I think my last blog post jinxed my poor sweet baby. He got his cast on Friday and fumbled around for two days, figuring out how to make his little Frankenstein leg work. By Sunday, he agreed to sit and crawl across the ceramic tile and to avoid the marble front of the fireplace all together. I felt a little better when he got that much figured out, but the running around outside still made me edgy - and rightfully so.
10 days into the cast, he tripped and fell. The sitter said he cried a bit, and then wouldn't walk after that. He would stand, but no walking.
Our wonderful sitter was concerned - but she couldn't imagine him breaking a leg while already in a cast. I couldn't believe it either, but, I also doubted that he suddenly decided to be complacent and sit down and play quietly.
After a trip to the ER that night, and then a trip back to his ortho specialist, he was diagnosed with a small fracture in his femur. His below-the-knee cast was cut off, and replaced with a long cast ending at the very top of his thigh. We did get lucky though; our buddy in the cast room hooked us with a waterproof cast without the extra cost. We also got lucky on our way out the door, when the doctor realized he would be on vacation when Daniel was scheduled to get his cast off. After a bit of negotiating, he knocked a week off - yay! Only 3 weeks of peg leg toddler fun!
His new cast has drawn attention, since it is bigger, and since it is red and blue with giant white stars (NOT my choice...the guy who put it on wanted to match the cast to Daniel's outfit). I have been approached by complete strangers every time we have been in the grocery store since he broke his leg.
It always starts off the same....
STRANGER: "oh no! What happen to your baby's leg?"
ME: "he fell down"
STRANGER: "and broke his leg? did he fall off of something?"
ME: "No, actually he has a genetic condition. His bones are more fragile because of defective collagen"
STRANGER "Oh thats too bad! Poor baby! Do you think milk or extra calcium would help?"
Then I'm forced to explain why they're an idiot, when the entire time I WISH I SAID:
ME "My GOD! You have just saved my son and thousands of others from years of suffering. Clearly, NO ONE has thought of that until you just did...amazing, since we're standing in the f'ing dairy aisle. You are a genius. Please take your findings to the OI foundation IMMEDIATELY so we can finally cure this disease. After that, nominate yourself for a Nobel Prize"
I mean, seriously?!?!?!? What part of "genetic defect" made you think cheese and yogurt was the way to go? AND, you really thought dairy was a cure-all, do you think his leg would be broken now?!?!? Today in the store, a teenage boy saved his mother from me spurting out some horribly rude reply. She was going through the usual questions, and right when I thought she was going to say something stupid about milk and calcium, her skater/punk teenage son who had been giving Daniel high fives interupts her and says "dude, that kinda sucks, huh buddy? Guess you should stay off a skateboard when you get bigger". The mom looked mortified, but, I however, enjoyed his completely logical, appropriate, and non-dairy related suggestion. I told the kid he was right, and scooted away before the yogurt lecture could begin!
Sounds like a plan - no skateboarding so things don't suck. I love it!!!
People are generally dumb and generally think they know everything - especially when they see a younger mom with kids. Grah. So frustrating. We were on the train the other day and Jonah needed to pee, so I told him to go to the bathroom, which was RIGHT in front of our seats, and this woman flipped out "PLEASE don't let him go to the bathroom by himself, the door is SO heavy and he will definitely get hurt!" Michael just got up and went with Jonah to the bathroom, but I wanted to shake the woman. I think I know what my kid can handle, thanks.
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