry for you visual learners.]

We weighed our options:
A. We could go to the doctor's office but they were not sure they could do it without Gabe getting agitated.
B. We could go to the ER @ KMRMC.
C. We could go to the ER @ CRMC.
D. We could grab the duct tape and crazy glue. [It was a thought...]

Once we ruled out option A and C we were left to decide between B and D. [And thinking that I was going to have to pay the ER - AGAIN - made me want to decide on a B&E at a bank but then I thought better....]. I could not find the duct tape or the crazy glue so we were left with option B - the ER at the hospital in KM. [And I never imagined that at 2pm on a Monday afternoon that we would have to wait soooooo long to see a doctor] I am fairly certain the man in the set of chairs near us had tuberculosis or some other hideous and highly contagious funk. I'm also quite certain that Craig and I sat as far away as we could from everyone in there.

So almost 4 hours later Gabe ended up with two little staples nestled neatly under his curls. He has refused all week to allow us to look at the boo boo on his head. I am just hoping that the staples are not corroded or that the wound has not opened up at some point. All of this to say that this crack to the head [as he most eloquently told a woman at church] has not slowed him down at all. He has continued to climb, jump, run, play, and yes, drive me absolutely crazy :) Love that kid.

Things have been as crazy as ever at the Short house this week. Thankful for those four smiling faces [and yes, Craig too]...they so make it all worth it!

Life is good...Thanks be to God :)

Sheer Exhaustion

This past week has just been crazy [I believe the above pic sums it up] and the Shorties are just T-I-R-E-D. We are busy - too busy. So, today, we so took a three hour nap [Of course, now I"m up at 1:13am posting on my blog....maybe there is a reason we are so tired?] Awesome Saturday for the Walk for Hope in Shelby - Mindy's Maniacs walked in her honor. [More on that later.]

I am going to get on my soap box for just a minute so please humor me [or go surf the net] while I rant about negativity. I will be the FIRST to say that there are those situations where I am negative so I am certainly not without fault. HOWEVER, do you know people that just grate at your nerves because they are so negative? [Like you wonder if they complain about breathing and blinking since they tend to complain about EVERYTHING else?] This tends to happen a lot in the stands at football games. There is ALWAYS someone there who can coach better or play better than those on the field....and they ALWAYS seem to talk the loudest. [Or maybe, because my sweet thang is a coach I am hyper-sensitive to talk in the stands....hmmmm....something to ponder] I guess what gets in my crawl about the particular incident in question is that this person always seems to have a comment and I always seem to be around to hear it. [What comes up, comes out kind of thing] This one also happened in the stands at the game [I could tell you some stories about things I've heard in the stands...and things I've said to people in the stands. Don't talk about my kids and don't run your mouth about my husband, the coach, within earshot of my kids. Don't talk about the kids playing the game or any of the other coaches. Seriously, have a little tact because you never know who is sitting around you.] Back to said incident, [You know, if you read my blogs, that I'm into random tangents....it is what I do...it is the cross I bear] this person makes a comment about the game being "over", especially since KM will proably do something to turn the ball over anyway.

"So go home. Leave. If you can't support the team then go home."

Not a terribly bold or powerful statement for me but I wasn't about to get into an arguement. [And I realized that trying to trump a huge redneck with a response to their nonsensical rhetoric is about as useful as rooster crap on a pump handle.] If you are not there to support the team [That includes EVERYONE on the field working as hard as they can to put points on the board] then stay home. Don't bring your snide remarks, your bashing comments, and most of all, your OPINIONS about what you think should be done, with you to the game. Seriously, despite what you think, Mr. and/Mrs. I Have a Big Mouth fan, the coaches DO NOT call the fumble play or the missed block play or the get your punt blocked play. And besides, the players are KIDS...like between the ages of 14 and 18....they aren't perfect either! They get nervous...they forget...they make mistakes. So keep your negative, team bashing, ugly comments to yourself. If you have such a bad attitude about the team then do us all a favor and STAY HOME! [Because we all know that just telling them to be quiet won't work. Redneck, ignorant fan = loud, ignorant comments....it's a theory like e=mc2 - Look it up.]

Conversation overheard at our table tonight: Me: He was decapitated. Molly: Is he still alive? Craig [Putting his head in his shirt]: Yes. He just looks like I do now. [Don't ask why we were talking about decapitation - please.]

I promised to elaborate more on the Walk for Hope event today. Our group, Mindy's Maniacs, was well represented!! What an honor to be there and show support for the people battling cancer. I will admit that it was emotional for a lot of reasons. There are so many people in our community that are dealing with cancer...as patients, caregivers, Hospice workers, employers, children, parents, spouses, friends....and to see them come together was awesome. Each person had a purpose, a person, a cancer survivor that they were supporting. As I looked around at the love and compassion I openly wept. As I watched Jeanine, with her girls [Jenny, Mindy, and Sue] I realized how important family really is, especially when faced with life changing news like cancer. I have watched them rally together and support each other, in the good and the bad. [As Jenny says, one doesn't fart without the other smelling it....] I am honored to be able to witness the love and sacrifice. If you don't believe in committment or honor or selflessness then you should have been with me today while Ronnie held Mindy's hand or when Jenny stopped to make sure another person was OK during the walk or when Natalie went forward during the caregivers recognition or when the entire family embraced. God was alive and real today...and He knows our prayers for these people. What an amazing experience....

In closing, promise me you will take the time to pray for someone who is surviving cancer or who is nearing the end of the long fault battle. Pray for the children, like Natalie and Mallory, who must stand strong for their parents. Be specific and call these people by name and ask God to heal them - either here on Earth or with Him in Heaven.

I told you, I am a woman on a mission.