Day 62: A Broken Pinky

This morning started off great. Maddie woke up in a great mood and everyone got out of the door on time. Maddie and I enjoyed playgroup this morning and we caught up with some wonderful friends. Maddie did so well and warmed up a lot quicker than normal.

Maddie at lunch.

Maddie took a great nap and I began working on one of my projects for school. Around 3:00 I got a phone call that Caleb was in the nurse's office and he was very upset. He had hurt his hand and would likely need medical care. I asked her if he could take the bus home so I could evaluate the hand and take him to the hospital if needed, and she couldn't understand why I would want to do that when he "needed" medical care. She kept saying how upset he was and how she wasn't sure if he was able.

One, she said there was no blood, just a scrape where the door closed, and bruising (as there should be for this type of incident). Two, I knew that his hand hurt and that's why Caleb was so upset. I did not feel as though he was in so much pain that he couldn't take the bus home. Because Maddie was still napping and I'd have to pack stuff up (including her), it would take me a lot longer to go and get him as opposed to him just riding the bus home. Finally, I talked to someone who understood what I was saying and they caught the bus. Thankfully, they hadn't left just yet. Also, just so the ones who don't live here know, the "bus" is actually a large van. It's a very nice vehicle with kids from our neighborhood. Nothing like we used growing up, so him taking the bus was no worse than him riding in my car.

Caleb made it home and was still crying when he walked through the door. I looked at his hand and it didn't look that bad, so I put some ice on it, gave him some medicine, and elevated his hand. I let it rest for about thirty minutes and the swelling only intensified. He said it still hurt, and I had a feeling that something else was going on. After telling Daniel what all was going on and how things looked, he told me to just meet him at the hospital.

We left and took him straight there. For the place to be only 5 miles away, it took me over 30 minutes to get there. I hate the traffic here. Especially in this one area. It's horrible most of the time, but it was extremely rough at "rush hour." We finally made it and Caleb was able to go straight back to the doctor. Luckily, we saw the same doctor as when he fractured his foot.

We were able to go straight over to X-Ray and then back to his office. Even though we were there for 1 1/2 hours, the time wasn't spent waiting too long in any particular area. Maddie and Daniel hung out in the waiting room while Caleb and I spoke with the doctor.

After reviewing the X-Ray, the doctor said there was a very small fracture in his left pinky. Luckily, it appears to be very small and therefore should heal pretty quickly. Unfortunately though, Caleb still had to be placed in a cast. We go back for another check-up this Friday (along with another X-Ray) and we'll know at that appointment how long the cast will have to stay on. The doctor thinks three weeks. Either way, I hate this for Caleb, but he seems okay with it. I think he believes it makes him look cool, so he's okay with it for now.

How did this happen? Well, it's a long story that we hope to get figured out tomorrow. From what Caleb has told us, he dropped his lunchbox in the hallway on his way to the bus. When he bent down to get it a kid from his class kicked the lunchbox into the girl's bathroom. Caleb stepped into the doorway of the bathroom (holding on to the doorframe with his hands) and he tried to get the lunchbox without going inside of the bathroom. Well, at that point the kid closed the door trying to lock Caleb inside the bathroom, and smashing Caleb's hand in the process. Caleb says he was then able to push the door open even though the other kid was still trying to keep it closed on him. Caleb expressed that he did not believe that the kid knew Caleb was hurt, Caleb just thinks he was trying to lock him inside the bathroom. Regardless, Caleb now has a broken hand, and we're not the happiest about this situation. Daniel plans to go into the school to speak with the teachers tomorrow. Thank goodness we have good medical because it was well over $1,000 tonight.

I am hopeful that Caleb's hand heals quickly and he doesn't have any issues completing his work in the meantime. He had today off from his homework, but his "strong" hand is still good so he'll be able to keep up his good work. He's doing a wonderful job with his Egyptian journal. I'm very impressed at all of his knowledge in that area.