...because the stomach flu and chicken pox weren't exciting enough.

This week has been exhausting.  We have spent more time in waiting rooms than we've spent in the last year!  And let me tell you...Jason is so over it.  I can almost see it in his eyes: "Look, lady - I was well behaved on Tuesday, I was charming on Wednesday, but this is Thursday.  And I am officially done with doctor's offices."

Let me back up.  On Friday, I got a knock on the door at 4pm.  A sweet neighbor came by to tell me that our grocery store had purchased too many packages of chicken breasts and they were on sale for $.39 a pound.  So I told everyone to put on flip flops and jump in the van, but Kaylin asked if she could wear her new clogs.  I should have said, "no."

On the way out of the store, as we crossed the parking lot, Kaylin tripped and fell flat on her face. Well, not her face...she braced the fall with her hand, but you get the picture.  My little drama queen began screaming like a banshee.  I scooped her up and rushed her home, all while she continued to wail in pain.

I thought enough to glance at the clock; it was 4:45 and the pediatrician had just closed.  So I took matters into my own hands: I iced her wrist, gave her Tylenol and tried to make her comfortable.  I assumed she was bruised and would heal over the weekend without a trip to the ER.

Saturday and Sunday, she was still complaining and barely using her arm.  She ate with her left hand and moaned when she had to go to the bathroom or get dressed.

By Monday, I realized that I should finally call the doctor.

They got us in for an appointment on Tuesday and recommended that she get x-rays...stat.  It was very official and very urgent.  The order even said, "Stat" on it in huge letters...I felt very important. Thankfully, the walk-in radiologist was empty when we arrived, so my rowdy bunch didn't disrupt the masses. 

We waited all day to find out that the films were hard to read and that she needed more pictures taken.    "Can you go back for more x-rays?  It will be free of charge."  (*sigh*) "Sure," I thought, "But the office is 30 minutes away and I have a two-hour hair appointment tomorrow where all of my kids were taken care of, not to mention I have to drop Ryan off and pick him up from Vacation Bible School."   The hair girl, babysitter, radiologist and VBS were in a zillion different directions from each other.  This was all becoming very inconvenient...

I decided to be selfish and take the big kids to VBS in the morning and bring Jason to the babysitter while I went to get my hair done.  Seriously, though...you know how hard it is to reschedule hair appointments and have all of your kids cared for in the middle of summer, right?  Besides, it was only a few hours.  Hey, don't judge me...I have put everyone else first for weeks since the arrival of our first chicken pock!

(Wow, defensive much...?)

Anyway, after I was all prettied up, I picked the kids up from VBS early, grabbed Jason from the sitter and hauled us all down to the radiologist.  Again.  The waiting room was PACKED, but they took us right back for more pictures of Kaylin's arm. After Jason went around to all of the elderly patients, saying, "Hi!" and asking for high fives, of course.  He was being a crack up and was the hit of the office.  The process still took 45 minutes and Jason didn't go down for his 12:00 nap until almost 2pm.  But he was a trooper.

Then late yesterday afternoon, we got the news that yes, Kaylin does have a fracture in the radial head.  (read: elbow area)  I called  to make an appointment at Phoenix Children's Hospital to go see an Orthopedist about whether she'd need a cast.  The monotone man on the other end of the phone tried telling me that the first available appointment was Tuesday.  Six days away???  After explaining Kaylin's pain and that the accident happened on Friday and begging to be put on a cancellation list, somehow Eeyore found an 8:30am appointment for today.  Yes, much better.  Thank you.

(this story is getting much to long...I'm even boring myself...)

After meeting with the Orthopedist this morning, she obviously wanted to take more x-rays to properly determine how to help the fracture heal.  Since all of this expense is going toward the $10,000 deductible on our catastrophe-plan insurance, I begged her not to.  (there seems to be a lot of begging going on at this point in the story)  "The Radiologist didn't give you the x-rays?"  Um no, he did not.  The alternative to taking new x-rays was to drive back down to the Radiologist...AGAIN...to ask them for the films.  Back into the car everyone went, back to the radiology office we went, then back to Phoenix Children's...again.  I felt like I was on a wild goose chase.

Through all of this today, Jason was being horrible.  HORR. I. BLE.  Screaming fits, arched back, spitting, throwing, pulling my hair, running down the hall...he was such a joy. I was proud. People looked at me like I was the laziest mother ever.  When just yesterday, he was the star of the show.  Whatever.

Finally, FINALLY, we got the big news: Kaylin's fracture could heal with a sling and didn't need to be casted.  WOO HOO!  Kaylin was crushed, because she had talked herself into a cool pink, sparkly cast that everyone would sign and SHE would be the star, just as she likes it.  But we all know she's going to be happier in the pool for the next six weeks than she would be with a bulky cast on her arm.

After dropping her off at VBS, late, I fully intended to go to the gym...something that hasn't happened all week.  But with cranky pants as my sidekick, I decided we needed to go home so he could take a nap.

So here I sit, fully dressed in my workout gear, eating a delicious pan of piece of Cinnamon Blueberry Coffee Cake.  Because who really needs exercise, right?  What I need, after a week like this, is to stress eat. 

Barring any other major illnesses, injuries or emergencies, I plan to go to the gym tomorrow.  Maybe.