Vandy Weekend

September 19-20, 2008---This is the weekend we look forward to every year. Our nearest and dearest college friends come in town for one football game each season. We start planning it at least 7-10 months in advance. Everyone clears their schedules for this one weekend. Well, this year, six weeks before the big event, Rick's company tells him that he has to be out of town that week. Mind you, we ordered tickets for this game in March. All of our friends have hotel rooms and flight arrangements reserved. And Rick is going to miss seeing his fraternity brothers. He was not happy to say the least!!!!

Friday night we ate dinner in Oxford at Tequila's. I took all three kids which wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, Anna Catherine had fallen at recess that day and her arm was hurting all night so she wasn't in the best of moods (we'll talk about the arm more later). Afterwards, everyone went to the Bergeron's house to hang out. During this time Chloe knocked my camera out of my hand and it broke. So, thanks to all the friends who e-mailed their pictures from the weekend to me. I had none of my own.

On Saturday morning I took Jackson and Chloe to Grandmother's house (the daytime babysitter who took them to a cousins' house as the nighttime sitter) and Anna Catherine and I headed to the Grove. We were prepared for possible rain--which did come--with our rain boots. She and I did get caught in the rain after leaving the "Walk Through". You can see that we look a little soggy in the pictures. Anna Catherine's arm continued to hurt throughout the day so we iced it on and off for the entire day. It was also swollen and had limited movement. It just hung by her side all day and she preferred to sit and talk to the adults rather than running around and playing with her friends (more to come later).

It wasn't a very good football game. We lost. But that doesn't matter. Hurt arm and all, we enjoyed seeing friends we only see once or twice a year (if even that). We really appreciate them taking the time and effort to make the trip back to Ole Miss each year.

After the game, Anna Catherine and I went back to the Grove and packed up our things. Scott and Andrea helped haul our belongings to the van and we headed to the BMH-Oxford emergency room. After 4-5 hours of waiting, x-rays, and more waiting, it was determined that Anna Catherine had fractured the growth plate in her elbow. They casted her arm and sent us home with a prescription for Tylenol 3. She and I had been awake for 23 hours when we got home. We were able to sleep for about four hours before going to pick up Jackson and Chloe and my cousins' house around noon (only twelve hours later than planned). We were exhausted!!!!!!!!!! These photos were taken with Rick's camera phone.

Arm update: Having Anna Catherine in a cast was like having another baby. She couldn't feed herself, bathe herself, or dress herself. Did I mention that she is right handed and it was her right elbow that was fractured. We went to an orthopedist several days later who removed the cast. He said her arm would become stiff (and require therapy) if the growth plate were kept in the same position for an extended period of time. Anna Catherine wore a sling during the day but took it off at night and moved her elbow to prevent the stiffness. We saw the orthopedist at two week intervals for the next month. On October 17 Anna Catherine was allowed to remove the sling completely but her arm still had three weeks to heal. That was seven weeks of no gymnastics, running, playing, P.E., or recess which was a hard thing for a five year old to do!! She is much better now and I hope that she (and the others) never have to go through that again. It was not a fun experience for anyone.