Noah's Birthday

Hi Sidra,
There haven't been enough posts lately due to technical difficulties and I apologize. I aim to be more regular poster in the near future.
It was your brother's birthday today (Sept 28). He would have been 3 years old. We did what we have done on his last two birthdays. We went to the cemetery to see his grave and leave some stones. Then we went to Doernbecher's Children's hospital and dropped off some gifts for the children there. We usually give gifts that we might have given Noah had he still been with us. You seem to know about Noah, but I don't think you get it yet. You know his picture and can say his name after a fashion but you really don't know how he fits into the family yet. You will. When we do this next year you will have learned more about him and eventually you will know what he means to our family.
We also did a couple of other things with you today since you don't yet understand that his birthday isn't that fun for your mom and I. I am sorry to report that whileyou are not yet two years old you know the word "mall" and said it when we turned into the parking lot. You also recognized Starbuck's and mentioned "tea" when we passed it walking into the mall. Mainly we went there to return some merchandise but it turned out to be great place for you stretch your legs. After a short warm up period you hit full speed and barely slowed down. We had to do a near trot to keep up with you. There was a play area in the mall and you spent some time in there buzzing around in circles. You made it through all the little tunnels and crawl spaces and I think the only reason we were able to get you out of there was that you sped out the exit and before you realized you were out in the open we scooped you up and didn't look back.
Next we were in a clothing store with really narrow aisles and it was a chore tracking you down. You were making cuts like a football player returning a punt for a touchdown. I was relieved to be able to stay on your trail.
Then it was the Zoo. Agian you were fearlessly bound through the crowds there. Occassionally we would corall you into the stroller but you did a lot of walking and running there, too. We saw polar bears, penguins, a beaver, fish, two eagles and some frogs. We didn't see the six week old baby elephant because the line was at least an hour long and we were only staying for two hours.
Then when we got home you went around the local berry field with Jesse(dog) and I. You usually run for most of the way around the loop and it is probably half a mile. When we returned from our lap you saw the new toy shopping cart your mom bought you and you pushed that around the house almost non stop until bedtime. You were like the energizer bunny pretty much the whole day. You were pretty tired when we got you to bed. Through all the activity you had only napped for about 20 minutes. So you deserved to be tired.
There is a missing post since the last one, about your first trip to the emergency room. I still have to get that repaired.
Love,
aba

First Visit to the Emergency Room

Hi Sidra,

I know that sounds like an ominous title, as if we’re expecting many more visits to the emergency room. Well, I’m guessing it’s not going to be the last but I’d like to see it stay below a rate of once every five years. For the record, your injury occurred on the day you became 20 months old, which coincidentally was our 4^th anniversary.

So, how did it happen? We’re not sure exactly. You twisted your ankle somehow. It may have happened when I let you down from the chair I always eat on and you frequently join me on to share whatever I’m eating. At the time I thought you were just upset about being let down, but it’s possible you’d gotten your foot caught between the chair and your desk that was nearby at the time. All we really know is that later that evening when we were in the shower, you couldn’t put any weight on your right foot. It was pretty late, so we decided to give you Tylenol and ice it, and then see how well you slept.

You slept pretty well, actually. However, the next morning when you took your first steps of the day, you cried out and recoiled again. So we iced some more while you watched a ‘Signing Times’ video and got ready to take you in to the ER. It was really the Urgent Care that we brought you to get a professional opinion. After a lot of waiting and a wrestling match with you on the x ray table it was determined that you had no fractures and you were released without restrictions. The doctor figured you could decide on your own if it was too painful to walk on. The truth is that by the time we left there you were beginning to walk on it without complaint. By the next day, you were back to full speed.

The picture here of the sticker you got to bring home will probably be the only souvenir you will have from the incident. I mean, no bruises, no cast, no bandage.

As I said at the top I hope that this kind of visit doesn’t become a habit but you are a daredevil so we may do this again someday.

Love, aba