They are home...

safe and sound. There has been a fund established for Hannah at a bank in their hometown of Lansing, MI. If you would like to forego your Starbucks coffee stop this month or the new pair of boots you've been eyeing, send your checks to:

Hope For Hannah
Fifth Third Bank
6446 S. Cedar St.
Lansing, MI 48911

This Mother works part-time at Wal-mart and her husband was head custodian at a Magnet School in Lansing. They tried to have children for 12 years before deciding to adopt Hannah. I am sure any contribution would be welcomed. My check will be in the mail tomorrow. Will you join me?

Update on family in China and Thankful Thursday...

Very late tonight, it was confirmed that Sandi Sheldon and her daughter Hannah are on their way home to the United States. The offices listed along with many others were inundated with calls and emails from friends, family and adoptive parents from all over the world in support of this Mother and her daughter. I read that the office of both the Senator and Congressman received over 1000 phone calls by lunch time yesterday. I have to say I was very disappointed in the actions of the US Embassy in Guangzhou though I know they were only following the rules. Yes, there are rules and yesterday we saw that some rules are made to be broken. Congressman Mike Rogers and Senator Debbie Stabenow, both from Sandi's home state, along with our very own Secretary of State Condolezza Rice were instrumental in making this happen. They were the hands and feet that God used to resolve such a terrible situation.

This story, this MOTHER, has weighed heavy on my heart the past two days. I'm not sure how your heart can feel pure joy and overwhelming heartache in unison. Becoming a first time Mother and a widow at the same time? I can't really process that. I am imagining it. She is living it. So, tonight, my heart is heavy and raw and aching for a woman that I do not even know living circumstances that I hope and pray I never have to live. It is Thankful Thursday today. I have missed the past two weeks because I have been busy. Too busy to take the time to be thankful which is the very reason I started Thankful Thursday to begin with. Pathetic, I know it is.

--Today I am thankful that I have an amazing husband who loves our children without condition
--Today I am thankful that he is healthy, hard-working and a determined provider for our family
--Today I am thankful that he loves the Lord and desperately wants to be someone that his children will view as a good example in which to model
--Today I am thankful that God has given me the opportunity to be his wife and their Mother
--Today I am thankful that someday in the near future we will grow our family with a little girl who may have never known the love of a Father or the joy of a family
--Today I am thankful that God has given me a passion for adoption.
--Today I am thankful He has blessed me with a husband who has a heart the size of Texas. He may not share my eating-sleeping-breathing-overwhelming PASSION for all things adoption. However, he does share with me the desire to open his heart to a little girl who will some day find herself without the love and guidance of an earthly Father.
--Today I am thankful that God has made it possible for Sandi Sheldon to bring her daughter home. Home to the love of a Mother and the stories of a Father who wanted her and loved her despite the circumstances. I hope and pray that someday her Mother will tell her the story of her Father. I pray that someday she will know that the six days he spent with her as her Daddy were his dream come true.

Urgent Prayers Needed for family in China...

Please please please join me in prayer on behalf of Sandi Sheldon and her daughter Hannah who are currently in China. Sandi and her husband Dennis left for China at the end of October with a Bethany group to meet their children and finalize the adoptions of those precious children. This is their first baby. After being united with their daughter Hannah, Dennis suffered from diabetic shock and passed away (while in China). Now Sandi may be forced to leave China without her new daughter. Please read the following message posted on the Bethany boards and in addition to prayer, please call Sandi's representatives in Michigan to help get this situation straightened out.

{message}
The US Consulate in Guangzhou, China has denied Sandi Sheldon permission to proceed with the adoption of Hannah. They want her to fill out a new I-171 and are making no guarantees after that. Sandi, of course does not want to leave China and leave Hannah here because she has no where to go. Sandi needs our help desparately! Please start a massive campaign of calling to her US Congressman and US Senator and urge them to intervene on Sandi's behalf. We have discussed this with Sandi and she wants our help. Please pressure these elected officials to contact the State Department and straighten this out. Sandi should not be denied Hannah's adoption because her husband passed away unexpectedly. The adoption has been finalized here in China.

