The Streetpoet

Peter called as the boys were just finishing their breakfast and asked me if I could get Jerome to the Orthopedic doctor in about 30 minutes. Sure! Sweet Jane had just moved home the night before and was available to come over and babysit the little boys. What a blessing for us to have her home after five years! Love you, Jane!

The dr. we were scheduled to see wasn’t on schedule, so another dr. took all the patients yesterday morning. He was really nice, but very busy. From looking at the x-rays and palpating Jerome’s arm for a minute he concluded the same diagnoses as Tim, a radial head fracture. And he prescribed a full arm cast for 2 1/2 weeks. Jerome chose red. 🙂 The nurse wrapped it like a pro and we walked out of there 40 minutes later with Jerome’s first cast. He’s been such a trooper! Poor guy was in tears a few hours later with the itching, so we scoured the house for all the scratchers we could find and he said that helped a little, but the best help was distraction. The boys listened to a new Patch the Pirate story Jerome got from Auntie Anna over and over today, it was perfect! Thanks Anna!

This afternoon after I had spent a while working at the computer trying to finish up the July wedding, I spent a couple hours in the kitchen making two chicken pot pies to take up to the Barlows this evening for dinner. Seth LOVES pies, and enjoys licking the flour off his fingers and eating all the scraps of pie dough that he can get. It’s really fun to have him in the kitchen. He thought the Crisco was cream. 🙂 When they were baked and cooled a bit we loaded up in the car (I’m having to strap three boys in and out since Jerome needs help now) and backed down the driveway to check in with the Jones’ for a minute before leaving. I was longer than “just a minute” and Seth and Jerome both got out of their seats and straps to come get me and when I got back to the car I discovered both pies with footprints in them! I can’t really blame him since Seth is only three and I shouldn’t have left him anyway, so I decided to laugh instead of cry. 🙂 The pies were both still edible since they were covered with towels, it just looked like I was bringing leftovers instead of two beautiful pies for dinner! Peter brought Gigi and we were all able to stay and eat together and enjoyed a lovely evening catching up with each other’s lives.

My heart is full of thanksgiving and praise! For God’s wonderful design and provision and protection, and for the family he has placed around us.

You guys have been so patient to see these! I would have been finished editing your pictures by now, and almost was last week, when I discovered that my PhotoShop settings had been changed and I’ve had to start again from the beginning. I’m learning as I go, obviously, and I thank you for the opportunity to work for such wonderful people as yourselves!

I’m more than half way done again, so your category will be up soon on my website, but since you’ve waited this long I want you to see some of my favorites from your day:

Saturday afternoon while Ian was napping we went down to the Jones’ to meet their newest addition who had arrived the night before and was having a sunbath in daddy’s arms on the lawn. I went in to talk to the new mama and after a few minutes I heard Jerome crying really hard and ran out to see him standing in the middle of the yard, crying on Daddy and looking otherwise fine. Apparently Peter and Jerome had been sitting together on the grass enjoying the day and the neighbors when Peter asked Jerome to go check on Ian. Jerome had jumped up to run and tripped over Peter’s foot. It was an accident and he didn’t fall very hard or far, and he stopped crying pretty quickly but needed a nap later and was a little weepy even after the Motrin kicked in. For the past two days he hasn’t used his right arm or hand much at all, and can’t extend it. He would hold it carefully still beside him and even cradle it with his left hand. It’s also a little swollen. Yikes. I hurt just looking at the poor guy. So this evening Tim and Peter took him in for x-rays and he comes home with a cast on his arm! He’s got the first break in this family, poor little guy. Later this week we’re going to have a Pediatric Orthopedic surgeon look at him since it’s a “radial head compression fracture” near his growth plate. So much for handwriting this week, or the next. 😉

I am very grateful it wasn’t any worse, however, and Jerome’s a little trooper!

At the breakfast table this morning Seth and I were sitting across from each other with the morning sun glaring on the table between us when he said to me “There are movies in my eyes! Are there worlds in us? When we swallow the world our tummies will be fat!” And he said all of that without so much as a breath in between so I didn’t have time to think of an answer but just laughed with him, and he seemed satisfied with that.

He’s playing out in the livingroom right now with a box of cars, a glove, and my hairband and he comes in every couple minutes to show me something. Once he came in and said “I’m a rolling king!” 🙂

These pics were taken the middle of July, and Rebekah Noel is due now in about three weeks!