Well, Thanksgiving came and went in Chicago then Defiance with the now tradition of going out for Thanksgiving dinner with Aunt Theresa, and having a second dinner in Defiance a couple days later. Madeline loved the museums (The Field and The Science & Industry) where we played with Dinosaurs, became bats & birds, planted & picked some corn, compared our legs to that of a dinosaur, built a hovercraft, drove a John Deere, milked a cow, played in a lifesize airplane and train, saw a submarine up close, and even wore a Darth Vader mask for a few minutes! Madeline and Daddy flew helicopters around Aunt Theresa's apartment while we were out shopping, and managed to never hit the cat once! Wow, what a couple of days in Chicago! The weekend ended with more good food and much more playing in Defiance with Grammie & PopPop.
Grass does not grow under our feet. The very next week after Thanksgiving, we were on a plane to Sacramento, California! My mom turned 60 this year and my sister and I felt it would be great to surprise her. So, surprised she was when she saw all of us walk in her door as she was blow-drying her hair for dinner that night! Madeline loved being a part of that surprise and the fact that it was a birthday surprise meant even more to her. She couldn't get enough of the good food and adventures we had that weekend. We were able to take her to Bidwell Park again (she hasn't been since she was 1) and play on the playstructure and the grounds, having fun playing dragon and castle. There was a spinning thing obviously for older kids and I put Madeline on it thinking she'd be ok. Well, apparently you have to have better balance than she had and she fell off! Big surprise, but ok. The park ended with a great game of "plane" follow-the-leader adventure to the natural pool that they had partially dammed so she got to play with Daddy in the rushing cold water with leaves and sticks. That was very cool! The next day we travelled up to Redding to Turtle Bay Exploration Park. This was great fun. Madeline can never get enough of the science museums and exhibits so she just loved this, from the wildlife barn exhibit to the farm life in middle-America to the giant sun-dial over the glass bridge. It's funny, because Madeline is just as happy staying home exploring the orchard with Papa Brown and letting the dog in and out and hunting for the cats under the beds. It's necessary to keep tabs on them at all times apparently. Grandma Brown had a steady supply of coloring/activity books to keep Madeline entranced when we just needed to sit for a bit. This was a very good and memorable trip.
Christmas was Madeline's choice and she chose to wake up in her own home on Christmas morning so we had a houseful and we loved it! Aunt Theresa, Uncle Jason & Sarah, Grammie & PopPop all came to celebrate the holiday with us so the party and the presents never stopped! The festivities all began with a special day at the Detroit Opera House for The Lion King. Madeline's first real theatre production! We must have told the Lion King story 25 times after that day at her request so it was firmly cemented in her brain, never to be forgotten. I think she liked it. As if that weren't enough, Madeline received everything from a snorting pig pillow to the beginnings of a large collection of Polly Pockets to Lincoln Logs to wonderful books and awesome puppets. Needless to say she was in her glory. There is nothing Madeline loves more than having people visiting her house and getting presents at the same time! She did a great job at Church where Aunt Theresa kept the mini M&Ms in full supply.
The beginning of the year brought many Simba shows. Madeline couldn't enough of the Lion King soundtrack and the music brought out the dancer in her. So, everynight for a few months, she would perform a Simba show with dancing and the occasional song. This was a real treat! I think the shows came to a screeching halt when she broke her arm at the end of March. More on that later.
Madeline attended some of her first birthday parties for schoolmates and had awesome times at all. She now can't decide where she wants to hold her next birthday! There are just too many choices! I think she had the most fun at Jump City with all of the blow-up bounce houses and the pizza party that followed. This was high on the list after that party! She really loves playing with all of her friends.
School kept on going. Grammie & PopPop even got to take her to school one day so they were able to meet her teachers and see where she learns twice a week. Madeline is so proud when she gets to show someone "her" school. She really takes a lot of pride in how she's grown up enough to attend school on her own and everything she gets exposed to. Mommy benefitted from this visit with breakfast out - that was nice.
Madeline continued to attend Gymnastics and Dance classes at Splitz until
Our big decision this year is "where will Madeline attend Kindergarten in the fall?"!!! Can you believe she is going to be 5 years old in September?!! Well, she is and we need to find the
perfect place for her first year of 5 day school. We explored a couple different schools in the area, one private, one public with a charter school atmosphere and she absolutely loved the public school. Want to know why? There were guinea pigs in the classrooms and a very large media room/library right inside the front door! Madeline was hooked and so were we. So, we are on the waiting list hoping her number will come up before summer's end. If not, there are other options we are continuing to explore, this is just our first choice.
