Poor Little Joel

Sunday evening, in an attempt to be a bigger boy than he really is, Joel climbed partially up the ladder to the kids' bunk beds. He came tumbling down and broke his femur bone. Within 15 minutes of the accident, Matt and I were loaded in the Suburban and driving to the hospital. Matt's brother, Trevor, spent the night and all day yesterday with the other kids. (Thank the Lord that Trevor has spring break this week.) We arrived at the ER about 8:45 p.m. Matt and I were so distressed that it did eventually become obvious to the ER staff that this truly was an accident. These days it seems suspicions of abuse are automatically raised in situations like this. In true ER fashion, it was a extraordinarily long time before any kind of treatment was given. Our good friend Brian came with snacks and water bottles (packed by his wife, Julie). He brought comforting words and hugs as well. He stayed with us for the duration. Joel finally received something for pain around 11 p.m. (I had given him Advil before leaving for the hospital, but it just wasn't cutting it.) We were informed there was "no room in the inn" on the pediatric floor, so the plan was to splint Joel's leg, get some pain medicine and go home for a few hours before returning to the OR early in the morning. I headed home to get some laundry and packing done and to lay down for a bit. Brian brought Matt and Joel home around 1 a.m. Matt and Joel got a few hours of sleep (Mommy was too agitated to sleep) and we headed back to the hospital about 5:50 a.m.
The reduction (realigning the bones) went well. Joel was put in a spica cast, which basically covers his body from the chest down. He will wear it for the next 6 to 8 weeks. We were blessed to hear that the orthopedist who worked on Joel is excellent, one of the best in town. Joel's recovery went well. He slept for 4 or 5 hours and then began drinking watered down apple juice (after Brian delivered a proper sippy cup). One of the nurses from the OR came up to our room later in the day and gave him a little stuffed monkey with a "limp chimp" bandage on his leg and a smiley face balloon attached to his arm. The nurse said that she has a little one of her own about Joel's age. She felt so badly for Joel that she had to bring him a little something. Matt and I were moved to tears over this stranger's kindness. God is good. Joel finally smiled a bit when he saw the balloon. Mommy was so glad to see him in better spirits after seeing nothing but terror and pain in his eyes the night before.
Our friends Julie and Tammy stopped by with toys for Joel and chocolate for us :) Pastor came and prayed with us. Then the nurse showed us how to change Joel's diaper. Besides moving him, this will definitely be the biggest challenge in the coming weeks. Keeping pee and poo off the cast is going to be next to impossible. The dr. says it's bound to get quite stinky. (We've been experimenting with Glad Press n' Seal Wrap.) The dr. said if we made it through the night with just a splint on Joel's leg, he was confident we'd make it o.k. at home with the cast on, so he released us about 5:30 p.m.
My sister-in-law Jessica brought our kids home shortly after we arrived. She even brought meals for us have on hand in the freezer. She said that I ought to realize how badly she felt for us since she's never brought a meal over, even after the births of our 5 kids. This truly was an act of love on her part--she's not one to enjoy time in the kitchen. Jessica also got Matt's grandma to her doctor's appointment, since I was unable to do it. Keep in mind that she has seven of her own children and her husband was gone most of the time she was doing all of this because he was with our kids. We are truly blessed.
The Lord granted us all a good night's sleep last night. Today will be a day of researching car seat options and Spica cast care, getting the wagon cleaned up so we can transport Joel, and going to Costco and Walmart for supplies, including diapers. (Overnight, Joel has gone from a size 3 to a size 5 diaper.)
My morning's Bible reading was providentially Joshua chapter 1 this morning. The Lord had given me several verses in Joshua for encouragement when Matt and I first started to home school. As I read the familiar verses again this morning, God reminded me that He truly is in all of this and He loves us more than we can imagine.
"Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9