Sandi's congressman is Mike Rogers. His Washington office number is 202 225 4872. His Michigan office number is 517 702 8000, he also has a toll free number 1-877-333-MIKE. He can be contacted through is website at http://www.mikerogers.house.gov/Contact.aspx

Sandi's US Senator is Debbie Stabenow. Her Washington DC number is 202 224 4822 and her Michigan office number is 517 203 1760. Her email address is senator@stabenow.senate.gov

Everyone should try to help and call these people until they get final approval. We should continue to pray that her adoption is finalized quickly and that Sandi can return home to Michigan with Hannah as soon as possible.
{end message}

If you feel so inclined, and I personally ask that you take the time to do this, please send a quick email or phone call to anyone you think might be able to help this Mother. Your Congressman, Senator, Representative, our Secretary of State, our PRESIDENT! Whoever. The mere thought of this woman losing her husband AND her daughter of only two weeks just brings me to tears. Below is the email I sent. Feel free to copy and paste.

To whom it may concern:

It has come to my attention that the US Consulate in Guangzhou, China has denied Michigan resident, Sandi Sheldon, permission to proceed with the adoption of her daughter in China due to the recent and unexpected death of her husband. I urge your office to intervene on Sandi Sheldon's behalf. Sandi should not be denied by the US government the adoption of her daughter because her husband passed away unexpectedly. More than ever, she deserves to continue the legacy that she and her husband began together.

Sincerely,
your name here
city, state

to our Dr. Anna...

Nearly five years ago, four weeks before J's birth, Daddy and I spent an entire day interviewing local Pediatricians. That seemed like such a monumental task at the time and I was thoroughly prepared. I spent weeks contemplating all of the questions I would ask: education, background, experience, immunizations, antibiotics, breast feeding, blah blah blah. I had a list and, believe me, I had checked it more than twice. Armed with my little notebook, we paraded into each office with the intention of finding the right person for us.

Enter Dr. Anna...a young, intelligent, extremely personable Pediatrician who was, like me, expecting her first child. She answered all of our questions the way we had hoped and we left with her at the top of our list. I was hesitant in the beginning because I wanted to be sure I wasn't choosing her based on personality. I loved her from the first minute I met her so I didn't want that to jade our decision. Daddy was certain she was THE ONE regardless of her nice factor; so, we went with it. Little did we know how important that decision would prove to be over the next few years.

We spent a lot of time with Dr. Anna after J's arrival, much more than we ever dreamed we would on that first afternoon meeting. Those first few months we talked almost daily, either in the office or on the phone. Some days I called her. Some days she called me. Many days she called to check on J. Many days she called to check on me. It didn't take long to discover she was not JUST our Pediatrician, she was our friend.

Each and every time J was admitted to our nearby Children's Hospital, she was on the phone with hospital staff every single day, sometimes more than once. When she hung up the phone with them, she was on the phone with us. She was J's #1 advocate and OUR #1 resource. In those first few months, we experienced some of the toughest days of our life with her by our side. Three months after J was born, she took some time off for the birth of her son. It was during this time that J's specialist decided he needed to do surgery. We were scared. to. death. but did not want to bother her on maternity leave. She deserved time to spend with her baby just like everyone else. Although, I did ask her partner to inform her of what was going on when he spoke with her. He agreed (though I secretly doubted he would pass it on). Both Daddy and I vividly remember the phone call we received in the Recovery Room immediately after surgery...it was Anna. She was at home with her two week old son but still found the time to call about J. I had never been so happy to hear her sweet voice on the other end. There was something so comforting in knowing that, even while at home taking care of HER newborn son, she was still thinking of OURS.The next few years brought a few more ups and downs with our little man. Though we knew she had many little people to care for, it always seemed as if our J. was her only patient. I think she has the ability to make everyone feel that way. She always had the time for whatever question or concern at any given moment. She always answered honestly, even if it wasn't what we wanted to hear at the time. While on maternity leave with her second child, she spent an entire morning with us at J's much anticipated (and dreaded) appointment with another specialist. We had anticipated this appointment for months. It meant so much to us to have her by our side on such a big scary day. It was even more special to celebrate the "end of an era" so to speak when we received the good news we had been praying for. I bet she needed a little extra oxygen after I tackled her with the biggest bear hug known to man two steps out the office door. Who better to celebrate such a big day than with the person who held our hand every step of the way?

