Tortilla Factory gone bad

We finally had the inevitable... a broken bone!  <womp womp>

Anchor and Maverick were playing Tortilla Factory in the garage. They toss elastic workout bands on the treadmill and watch them fall off... and put that on repeat.  #boymom  

One of the bands started to go under the belt and Anchor tried to get it out. 😖

I was getting ready for the day (it was around 7:30am) and Maverick came running in with Anchor screaming behind him.  (This is a somewhat normal occurrence... "he hit me, he took my car, I fell off my bike, Blue chewed my shoes up" etc).  I heard "Anchor got his hands stuck in the treadmill" and saw they were scraped and some of the skin had come off.  At first, I thought it was similar to a stubbed toe.  However, Anchor kept screaming and has hands were badly shaking.  Kenny had left to go get tacos, a car wash, and gas (thank you Covid-19)!  I FaceTimed him and he decided to come home.  

Meanwhile, Anchor kept screaming and I knew it was much worse than stubbed toe. A lot of skin and been ripped off and his fingers were quickly swelling.  I called my sister, who can be so calm in these situations, but neither one of us knew what to do. 😂

When Kenny got home, he agreed we should call our pediatrician (who is a family doctor with many years of ER experience).  We definitely didn't want to deal with the ER and coronavirus and quarantine. Kenny called his mom to come watch Joshua and Maverick, and I'll never forget how quickly she responded without asking any questions.  We gave Anchor some ibuprofen and headed out the door.  

Our doctor greeted us in full surgery gear (as Anchor said "a blue dress, yellow gloves, a mask, and a plastic shield").  He took x-rays and found out he broke the proximal phalanx of middle finger on his left hand (finger joint closest to palm).  He had three other 2nd degree burns between his fingers that were cleaned and bandaged.  And to top it all off, a tetanus shot!  😩

He was so brave but my goodness that was SO hard for mama to watch!  He sat next to daddy and watched Lion King as a distraction, but there were many quivering lips and tears.  Anchor passed out in the car on our way to Chick-Fil-A for chocolate milk and little burgers (chicken minis). 

Mama's adrenaline didn't wear off until 5 that afternoon and I.Was.Toast and sick to my stomach.  I could hardly eat all day and cycled with a friend to distract my racing mind.  My energy was in the negatives.  We had Sonic for dinner (at Anchor's request) and called it a day. 

We were supposed to go to my sister's house and have a parade for Nana, see the Blue Angels fly over DFW, and then play at a park. Anchor was SO excited and wore his airplane shirt.  Despite everything that happened though, he had a great attitude!

I'm so thankful for our doctor, for family and prayers, and that we serve a God who goes before us and prepares the way: getting into pediatrician instead of ER, Janette being able to watch boys, Kenny being close to home, Anchor pulling his hands out of treadmill before more damage could have been done, and giving us bodies that heal!  

God is good, no matter what!

mexican fiesta

This last weekend, we celebrated sweet Anchor's first birthday! I have no idea how we arrived at this point. There have been so many sleepless nights, so much pain, so much frustration... wondering if he would even survive the night. This sweet boy threw up spit up so much I truly didn't think I could survive.

But he is crawling scooting, standing up, walking while holding our hands, and smiling all the time! He has been such a joy. He adores his brothers, lets you know when it's time to eat, and is getting better sleeping. He's upgraded to a forward facing car seat and thinks he's so big.

For his party, we had a Mexican fiesta! I served a taco dinner, had a piñata, Grand Mommy's famous sugar cookies, and of course cake.  I've never cooked/served food for forty-five people. I way overestimated and we'll be eating tacos for weeks. But it was such an encouragement to know I can pull it off!

We enjoyed being with our family and friends. Sadly, I'm the worst photographer! The light is bad, the pictures aren't focused, and I never seem to capture the important, memorable moments.

We adore you precious boy! Can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for you this year. 

and he's off!

