follow up...

We now have an ugly board running the length of our staircase. At least my kids are safe(er).

Miriam

On Tuesday my baby girl took a fall.

James and I were upstairs chatting and our girls were taking turns coming up to greet us. Miriam was so cute when she came up. She played on the bed and wanted to be covered up (but I had made the bed...surprised? so was I.) She did have a throw to snuggle under, but quickly got down off the bed and headed for the downstairs and the sissy's. As we continued chatting we heard a sound that I want so badly to forget. We immediately ran to the hall and saw our worst nightmare. Miriam had fallen off the side of our staircase. From where she was laying, we assumed she had fallen about 4 or 5 feet.

She was crying as she lay face down, but when James picked her up she immediately stopped crying and turned white as a sheet. Her little lips were pale and her eyes weren't focusing. I decided to call 911. This was around 415pm. Even as I dialed I wondered if it would work since we live in no-man's-land and I had only heard rumors that we had access to 911 services. The 911 calls go to the state police office and they dispatch from there. The firemen were at our house within 15 minutes. That might not seem very fast to those who live in town, but for us Hicks it's lightening speed. In the time it took them to arrive I had called my mom to come over and stay with the other kids. Between the time the first responders and the ambulance arrived my friend Kirsten and Jason called. Jason was a volunteer fireman in a nearby town and I knew immediately that they had heard it on the scanner. They offered help in any way and I appreciated their thoughtfulness. After the first responders arrived, the ambulance wasn't far behind. (They had to come from farther away.) During this time Miriam had started making eye contact with us, but James says she was still limp in his arms. She had been "unresponsive" for about 4 minutes, but never lost consciousness. At one point I did see her move her arm. That gave me a bit or reassurance. And while she was being assessed Catie got her to smile. I started hearing the paramedic talk about a helicopter and Strong Memorial Hospital, which is our nearest Trauma Center. I was in a bit of shock over that news and decided that I needed to grab some clean jammies for M, her doll and special blanket. I also grabbed a few things for myself and my husband in case we had to spend the night someplace. (A few days later, as I was unpacking the other bag that James had packed before heading up I found his Bible. It meant a lot to me that in that moment he thought to bring a Bible.) The whole thing was a bit overwhelming and I cried constantly. Miriam was quiet as a mouse. Then they started putting a neck brace on her and strapping her to the stretcher. The fear was that she had a head injury of some sort and based on the distance she fell and the length of time she wasn't responding they thought she needed a higher level of care than our local hospital could give. Let me tell you, she HATED being strapped down. She began crying and fighting and screaming and kicking and SHE. WAS. MAD. and scared. It breaks my heart to think about it now. I just wanted to pick her up and hold her and tell her it was going to be ok, but at the same time I knew that all that activity was a GOOD thing. By the time they were loading her into the ambulance my mom was there and James was able to follow behind in the car. I assumed we were going to the hospital in Corning to get her assessed and then MAYBE flown to Strong. nope. The helicopter was already parked at the local CMA church. I was able to ride in the chopper with her, but still not close enough to touch her. Luckily she slept most of the 30 minute ride.

James went home and grabbed a few things including her car seat (that's also when he packed the second bag with that Bible in it) and started the hour + drive to Rochester. When we landed they took me away to register (which was very frustrating) and by the time I got back to Miriam she was off the stretcher and in the doctor's arms. He quickly handed her over to me and she was fine.

My wonderful friend Sarah lives only 30 minutes from the hospital. I called her before the helicopter took off and she was happy to come stay with me until James got to Rochester. Miriam was observed for a few hours, but they quickly knew that she had only suffered a Grade 1 concussion, which is the mildest, and probably didn't even need all the hulabaloo. We were thankful for the precautions taken and I got to ride in a Helicopter.

We are also thankful for our family and friends who were quick to jump in and do what was needed without hesitation. The news of Miriam's fall spread quickly through local church prayer chains and connections, and even made it to James' workplace.

My great friend Danielle simply showed up at the house. She was a God-send since she knows how to get 3 small children prepped for an overnight with the grandparents.

This is our staircase. I had taken these figurines down so we could have stockings up over the holidays and I never put them back afterward. We think Miriam fell from the step that the second highest figure in on. James plans to do something more permanent on the edge in the next few days, but these seem to help keep Mimi away from that edge a bit. She is the first of the 3 girls to stubbornly not obey when I tell her to "go over by the wall". That just seems to be Mi's personality and I love her strong-will as much as I hate it. :)

And this is Miriam the day after the ordeal. She seems no worse off. She's still stubborn and gets into trouble and won't go up the stairs by the wall, but that just means I have to be more conscious of where she is in the house. And her sisters have to help me keep track of her. They tell me when she's close to the edge.

