Strolling Along

We are grateful to have the special car seat to be able to get Camden around in a car. But we were unsure what we'd do once we got someplace.


The cast makes her significantly heavier...and it's just ackward. She can't sit in a cart and we really didn't want to haul around pillows and blankets to put in the base of a cart in order to have her lay down. She's got her new wagon, but neither the rental vehicle nor our Buick have enough truck space to take that along.


Surprisingly, the umbrella stroller, with a blanket behind her back, actually works...and she appears to enjoy it and be comfortable. Off to the mall we went!

Adapting

Camden has figured out she can still play with her favorite toys.

She can read books.

She can play with her farm.

Or her school.

Or both at the same time.

But, best of all, she can still take things out of her school, toss it over her shoulder, and put them back in.

Ahhh...I Miss This

The first day we got home from the hospital, I put Camden down on the floor in the living room and began picking stuff up around the house. As I worked my way down the hallway, I realized I didn't have to keep all the doors closed to prevent Camden from walking in and getting into something.


Then I went into the kitchen to get something and pulled open one of the cabinet doors and caught the child-proof lock. But instead of letting out an annoyed sigh, I was saddened, realizing that this, too, was not needed right now.


I didn't have to keep the shade cord up. I didn't have to make sure the toilet seat was closed. Outlets were no longer a concern. On and on the list went. Even being able to leave the room Camden was playing in for 10 minutes and not constantly be worried she was doing something or destroying something was a new feeling.


I know it's only 4 weeks and we'll be back to full speed in no time, but I was so sad to think of this active gal not being able to be a "normal" little toddler. I miss this stuff.

Helping Mommy with Laundry

Camden doing remarkably well with the cast. She is not intimidated by anything. I shouldn't be surprised, she was exactly like this before the accident.

She loves to play in the laundry I am folding. This can be quite frustrating when she is not content with the unfolded clothes and starts in on the pile of folded items. Fortunately the cast has slowed the grabby girl down a bit. However, she still likes to roll around in the pile.

Because she can straddle our legs, we sit her on our laps when we are watching TV or working/playing on the computer. It's how we eat now too. She loves this time with her Daddy.

No Words Needed

Except thank you God for protecting this darling!

Time at Riley

Kevin and I were able to catch brief, interrupted sleep the first night. We were both in hospital chairs and they had to come in frequently to monitor the kids and administer medicine to Camden. Kevin, of course, was so sore, it was hard for him to walk, let alone sit or sleep.

Austin was able to rest and play videos all morning while we waited for Camden to be tended to. Gramma Pat and Grampa Jim came up and spent the day with us. They were going to put a hip spica cast on Camden's leg to immobilize her completely. This cast goes all the way up the right leg, across her middle, and down to her left knee. Because it took some manuevering, they would have to do the procedure in surgery under anesthesia.

It would only take the doctor about 15 minutes to put on the cast, but the whole procedure from prep to recovery took several hours. She also had to be put on a narcotic while they did the casting because they really had to maneuver her around. To think of all the powerful drugs that pumped through her system is a bit unnerving, but I know it was the best thing for her and the pain/process.

Once we were back to her room, Austin was released. We were unsure if Camden was going to have to stay another night or not, but decided we'd go ahead and make arrangements for him to get back to Papaw's house in Waveland. In the end it was a good decision, because she did, indeed, stay another night.

Good friends from church, Stephanie and John Watson, were in Indy, so came up for a brief visit. Camden immediately starting waving and smiling and "flirting" with them. Another good sign that she was getting back to herself and there were no complications from the skull fracture.

In the late afternoon, Camden went to the cast clinic (via the famous Riley red wagons). There we got to pick out the color for her cast. We couldn't decide between pink or green, but Daddy picked pink...although the sample they showed was much paler than the neon pink it turned out to be. Oh well...there is no doubt she's a girl now! The cast nurse also said she could add a green bow, and what girl doesn't like to accessorize!

Another patient was placed in the second bed, so Kevin had a rough time getting a night of sleep. At one point he found some roll away in a waiting room in another floor of the hospital for part of the night.

