This morning, while I was brunching at Rockerfeller Center and listening to HeatherB lament the stupidity of liquor laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol before noon on Sunday, Charlie was falling off the retaining wall in our back yard and breaking his arm.
This afternoon while I was waiting in the Newark airport and making a to-do list for tomorrow, Charlie was waiting at the ER to have his arm X-rayed.
And this evening, as I was making my peaceful way back to the house, Charlie was throwing up on the new sofa because the Lortab doesn’t agree with his stomach.
He’s broken both bones in his right arm, above the wrist. Tomorrow we have to get it set, which should be a hell of a lot of fun.
When I go out of town, which isn’t all that often, people inevitably ask if I worry about leaving the kids with Wade, and I say of course not! Because never once have I returned to a child with a severed limb. Technically, that’s still true. Tonight, after Charlie said, “Mama, I missed you when I was at the hospital” and my heart exploded into forty million pieces, Wade said, “I was glad you weren’t here to see the arm.”
“Was it bad?” I asked.
“Well,” he said, “it was BROKEN.”
Welcome home.
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Well, shit, then.
I hope he’s on his way to feeling better! Poor Charlie! (Poor Wade.)
By BethanyWD on 04.06.08 10:30 pm | Permalink
Jesus Christ!
I am so sorry. Poor all of you!
By jen on 04.06.08 10:42 pm | Permalink
My mom still hasn’t forgiven me for starting my period while she was on a business trip.
By Rhi on 04.06.08 10:46 pm | Permalink
Thinking of him, Susan! (And you too.)
By She Likes Purple on 04.06.08 10:49 pm | Permalink
Rhi, that made me laugh.
And I would totally take having someone menstruate over a broken arm. Although Wade might not be so keen on that.
By Susan on 04.06.08 11:00 pm | Permalink
Well you do get to be there for the fun part.
By Jenn @ Juggling Life on 04.06.08 11:11 pm | Permalink
Poor guy!
By daysgoby on 04.06.08 11:16 pm | Permalink
Good luck tomorrow. I hope “setting” doesn’t involve what I think it does.
By All Adither on 04.06.08 11:36 pm | Permalink
Poor Charlie! If I were in your place I think I would have been both guilt ridden AND totally relieved not to have been there! I don’t do broken bones well…
Did you at least have a good time while you were away?
Sending good thoughts your way for tomorrow…
By Anna on 04.07.08 12:04 am | Permalink
I feel bad for you! And Charlie!
But not HeatherB - tell her to come to Canada - the cold beer and wine store opens at 10am
In all seriousness, I hope it goes well tomorrow.
By Angella on 04.07.08 12:58 am | Permalink
Oh no!! I’m so sorry! Reading that just made my heart hurt.
It was nice seeing you Friday night. Sorry we didn’t get to chat longer.
Hope the setting goes well!
By Kimberly on 04.07.08 5:01 am | Permalink
This still makes me so sad. I mean the liquor part definitely because WTF? Did you see me almost start to cry? But because of poor Charlie. Ugh.
By Heather B. on 04.07.08 6:02 am | Permalink
ARGH! So awful! Unbelievable that it would happen the rare time you’re not home! Poor Charlie, and you.
By Shan on 04.07.08 6:46 am | Permalink
Oh no! Poor Charlie - and poor YOU! Good luck with the setting this morning. I know how that goes - my now-husband broke both bones in his arm above the wrist 8 days before our wedding.
He wore a black cast to match his tuxedo. Clumsy but stylish, my husband is.
By Erin on 04.07.08 6:52 am | Permalink
Nothing like stepping right back into real life…perhaps you can reflect on your fabulous trip tonight. With a drink.
By blackbird on 04.07.08 7:49 am | Permalink
oh man, welcome home indeed.
and heather b ought to come to south cackalacky — where in most places there is no alcohol sold anywhere period on sundays. the times they are a-changin’ but it’s changin’ kind of slow.
By jcristg on 04.07.08 7:54 am | Permalink
Oh no! Poor all of you!
By M&Co. on 04.07.08 8:13 am | Permalink
Ah, man! I hope he gets better quickly.
Don’t beat yourself up, sounds like there’s still plenty of broken arm stuff to be done and you get to do it.
Before you know it, he’ll be sporting a cool camo or black cast or something and his friends will be jealous.
By Busy Mom on 04.07.08 8:16 am | Permalink
Why is it that we feel we are the ones who have to be there when this happens even though it could obviously cause some major emotional grief?
I broke my arm when I was 8 and nobody noticed for three days, so at least he got it taken care of quickly!
What color cast? Because, as you know, that’s really the most important question. Well that and did you get any cool shoes?
