The Reason

Although Josiah and I don't enjoy Jesse's absences, our sadness is always heavily silver lined by the knowledge that Jesse's work as Director of Programs for HOPE International is amazingly and abundantly effective. Tens and tens of thousands of people in poverty in some of the world's hardest countries and communities are putting food on their tables, clothes on their backs, and their kids into school because of HOPE. Here's a video that I think will impact you today.

If it won't play for you here, go directly to the video with this link: http://tinyurl.com/c8tccj

One-armed bandit

Josiah's doing great. He's using his bad arm ("it's broken," he explains to everyone) practically as well and as much as his good one, cast and all. I've found that a hand-me-down 3T winter coat I'd been saving for next winter can be eased over the cast, so on these deep-freeze days he's been able to wear a coat properly, although he's sad he can't put it on himself by flipping it over his head. He's also a little sad that he can't really go play in the snow, and for my part, while we're on the topic, I'm sad that our temps are in the single digits while Jesse's reporting that the weather in the DR this week is "like Hawaii."

My favorite conversation with Josiah today came after he pulled a book off of the shelves in the office. His selection? A real page-turner, The Impossible Country: A Journey Through the Last Days of Yugoslavia. 

   Me: Oh, you found one of Daddy's books.

   Josiah: Umm, no. It's mines. It's Josiah's book.

   Me: Really? I think it's Daddy's. 

   Josiah: No, no Mommy. It's mines.

   (He reiterates this several times, then begins flipping through pages. Lots of boring pages with no pictures. And then he gives it to me.)

   Josiah: Umm, actually....actually...it's Mommy's. 

   Me: Grinning as he walks off. 

This picture was from yesterday. Sorry I couldn't find time to get a post up until today, Jesse.

One hundred, and counting

Wow, this is our 100th post. Amazing! I think people celebrate blog milestones like this, but it kind of goes against the grain to celebrate weeks of Daddy's absence...don't you think?

That said, Jesse, we are doing fine tonight – although of course we miss you already. Lots!

I picked Josiah up a little early so he could come over to my lab and be a guinea pig for a new research study we'll be running this month with 2-year-olds. He did such a great job – as did my research student, who was performing the protocol for the first time. It was funny to be the "mom" sitting in the corner, trying not to focus on Josiah and instead concentrating on evaluating my student and contemplating final tweaks to the methods.

After he was thoroughly spoiled by three of my research students, we hurried home by 5:30 and made dinner for Uncle Tim (and Auntie Holly, who arrived much later). Then Josiah enjoyed being given the freedom to explore the work site that is the basement for a while as Tim worked. You'll be pleased with progress on that front, by the way. Later, Josiah looked just about good enough to eat in all his cuteness while getting into jammies, and Holly snapped a few pictures of us so you can lick your lips over him too. 

Oh – for those who only get your info on us here: Josiah's orthopedic visit on Monday went well. A long-arm cast was necessary, and Josiah was perfect through all of it. The cast (a) is shorter than the splint was, (b) is practically bullet-proof so we don't have to fret about him falling on his arm or hurting himself further, and (c) ends at his wrist so he has full use of his hand...so...ultimately we're pleased. Hopefully the next six weeks will race by! 

Fractured

Last night shortly before bedtime, Josiah went to take a high-speed lap around our downstairs — a frequent event. But without shoes or slippers covering his socks just at that moment, he slipped and crashed as he rounded the bend in the dining room. It was immediately obvious that he was really hurt. His tolerance for pain is unbelievable (far surpasses mine, seriously), which makes it easy to disambiguate the superficial injuries from the real ones. Anyway, this happened at 8 p.m., and amid sobs and occasional shrieks of pain, off we headed to the emergency room. Two rounds of x-rays, several physical exams, and a temporary splint and sling arrangement later, we were finally home. Not a fun night for anyone, but he was wonderfully brave through most of it, and he's doing fantastically today (even on a grossly truncated night of sleep). I am SO thankful it happened with Jesse here. Of course, I keep cycling through dozens of small changes to last evening that would have meant he wasn't running in socks just then (I'm a mom; I have a hard-core guilt problem), but I suppose the bright side is that he's ridiculously cute in his tiny Snoopy sling. I can already hear the girls at the senior year retrospective slide show going, "Aaaawwww!" when these pics come up (okay, so I also have a hard-core planning-and-living-ahead-of-myself problem).  :)

As for specifics: Tomorrow we have to find an orthopedic specialist to evaluate things. The ER doc said the fracture was clean and the bone is still aligned, so Josiah may be able to heal simply with this bandaged splint and sling arrangement. Alternatively, he may need a proper cast; the orthopedist will make that call. The break is in his left humorous, the upper bone that runs from elbow to shoulder, with the site very close to the elbow. His splint and bandaging go from armpit to fingers, so I'm going through Josiah's shirt drawer trying to choose a few sacrificial candidates for sleeve-hacking. I imagine he'll be wearing the cruddiest old things for the coming weeks since I hate to chop up good clothes!