Yucky Week

Yucky Week.

Friday, October 14th- Thursay, October 20th to be exact.

We had a yucky week. The kind of week that I don’t even want to talk about; mostly because it typically ends in tears and my heart aches. Sigh. It is just too close but I know time heals and these weeks happen and they pass. And maybe I will look back and it will seem trivial. In the moment, I have been sad and disheartened. Mostly because being a mother is the hardest job in the entire world and balancing life has been a struggle at the Crowell household. I suppose I am writing about this to remember because maybe, someday I will be able to look back and think I was stronger or braver or better. I don’t really like to talk about and hope that somehow maybe writing will help.

Last Friday, October on my way into work—in Austin—I hit a deer.

I have driven on Ranch Road 2323 now for five years and managed to miss these animals but not this time. We were going to Llano to drop off the girls so that Matthew and I could go to Alpine. Matthew went out of town to Houston with work and I took the girls to the ranch Thursday night. The Crowell’s were to meet my mother in Abilene and she would watch the girls over the weekend. Well, I made it to the ranch at dusk seeing, a estimate about 100 deer. I left for Whole Foods around 7:10 am and hit the deer around 7:25. I never even saw it. Truly.

Matthew and I did go to Alpine despite the chaos. Here are a few pictures of our weekend. It was a short, simple trip to far West Texas to go to Clayton William’s Ranch Party. I really enjoyed the time away. The weather was nice and the small mountains were pretty. It always makes me giggle to think these hills are called mountains but it is a beautiful part of our great State!

 

 

You can't tell but we took a picture in front of Claytie's Aggie Boot shaped pool.

Come to find out on Sunday’s drive home, Landry had a virus over the weekend and ran a high fever. She had both of her sweet grandmothers to take care of her; thank goodness. Blip.

We got back to San Antonio and ready for Monday. You know how it goes- unpack the car, feed everyone, bathe the kids, get to bed. Voila! We were tired too and it was one of those nights I eagerly looked forward to my head hitting the pillow.

Around 12:30 am I woke up to Laney screaming. She had fallen off the bed. It was dark and I just picked her up, put her back in bed, and soothed her. Well, she kept whimpering and crying out every few minutes. Finally, I realized that something else must be wrong. Somehow in the fall she had sliced her thumb and her fingernail was hanging off! My sweet girl, she kept trying to be brave and go back to sleep when she was in need of a doctor and some pain medicine. She is such a brave little girl.

In the morning, we took her to Dr. Cevey. Well, after we took Matthew to work—as his truck wouldn’t start—another blip. And, I was supposed to have jury duty but this was rescheduled. The pediatrician looked at her thumb and we were sent straight to the ER. She thought that we might need to have the fingernail removed or straightened out but she may lose her thumbnail completely. I was devastated and had Matthew meet me at the Children’s ER at Methodist. The ER doctor came in and immediately said “we are going t have to cut it off” and simultaneously Laney starts screaming and crying. I believe she must have thought he meant her whole thumb. First we did several X-rays to confirm that nothing was broken and we were clear here. Then the doctor took a second look and decided not to remove the finger nail. Relief. I was anxious about sedating Laney and cutting her nail off. It is still attached and we are hoping that it grows back. And we made it through Monday. We learned how to dress Laney’s thumb and it appears to be healing nicely.

Wednesday rolled around and everything seemed to be getting back to normal. Until I got a call from Landry’s school that she had hand, foot, mouth. Well, this was minor in comparison but still something that we were concerned about. Apparently it had been going around in her class and she had likely already started it with the fever over the weekend.

At this point, we were still rolling with the punches.

Thursday was the hardest hit of all. We had Laney’s soccer practice and both girls were in tow. In those quick moments with children, well, I simply wasn’t paying close enough attention.  I was watching Laney and fighting with Landry over the wipes. She kept pulling them out of their packaging and I wouldn’t allow it. So, she snuck away from me and took them to the bleachers. She climbed up on the first row. Somehow she lost her footing and in slow motion she fell. During the fall she hit the cross bars and cut open her little forehead between her eyebrows. Immediately the blood started flowing and I grabbed her and headed for the car. I knew she would need stitches but my first concern was to stop the bleeding. My sweet Landry, my stupid self, it was such a tormenting drive and night. Well, tormenting week really. My heart still hurts. But someone grabbed Laney from the field and we immediately went to the Children’s ER; the second time in one week.

Upon arriving there we all were; crying. Laney cried as we pulled up thinking she was going back to the ER. Landry was crying over her pain and wound. I was hysterical over the week and what I knew Landry was about to endure. It still plays over in my head.

However, she was deemed the best patient of the day. They sedated her and she was quite calm; well for a short time and long enough to get five stitches. The doctor did an excellent job and I was quite critical. I’m not my best in those moments. I am too honest, brash, and emotional but I will always go to bat for my children; as all mothers do. As we left, the funniest moment, Landry screamed and screamed over having to get out of the hospital blanket. She wanted to take it home. Back to her little temper tantrum throwing self and it wasn’t even over the stitches. My toot.

Both of my girls; so brave and strong willed. I aspire to be more like my children.

Sigh. There it is. The worst week of my life; thus far. But if things truly come in 3’s—well we got hit and we survived. Barely. Still blessed, still in love with my family, and thankful to be here.