When Is This Rollercoaster Going To Stop?

Ugh! Our lives have been so crazy lately! I don't know where the lazy, dog days of summer went, but suddenly we are in the throes of a very busy fall.

Devin started Pre-K at a local church and preschool last Tuesday, the 4th. It was a proud day for mommy as he walked in, put his bucket (instead of backpack) and lunchbox down, found his name at the table and started working on his morning worksheet. I didn't cry, although I did get a little teary-eyed when I was taking photos of him looking so cute in his denim shorts and new polo shirt. He's just so grown up.

We've also had a few crazy weekends lately, with family in town, birthday parties, etc. It's like I just can't seem to catch up!

And, of course, life has not been without excitement.

This past Sunday, I went to a bridal shower and was enjoying some girl time. My stupid cell phone won't hold a change, but I didn't think much of it, as I wasn't going to be gone more than a couple of hours, I was close to home and Todd had the number of the house where the shower was being held.

Big mistake.

I got home around 4:30 and as I got out of my car, I saw my neighbor coming across his lawn and mine, toward me. Now Billy is the life of the party, always laughing and telling jokes, so when I saw his face without a smile or silly comment, I knew something was wrong.

"Don't panic. Everything is fine. Lisa (his wife) and Elena (our neighbor) are inside with the girls. Devin cut his finger on a knife and Todd took him to the Emergency Room. I saw them before they left and Devin was doing fine. He got into the car himself and had even stopped crying. Lisa and Elena are happy to stay with the babies if you want to go to the hospital."

Okay. Okay. I can handle this. D is in good hands, Todd is with him and the babies are happy. Okay. What do I need to do?

Put the milk that I purchased on the way home in the fridge.

So I went inside, met Lisa and Elena and asked them if they'd mind staying while I went to meet my husband and son. They were totally supportive and encouraged me to please go and not worry about the babies.

So I did.

I was at the ER in record time and found Devin and Todd immediately. There was my poor son, sitting on the exam table, his left hand wrapped in a towel. I asked if I could see the wound and Devin bravely showed it to me. OUCH! It was a pretty deep cut!

As we were waiting for the doctor to come in, I got the full story.

Todd was working on our bathroom and was on a ladder. His Leatherman pocket knife was out and Devin was reaching for it. Todd told Devin not to pick it up, but the munchkin did not listen and grabbed it anyway. He had a slice in his thumb before Todd could get down the ladder.

The doctor came in, decided on stiches and we discussed how to make the Doodle comfortable during the little "procedure."

First was Tylenol for Codeine for the pain (which, by the way, had the opposite effect on my kid), then a topical anesthesia. After that was a local anesthesia via a shot (Devin was not happy about this, but luckily they had him wrapped up in a blanket like a burrito, so he couldn't swat them away). Then the stiches. The local anesthesia worked well, because he never felt a thing. While the doctor worked on D's left hand, Todd stood on the right side of the room and did tricks with the latex gloves. He had Devin (and the nurses, in fact) in stiches (pardon the pun!) and kept his mind off of procedure at hand (pardon that pun, too!).

After the procedure, we were out of there pretty quickly and D's done very well ever since. We've kept his hand wrapped in an Ace bandage to keep him from using it too much, but it's barely slowed him down. We'll have to skip Gymnastics class this week, but he'll be able to return next week.

The girls are doing well, also. Thank you to all of you who posted comments or sent me emails on how to boost their calories and get them to gain weight faster. We've adopted a number of your suggestions and they seem to be very happy with their new, more fattening diet. Who wouldn't be?

A few weeks ago (actually, it was August 6!), Faith took her first steps. It was those tentative, coaxed steps that stopped as soon as they started. She walked, but she wasn't interested in doing so. Over the next month, she did it a few more times, but again, it was only when I sat across the room with the remote control in my hand, begging her to come toward me.

This past Thursday, though, as I was sitting in the living room, Faith popped up onto her feet by herself (she didn't even pull up on an object!) and walked over to me. I was so surprised, but I'm not sure she knew was she was doing. I think instinct had taken over her conscious, because she wouldn't do it again. It was like she didn't even know she'd done it.

Until yesterday.

Last night, around 5:00, the three kids and I were playing in the front room, and Faith did it again: poppped up by herself, and walked to me. This time, though, she laughed and smiled, so I know she knew was she was going.

And that was it. She started walking everywhere: From the living room to the dining room, through the kitchen and breakfast room and into the family room. Rest. Then off to the entry hall and back into the living room.

Houston, we have a walker

Gracie, not to be outdone, has now started to spend more time standing on her own. I doubt it will be long before she's walking as well.

So there you have it -- the latest in the life and times of the Pruetz family. Stiches, first steps and general craziness. It's just another day in paradise. :)