Fast forward a couple years, add another baby to the Womble mix, and she is still one of our favorite people on the planet. MG brought with her a new set of fears and anxieties for us. We were quickly reminded that MG was her own little person. God makes all of our babies different for a reason and we can not confuse or compare them with each other.

So, are you wondering why in the world I am posting this yet? Well, as of today, our friend Anna will no longer be "our Dr. Anna", as J calls her. She will still be a phone call or a playdate away; but for now, the Womble charts will have to find a new home. Much to our dismay, "our Dr. Anna" has moved on to bigger and better things. Bigger and better things equals a new job title, a new address and a new zip code. A new zip code for her equals the need for a new Pediatrician for us. Are we thrilled about that? Ummm, NO. Are we thrilled for her? Well, OF COURSE we are!! It is bittersweet.

This photograph was taken at MG's last well visit before "our Dr. Anna's" last week in the office back in September. I have been working on this post for that long. I was going to do a little PhotoShop work to make everyone look camera perfect but I changed my mind. MG was not in the mood for a photo op, J was dominating the entire visit even though it was MG's appointment and there is "our Dr. Anna" smiling sweetly in the background with two squirmy Womble kiddos in her lap. I think those raised eyebrows mean something like...HURRY UP AND TAKE THE PICTURE ALREADY!

Hopefully sometime in the next few days, in the midst of boxes and moving chaos, "our Dr. Anna" is going to stumble upon this post. Anna, this is what we want you to know...

I can not find the perfect words to describe to you how precious you are to our family. If we had not been thrown onto the Womble roller coaster ride we probably wouldn't even be friends today. I imagine you would have remained just another MD in our address book and we would have remained just another family. Funny how things work, isn't it? Your insight, both professionally and personally, has been more valuable than you will ever know. I've told you 100 times over the past 5 years but you were (and still are) truly a God send to us. I know we still have many playdates and long winded Mommy catch-up conversations to go...they will just take place with a mini road trip between us. We love you and wish you the very best in your new job description. We can not wait to see what God has in store for you and your family as you begin this new chapter.

Sending you big, I mean HUGE, hugs from the Womble four...
M

A Big Girl!

A big girl in a big girl chair eating her big girl breakfast. I think she's pretty happy about it.

Weird?

**UPDATE: Looks like everything is fixed now. If you are still having trouble viewing in IE6 or IE7 please let me know. Otherwise, all links are again at your service. :-) Wooohooo!

If you are having trouble commenting OR if random posts are in all italics OR if the side bar is all italics would you send me an email and let me know. Something is up with Blogger. Email to the right. If hyperlink is not working send to jmwomble99@comcast.net Thanks.

COCK-a-DOODLE doo!