February brought Sesame Street Live at the Fox! Talk about a fun time for a 4 year old. Elmo and Cookie Monster were larger than life and that was absolutely wonderful. She loved it and even got some souvenirs - they let off some confetti at the end and she got to take a bag full of the tissue paper streamers and confetti home! She really loved that, and she even felt that was better than any Elmo balloon. Good girl. The very next day was the Superbowl Party where it is a party for EVERYONE, not just the grownups watching the game. Oh no, Grammie brings games for all the kids and a ton of prizes - so it is non-stop fun and non-stop prizes to take home. Madeline absolutely loves seeing her second cousins and had a really great time. She won some Cowtails while she was there and was ready to eat them about a week or so later, only to discover that Daddy had already eaten two out of the three! I told him she probably forgot about them, and it was ok. I was wrong. We've been making up for that ever since.
This winter brought nothing but snow! And, we made the absolute most of it. Madeline, Daddy, and I went to a nearby hill and went down that sledding hill many times. The first few times were in twos, then Madeline got brave and decided she could do it alone! So, with nervous hands we let her go down the hill and she loved it! She open mouth screamed the whole way down, got to the end, stood up, turned around and we saw the biggest smile on that girl's face! She was so proud and so excited, I don't think she knew what to do with herself for a minute. So, after that, Daddy and I rarely got a turn on the sled and it was time to buy a second sled. This turned out to be a fun adventure. Madeline and Daddy went shopping for a new sled. Well, who would think at the beginning of February, the stores have all replaced the winter fun with summer bikinis and gardening tools! So, they end up with a red sled made up of two round saucer sections bridged together. We tried this sled the next time out, and Madeline began spinning the minute she went over the crest. That was the last time she rode that sled. Do you know who rides that sled now? Me! That's who! She rides the big comfy two seater green sled, and goes straight as an arrow down the hill, while I do all I can to keep my larger than the biggest saucer section bottom on the thing while spinning down the hill! This is actually pretty fun and we went out a few times doing just that.
We still go to the library from time to time for storytimes or special events, and Madeline just happened to get to go to a Safari event held at the library just down the street. She was able to see a Great Horned Owl, Chinchilla, Three Banded Armadillo, Tarantula, Tucan, and a Python at least 20' long! She was really happy she got to see all of them so close and she really took in all the keeper had to say. She will still talk about it if asked. This was something to remember.
Well, March came in with a bang. Madeline was on her way to her second showing of the Lion King! This time, she would be sitting with Grammie & PopPop at The Stranahan Theatre in Toledo. It was a little unnerving for we parents. She looked so sad to see us go when we left, and it was one of those "just go before she starts crying" times. Ya know? We ended up fretting over a rock candy lollipop for nothing. Apparently, she was just fine with the grandparents (imagine that!) and had a great time. She made sure PopPop knew just what was coming up since she had seen it already and he had not.
Well, Gymnastics and Dance at Splitz came to an end in February and Madeline started her first lessons in Soccer in March. She was very good at the drills, really getting the techniques down pat. She did very well in class until they held the scrimmage at the end of the lessons. The last 10 minutes, the class was divided and told to get the ball in the opposite goal. Well, this turned into 16 kids running after the one with the ball down to the goal, only to have it thrown back in play and then continue running after the ball toward the other end. This was very frustrating for Madeline and she would do this for about twice around the field, then stop, stand in front of me (below me since spectators sat above the field), look up at me and just about start to cry. The poor girl just wanted the ball! So, we would comfort her for the first couple lessons, then we decided to teach her some defense. We told her that no matter what her coach says, stand in front of the goal and protect the goalie. Well, this lasted for about two minutes when her coach all but shoved her into play, at which time she ran around for a bit, then stood in front of me and started to cry. This was the last time Madeline played soccer. It was not because of the frustration.
We held the Fantasy Baseball Draft at our house this year, and boy was that fun. Jeff, Donovan and Courtney came over with Grammie & PopPop already here and we had a great time. Madeline enjoyed helping everyone find the stickers for the board, and playing with the shooting ice cream cones with Courtney & Donovan. She thought that was real fun! She's never had such a lively bunch at her house so willing to run around and play with her, so she simply couldn't get enough. This is something she still talks about and can't wait to see Courtney & Donovan again. They really made an impact.
Another trip to Great Wolfe Lodge for Zak's birthday celebration! Yeah! Of course, we all had a ton of fun and swam for hours. Madeline won close to 800 tickets I think in the arcade so there are now 3 stuffed wolfe puppies to add to the collection of stuffed animals, and a bunch of tootsie rolls which I'm not sure of the location. This was only a couple days before the Easter weekend began so this was due to be a super great weekend, beginning with a couple of really awesome swimming days and a stay in a Cabin suite!
Aunt Theresa, Uncle Jason & Lane came to Defiance to help celebrate Easter so more people meant more fun to be had! Playing, coloring eggs, eating candy, making goodies, eating good food, going to church, and an Easter basket & egg hunt filled our weekend. Madeline enjoyed the scavenger hunt theme put on her Easter hunt this year, it kept it interesting and exciting to figure out where everything was. She loves to figure things out, solve puzzles, etc. that this was right up her alley.
