Our Very First Break

Filed Under Children, Family, Motherhood

It’s official now. I was surprised this time had not come sooner with the way my boys play… but it finally came. Owen Broke his arm. Of course he was doing something he had been told not to do and I did not notice because I was on the computer. He went into the nearby closet and climbed the suitcases. He fell. Apparently hard.

If you know Owen, you know he is a dramatic kid. I thought nothing of the dramatic scene he created in recovery. Until it didn’t stop. Finally he calmed down in his daddy’s arms and fell asleep. He awoke screaming because he moved his arm! We knew then something was probably wrong.

I dropped he and Jeff off at Children’s Hospital urgent care and they were so wonderful to Owen. He got a great book and a blue Popsicle. The x-ray showed a break just below his elbow and they said his wrist was probably strained because of its swelling. He had to get a soft cast so there would be give for the excessive swelling but we have to treat it as a hard one. Poor little guy is left handed and it is his left arm! He loves to draw and practice letters so that’s a bummer.

Comments

19 Responses to “Our Very First Break”

Karen (Pediascribe) on February 24th, 2008 12:04 am

Poor little guy. Although he doesn’t look any worse for wear in that picture.
Are they sending you to an orthopedic doc?
missy on February 24th, 2008 12:14 am

Awww. Poor Owen!

My daughter broke her arm right under the elbow during gymnastics about three years ago. Hers actually required surgery, poor kid, and it was the right one…the one she writes with. just like Owen.

Showers and baths were very interesting. Plastic bags to cover the cast do a decent job. We also bought an indoor basketball hoop and she learned to shoot left handed…just an idea. We did lots of puzzles and she also learned to draw left handed. After awhile, it didn’t bother her at all not to use her arm.

Well, you got this one out of the way! Like you said, with two boys it was bound to happen eventually! He looks so impressed with himself in that picture, by the way. Too cute, and also a bit ornery!!
Teresa on February 24th, 2008 12:16 am

Poor kid. That’s the age I was when I had my first broken bone.

At least you don’t have some lay-about kid. The active kind are more interesting (interesting is a double-edged sword, but worth it!)

When I broke my collar bone (climbing a scaffolding that I was not supposed to climb, and a section of it collapsed on me)at that age, my mom bought me some tracing paper, and some dot-to-dot books and encouraged me to use my other hand.

A lot of kids are at least marginally ambidexterous at that age, he might be drawing again in no time, and if nothing else, it will provide him a challenge until the cast comes off.
Randa Clay on February 24th, 2008 9:59 am

Oh no! That’s going to make the coming weeks very interesting for you and him too. Poor little guy. At least now you can hold it over his head as an extra reason to listen when Mommy says not to do something: “Remember that other time you didn’t obey Mommy and ended up breaking your arm?”
JCMerillat on February 24th, 2008 2:59 pm

poor Owen! i’ll have to tell my children this story, since they too like to climb the suitcases in the closet. hope he heals quickly!
Summer on February 24th, 2008 3:30 pm

Poor little guy. I hope it heals quickly.
misi on February 24th, 2008 7:11 pm

Oh poor Owen, you would never know he was at the hospital by that Koolaid grin on his face! Gotta love how resilent kids are:)
stacey on February 24th, 2008 8:26 pm

oh no! it is good to see that smile though! i am fearful this may be a bad sign for us! my luke is 3.5 and i can’t even explain why he has not broken anything yet!!
caroline on February 24th, 2008 8:43 pm

hey, Owen’s such a trooper!!! Look at that smile! I wonder when it’ll be Jaden’s time…
Hydro74Girl on February 24th, 2008 10:55 pm

it’s good to see that smile on his face even though he just broke his arm. i hope his arm heals quickly!
Heidi Jo on February 25th, 2008 10:54 am

oh man! we don’t have two boys right together, and i think that is what has saved us many times. but we have had broken bones…just not from normal incidents.

he sure looks tough now:0)
Teresa on February 25th, 2008 11:30 am

BTW,

Learning how to fall properly
(tumbling classes, martial arts, gymnastics, etc)can really help reduce the risk of broken bones, even in very active kids.

I recall the incident where the neighbor boy showed up at my door, white-faced and striken-looking and told me that my oldest had tried to jump his bike over a snow-bank, landed wrong, went over the handle-bars, but rolled out of it like nothing had happened.

He had scrapes in his arm and a bruise or two on his hip and leg, but he protected his head and spine. His bike helmet never even touched the ground.
Karen (Pediascribe) on February 25th, 2008 12:43 pm

Head’s up……awards for you on my blog.
tami on February 26th, 2008 12:22 am

awe, that little picture is so cute. hope it heals quickly!

was he trying to reach something in the closet, or did he just want to climb the suitcases for the challenge itself? whatever the reason, i imagine that he’s learned his lesson now!
jan on February 26th, 2008 1:15 pm

oh no! hope he’s getting along ok. hope you are all well.
Dearest Jessica on February 26th, 2008 3:14 pm

Oh poor Guy…I know what you meen, I can’t believe we have not done this yet!
We will be praying for him, he sure is cute in that picture for all he went through!
Lady Why on February 26th, 2008 4:01 pm

Poor fellow! My 8 year old daughter broke her leg in January playing in our first snow in 8 years. It was the first break in our family too. Ironically, the last time it snowed here was the day she was born. It was a long hard first few weeks because the cast went from her toes to her hip. Since then she has been able to get a shorter cast and now she’s walking in a boot with the cast. If all goes as planned, she’ll have it off in two more weeks! It’s been a long 8 weeks!
Jenn on February 26th, 2008 6:10 pm

Poor Owen - thankfully we have not had any breaks yet. I know where to go for advice when we do, though! Praying for a quick recovery for him and increased sanity for you!
We are THAT family on February 26th, 2008 7:23 pm

My kids have almost broken into that club too! At least they are trying. We seem to be fond of stitches at our house. I hope he feels better. He does look pretty cool in his cast.