It was 6:00 PM last evening when the napless son started to BEG and PLEAD for bedtime. He NEEEEVVVVEEEERRRR does that...EVER! He hits the ground running every morning at WARP SPEED. No need to slowly work into the day. That's not a choice for our J. He is full steam ahead and doesn't wind down until he is in his room and preparing himself for either naptime or bedtime. Yesterday, he was one sleep too short. Not long after the sun went down, he was literally throwing himself in the floor and yelling "I NEED TO GO TO BED! I AM SOOOO TIRED! I NEED TO SLEEP!" blah.blah.blah.drama.drama.drama. We fought it for about 45 minutes with the "HE CAN'T GO TO BED BEFORE 7...that's crazy" routine until we had had all the drama we could stand. So, both kids in bed at 6:47 PM. That may be a Womble record. We came downstairs and caught the last 10 minutes of Funniest Videos before our Sunday night threesome began (EM-HE, DH and B&S). WOW! We ate popcorn, we talked, we just hung out. It was weird and great at the same time. About 8:20 Daddy got up to get something and the next thing I know, there was snoring coming from our room. He had fallen asleep too...at 8:20 PM! So, there I was in the midst of a silent house. I finished the Sunday night lineup and then took my pal Kim's advice and got busy on my list while the house was asleep. I hit the pillow at 1 hoping and praying the children would sleep a little longer in the morning.

COCK-a-DOODLE doo!

We awoke to the sound of the ottoman rolling across the hardwood as our son tried to scavenge the candy from the top shelf of the kitchen cabinet. It was 5:45 AM and we have no idea how long he had been up. It's safe to say it had been a while. He said "I was up watching TV but I was VERRRRRRYYY quiet so you wouldn't hear me". At least he was honest but does everyone remember what happened the last time he was up and I didn't know it. Ha. Much to my dismay, guess who else was already awake for the day? It is not abnormal for J to be up this early but it IS abnormal for BOTH of them to be up before six. Everyone say it with me...WE HATE THE TIME CHANGE...WE HATE THE TIME CHANGE...one more time...WE HATE THE TIME CHANGE!

Spidey and the Ladybug...

Halloween Festival...

Bean bag toss. Petting Zoo. TicTacToe throw. Frisbee Toss. Hole in One. Pizza and Hotdogs. Treasure hunt. Just a few of the things we did at our church Halloween festival. No respectable party could be without a Jumpy House, right? So, what did our church have? J's favorite Jumpy Houses x 3! We had a hard time getting him to leave. However, with a little enticement of the candy to come, he put on his shoes and lurked out of there like any good Spiderman would.

By this point, we could have changed her name to the Grouchy Ladybug. While this face could be mistaken for a smile let me assure you it was between whiney protests. If I had to guess, her thoughts here went something like this..."Brother, you have been waiting in line FOREVER! HURRY UP! I am hot, I am tired, I am bored because all the games are for big kids and I don't get to eat any of this stupid candy anyway. It is MY bedtime and I am ready to GO HOME!" Little did she know we had two more stops to go. :-)

the Halloween favorite...

In a sweet big brother attempt to encourage MG to cooperate for the photo op, J thought giving her a kiss would "make her happy". I know some day this will be a thing of the past but he's so sweet to her sometimes it melts my heart.

Dear daughter...

What do you have against sleep? Really...what is it? Why do you insist upon falling asleep for 20 minutes in the car on the way to pick up brother from preschool? Who told you that was an acceptable nap for the day? How can you sleep through J's whistle in an attempt to wake you? How can you ignore hearing your name 293 times without cracking an eyelid? Why do you fight a REAL nap after your carcatnap and then howl/fuss/whine for the last three hours of awake time because you are tired? Why are you STILL upstairs fussing and complaining? Why must you always do this on the days that I NEED you to take a good nap? Like today for example, a Halloween festival and a laundry list of people who must see you both in all your Halloween glory. Why do you think 20 minutes will last you the rest of the day? Why, dear daughter, why?

Love,
Mommy

**To all of you who normally see us on Halloween...don't hold your breath...baby girl may not make it that long.**

Pumpkin Carving...

From the look on J's face, you can guess who had to do all of the dirty work. "Disgusting", "Gross" and "Ewwwwwwww" were some of the words that went along with that face. When you become a Daddy it means that you must be able to handle all things gross. You know, the things your kids want to do but change their minds later. Here's the finished product. By the time Daddy made it to the toothy grin he decided the pumpkin just needed one huge toothless smile. :-)

Things that make you go hmmmm...

