Ella broke her arm!

Wednesday night around 5:15 Ella fell off 3 of our stairs in the basement. She was playing on them, as she typically does, missed a step and fell off the side landing on her arm. She has fallen off dozens of times but this one was different. Maybe it was a Mom's intuition, but I knew it was broke when she hit the floor. I rushed to her and you could tell by looking.

Burt had just left to take Emma to volleyball practice so I called him, got Eva Grace ready, threw clothes on, grabbed Ella's shoes, got her some Tylenol and left as soon as Burt pulled up.

St. Bernards ER was fabulous. They got right to us. X-Rays, Dr's, nurses, I.V's, pain meds, etc.. Poppy and Granddad came for support, so did Brother Don. After our X-Ray results were in and sent to the Orthopedic Dr. he decided he didn't even need to see her, we needed to be sent to Le Bonheur for emergency surgery.

This was the first ambulance ride for anyone in our family! Thankfully, Eva Grace kept telling Ella how jealous she was that Ella was getting to ride in an ambulance, and how unfair it was she couldn't go, so, Ella thought it was cool. That was one of the biggest blessings! If she would have been freaking out, I couldn't have comforted her very easily. I was also thankful that the ambulance drivers allowed me to sit in the back with her, the hospital told me I would have to sit in the front. Ella's descritpion of the trip was, "It was better than ice cream." (Thank you, Lord!!)

When we arrived at Le Bonheur's ER, it took a while for them to get us seen and in a room. Ella and I arrived there around 10, Dad and Burt drove behind us and go there around 11. We didn't get to a room until after 1. Ella hadn't eaten since lunch the day before and was wanting some apple juice really bad. The doctors finally came in and said our surgery would be in the morning so she could have something to drink!! (Another blessing because this calmed Ella down a lot!). We were thankful for Bruce, Andrea and Ashtyn Wright who came to hang out with us for a while!! They brought us some awesome goodies: homemade cookies, snacks, and quarters!! It was the perfect time for this surprise! I also love the smiles in the picture of Ashtyn and Ella. (That wasn't the general emotion of this night). We couldn't get to our room fast enough and we were all exhausted!! I didn't sleep at all and Ella didn't sleep much but she was a trooper and didn't fuss much. The walls were thin so you could hear every baby crying down our hall any time. We slept with the tv on to try to disguise some of the cries. So sad and literally gut wrenching!

Thursday
Around 5:30 am, Dr's started making their rounds. Around 8:45 they came to get us for surgery. I am so glad Ella wasn't old enough to grasp what surgery was and what was going on around her. She was never scared (Another answered prayer)!! They took her in a toy room and she got a new baby doll, then she got to choose her cast color. She wanted purple sparkely, but they only had purple. I told her we could add the sparkles later :) The hospital let Burt and I go back with her and Burt got to go in with her while she was being put to sleep. She was such a trooper (more than her mama was) I kept most of my tears hidden from her but the surgery was tough. Honestly, it was the toughest thing I've ever done as a parent. That was my breaking point. They told us we could go eat while she was in surgery or go back to the room, like we had some spare time to spend... I couldn't leave. I was thankful my dad was with us. He made phone calls relaying information as it came available to family so I didn't have to. (That isn't my strong suit :).

After surgery, I couldn't get to her in recovery fast enough. They had put 2 pins in her left arm, right above her elbow. She had the purple cast she wanted and made it through the surgery just fine. From that point on she only got better! We got back to our room where she had some balloons from Granddad. Later in the day she got more balloons and a bag full of candy from the Colvett's. She loved sitting in the bed with all of her loot (and hiding it from her sisters that Grandma was bringing to visit her!)

Nanner came by then went and bought her an outfit to come home in. (We all only had the clothes we came in). Poppy, Ron and Judy also came by later. Another highlight of the day was meeting Olivia Holt, a Disney star on the new show Kickin' It. She came around signing autographs and meeting patients :). Ella didn't really know who she was but Emma and Eva Grace did and were quite envious!

Friday morning, we got to come home. Ella was very excited. She was tired of the hospital, but her nurses were very nice! Burt and I were ready for a shower. The hospital had no soap or shampoo. We only had the clothes we came in so we were nasty.

When we pulled on our street we could see balloons flying from the mailbox! It didn't end there. Ashley and Ella Mae Dobson and Amy Reed were waiting on us when we arrived. They had picked up my house, got Ella a cookie cake and a baby doll with a matching purple cast :) They also had her some purple KoolAid and me some unsweet tea. Berkley and Ella Mae even made her a card. It was very sweet! Later, The Pools came by and Aubrie brought Ella a bag of Blow Pops and a Webkins, which she also loved.

The one thing Ella wanted for being in the hospital was ice cream. She decided she wanted the girls to go with her! So, we picked them up from school and went to get ice cream! When we got home, Posey Peddler brought her some deliveries. She got balloons and a big pink bear from her classmates and teacher, she also got some beautiful sparkely purple roses and a basket full of goodies and candy from John, Kristin and Tindle! Nanner showed up later with groceries to stock our fridge and Mrs. Mitzi dropped by with some sparkely purple nail polish that matched her cast perfectly, a sticker book, and some snacks! Ron, Judy, Jaeden and Braxton brought her a mini pillow pet and some more suckers :)

Here is some of her loot.

We were all so blessed throughout this entire ordeal. We received over 300 Facebook messages, texts, visits and phone calls. Those simple messages letting people know they were praying for us meant so much!! It doesn't take any money, or much time. Just let people know you are praying. I will do better with this from now on. I will also be more greatful for my healthy kids.