Easton::4 Years Old

Today Easton is 4! I love 4 year olds. It's such a fun age. Easton is into ninjas and pretty much doing whatever his older brothers are doing. He loves to play outside and especially jump on the trampoline (with his brothers). He still wants me to brush his teeth for him and carry him to bed. He loves to play starfall.com on the computer and he is a great singer. He is only in his element when he is well rested and not put on the spot to perform. Being watched, laughed at or pressured is sure to cause him to clam up and shut down. Although he is painfully shy, he loves going to the playground and making new friends while he is there. In fact, surprisingly for him, he prefers to play at the playground when other kids are there to play with.

He is complicated and seemingly a "tougher nut to crack" than any of the other kids. I think I like that about him. ;) He is growing into his own at his own pace and he is a joy.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EASTON!

 

This is Easton's face (and Wyatt's) when he saw the hamster Papa got him

 

A Haircut for Easton...and Loose Teeth

Poor little Easton. I know I write about his personality every time I do a post about him. I can't help it. I'm sensitive to his position in the family, plus his disposition. I have a soft spot for him because not everyone understands him. He wants to just be who he is, and many people want him to be Brendan and Wyatt. And then at the same time he wants to be Brendan and Wyatt and yet he can't be.

Easton has been very anti-hair cut. All his life. Scared of loud noises, clippers were out. Every once in a while it would get long enough and bothersome enough that he would allow me about 2.5 minutes with dull scissors. I didn't do well with that window, but we never really cared.

The other day we were out and he happened to see a kids salon. He looked in the windows and declared he would like a haircut there with just scissors. I let that sink in for a good week until after much badgering by him I made him an appointment.

Man do I love his new haircut. It is still longer on top which I love and neat and tidy around the ears and neck.

Sadly on the same day, he slipped in the bath tub and knocked his 2 front teeth loose. We had an emergency dentist visit before his hair cut. We are hoping they just seal back down and don't discolor or need to be pulled. No front teeth for the next 5 years would really be sad.

Easton has grown up a little bit more this week.

Easton::Cast Update

It's off!! It's actually been off for just over a week, but I have been computer-less for a bit so no word from the blog-front. (Not to mention my life is crazier than it's ever been and there is no guarantee I would have blogged by now anyway!!)
So EASTON! I actually got his appointment moved up a couple days because his shredded cast was cutting into his feet and toes and causing him quite a bit of pain. So they squeezed him right in. THANK YOU!

We went back, straight to cast removal. They didn't even give him a chance to get worried. I told him to cover his ears and she just went to town. He looked at me with total panic, but he held it together. Did we want to save the cast?? Ummm, No.  We have pictures. That will be good enough! That thing was gross!

He is still limping and walking kinda funny, but I'm pretty sure his ankle is stiff and not quite back to normal. We are enjoying getting dressed, going to the bathroom, getting around, and taking baths with great ease! He doesn't have any pain and I don't care if we never have a broken bone (especially a leg) ever again!

Easter and Easton

Easter was lovely. We had perfect, perfect, beautiful weather. We went to church, which was good (as always). We went early and then came home and changed into our summer clothes and pretty much played all day. My dad and grandma came over in the afternoon and ate a casual dinner with us out on the deck and we soaked up all the beautiful spring sunshine that we could. It was one of those lovely days that you wish would just drag on a little longer.

Monday, however, came anyway. Rand went back to work and I took Easton to his 1 week follow-up appointment. He was in very good spirits and I couldn't help but think about how happy he has been (since his leg has healed enough to stop hurting). It can only be a result of the special attention he has been getting which makes me sad and glad at the same time. I think he needed it. A lot of holding and carrying and taking care of, including sleeping in my bed because it is too hard for me to get him in and out of his lower bunk bed that is basically on the floor. Anyway, he is happy, and that is good. He occasionally talks about getting that cast off, but for the most part he is really good about just being okay with the way things are. Perhaps he is even seeing the "gifts". He is healing well, but will have the cast for probably 5 more weeks. We go back again next week and they will probably follow his progress for a couple years just to make sure that growth plate heals properly. Here are a few glimpses of Easton that he rarely lets anyone see. Smiley, and goofy.

Easton ::3 Years Old

...or also known as The Broken Leg Birthday.

My poor little Easton. Easton is so different from my other kids. He is the only one I can honestly say is more like me than like Rand. Not a fan of meeting new people or talking to pretty much anyone, and would just prefer that a big fuss or a lot of directed attention was never something he had to deal with. That being said, he warms up to people slowly and he has lots friends he loves, even if he can't show them to their face all the time. He is misunderstood often (as most shy people are), but when he is in his element he is charming and hilarious and talkative and fun. I have a bit of a soft spot for him because he is so much younger than his brothers (and wants to keep up so badly) and then his next closest sibling is the only girl in the family. That, plus he is shy and I understand his personality so well, that well....I have to be careful not to be a complete push-over.