Did you know that one pair of Diego boxer briefs can hold 9 plastic balls, 1 large rubber ball and a race car? Well, I didn't either...until today. I debated on whether I should post this on the blog but it is just too funny to keep to myself. I will probably remove the picture in a few days so go ahead and get your laughs in now. I won't go into the conversation we had before I realized what kind of circular objects he needed to remove from his Diegos. It was hysterical to say the least but this is and always will be a G-rated blog. And what does any good Mommy do when her boy does something worth remembering? She tells him to "be a statue" and dives for the camera, right? Just when you start to take your job a little too seriously God reminds you that laughter is a requirement for parenthood. And, boy, does my little man make me laugh!

P.S. Notice the PLAY syringe in his hand. Earlier he was showing MG what NOT TO DO with a syringe. You know, how you shouldn't play with REAL syringes because when you do you have to go to the HOSPITAL!

Thankful Thursday...

--I am thankful for a thoughtful husband
--I am thankful for my health
--I am thankful for Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew and chocolate
--I am thankful for a successful shopping day with MG on Monday
--I am thankful that I found something for my family to wear for pictures on Saturday
--I am thankful that the H&AC man repaired our heating unit today (and that I even have heat for that matter)
--I am thankful that I have almost finished all of Andrea's wedding invitations
--I am thankful that Rachel didn't kill me when there was a mishap with her order (read: J.)
--I am thankful that fall has finally arrived (sans beautiful foliage)
--I am thankful tomorrow is Friday

--Mommy

A few recent J-isms...

************************
J: "Mommy, let's play figure it out" [one of our favorite car entertainment games...Funny parts in CAPS]

She's this tall (stretching out his arms) and
she's Daddy's Mommy and
she has WHITE HAIR IN THE SHAPE OF A ROPE and
she lives in S----Answer: Nanny
******************
She's 20 YEARS OLD and
she has long BIG curly hair and
she's my grandmother named Grammy
WHO IS IT? (I don't know, could it be...Grammy?)Answer: Grammy
******************
YOU are 29 years old
on your next birthday you'll be 29 AND A HALF
you go to sleep at night
you wake up in the morning
eat breakfast
and play with me
AND THAT'S IT.
WHO IS IT?

Answer: Mommy

******************
J: Mooooooommmmmmmmyyyyyyyyy, MG is picking my noooooosssseeeeee! Make her stop it. MG! STOP. PICKING. MY. NOSE. Moooooooommmmmmmmmyyyyyyyy, she's sticking her finger in my nose TOOOOO faaaaarrrrrrr! :-)

******************
And a few below the Mommy belt...[Both said to me during separate 4 year old fit throwing moments]

J: "Mommy, you aren't my Mommy anymore. You aren't special enough."

J: "Mommy, you aren't my family ANY MORE! Only Daddy, MG and me are family."

******************
Daddy: J, where are your listening ears today?
J: I don't know...maybe they are under the couch

******************
[said to me while dancing around him acting silly during his favorite show, Double Dare 2000]
J: Knock it out Mommy...knock it out

******************
[said to his little friend while he was choking and vomiting at the table]
J: Oh no Jacob, I think you have THE virus. Jacob I think you have THE virus. Do you have THE virus Jacob? etc. etc. etc.

[I'm sure onlookers wondered which virus was THE virus. Don't worry, he was fine, just choked on a chicken tender.] :-)

an introduction to Thankful Thursday...

I have decided we're going to try something new here at the Womble Times...Thankful Thursday. What is Thankful Thursday? I’m not sure where this "me-me" originated. Several months ago, while looking for new OAMC recipes, I ran across a few blogs that participate in this weekly "me-me" post. I can't promise I'll post weekly but I'm going to try.

