Today did not go at all according to my plan. Since Ana is out of school for Winter Break we got to sleep in a little bit this morning, but we still had places to be. So we got up and out the door just a few minutes behind schedule and arrived at Hadley’s baby play group. But about half hour into play time, things went horribly wrong.

Hadley fell.

It was a minor fall. Barely a couple feet off the ground. She was climbing on an indoor play structure but as she was trying to put her feet in front of her to go down the slide, she slipped and slid backwards down the steps. She went down on her bottom and we were impressed that she never even bumped her head. But then she started shrieking. Everyone assumed that it must have just scared her since the way she landed it couldn’t have hurt that bad. Oh how wrong we were.

I tried to comfort her with no success so I brought her upstairs to try and get her to calm down. I got her blankie out of the car and we snuggled together and after what seemed like ages, she finally started to calm down. It was so unlike my normally happy, mellow Hadley. The weird thing was, she hadn’t cried more than a single tear. Her face never got red. She just squealed like a baby pig. So it didn’t even occur to me that she was in pain. I came up with several possible problems: she was scared, over stimulated, teething, tired. But pain wasn’t even something I considered. Do read this article to know more about this issue from the expert’s point of view.

Eventually she was so exhausted from how hard she was crying (is it crying if there are no tears? Just whimpering and whining?) she snuggled in an passed out on my chest.

When she eventually woke up she was happier and wanted to get down and play with her friends (or rather she wanted to play with their toys) so I set her on the floor in a standing position. She instantly started shaking, leaned onto the chair foot rest, and refused to put any weight on her right foot. It was then I knew something was wrong.

Being surrounded by fellow moms, we went into exam mode. Poking, prodding, and checking her all over to try and pin point the injury. Eventually we narrowed it down to her right ankle. Nothing felt out of place and there was no obvious swelling, but she clearly winced and recoiled whenever we touched it. I decided it was time to call the doctor.

So we left play group and I put in a call to Hadley’s pediatrician. Of course, the office was closed for lunch from 12-1pm so I headed home to regroup and figure out what to do next. Eventually I got through to the doctor’s office and they told me they could see me at 1:50pm. I loaded up Hadley, leaving Ana home with Sim, and we went to see her pediatrician.

When we saw the doctor, I explained what happened and he started checking her over. As he was turning, twisting, pushing and pulling Hadley was smiling up at him like he was giving her a massage. I started to feel like the most over-reacting mother on the planet. I am not one of those moms who goes to the doctor for every bump and bruise. I’m just not. And I was really starting to get embarrassed for even taking up his time. But then he said, “Well, I think she probably just hyper-extended something but I am ordering an X-ray just to rule out a spiral fracture. Sometimes you can’t detect those as easily and the bones can just shatter.” So Hadley and I packed up to head downstairs to get an X-Ray.

The waiting room for X-rays was barren and not very kid friendly, but they did have a lovely fish tank so Hadley and I sat down right beside it and thankfully it kept her nicely distracted until they called her name.

They took several X-rays, with Hadley sitting between my legs on the exam table so I could help position her and keep her still. Hadley was mesmerized by the equipment. Pointing all around the room and staring at the machine as it made its electric hum. Eventually we were done and they sent us back upstairs to see our doctor again.

When he walked back into the room he said, “She has two fractured bones and a possible spiral fracture. I want to refer you to see a pediatric orthopedist.” I was in shock. Stunned. I never in a million years imagined it was something that bad. The doctor left the exam room to get the info for the referral and I just sat there holding my poor child. My BROKEN baby. My eyes filled with tears as I imagined what this would mean. But before I could let my mind fill with worst-case scenarios my cell phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number but I relished the distraction. It was the orthopedic office calling to let me know they made me an appointment for tomorrow morning. My doctor gave me instructions to give her ibuprofen and a prescription for Tylenol with Codeine to help her sleep tonight. He also said to try and keep her immobile and as comfortable as possible.

So Hadley and I went to Walgreen’s to fill her prescription. While we were waiting for her pain meds, we were strolling up and down the aisles. Hadley got all excited and pointed at a display of mini holiday Beanie Babies. I held out two in front of her to let her choose between a soft little polar bear and a cute snowman. Hadley grabbed one with each hand and gave me the biggest smile. Will I buy you a toy? Oh yes! Hell, I’ll even buy you two if it will make you smile at me like that!

So now we are home and Hadley is sleeping soundly in her bed. She is such a trooper. Through this whole mess she was in the best spirits. The only time she was truly upset was when she tried to stand. It breaks my heart to think of her in what I can only imagine is intense pain. I never saw the X-rays myself, so I don’t know much at this point, but I hope to know a lot more after our appointment tomorrow with the specialist. I promise to update on Hadley’s status and keep you all posted.