We were fitted for a special car seat first thing on Saturday morning and released by 11am. We are thankful to be home and spend some time recooperating. Kevin is off work for the week and Camden will be in her cast for at least 4 weeks. I'm staying home for the next few days as well in order to care for them both. Not quite sure all the plans for the next 4 weeks, but we'll deal with it as best we can.

Given the possibilities....we will take a broken leg anyday. We took some camera phone pictures in the hospital, but haven't been able to upload them yet. For now, here are some from home. It gives a good idea of the cast.

A Mom's Worst Nightmare

The call came at 4:40pm on Thursday. It was Kevin. He and the kids had just been at the doctor's for Austin's sports physical, so I figured it was an update and to chat about when I would be home from work.

"Everyone is fine...but we've just been in a head-on collision." Camden was screaming in the background and there was all kinds of other commotion. He kept telling me to calm down. Gave me a quick account of what was happening at the scene. I would meet them at the hospital. The 45 minute drive was torture.

Long and short of it. Kevin had been following another truck heading toward Southmont High School for soccer practice. They were on US 231, which is a four-lane road. Suddenly the truck in front of him started to swerve back and forth and finally managed to pull into the right southbound lane, just in front of a semi-truck. They did this because another car was coming at them, in the wrong direction, in their lane. Kevin had just enough time to see the vehicle when it slammed into them. Kevin had been driving about 40-45 miles per hour. The other car was going 50-60mph.

Thankfully they were in the pick-up truck so had a lot of vehicle to take the impact. There were also lots of people around to assist. Kevin and Austin were able to open their doors and get out. Austin was practically in shock and people immediately got him down on the ground and started taking his vitals. Airbags had deployed, so, thankfully his head/face had been protected. However, his knees, hands, chest and neck took a lot of force. The seatbelt also cut some big gashes.

Kevin had similar injuries and got out of the vehicle. One of his sandals had been ripped from his foot and his cell phone (which had been in a case attached to his belt) was on the floor. People rushed up..."help me get my baby out of the car" was his immediate request. Someone got Camden out of her car seat. She was still strapped in and the seat was still attached by the clips to the seat; however it was tipped up and laying against the back of the seat. Thankfully we still had her riding rear-facing, so there was less force her neck had to withstand.

Emergency personnel were on the scene within minutes. Kevin called me. They had to remove the other driver with the jaws of life. Everyone was transferred to St. Clare Hospital about 10 minutes across town. I met them there.

Kevin had them work on the kids first. They both had IV's started and were initially accessed. Camden had a small red patch on her head and was continuously crying. She calmed as much as possible when they let me hold her, but still acted "off" to me. I knew she was scared with all the people working on her, but I knew she was also in pain. All had to have CT scans and x-rays to see internal injuries. Kevin also had to have an EKG because of the force of the steering wheel hitting his chest.

X-rays showed Camden had a fractured femur. We would be transferred to Riley Children's Hospital in Indy. Austin would also have to go because of the seatbelt bruising. They can't determine internal injuries (particularly to the bowels) from seatbelt trama. People usually have to stay overnight for observation if it seems severe enough and since there was not a surgeon on duty at St. Clare he would have to go to Riley. Perfectly fine with us. We'd rather trust our kids to one of the best children's hospitals in the world!

They stablized Camden's leg, then she and I were sent by ambulance to Riley. The wrap on her arm is to hold the IV in place and make sure she doesn't yank it out.




We got to Riley and had more x-rays taken. The doctors also analyzed the CT scan and x-rays from St. Clare. It was revealed that Camden also had a small skull fracture. It was fairly minute, but the red area was indeed from an impact. We're unsure if she hit the back of the seat or the back window (in the truck, the window is literally touching the back of the seat). The neuro team were keeping an eye on her, but were not too concerned.

They put both kids in the same room. Austin got to go up about midnight, and Camden made it to the room about 2am. She was on morphine for the pain and Valium (sorry for spelling) for muscle spasms - which were causing most of the pain. Her leg was stabilized for the night and she'd be put in a cast the next day.

More to tell, but need to go for now. Everyone is doing well. We appreciate all the calls, concerns and prayers. We constantly acknowledge that God was in control of the situation and are thankful for his hand in our life - especially in this circumstance.