I think TT will require me to actively remind myself of the many things — from the seemingly mundane to the monumental — that should be appreciated. It is my personal opinion that we as a society take so much for granted. Even those of us who ARE thankful do not take the time to express our thankfulness nearly enough (myself included). I'm sure the tone of my TT will be different each week. Pals with blogs...feel free to join in. Pals without blogs...you are welcome to leave your TT in the comments section if you would like to participate. Perhaps TT will change our perspectives and help us to be openly thankful every week, instead of one special day in November.

Here’s my list for today...

**I am thankful for our new church and the opportunity God has given us to grow in our relationship with Him, in our relationship with each other and in our example to our children.

**I am thankful for husband who is my #1 fan. I am thankful that he is the most loving and supportive husband I could have ever dreamed into being. I am thankful that he loves his children to the moon and back again. I am thankful that my children have a wonderful example of a Fathers love. I am thankful he arrived home safely from a business trip last night. I am thankful that God chose him to be my husband.

**I am thankful for J. I am thankful that God has heard and answered our prayers so many times in his 4.85 years of life. I am thankful that he is healthy. I am thank that he is having a great preschool year so far. I am thankful that being a Mother is the hardest yet most rewarding title I will ever hold. I am thankful that of all the little boys in the world, God chose J to be our son.

**I am thankful for MG. I am thankful that she turns 16 months old today. I am thankful for the pure joy she has brought to my heart. I am thankful that she is happy and healthy. I am thankful for her ability to communicate. I am thankful when she calls me "Momma". I am thankful for the all things pink and cute dresses. I am thankful for her belly laugh. I am thankful that of all the little girls in the world, God chose MG to be our daughter.

**I am thankful for family: the family I have known since birth and the family I inherited in marriage. I am thankful for my Mother who has always been in my cheering section no matter what. I am thankful for my Mother-in-law and Father-in-law who loved my husband long before I did.

**I am thankful for friendship. I am thankful for the phenomenal group of friends I have been given. Some old friends, some new friends, some friends I'm still trying to figure out. There are too many to name but they are all loved for the blessings they bring to my life.

**I am thankful that I live in a country where freedom and opportunity await. I am thankful that I, as a woman, was born in the United States instead of somewhere else. I am thankful that my children will have boundless opportunities simply because they are citizens of the great nation we call home.

--Mommy

trick or "STINK" for UNICEF...

Many of you have probably seen the commercials or ads that UNICEF puts out this time of year. They encourage families to forgo all of the sweet treats given out at Halloween and instead collect donations for their organization.

I wish I understood all that UNICEF stands for because I am sure there are some good and positive things going on. BUT what I do know is this... they are teaming up and encouraging the Guatemalan government to HALT ALL ADOPTIONS to the US. I will not go into their stance and reasoning, I will just say this...

An adoptive mom has written an editorial letter to be published in major newspapers before Halloween to discourage people from collecting donations for this cause. She wants the editorial to have some power in numbers behind it so she has written it in pettition form so that we can sign it. Feel free to click on the link, read her editorial letter and sign it.

Editorial and Petition

OH... and please do not Trick or Treat for UNICEF this year or you will be contributing to 3000 plus children not getting to come home to their forever families (ones that have already been relinquished by their birth moms and are in the system no matter what the government decides).

(--copied from the blog of my pal and adoptive Mommy, Ashley J.)

And the Mommy Womble two cents...
Read the editorial...sign the petition...and DO NOT give your hard earned money to an organization that speaks from both sides of their mouth. There is nothing more I despise than when political gain becomes the focus and common sense is lost. If UNICEF had the best interest of children at heart, they certainly would not be encouraging the forced and abrupt abandonment of 3,000+ children. That is 3,000 children that already have families here in the US. That is 3,000+ children who may lose their only opportunity for a family. So the next time I hear Unicef's moto, "For every child", I would like to ask them about the thousands of Guatemalan babies they are turning their back on. I'd love to hear their explanation of how THAT is "For every child"? OK, jumping off my soap box now...

