Today is a promising day for Travis’s recovery. He slept soundly through the night, woke up happy, got into crawling position by himself in the bed, and only complained a little when I changed his diaper. He chattered happily at breakfast, too. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him attempt a few steps today.
This injury has been tough on everyone. On Travis, of course, but also on us – knowing that we can’t really do much for him but watch. It’s good to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Travis is feeling much better today. It’s amazing the difference a few hours makes. He wasn’t happy this morning when we put him in his clothes. Ever since, though, he’s been pretty bubbly, considering his injury.
We went to the airport after breakfast to look at the planes. It was looking like a warm day but by the time we got out there the wind made things pretty chilly. Travis had a good time on my knee, watching the occasional plane take off or land. Kelly and Hallie raced down the kiddie runways though they never could gain enough speed to leave the ground. After some fun there, we stopped by Goodberrys on the way back to pick up an after-lunch snack.
Lunchtime was a big turning point in Travis’s mood. He kept screeching “DADDY!” with pure delight – one of the first times he’s really called my name (though Kelly says not to be disappointed if he calls the cat Daddy as she’s seen him do). We all had a fun lunch, if not totally filling for the kids, and then proceeded to afternoon naps.
Kelly read Hallie her stories while I did Travis’s naptime. He was close to an hour beyond his normal naptime but didn’t show any signs of stopping. He chattered on my lap for close to an hour! It was fantastic seeing him so happy, but naptimes are for napping! When I finally put him in his crib he wailed more from boredom than pain.
He’s still snoozing now as I write this. Kelly took Hallie out to the fabric store. When they return, we’ll grill up some hamburgers and enjoy the rest of this beautiful Saturday.
Our injured Travis had a better night last night, though he’s still not moving his left leg much at all. And he’s still crying out whenever it gets moved for him. Kelly’s got another call in for the pediatrician to see what next steps might be taken.
I want our happy boy back!
I just got through reading Walter Issacson’s biography of Benjamin Franklin. What can I say? I knew the story of how “Dr. Franklin” was a printer, helped tame electricity, invented bifocals, was a world-class diplomat among other things. What I didn’t realize is just how pivotal he was in inventing the United States of America Why if it wasn’t for Poor Richard, we’d all be speaking English!
Franklin had a curiosity which served him well. He was not a masterful writer, but wrote to his favorite audience: the common man.
We’ve had some terrible storms around the Turner household today, mainly coming from Travis. He didn’t sleep much at all last night, which means we didn’t sleep much at all. I’d say from 4 AM to 7 AM was our only stretch. Hallie seemed to sleep fine, however.
Travis is still in great pain. We figured out he must have a groin injury since he complains less when we lift his legs along with his body. If his legs dangle on their own he screams in agony. It’s not fun for anyone.
We got a morning appointment with his pediatrician. The doctor focused on the areas around his upper legs. We were given instructions for dispensing ibuprofen to him but no real advice beyond that. The ER doctor said that he may have been up and about today but that didn’t happen by a long shot. The pediatrician said 36 to 48 hours but we’re convinced that is optimistic. I’m beginning to worry that its not a simple pulled muscle, or strain, or sprain. I’m wondering if he didn’t injure his muscles more seriously. Certainly he’s expressing pain he’s never felt before in his young life. It’s so tough to hear.
That’s not to say that we didn’t have our moments today. Travis is usually happy when he’s seated. In his high chair we can get smiles out of him. He’s also “talking” to us much more, using his signs again too. Kelly even got him sitting up by himself on the playroom floor, from which position he even tried to crawl. It was encouraging to see him making some progress, but he’s still got a long way to go.
I hope he gets a good night’s sleep tonight and gives his muscles some rest. It’s incredibly tough to see our Big Guy having such a rough time. He’s such an easygoing, happy, charming little boy by nature. We can’t wait to get our guy back!
I got back from my Seattle trip at 7 PM but I’m just now beginning to relax. Why, you ask? Because we’ve spent most of the evening at WakeMed hospital.
I had left the airport and was two miles from being home when my cellphone rang. A frantic Kelly was telling me something about “Travis” and “hospital.” Travis was screaming in the background. I hung up and raced home to see what had happened.
