Momma Said There'd Be Days Like This...

I don't usually blog about myself, but this time, the story is too much to pass up.

I guess I qualify as subject matter, since the title of the blog is "The Life and Times of the Scacco Family".  Anyway - Here goes...

It all started at 4:30am on Saturday, January 23rd, 2010.

I was awakened by Dane, who wanted a bottle.  When I went to get out of bed, I noticed that somehow my neck had become out of place.  (How your neck goes out while you sleep is a mystery for another day.)  My neck *really* hurt as I tried different methods of sitting up, but finally I succeeded and headed to the kitchen.  My intent was to make the bottle and then get Gary, who was sleeping on the pullout couch in the TV room (something you do when you have 2 small children), that I needed help.  As I walked to the kitchen I thought to myself, "My stomach hurts.  I think I'm going to throw up."  

Well, I don't remember even crossing the threshold of the kitchen.  The next thing I knew, I was face-down on the kitchen floor between the island and the range oven, with Gary leaning over saying, "LeAnn!  Can you hear me???".  At that point I could hear him, but barely, over the LOUD white noise I was hearing in my own head.  My vision "faded in", the opposite of what a TV show might do at the end of the program.  I now knew that I had passed out on my way to get the bottle, and that I was a mess.  I sat up and leaned against the refrigerator to gather myself, and Gary started asking questions.

Mostly they were questions like, "Do you know your name?" or "Do you know what day this is?"  (That one I had to think about, but not because I passed out.  Life is moving so fast these days that I rarely know exactly what day it is.)  This exercise was strangely similar to questioning I received from my mom as a child, after I had fallen out of trees or off of stacks of hay bales.  "What were you doing?"  "Do you know who I am?"  "Who is the President of the United States?" Cringe.  

I answered the questions to the best of my ability and began to survey the damage.  The left side of my face was cold and throbbed a bit.  It didn't exactly hurt, per se, but I could tell that the impact point was just outside of my left eye.  "That's going to leave a mark," I thought - a common phrase from my husband.  I must have passed out just as I was entering the kitchen, and, since I was moving at the time, I made it to the range oven and fell on it, smashing the side of my face on the way down.  He said that I knocked the salt & pepper shakers and sugar & creamer containers off the back of the range oven, which made a huge CRASH, and then he came running.  So I must not have been out for very long.

We decided I needed some water and a bit of food.  Since my neck was still in pain, I determined I'd have to sleep in the recliner, upright, and call Dr Fager (my chiropractor) after they opened.  Dane did, eventually, get that bottle, but not from me.  :)  When I saw Dr Fager later that morning, he was alarmed that I felt sick to my stomach and then passed out.  He sent me for an MRA (like an MRI, only for your arteries) and told me we'd have to wait on the results before I could be adjusted.  Even though it was an "Open MRI", I have to tell you it was NOT fun, especially with excruciating neck pain.  I don't consider myself claustrophobic, but after that... I may reconsider.  It didn't help that I was having "shock shake" between sessions.  But I made it through.  The results came back completely normal, and after a few days of letting my neck  muscles relax enough to be adjusted, I went to see Dr Fager again.  (He and Tara take such good care of our family!)

I am now about 90% normal, save the BIG black eye I now sport.  By now, it is starting to go away, but I must share with you the crazy self-photos I have of the damage.  At this point, I just have to laugh about it, and chalk it up to a good story.  I think I'll even devote a scrapbook page to it.  More to come...

So, without further ado, here they are:

The day of the incident - Swelling, a little blood, but not terrible:

Starting to get purple:

 

Very purple: 

  

Starting to get green now, joy of joys:

  

Very green, but losing purple:

That last one is from today, more than a week later.

I probably have another week to go.

You should see people look at me at work.  My coworkers have started to make up stories of what happened to me, just for fun.  I even did three interviews with this lovely shiner.  Tell me THAT was fun...

I'll keep you updated on the healing process.