Shoes! Shoes! Shoes! Shoes!

OK, all you girl Moms...you've been holding out on me. Why didn't someone tell me that Target had cute little girl shoes? You all simply must stop keeping all these secrets. I was thrilled to fill her drawer with four pairs of flexible sole toddler shoes for roughly the cost of one pair of Stride Rites... Aren't they the cutest?What were Miss MG's thoughts on the matter? Behind that fake smile is a happy little 16 month old who couldn't wait to get out of her PJ's and show off her new "saaaaa"'s. It looks and sounds like "sock" but it means shoe at our house. Now, everyone go out and buy your baby girl some new kicks from Target. You'll be glad you did!

Parenting 101...

We interrupt your current beach vacation programming to share with you another good laugh from the parenting world, two actually. I think they both must have hidden cameras in my house. Thanks to my amigas Ashley and Kelly for sharing them with me. I could use a good laugh this week...

Pachelbel Bedtime...


Mom's Overture by Anita Renfroe...

Now SHE is hysterrical!

Adventure in Epinephrine...

Below is the play by play of our Adventure in Epinephrine. I am including all of the details while they are fresh. It is lengthy but necessary for future storytelling. Some day...SOMEDAY...this story will be funny and I don't want to forget it. ****WARNING: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!****

This morning I awoke, at 7:10 am, to little man SCREAMING at the top of his lungs. I literally jumped out of bed and tore open the door of our bedroom. There, standing in the middle of the living room, is J holding this... [For those who do not recognize this apparatus, it is the EpiPen Jr. EpiPen Jr. is an emergency medication used only in the case of what? AN EMERGENCY! J has carried an EpiPen Jr. since he was 13 months old due to a corn allergy. We had him retested last year and he has outgrown it. The allergist recommended we slowly reintroduce corn products and build up to the real deal. We have done exactly what he said to do but still have never given him corn. As a result, our EpiPens did not expire until November 07 so I held on to them just in case. Now back to the story...]

My kid is SCREAMING like a banshee and his entire body is shaking. He holds the pen up toward me and screams, "It HURTS!!!!!!!! It HURTS!!!!!!!!!!" So, I look where he is pointing with his other hand. He has an injection site in the middle of his lower back that is bleeding a little. I look closer to see the needle sticking out the end of EpiPen Jr. The needle that you do not ever see unless it has been discharged. OH CRAP, did he REALLY inject himself with his EpiPen? Yes, my friends, he DID!!!!!!!!!

So, instead of immediately calling an ambulance I call to leave a message with my Pediatrician's answering service. I am trying to remain calm while talking to her...while she asked for my name, correct spelling, my childs' name, correct spelling , a phone number and the nature of my call. I guess I was too calm until the end when I told her I HAD AN EMERGENCY AND NEEDED A PEDIATRICIAN TO CALL ME BACK IMMEDIATELY. Her answer: so do you want me to put in 911? YES, YES, YES!!!!!!!!!

I throw on some clothes, try to keep J calm and wait until on-call doc calls me back. I will stop here and say this is the second time in his life that I SHOULD HAVE CALLED AN AMBULANCE. However, in my "I can handle it--I wouldn't want to bother anyone" stupid mentality, I waited for the doc to call me back. I KNEW what he was going to say before he said it...