Hallie met me at the door but my welcome hug to her was brief. Kelly told me Travis had slipped, hurt his leg somehow and wasn’t standing on his own. I had time to drop off my bag, put Hallie into her coat, and race with them to the hospital.
WakeMed North is at the other end of Durant, basically where I was when Kelly first called me. We bundled T up, checked in at the desk, and were soon waiting in the back for the doctor on duty to check him out.
Kelly put Travis on her chest, which seemed to calm him down tremendously. I walked around with Hallie on my feet to entertain her, then took her back so we could all play “I Spy” in the hospital room. Once Travis got comfortable, he actually gave some weak smiles, pointed to the light above the table, did some baby signs, and looked around quietly with a pitiful look of pain on his face.
X-rays taken didn’t show any sign of broken bones. The doc’s diagnosis is a sprain somewhere. We’re not exactly sure just where, as the doctor poked him up and down but couldn’t get a reaction. So, we were told to let him sleep tonight and see how he’s feeling in the morning. If he still has trouble standing, we’ll take him back in.
What a way to welcome Daddy home, huh?
[Update] Looks like Kelly posted her account on the Hallie and Travis page.
When people from different timezones meet, the East Coasters seem to be industrious (waking up early) while the West Coasters seem to be party animals (staying up late).
Harpers has a transcript of radio transmissions of Israeli troops guarding the Gaza Strip. Last year was apparently open season on ten year olds and three year olds in Gaza.
Hey, let’s reward ’em for being good shots with another billion dollars of weapons.
I’m in Seattle (Bellevue, to be exact) now after a day of traveling. Weather is actually nicer here than in Raleigh.
Though I’ve made the trip countless times, I will always be in awe of the ability to start the day on one end of the continent and end it on the other. It’s amazing how small technology has made the world.
My birthday weekend is wrapping up. Its been a good one, too. Friday was a fun evening spent with the family, though Kelly and I were too wiped to watch a movie or do much else after the kids went to bed. Thus it was pretty quiet.
Saturday morning was one spent dozing a bit in bed, though sleeping late has come to mean 7:30 now that we’re parents. A breakfast of blueberry pancakes and bacon soon followed, cooked up by Chef Kelly and her Noisy Chef assistant, Hallie.
After a good meal, we plotted the day’s activities. Rain was on the way, so my first choice of a family hike was out of the question. Instead, we packed up the kids and headed for the N.C. Museum of Natural Science. We spent the whole morning there chasing after gleeful kids, not minding the rain outside.
After getting home for lunch, the kids took their naps and so did the adults. I wound up sleeping 90 minutes, far beyond my usual nap, though I felt quite refreshed afterward. We were running out of time to get ready for our evening concert, so I spent the next hour finding a suit that still fits.
My parents (and Scott, who would be joining us) arrived soon after we got the kids up from their naps. After giving my parents the “plan of the day,” we said goodnight to the kids and headed out the door. We ate and got drinks at the Rockford before dashing to Memorial Auditorium for the symphony.
The symphony featured Edgar Meyer, a celebrated bassist. In my rush to get tickets, it didn’t even register who he was until five minutes into his performance. Meyer is the talented bassist who plays with Yo Yo Ma and Mark O’Connor on two CDs I love, Appalachia Waltz and Appalachian Journey. To see him playing five rows in front of us was just incredible. I walked around the entire evening with a stupid grin on my face!
After a good night’s sleep, we woke again around 7 and were once again faced with a rainy day. It was breakfast and then a trip to the N.C. Art Museum, where we marched around outside before warming up in the children’s play area of the museum.
After lunch, I met Jeff over at my parents’ house to help move furniture. Then it was back home for the kids’ naptimes, after which I hit the road for some volunteer work in Durham for the Rhine. Then it was playtime with the kids, dinner, bath time for the kids, and finally bedtime for the kids. Whew!
Now I need to finish packing for my trip to Seattle tomorrow. Fortunately, I’ve got a good biography on Benjamin Franklin to read on the long plane flights there and back.
See y’all on the flipside.