And speaking of the big sisters...they were rockstars through the whole thing. Catie was simply amazing. She put on her brave face and when I kissed her goodbye and asked her to pray for Mimi, she smiled and said she would. Lydia stayed by Miriam's side while the EMT and Paramedic were assessing her and when she was being put in the ambulance she cried and wondered where they were taking her sister. Silas slept through the whole thing. He's amazing, that little boy of mine. :)

I was wonderful to end up coming home that night and to know that our little girl was sleeping safe and sound in her crib. I know the day will come when I forget this ever happened (well, not totally) and go back to taking my children's health for granted, but I hope it doesn't happen any time soon.

i need help...

As you can see, I'm trying to make this blog as visually interesting as I can without actually having to learn how to design a web page, but I'm no computer geek by any stretch of the imagination so I need some help from you. (Not that I think you're geeks, but you know a lot more about this stuff than I do.)

I would like to center the title of my blog up there. Do any of you know how to do that?

I'm part of the Gang....by proxy.

Last night was STRESSFUL!

I'll admit I get a bit jealous of football. Sometimes I wonder if it isn't James FIRST love, but then February comes and I relearn to cherish those months until August.

Except that time in late spring when the draft happens.

And those random days throughout the summer when James does his JETS stalking.

I think he's addicted.

But I have learned to be the supportive wife (with an itsy-bitsy bit of complaining thrown in during the fall months, just to make my position known). I watch the JETS. I ask questions. I discuss plays. I learn names. I listen to his rambling during a game, which is what I did last night.

I didn't actually watch the game. I updated my blog for the first time in a looooong time (with pictures and everything. I hope you like it). I missed the JETS' first touchdown. Honestly, I looked up and there was 7 points on the screen for the Gang Green. (See, I even know nicknames.) I didn't comment or ask when they scored because I didn't want to draw attention to the fact that I wasn't watching. (How supportive would that have been?)

My heart rate and blood pressure elevated toward the end. Somewhere around the 3min mark in the 4th quarter. I was nervous. I'm a realist (as is my hubby). We knew there was a chance the JETS would lose, but I sure am glad they didn't.

And just think....I get to do it all again next Sunday. yippee!!!

What we've been up to...

Miriam turned ONE in August. Man! that girl can eat cake!!!

and she figured out the best way to clean off the excess....

We had family pictures taken. These are some I took of the girls before our friend Paul came to do the real ones. If you're looking for a GREAT photographer in the Rochester, NY, area check out his website. www.north40photography.com

We hosted a Brewster family reunion. This is most of the kiddos that were there. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time. I can't wait for next year.

Catie started school. and LOVES it. (I think she might be the teacher's favorite, but shhhh....don't tell.)

My Kitchen went from this....

to this.......

And I went from this....

To this....

Silas Paul was added to our crew on 10-7-10. Nine minutes before his due date. We were hoping he'd hold out until Sunday, October 10, 2010. Our doctor even agreed to induce me on that day if I wasn't already in labor, but there would be no 10-10-10 birthday for our son. He's still pretty special if you ask me.



So, there you have it: a few good reasons for me to be MIA since July. What's your excuse?

is there anybody out there?

July? JULY?!

How did this happen?

Is it even worth posting again? you tell me.

little life lessons

Have you ever had a day when you realize how obsolete you've become in certain lives and at the same time have an epiphany of how important you are in other lives? That happened to me recently while at the wedding of a friend. It was a girl I had mentored and become friends with during my time at IWU as her RD/boss/friend. Almost my entire staff was part of the wedding party or attended the wedding. I consider these girls to be part of the most important years of my life, but I noticed that I don't seem to hold the same place in theirs. This is certainly no reflection of negative feelings toward any of these wonderful young women. I know that I am their friend and they love me. It is simply an observation that they have each other and I am not a part of the inner circle.

HOWEVER, I have a (much smaller) inner circle right here in my own home. I prefer dealing with college age girls, but one day these 3 little ones will be there and NOW is when I need to be setting the ground work for our relationship so that I can be an important part of their lives when they are in high school and college. They will have friends, but I hope they always come back to me with their real problems and needs.

Maybe, though, this is just a foreshadowing of things to come. I was the "mother" of the girls at IWU. They were "sisters". I guess it wouldn't be so bad if my girls loved me, but could rely on each other as best friends in their times of need. Only time will tell how our relationships will evolve. I'm just glad to have the chance to experience them in my life as much as I am grateful to have had the chance to know the girls from Shatford House.