Here is our conversation...
M: {first ring} HELLO?
D: This is Dr. R
M: Dr. R, this is MW
D: What's wrong? (I'm sure he could hear the panic in my voice)
M: My son just injected himself with his EpiPen Jr.
D: Did he ingest something he's allergic?
M: No, I think he was playing with it (insert Dr. R's unspoken thoughts--boy this is a really crappy mother to let her kid play with an EpiPen--here)
D: Where did he inject himself?
M: In the back? (insert more crappy mother thoughts here)
D: You need to go to the Emergency Room now. How long will it take you to get there?
M: 20 minutes
D: Go NOW
M: OK...{click}

I called Daddy. Meet us at the ER. J discharged his EpiPen into his back.{click}
I called Courtney. Answering machine--crap. BEEEEEP: COURTNEY PICK UP THE PHONE IT IS AN EMERGENCY! {Court picks up} Can you take MG? Yes, bring her. {click}

I picked MG straight up out of her crib and put her in the van. J was still shaking and his heart was about to pound out of his little chest while I was strapping him in. Drove straight to Court's house 1 mile away across a 4 lane highway (noone was there...I drove straight across...THANK YOU LORD). Threw out unsuspecting baby girl into good hands. Back on road. OH CRAP! Traffic. 20 minutes to the hospital...yeah right...at anytime except morning traffic.

I turned on my hazards and honked the horn to anyone in my way. Traffic wasn't nearly as bad as it normally is during morning/school traffic...thank goodness for fall break. I did stop at a few redlights because I was terrified to bust through them. I called the ER to ask what I should do. Should I keep making my way to the hospital or should I pull over and call an ambulance? He's still trembling and says his head hurts. I'm trying to hold it together. Girl on phone gives me the politically correct "I can't advise you of what to do ma'am, you'll need to come in for medical advise." WHATEVER! GIVE ME A PHYSICIAN ON THE PHONE NOW!!!!! Nice lady/ER doc answers the phone and tells me it's OK to proceed if I think I can be there within 5-10 minutes. She reassures me that if he is a healthy child and not showing any signs of respiratory distress then we should be fine to continue. She tells me if I want to pull over and call an ambulance to do so. No thanks, babe, I got it, no need to bother anyone now, I'm half way there. Jay calls. "Go inside, check us in and tell them why we are coming" {click}

OH. MY. OH. MY. OH. MY. Sorry car. Sorry truck. Sorry city police officers who saw my frantic driving but did not come to my rescue. Sorry unsuspecting dude on the motorcycle. Dude who I'm sure nearly lost his breakfast because I drove up behind him and honked at him within three inches of his back tire while driving around him. Sorry pedestrians in front of the hospital who did NOT have the right of way today. Wish I knew all of your addresses to send you an apology. Drive up to ER doors. Jay comes out to get him. Into the ER we go.

Straight into triage where they do a set of vitals and then back to the back. Hooked up. Doc came in immediately. Did her thing. J, why were you playing with your EpiPen? "Well, I was just using it to balance with". So, 3 hours of monitoring, one Cheerios/apple juice breakfast and several hundred dollars later, we were discharged. The ER staff was great and, though I'm sure they thought it, did not award me with the Crappy Mom trophy of the day.

So, right now you are asking how he got the EpiPen, right? Well, the medicine bag from vacation was on the counter in the kitchen. I looked at it when I went to bed and thought to myself "it's all childproof, it will be fine there until tomorrow." Hahaha. He has carried his EpiPen with him since the age of one and never bothered it...until today.

So, right now you are asking how he discharged it into his back. Well, do you remember this picture from vacation...He was using his EpiPen to balance his hips while doing the lobster crawl. The lobster crawl that I taught him.

So, let's talk about the good that came out of this morning. He was OK. He is healthy and his body could tolerate a little unnecessary epinephrine. He injected himself in a large muscle which could handle it. Had he injected his finger or toe he would have lost that finger or toe due to the vasoconstrictive effects on small vessels. He was sore and said his head hurt but was feeling better after naptime.

It was one of those moments in parenthood where your first thought is, "Oh please, God, let him be OK." Your second thought is "Now that you are OK, I'm going to kill you." Another one for the record books wouldn't you agree? Oh, and just in case you need a reminder of how you should keep all medications out of reach of children...here's a good visual reminder to file away in the Mommy files.[if you have made it this far you deserve a medal. I told you it was the play by play.]