Today was an exciting day at our house!! Nana came out for the weekend to join us for our field trip and spend time with Joshua for his birthday. She took him to breakfast at the Egg and I and then to Target to pick out a toy. He chose a red lightsaber! He's never seen Star Wars but seems to have an intrinsic passion for it.

Then they came home and Joshua learned to ride a two-wheeler bike!  He's been using a balance bike for two years, and a bike with training wheels for six months.  I was amazed at how quickly he learned.  Nana couldn't keep up with him so she *had* to let go and he just kept going!  Within the hour he learned to turn, make U-turns, start on his own and even go up/down the curb.  We are so proud of our big boy!

For his birthday, we wanted to get him a new bike!  We went to Walmart and Joshua got a Mongoose bike... the same kind his dad first bought for himself.  He loves the big tires.  We can't wait to get out tomorrow and ride some more! I'm looking forward to family bike rides.  I love cycling and there's just something special about being outdoors, on a bike, with my family. 

Between the new bike, roller skates from grandmommy, and skateboard from Allen and Katie, he's going to be one busy boy! 

Finally, we all went to Blue Goose for dinner.  It's one of Joshua's favorite restaurants.

Anchor got to eat his very first tortilla! And our seven month old little boy is learning to sit up.  He's able to do it by himself for five to ten seconds... it's progress!! This momma is so ready for him to be sitting up and NOT spitting up.  But I also know I'll truly regret these days with my little boys.  I'm so proud of them for hitting milestones but it's bittersweet as it reminds me they won't stay this way forever.

warrior wednesday

Life has been crazy busy lately, and unfortunately I've had to take a break from homeschooling. Not because homeschooling is hard, but because Anchor has been a pretty difficult baby. He spits up a ton and cries if he's not being held. I honestly don't know how the third child can be so demanding.

So we're taking a break from our work because I also figure it's going to be a pretty hot summer and we might as well be inside, in the AC, doing school. That way I'm not pressured to finish by the end of May, we can spend more time outdoors since the weather has been phenomenal, and it will also give Anchor more time to grow out of this fussy-can't-stop-spitting-up phase. It's a win-win-win situation!

So here's what we've been up to:

practicing cartwheels (we signed Joshua up for gymnastics in January)

making mud pies

learning how to make our bed 

eating goldfish 

riding bikes/cars

playing in the sprinklers

I'm embracing my newish role as boymom! It means lots of mud, baths, roughhousing, sound effects, bumps, and bruises... but also a whole lot of love, hugs, and kisses! Joshua even brought me flowers!! I love how boys take care of their mommies. I'm blessed beyond measure with my three!

Little Anchor is trying so hard to sit up... it's such hard work!! He either falls forward or turns his leg and goes sideways. He is gaining weight though! At his six month check up he weighed 15lbs! WAHOO!!!!

We've also learned to take "silly face" photos, and now it's hard for mom to get us smiling nicely!

Dad has been working like crazy so we really soak up our time with him on the weekends. 

my first *almost* emergency room trip as a mom

I know as a mom of three boys that trips to the ER are inevitable. But I don't think any amount of experience or knowledge could prepare me for how scary it is. My emotions become involved so quickly, everything seems to escalate, and before I know it fear has completely taken over.

Here's how it went down:

I was making the kids breakfast while Kenny fed Anchor his bottle. I noticed he kept gagging and I thought it was odd but didn't pay much else attention to it. After Anchor finished, he kept choking and seemed to have trouble breathing. I noticed a rash around his mouth and neck. I showed Kenny but he didn't seem concerned, made comments about how I was overreacting, and went to work.

8:52AM

I took off Anchor's amber teething necklace and posted this picture on my Stone Soup Group Facebook page hoping someone knew what it was.  Meanwhile, Anchor kept gagging, choking, and acting like he couldn't breathe. I became really concerned but had no idea what to do. Then he started vomiting... and didn't stop! I finally realized Kenny had given him raw cow's milk instead of the goat milk. (He refused to apologize for it which escalated into a fight, so now we weren't talking.) I felt better knowing what it was, but still didn't have a peace about doing nothing.  I put him in the bathtub and texted the picture to Janette.  The rash was quickly spreading and Anchor continued to vomit. I called my pediatrician (who is 45 minutes away!) and the nurse said she needed to ask the doctor and would call me back.

8:19AM

Janette saw this picture and said take him to the ER. She had been texting a friend of hers who was a nurse. This really freaked me out... the rash was spreading so fast! I had the boys, Kenny was mad and headed to work, how could this be happening!?!? I called Melissa, but she didn't answer. Great, the boys now had to go with me. The doctor's office called back and said to bring him in. I responded that they were too far and I was on my way to the ER. I threw the boys into the car - Joshua was in shorts and no shoes, Maverick was still in his pajamas. Neither had coats and with the windchill temps were in the 20s!

I told Janette I didn't even know where the ER was... (awesome, I now sound like a complete idiot to my mother-in-law). She texted a location and I just started driving. Kenny met me there (much to my surprise). I went in and they told me there was an hour and a half wait! I told them this was an emergency and they informed they were not an ER.  I felt completely humiliated and asked them where one was.

We got back in the car and headed five minutes down the street to the *real* ER. By this time, Anchor's rash had greatly improved, he wasn't vomiting, and had actually fallen asleep. Kenny asked why were even taking him in and I told him because his mom and our pediatrician said to. Kenny again explained that I was overreacting since we knew what this was from. He said to give him Benadryl and take him home.

Thankfully, by the time I got home, his rash was almost completely gone and I never had to give him Benadryl (praise the Lord)!  And the lesson we all learned: Anchor can't have dairy! At least not now, and we'll have to do some allergy testing. I'm praying he won't have an allergy. What a nightmare that will be!

When all was said and done, I realized I'm thankful for Kenny's wisdom and ability to think clearly when all else seems to be falling apart. I learned I need to pray for peace and not allow fear to take over. I don't want to be a weak, incompetent, fearful mom who becomes a wreck the moment something bad happens. I'm so grateful this situation was nothing worse and that God protected Anchor from a more serious allergic reaction.

Christmas

Before too much time goes by, I wanted to post some Christmas pictures. We had a great time decorating, learning about the advent, being with family, and playing outside in our warm Texas weather.

We started the season by opening our Christmas box on December 1st. It had mugs for each boy, hot chocolate, a Christmas book and movie, popcorn, and Christmas pajamas. The boys really enjoyed opening this early.

Then we decorated their door like a snowman!

Every day for advent, we read a story from the Jesus Storybook Bible and did an activity: watch a Christmas movie, have a picnic by the tree, see the Northpark trains, decorate gingerbread men, sing Christmas carols at the piano, dance to Christmas music, etc.

Janette made the boys this felt Christmas tree to decorate. They had fun arranging and rearranging the ornaments over and over again. I need to find a way to make it stick to the wall better, but this will definitely be a new tradition!

Kenny bought a new 10 foot tree this year. She was beautiful! And my heart just melts to see five stockings above the fireplace. God is truly so incredibly faithful! I am humbled to serve such a loving Father.

For Christmas with Kenny's family we decorated gingerbread houses! It was so much fun!

On Christmas Eve, the boys threw out reindeer food!

On Christmas morning, Kenny made his famous eggs (as Joshua calls them), I made a coffee cake, and we had fruit and mimosas! Another tradition for the Wright family.

Later in the day, the Merrimans came over and Kenny smoked a brisket. It was so fun celebrating the birth of Jesus with our friends. I made a birthday cake for Jesus, too!  Unfortunately, I have no pictures of us with our precious friends, but of course we have one of the brisket! (We Wrights don't forget our food pictures.)

And last, our Christmas card:

"Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive

and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14

In all the hustle and bustle of this Christmas season,

may we remember this prophecy has been fulfilled...

Emmanuel: God with us! Let us rejoice!

Blessings to you as we celebrate this Christmas holiday and joyous new year!

love: kenny, sarah jane, joshua, maverick, and anchor