I am guest posting over at Loralee’s today. Please be a doll and come over to say hello there, if you would be so kind. I don’t want to feel like I am standing there with my pants down. Please don’t visualize that, because it is not pretty. I have had three kids, yo.
My original plan over here was to do a sweet post about Emily and her peeps.
***
Because honestly? HOW CUTE ARE THEY?
(Taken with my point-and-shoot. Please forgive me.)
I thought I might be able to augment said drafted-in-my-head post with photos using my new lens! Because it finally came! Yay!
We left here (all five of us) yesterday afternoon to go into town as a family. Nathan had been complaining that his ear hurt, so despite having the Canada Post notice that my lens was here, I did the responsible thing and waited TWO WHOLE HOURS until his appointment to go pick it up.
Matthew took him to his appointment while I took the other two with me to pick up the lens. The plan was to kill two birds with one stone, and leave me with lots of time to play with my precioussss before dinner.
Matthew and Nathan ended up wasting waiting AN HOUR AND A HALF past the appointment time to actually see the doctor. Graham and Emily did the expected meltdown reaction to waiting so long. It was awesome.
Nathan has an ear infection. Again. We need to go back in a month to see if he needs to get tubes in his ears to prevent hearing loss.
Awesome.
We got home much later than expected and I whipped together the Friday night fare of pizza and nachos. We headed back outside as a family and I was able to play with my new lens. It is phenomenal, and I planned to go through and edit the photos I took after the kids were in bed.
As we were all heading back inside to give the kids a bath, Matthew picked Emily up by her hands (like he has done a million times before), and heard a weird popping sound. She was crying, and saying “owie” and was holding her left wrist.
I brought her inside to cuddle her on the couch. I was pretty sure it was not broken, as she was still holding my finger with that hand while she sucked the thumb of the other hand. But if I tried to move her hand side to side, she would cry out and the crocodile tears would flow. I knew that it was not broken, but that it was not unbroken.
We decided that I should take her to the ER which is a thirty minute drive away. She sat the whole time with her left wrist limp on her lap. As I parked in the parking lot and walked to the ER with Emily on my hip I was hit with a wave of emotion. The last time I came to the ER was the night of the fire, and the baby on my hip was Nathan. I felt like I was immediately thrust three years back in time. Uncertain, unknowing of how my baby was doing, and if everything would be OK.
We met with the nurse and her left wrist was still limp. She refused to use it, even when I gave her my keys. The nurse told us we would have to wait to see the doctor, as the ambulance had just come in with an emergency case.
In the meantime, she started using her hand. By the time the doctor came to see us, I felt like maybe I had overreacted. He explained that what had happened was basically a locking-up of some bones in her arm, and while waiting she had gone and fixed it herself.
Hooray!
In addition to the physical drama of today, I had some more emotional dung thrown at me from a childhood friend of mine. It seems as though we returned from paradise in Mexico and have been bombarded every. single. day. since then.
On my drive home with Emily, I drafted a letter to my Life in my head.
Dear Life,
The whole kicking me when I am down? In the teeth? And the heart?
IT IS GETTING OLD.
I want you to know that I am choosing to be thankful in all things, including what crap you may hurl my way.
I am thankful that I live in a country where the medical system takes care of me and my family. The wait? A mere inconvenience.
I am thankful that I have friends who know my heart and know that I will fight to the death to keep our friendship intact, strong, and vibrant.
I am thankful that I have a husband who has my back. One. Hundred. Percent. And a God who backs us both up two hundred percent.
You have tried to get the best of me lately, but I am a Fighter. I refuse to lay down and die.
You have no idea of the complete joy that I choose to embrace in order to fight your lame attempts to drag me down.
If you don’t believe me?
Bring it.
Love, Angella
21 Comments
Oops … I meant to saw … I thinkg that I SAY that every.single.time. I comment! It’s much too early to be typing! 
Oh, Poor Miss Emily. Glad she’s OK. And also? Hurray for a new lens! Cannot wait to see more masterpieces.
Karla’s last blog post..Family Virtues
Comment by Karla on April 12th, 2008 @ 3:10 amHave fun playing with your new lens. Glad to hear that Emily was not seriously hurt. I so sympathize with you on Nathan’s ear infection. My oldest has yet another one. We have to go back for a hearing test and numerous other things to rule out tubes. Hopefully things will be better now that the spring seems to be staying. I am really sick of doctor appointments and insurance co-pays.
Have a great weekend.
TheAngelForever’s last blog post..More sickies, allergy testing, and the teething monster
Comment by TheAngelForever on April 12th, 2008 @ 4:13 amthat was a good post.
You know it will only get better from here. It has to! seriously!!
love ya!
Karen’s last blog post..the ensuite
Comment by Karen on April 12th, 2008 @ 6:30 amI would like to throw some dung back on your behalf. I mean seriously, what the you know what? It angers me to no end that you, who is one of the sweetest people on earth, keep getting kicked in the teeth.