LeAnn

MonkeyBuns

Just thought I'd post a few pics of Dane in the outfit he got from Grandma Smith for Christmas.  I commissioned a lady on Etsy.com to create these "sock monkey" pants.  They are SO CUTE!  (Especially on Dane...)

Enjoy!

[overheard]

The other night I was putting Jacob to bed with the usual routine.  I don't recall exactly what we had been talking about or what the circumstance was, but what I do remember is what he said to me. 
    "I 'cared, Mommy."  I stopped.  Silence.  Thought. 
    "You're scared, Jacob?"  "Uh-huh."  More thought. 
    "What are you scared of?"  Silence. 
Evidently he didn't know how to express what he was scared of, because, as quickly as it had begun, the moment was over.  His attention moved to something else in the room - the lamp, a book, something. 
Every day it is amazing to me what he says, both because he has physically formed the words with his mouth, but also because it gives me a glimpse into the workings of his mind.  I am having trouble remembering that he is only two years old, because he seems so much more grown-up than a "mere" two-year-old could be.  But along with this growth comes his venturing into new situations, new emotions.  It breaks my heart to know that - already - he is learning that the world he lives in is not always safe, that sometimes there is reason to be scared.  Hopefully he understands it only at a shallow level right now.  And I hope he understands the protective love his Daddy and I have for him.  I pray we can help him understand God's protective love for him, too, especially since God has the ultimate power to do so.  Even more so than the fact that his parents are here for him, I want God's fatherly love to be a comfort to him.
These are the moments you never expect, in being a parent.

Dane - Five Months

Mommy got a new toy for Christmas (kinda), so this month's photo was especially fun to take!  And look at the results - I am thrilled! 
And, for all you empathizing parents of tinies out there, I am happy to have proof that my baby doesn't ALWAYS scream and cry during "tummy time!"  :)

Sweet Dane is really getting fun.  He is very interactive and VERY happy.  Just look at him and his face lights up.  He smiles with his eyes, which Mommy just loves.  He is trying to sit up, working his little abs every day.  He also opens his mouth very wide when he sees the bottle.  He reaches out and grabs it with fervor, as if we never feed him.  I think you can see the contrary.  What a delight he is!

Dane - Four Months

Well, everybody - Here we are!  Dane is four months old!
It's hard to believe that I already have a deck of photos for him and can watch as he has changed and grown.  He is quite the talker these days, and has a STRONG GRIP!  He especially likes to hold onto his sleeve when I'm changing his clothes, and MY sleeve when I'm changing his diaper!  This does NOT make the process faster.  :)

Here is the latest installment in the story of Dane:

Have a great day!

A Fine Day For A Ride

Jacob got a new toy today - a little powered motorcycle from Grandpa Dan.  He LOVES it!  Daddy and Mommy particularly like it because it looks like a Harley.  The stickers on it say Wild Child - how funny!
At first he didn't really understand how to make it work, and managed a few near-misses with the neighbors' cars, etc.  But after awhile, he could steer really well, even navigating correctly when we would say, "Go left!" or "Steer right!".  I was impressed.
Here are some pictures of Jacob on his new "mumm".  Hopefully we'll get a chance to also post the video of him riding for the first time.

Thanks, Grandpa Dan!

Oops!  Ran into the rocks!

Do you see the "Back Off" sticker?!?!

Halloween 2009

All who know me know that I don't get into Halloween much.  However... the part that I do like about Halloween is yummy goodies and cute kids in costumes! 

Today Jakey and I made owl cookies.  We had a lot of fun, and Jakey LOVED putting the sprinkles on.  Mommy had quite a time convincing him NOT to eat all of the pieces before we got them together!  :)

After naptime, Jacob and Dane donned their costumes and got their first taste of trick-or-treating.  Jacob was a biker and Dane was a cowboy.  We went just to a few houses around ours, and one at the end of the street.  Jacob didn't quite get it, though, because at one house he tried to give candy to the people who live there!  It was hilarious. 

Please enjoy these photos of the day: