The First Broken Bone

If you follow me on Instagram, then you already know that Clementine recently got her cast taken off after a long 6.5 weeks. October was a pretty crazy month for us; we had just gotten back from Canada, we were jet lagged and busy, and on our fifth day back, Clementine fell off our kitchen counter and broke her elbow. I had been putting Hazel to bed, and when I came out and saw her face I knew that something was seriously wrong. My husband was already packing a bag and he just looked up at me and said, "I'm taking her to the hospital." 

So off they went to emergency, only to return at midnight with a diagnosis of a broken elbow and one full arm cast and a sling. That first morning, when I saw her little body lying in bed with a giant white cast resting across her chest, my heart hurt. But she was such a good sport about it. She never complained; she just adapted and got on with it. After a week in a white plaster cast, it was taken off and replaced with a waterproof cast. She was over the moon because she got to choose the colour and she chose pink, of course. 

Having a 3.5-year-old with a cast and a sling certainly made life interesting. Just getting her dressed was a struggle because of the size of the cast. She also couldn't swim or do any water play, and bath time was nerve wracking with us trying to keep her arm out of the water. At the park and playground she continued to try to climb everything and do all of the things she normally could, so I was always slightly on edge trying to keep her from injuring herself again!

All in all though, I know that it went pretty smoothly. Her elbow healed and the day her cast was taken off we celebrated with chocolate cake and a swim. Injuries are a part of life, and I've never wanted to be one of those helicopter parents who doesn't let their kid explore or play. Clementine is agile and adventurous, traits I want to encourage (for the most part). And at the end of the day, I know that we will look back and laugh about the time she broke her arm, explaining "i jumped off the kitchen bench and my daddy didn't catch me" to anyone who asked her what happened (for the record - that's not what happened, but it's hilarious).