Made In America

I hate to toot my own horn, but last week I had a brilliant idea.  After having to cancel our family vacation to Breckenridge in June, I decided we should go up to the mountains for the 4th of July.  It has been hot down here and the fireworks in our town were canceled because it's been so dry. At the VERY last minute (like Monday!), I booked a two bedroom condo on Lake Dillon for the 4 of us.  I couldn't believe anything was still available, but it was!  Honestly, neither of us had ever stayed in Dillon before - we've driven through a million times, stayed in the next town over, even eaten there, but we've never spent the night there.  We are Dillon converts for sure - we loved it!

On Tuesday evening we sent Belle to Nana and Grandpa's house.  She was pretty psyched for her own vacation with people who pay attention to her!

On Wednesday afternoon we headed up the mountain with 9 million other people.  We pushed through and ended up having dinner at a restaurant/brewpub in Dillon called Pug Ryan's

Our cute little place had a beautiful view of Lake Dillon.

On Thursday morning we threw Asher in the backpack...

...and rode the gondola down to the Breckenridge 4th of July parade

Unfortunately, we didn't last too long because Asher overheated in the backpack and then rubbed sunscreen in his eyes, causing them to swell up.  So, we abandoned ship and went swimming instead (excellent choice!).

That night we grilled out, ate lots of watermelon,

listened to the rain, saw a beautiful rainbow, 

listened to the boys giggle and play nicely together.  As cheesy as it sounds, JZ and I seriously sat on the couch watching our two shorties and said, "Wow, we MADE them!"

That night, we dressed in our finest red, white, and blue

and went down to the Dillon amphitheater to watch fireworks over the lake.  We snuggled and chased Asher while we were waiting for them to start

The fireworks were spectacular.  I wish I could show them to you, but we haven't mastered the art of fireworks photography.  You'll just have to trust me on this one.

The next morning, we had one more adventure before we left - we took Caden down the alpine slide in Breckenridge.  It was his first chairlift ride and slide. He was a little nervous about the chairlift and wouldn't get off of JZ's lap, but he LOVED the slide!

Two videos of his ride...

I promise that Asher was there too, but you have to be three to ride the slide, so he and I went to Starbucks instead

We had SUCH a fantastic adventure and time together!

On the way home we stopped for awesome pizza in Idaho Springs.  In case you're wondering, this is what a kid that has rubbed pizza all over his face and hair looks like...

I still can't believe how good the boys were.  We dragged them EVERYWHERE!  It finally got to be too much for sweet Bashy

I will always cherish the memories of this 4th of July.  We had such fun just being together and playing.  When we packed up to go home, Caden actually cried (sheer exhaustion may have also contributed)!  If that's not the sign of a good vacation, I don't know what is!

Happy Birthday, America!

Later, Cast!

That's right, see ya later, cast!  

When Caden's cast was put on, we were told he would be in it 4-6 weeks.  Based on the location of the break and his age, I was prepared for 6 weeks in the cast.  We knew that he would not be able to get a walking cast because of how high the break was.  On June 26, we went in for a check-up.  I had been praying for miraculous bone growth because everyone was ALL DONE with the cast.  I was tired of carrying him and he was tired of crawling.  My back was killing me and his good leg looked like hamburger because it was so bruised and scratched up.  When he needed to go anywhere we would just look at each other as if to say, "Who's going to give first?"  More than anything, he just wanted his freedom back. Two nights before his check up he very pathetically said to me, "Mommy, please take my cast off.  I just want to run!"  Sigh.  I was hopeful but I really thought that there was no way it was coming off.

We knew that the check-up would involve an x-ray and we thought they were going to do it through the cast again, but instead decided to take it off so they could get a really good picture.

This brought back terrifying memories of the first night we were in there and he had to straighten out his leg for the x-ray.  Let's just say Caden was NOT a member of the "No-Cry Club" this time.  Poor guy was so scared that it was going to hurt again.  We got a good look at his puny little leg and I was able to (gently!) smooch it again.  

Here is a comparison of his x-rays:

The right one was taken May 26, and the puny one on the left was taken on June 26

The ortho doc surprised us by saying that even though she could still see a little line on the x-ray where the break was, she felt like it would heal better with the cast off so blood could flow and the muscles could move around.  We were given strict instructions to take it easy for the next 3 weeks - no running, jumping, climbing, or wrestling.  Basically, he needed to keep his feet on the ground or in the water.  She said that he would have a significant limp for awhile, but in three weeks he should be well on his way back to normal.

I was not prepared for that.  I was terrified.

I didn't need to worry, he wouldn't put ANY weight on it.  He wouldn't walk and he wouldn't crawl.  He scooted around on his bum or asked to be carried (at least he was lighter without the cast!).  Once we were home a few hours, we noticed that his ankle was really bruised, swollen, and scratched up.

After a call to the doctor to calm my fears of an injured ankle, we determined that he had been banging his ankle into the cast while he crawled around for the last month (every once in awhile he would complain of his ankle hurting) and he had a deep tissue bruise.  It was very painful!  

Good thing this kid is tough!

He scooted around for days.  He cried anytime we tried to get him to walk.  I had visions of carrying him to college...

At least we got to swim!  Some people may call this "playing," but we call it physical therapy!

Ashy loved PT too!

And then suddenly, he started to try it and trust that his leg would hold him.  One week after having his cast removed, he was really beginning to do it!

He is now walking more than he is crawling!  He's very slow and walks with a very noticeable limp and his left foot turned out to the side (all normal at this point).

This has been very eye opening for both Jeremy and I.  When Caden walks in public, we have noticed very nice, well-intentioned people staring at him.  You can almost hear the wheels in their heads turning - "What's wrong with that kid?  Is it permanent?"  No one has ever said anything, and Caden doesn't seem to notice, but I do.  I now have a 1% understanding of what parents with special needs kiddos experience everyday.  I just want to put a big sign on him that says, "Just got a cast removed.  He's perfect and will be walking again soon!"  I can't imagine what it must feel like to experience that all the time and know that the injury will not be healed in a few weeks.  I guess this is just one more thing I have learned through this experience!

And, to end on a ridiculous note, while we were getting Caden's cast removed he said, "Next time I get a cast I want a blue one!"

Next time?!?  Ummm...NO WAY!!!