Before I get to his birthday, let me say a word or two about trampolines. I grew up with a trampoline....and 4 siblings. It was a big trampoline with no net and we spent countless hours and years on that thing. No one ever got (seriously) hurt. Ever. My dad may say that is debatable because we launched him off the thing more than once, but honestly, no one ever went to the hospital.
Anyway, it was a great trampoline and it held up for years. In fact, it is still a good trampoline. When the kids grew up and my parents moved to their lake house, the trampoline went into storage. It came out one summer after me and my sister had kids old enough to use it, but then it went back.
When Brendan was diagnosed with Perthes Disease at age 5, we knew trampolines were out! Heck, running was out for a year and jumping, even off of the couch, was out for 2 years. Then the following years of that new bone growth was carefully watched and protected by no high impact activities of any kind. The last year or so we have talked with the Orthopedic doctors about trampolines and every doctor (we have seen one in Delaware, Phoenix, and now Washington) will not EVER tell ANY patient that a trampoline is a good idea. EVER. I get that. They can't recommend it. It's kind of one of those "use your own worst judgement" situations.

Well anyway, we live back up north near my parents (and the poor trampoline that is in storage) and it was offered to us if we felt like it was a good idea to have it (considering Brendan's leg) and we really did vacillate about it. But we have this great property, where the trampoline just seems like it would belong and summer is coming and I can't imagine anything more fun for my crazy kids. [Insert worst judgement]
So, Saturday (2 days before Easton's birthday) my dad helped me bring it over and set it up in our lower yard. We decided it was Easton's and it was for his birthday, and he was thrilled. He is naturally a little timid, so he really didn't like the idea of the big brothers being on when he was on. That's fine, probably better. The big boys, when on by themselves were instantly crazy, doing flips and literally jumping for 3 hours straight. (They were SORE the next day)
On Sunday, the day before Eastons birthday, I had to work. When I came home around 4:30 Rand met me at the door and said Easton had messed up his leg on the trampoline....like 2 hours ago and he was still on the couch not moving it. CRAP!!!!! It was a bad combination of no supervision, no rules, and big brothers. They bounced him and he crumpled. If you have spent much time on a trampoline, you know how it goes. You bounce right before someone else and then they catch your bounce and they go rocketing into the sky. (Think how high an almost 3 year old could go). Well he didn't go high at all. He just crumpled because the force of big brother was too much for his little legs. Honestly, I can barely type these words. I am just sick about it. SICK.
Well, Rand and I were pretty sure he twisted up his knee, praying to God that rest and sleep would make it better (plus it was Sunday night and knew it was Orthopedics we would have to see anyway). It was a hard night and in the morning he was miserable and hurting. Rand stayed home and I took him in at 9:30am. It was his birthday.
Long story short, X-rays showed a fracture at the top of his tibia (the big bone of the lower leg). UGH!!! The doctors there were SOOOO great. Not once giving me a guilt trip for setting up a death trap for my children and endangering my sweet birthday boy's precious little bones. Do you hear the motherly guilt? I am still feeling so bad about it I could just cry. They helped put Easton at ease (who absolutely did NOT want any strangers touching him, talking to him, or even looking at him). He was so brave and tough, even when they were manipulating his leg every which way and he was in excruciating pain. They casted him with his ankle at 90 degrees and his knee at 90 degrees so that he would remain completely immobile and not be able to stand on it in any way. We will follow up in a week with an Orthopedic surgeon and continue to follow it closely as he heals.
For his birthday, we had a party planned, but cancelled all his little friends that were going to come since he couldn't participate at all, and just had my family come over with their presents and cheer. He was in good spirits and opened his gifts and played from his spot on the couch. When he was about done with all the attention he asked to be moved to his bedroom where he played for a little while without all of the attention (and even rudely asked for everyone in the other room to stop laughing), then came back out and joined us in his make-shift wheel chair (an old stroller that I found in storage with the trampoline). He ate some cake and then we wheeled him onto the back deck and let his wish lantern go into the sky. It was perfect (except for the first one that caught on fire, hahaha).

Despite it all, he is so excited to be 3. He has a great attitude and we are just making the best of a bad situation.
Pray for my poor back. I am lifting him from crazy positions way too much! (Remember, he wrecked my back as an infant when he was 24 pounds as a 4 month old and then didn't walk until he was 14 months old) I need to start a core strengthening routine!
Pray for Easton's leg. The break is in a "high risk" area because of it's closeness to his growth plate.

Easton, we just LOVE you!

Not the best way to spend your 3rd birthday.

 

Kindle helps. A lot. 

  

I showed Easton this picture and told him those crazy scissors were awfully close to his private parts and he got such a kick out of it I thought he was going to hurt himself laughing. Third boy. I know how to speak their language! :)

 

 

Taking a stimulation break in his bedroom

 

Had to settle for store bought cake for now!

 

First lantern: FAIL

 

Family shenanigans. Always.