If they are going to bring it, tell them to bring it here, I’ll take care of it!
Also glad Emily is okay and I’ll be praying that Nathan’s ears fix themselves just like Emily’s wrist did.
LOVE YA!
Kami’s last blog post..A man of few words
Comment by Kami on April 12th, 2008 @ 7:08 amOh, man. What a crazy day. I hope you were all able to sleep long and hard last night to make up for it. Poor sick/injured kiddos. 
I really hope this spring goes a lot better for you than the tail-end of this winter. It can only get better, right?
Way to make the choice to be thankful for the blessings when you’re standing knee-high in you-know-what.
Amanda Brown’s last blog post..A Little Clarification
Comment by Amanda Brown on April 12th, 2008 @ 7:23 amWe just finished studying Job and this post really spoke to me. Wishing you well, praying for you and for your family.
Elizabeth’s last blog post..Track Time
Comment by Elizabeth on April 12th, 2008 @ 8:53 amaww, hope everything starts picking up!
love you guys
songsinblue’s last blog post..Lessons in
You have such a positive, wonderful attitude about the ups and downs of life, and I really admire that about you.
When things get tough for me, it’s easy to just curl up in a ball and whine, but I’m trying to fight back more often.
Sharon’s last blog post..10 questions
Comment by Sharon on April 12th, 2008 @ 10:09 amAgain, sending you warm thoughts and hugs!
Emily and her peeps are adorable. Especially that top picture, where everyone is very busy checking out their crackers 
Meg’s last blog post..Old LJ post
Wouldn’t it be nice to just run back to Mexico at times like these? I am glad Miss Emily is okay, and know that you will be too. I am praying for you, my friend. And can I share with you the verse I like to meditate on at times like these? 1 Peter 1:6-7
bethany actually’s last blog post..Annalie’s web
Comment by bethany actually on April 12th, 2008 @ 12:18 pmThose popping noises are sure scary aren’t they? Glad to hear Emily took care of it herself. I know we don’t know each other from a whole in the ground and I have no idea your struggles, but your letter to your life was one of those moments for me where you read something and want to copy it because you can’t say it any better. I’m learning this week that being content is a conscious choice no matter the circumstances and we make it when we choose Christ and to know him above all else. Not sure if that’s encouraging or anything, but I wanted to offer it, from one dung pile to another. Hope your Sunday is a true Sabbath this week. Thanks for all you share.
Comment by Amanda Franks on April 12th, 2008 @ 6:54 pmThe Fantastic Four are going to be such great friends! I love Emily’s face on the second picture - “Come on mom, we’re trying to visit here!”
It’s amazing how quite often when you take a child to the ER, they seem to “heal” themselves, right before you see the doctor. (I have to admit that I was one of these kids!)
Hope Nathan is feeling better, and you too! Take care of yourself! I’ll be thinking about you!
Comment by Michele on April 12th, 2008 @ 11:13 pm*hugs*
Victoria’s last blog post..Strange But True Thing I Discovered Accidentally All By Myself #342
Comment by Victoria on April 13th, 2008 @ 9:24 amOy. Glad Emily is okay, and hope Nathan will be, too!
metalia’s last blog post..It Couldn’t Be Any Worse Than Anything Michael Bay Has Come Up With (IMPORTANT UPDATES ADDED)
Comment by metalia on April 13th, 2008 @ 10:26 amSorry to hear about Nathan’s ear infection. Tyler has had tubes put in, so I know ALL ABOUT IT. The op is not that bad and it WORKS. I’m also sorry to hear about the emotional dung - geez, it’s not like you’ve had enough of that already!! So not fair. But I’m here if you want to chat, okay? And your letter at the end says it all - you have the right attitude!!
Hannah’s last blog post..Peek-a-boo ?
Comment by Hannah on April 13th, 2008 @ 12:26 pm[...] the craziness that was Friday, my life has been gloriously uneventful. The days have been filled with sunshine! And gardening! [...]
Comment by Dutch Blitz » Beauty Vs. Beast on April 14th, 2008 @ 8:06 pm[...] the craziness that was Friday, my life has been gloriously uneventful. The days have been filled with sunshine! And gardening! [...]
Comment by Dutch Blitz » Beauty Vs. Beast on April 14th, 2008 @ 8:06 pmtrample the weak, and hurdle the dead. my hubsters fav shirt….
Comment by Mel on April 15th, 2008 @ 5:41 pm
What an awesome post! (I think that I saw that every.single.time. I comment)!
Comment by Lisa C on April 12th, 2008 @ 2:00 amJust keep fully relying on God & he will get you through EVERYTHING!
So glad that Emily “fixed” her wrist … & I hope that Nathan feels better in no time!