By The Simple Family on 04.07.08 8:21 am | Permalink
Well craptastic. Hope it goes well today! Thinking of you and Charlie!
By Susie on 04.07.08 9:02 am | Permalink
Poor Charlie! I hope the setting is not as bad as it sounds.
This will be great fodder for Thanksgiving dinner conversation when they are grown up. “Remember when I broke BOTH bones in my arm and mom was off partying in NYC?”
But for right now, it stinks. Apply ice cream sundae (cocktail for you)… but no lortab!
By Sue on 04.07.08 9:10 am | Permalink
oh sweetie. lots and lots of hugs.
this will be funny in a few days and after a lot of drinking.
By crockpot lady on 04.07.08 9:17 am | Permalink
Oh no, poor Charlie! And poor Susan, because it might be worse to be the mom, maybe.
By Sheryl on 04.07.08 9:22 am | Permalink
i think we are in parallel lives. roo-girl just broke HER right arm this week. right above the wrist.
and the casting? oh the screaming. it’s documented in my sunday post. (yes, i shot photos of my child getting her arm casted. cuz i’m a good mom like that)
give charlie a hug from me. i totally get it.
By the planet of janet on 04.07.08 9:30 am | Permalink
Oh no! Here’s to super-fast bone mending — xoxoxo
By jenijen on 04.07.08 9:31 am | Permalink
Poor Charlie!
But I’m certain a cast will only add to his utter adorableness.
By slynnro on 04.07.08 10:38 am | Permalink
Poor thing (you and Charlie. And Wade. And Henry, too for that matter). Broken arms and vomiting can’t be much fun for anybody in the house.
Hope things go well today.
By Mandee on 04.07.08 11:17 am | Permalink
OH man! What a thing to come home to! Poor guy. Get him the Sharpie variety pack…the little ones with rings on the top so you can put them on a key chain and he can have friends sign his cast.
But now it’s Monday and I’m sure you can find a drink at this hour. Methinks you’re going to need it for the arm setting. ; )
By jen on 04.07.08 11:20 am | Permalink
POOR CHARLIE!!
POOR WADE!!
POOR YOU!!!
I hope everyone is feeling much better today!
By Kian on 04.07.08 1:09 pm | Permalink
Oh no!!! So sorry, for all involved!!!
By Aurora on 04.07.08 1:52 pm | Permalink
[…] « Previous Main […]
By Friday Playdate » broken on 04.07.08 2:18 pm | Permalink
A broken bone is one of my ultimate fears with my kids…give me blood, but I don’t think I will handle seeing an arm or leg going in the wrong direction at all. I’m so sorry to hear about your little boy!
By Mel on 04.07.08 4:35 pm | Permalink
Oh my God, I hope he gets well as soon as possible.
By ollka on 04.07.08 4:47 pm | Permalink
Oh holy hell.
I went out of the country for ten days and did not breathe the whole time worrying about what the little ingrates were getting up to.
Nothing, as it turns out.
But this is every mom’s nightmare. Oof.
By Karyn on 04.07.08 5:07 pm | Permalink
oh lord. broken bones and vomiting. not fun at all!
although i’m guessing for charlie, the appeal of a cast in a color and having people sign it will be a lot more fun for him than you..
By kat on 04.07.08 5:07 pm | Permalink
Oh! my heart goes out to the poor little guy. it seems that a broken arm is a rite of passage for little boys though…=(
By Nina on 04.07.08 5:55 pm | Permalink
My now seven year old son was called Head Trauma Boy for years because every time he fell, he fell on his head. Why? Because he refused to put his hands out to break his fall for fear of breaking his arm. He spent a LOT of time in the ER with the pediatric head trauma specialist from years 0-6. He even thought that the head trauma specialist was his pediatrician. OOPS. So last summer I had mixed feelings when he broke his arm. The E.R. doctor noted that the boy child must have FINALLY learned to put his hands out to break his fall. My sons comment? “Yeah. I’ll never do THAT again!”
Oh the joy of raising a boy.
I hope yours is feeling better soon!!
By KathyHowe on 04.07.08 9:19 pm | Permalink
Oh. f^ck. You will never leave your children, again. They will be forced to share a home with their wives and children. I see this being a problem in your future.
By standing still on 04.07.08 10:31 pm | Permalink
[…] unnecessary guilt, the assumption is that she will, even that she should. I know a mother whose son suffered a broken arm while she was out of town. She told a group of mothers about it, and the mom-to-mom support […]
By Shit happens « It’s Not All Mary Poppins on 04.08.08 6:22 am | Permalink
I have a delivery of guilt for Mrs. W.
Mrs. W., will you sign for this?
By Suebob on 04.09.08 9:34 am | Permalink
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