An East Coast Ordeal

Fall on the east coast is my happy place. I love the way the air smells and the way the trees change. It is one of the things I miss the most, (besides the pizza of course). So, naturally when the opportunity arose to go and visit my sister and her family this September, I went for it!

I was super nervous about flying with Phoenix for the first time by myself, but that ended up being the easiest part of the whole trip! I got some awesome ideas from friends on FB & IG and he literally was a perfect angel baby the whole time!

All the flight attendants fought over who would hold him when I had to use the restroom and the people on either side of me were so amazing & helpful. The french gentle man who was sitting next to me did not skip a beat in our conversation while I nursed Phx in such tight quarters and the grandma sitting across the aisle let little Phx rip her magazine to shreds and play Candy Crush on her iPad. We seriously lucked out on both flights.

 I felt like a pack mule, but impressed that I did not have to check a bag! I fit everything in a carryon on suitcase and the airline checks the car seat and stroller for us.

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year on the east coast and I would be lying if I said that I didn't tear up a little as we were descending over a sea of beautiful fall foliage. (Seriously, having babies has made me way too emotional about everything).

I had the best time spending time with my sister and her family. She lives just a few blocks from where I grew up, so it was awesome to walk around and reminisce.

 My sister and her kids are the best! It was chaos at times having 3 kids under 2, but Phoenix had a blast playing with them. They were all so sweet with him, especially Jasper who was so kind & thoughtful.

Even their dog & cat were obsessed with little Phx. Seriously so cute!!

It was such a fun trip. We went to the apple orchard where we used to go as kids and ate cider donuts and drank apple cider. It was awesome.

Just minutes after this photo was taken, I experienced the most awful event of my life to date. I was playing with Phx and swinging him around and lost my balance. I fell, he fell, and I could barely get a hold of him before he hit the ground. From the moment he hit, I knew something was wrong. It was the most awful, heart wrenching cry and he was absolutely inconsolable. I was a wreck, but thank goodness my sister is good in crisis mode. She drove us to the ER at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital and they took great care of us. Phx would not stop crying, so the exam was very difficult. I knew it was something with his legs or hips, and after finally getting him to calm down the doctor agreed and called for x-rays. The x-rays showed a break in his left femur, just above his knee. 

The pediatric orthopedic surgeon said that he would need a spica cast, which would need to put on in the operating room. The cast would need to be on for 4-6 weeks. Because of this, Phx was not allowed to eat or drink anything, which was torture! A screaming, tired, traumatized, 8 month old and I'm not supposed to nurse him. Talk about feeling helpless. Meanwhile, I had spoken to Mason (who was out at the sand dunes) and asked him to find/call someone to come and give Phoenix a priesthood blessing. He was able to get a hold of the local ward in New Haven and shortly after, they arrived and were able to give him a blessing. I am so grateful that no matter where I am in the world that I am part of a community of people who I can reach out to for help. After discussing with the surgeon that we were supposed to fly back to LA, he told us that instead they would put on a temporary cast so that we could get back to California and then we would have to see an surgeon at home to put the permanent cast on. I was slowly coming out of my meltdown state and grateful that I could finally feed my baby. He went straight to sleep.

We made changes to our flight so we could get home on a non stop flight and once again everyone was so nice. Complete strangers helped me take off my shoes in security and carry my luggage. Again, the flight attendants were amazing. They would even pull down the diaper changing tray for me, above and beyond. My faith in the state of humanity was beyond renewed.  

To make the longest story even longer... we got in to see a pediatric orthopedic surgeon first thing on Monday and they did more x-rays. To our surprise, the surgeon told us that Phoenix would only need a leg cast (instead of the spica) for 3 weeks (instead of 4-6). It was a miracle. I could literally feel the outpouring of love & prayers for us. It is almost crazy to think that in just 3 days the prognosis was so different. The power of prayer is real and again I am so grateful for the priesthood blessing that Phoenix and I received.