Ok, we've made it to the end of March. Fun weekend... Zak fishing, Madeline and I meeting PopPop at the Toledo Zoo on Saturday. Great times ahead. Wrong!!! About 3:45pm on Friday, the 28th of March, Madeline fell off the back of the loveseat. Apparently, she was pretending to be a cat when she tried jumping from the arm of the loveseat to the back of the loveseat and slipped over the edge and landed on her right elbow breaking her humerus. I was literally 2 feet from her, just not facing her! The cry I heard was unlike any other cry I've ever heard. It was deafening; more like a confused and dazed cry, no real bellowing. Really quite eerie actually. Anyway, I was able to get her calmed down, get her sleeve off to see if anything was visible, and convince her to go to the hospital. This last part was the hardest actually. We raced to St. Joseph's Hospital in Saline, had x-rays (painful movement of her arm), got some Tylenol (over the counter strength), and were told she had a pretty serious break requiring surgery to set it. We were sent to UofM to be seen by an orthopedic surgeon. After quite a while in ER, and one IV later (very excruciating - this was the screaming cry), Madeline was admitted and given Morphine to help her sleep. We all fell asleep around 12:30am and were awakened periodically by nightmares of falling. Since I was sleeping with her, I was able to calm her right back down to sleep. About 5:00am we were awakened for vital signs and more Morphine to get her through to surgery. About 7:45am, the doctors and anesthesiologists started coming in to inform us of what she and we were in for. At around 8:00am, Madeline got into a wheelchair with me and wheeled us down to pre-op where the nurse there instantly asked Madeline if she wanted to watch TV. I thought she must be out of her mind! What was she thinking? Doesn't she know we are all upset, this is a very serious time, watch TV? How crazy is that? Well, this woman knew what she was doing. The TV instantly soothed Madeline to the point where she actually asked me to move my head because I was in the way of the television and the program she was now watching (Charlie & Lola on Disney). They started some more aggressive painkiller and a bit of the sleepytime tea, and Madeline instantly started to melt in my arms. This was, as you can imagine, a bit difficult for a mother. We are made aware of all of the dangers surrounding anesthesia, and with all of the trauma we've all just been through, knowing what she will be going through in the hours and weeks to come was a bit more than I could really bare. So, we then got her settled into the bed that she would be wheeled into surgery on and this was again an emotional time, until Madeline told the doctor that now he was in her way and blocking the television! They gave her a bit more sleepytime tea and away she goes. She was very groggy when we watched them roll her through the double doors away from us. Of course, as soon as we got to the Surgery waiting room (very private) I fell apart. This was the first time since the previous day that we had a chance to show any real feelings away from Madeline so they weren't going to be held back any longer. In a bit, we were both talking calmly and thinking about what we might eat while we wait. The Grandparents showed up with a change of clothes and we were instantly into the discussion part of the event which was welcomed. We were told Madeline should only be in surgery for about an hour, when two hours had passed I was getting worried. Zak kept a level head which was good. The doctor (Hensinger - apparently the God of orthopedic surgery) came in and informed us of all that happened, why the long surgery, and how she should progress from here. We really liked his bedside manner and felt very comfortable talking to him. Apparently, Madeline broke her arm in such a way that only 5% of children break their arms. So, this required a different procedure, more x-rays, and a bit of trial & error with the pins to get it set. He told us she would be in a cast for about 3 weeks, then the pins would come out, then another cast for a week, then she'd be done! Amazing. Well, we just finished the third week and she is scheduled to get the pins out on Wednesday the 23rd. We have varying stories regarding the pain associated with getting pins out - so we are planning to give her some Tylenol3 right after the x-rays, then by the time she goes in for the removal, it should be in full effect and hopefully lessen some of the pain if there will be any. I'd rather have a local anesthetic, but I don't make those decisions. She has chosen hot pink for her current cast, painted it with some blue/purple paint at the suggestion of the woman who put the cast on, and will be choosing purple as her follow-up cast color.
The weeks have been going by and Madeline is getting better and better at being left handed. The day after she came home from the hospital, she was doing dot-to-dots with her left hand! She's climbing on her playstructure (up the ramp using both hands, up the rungs with assistance), sliding down slides, and swinging on her tummy. She uses her right hand to open CD cases, change doll clothes, etc. So, I have no fear that she'll be using that arm again in no time after the casts are off. She started back to school this week, fell down in the playground - handled that just fine - apparently they have mulch so it's ok, and has overly impressed her teachers at how well she has bounced back and is handling the whole situation. When we were in the ER, we were told that they were going to give her morphine because we would want it if it happened to us. Well, our girl sat there from 4:00pm to 12:30am with nothing but a bit of Motrin and Tylenol and a ton of book reading not crying (except for the insertion of the IV when we really lost it) because she didn't know she was suppose to be in excruciating pain and she was literally able to take her mind off of it with all of the books. She is one incredible child with more pain tolerance and bravery than I could ever hope to have.
Thank you to everyone for all of your kind wishes, gifts, and prayers. She can't wait to get back on her bicycle for a good ride to the library with her mommy, and that's really awesome.
