Monday, January 3, 2011

Worst Christmas Break


This December, the stomach flu hasn't wanted to leave us alone.
We've all it at least once, and I think we've been hit by 3 different viruses throughout the month. But Olivia's had the worst of it.
This is her story of the last few weeks. (Keep in mind this is the same girl from the incident involving sickness and a cockroach from a few weeks ago).
The 2nd weekend of December, we planned to meet some friends up in Utah, stay in a cabin by Brighton, and take our kids skiing for the first time.
Olivia started puking the night before we were supposed to go. We stayed home. She had a miserable flu that lasted 3 days (I know it was miserable because I got it, too, but this isn't about me). She got better in time to go back for the last couple days of school before Christmas vacation.
Friday, she and I went to see "The Nutcracker." She had to run out to use the bathroom near the end. She had diarrhea all weekend.
Monday (beginning of her break), she got sick with the flu again, just slightly different symptoms (along with Jackson and Katelyn). Lots of messes for me to clean up. It was the most wonderful time of the year. We were afraid we would have to tell my family not to come for Christmas, but everyone was better just in time.
We drove up by the ski resort and went sledding with cousins Monday after Christmas, and Olivia decided she really liked it, and couldn't wait for it to snow at our house so she could do it more.


Just a couple days later, we finally got the big snowstorm at our house that she'd been waiting for, so they could play in the snow and go sledding. When she woke up the morning, she said her tummy hurt again, but still got bundled up to go play. She threw up in the snow.
This was her third time around. There were only a few days left of her break. When she was feeling better again, we wanted to do something fun before she had to go back to school. No more sickness allowed! For New Year's Day, the plan was sledding (we got a couple new sleds), and then to go to her favorite restaurant here that she's been wanting to go back to for awhile.
After sledding, they came in and pulled off boots, snowpants, etc. by the door. A while later, we got ready to go out to eat, and Olivia ran to turn off the light. She slipped on her snowpants and fell on the wood floor.
She broke her arm!!!
She didn't feel like going to her favorite restaurant anymore.
Her arm will take 6-8 weeks to heal. She is really sad to have to have it in a sling (the break is too close to her shoulder for a cast), and does NOT want to go to school until she's out of the sling - in 6-8 weeks. She's worried that she can't write or eat or do fun things. I didn't remind her that she also won't be able to go sledding until it's healed - or skiing!


I'm trying to convince her that wearing a sling to school is not so bad - you get to show it off and tell everyone what happened - she's not convinced. She really doesn't want anyone to see her wearing it, and thinks they'll tease her. She missed today because we were at the doctor, but tomorrow might be a struggle. Anyone have encouraging "breaking-your-arm-is-great" words for her?
She says this was the worst Christmas break ever, and breaking your arm is a bad thing to do for New Year's Day.

9 comments:

Laura and crew said...

Man...it's like Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day in real life! I hope it gets better!

Cailean said...

OH MY GOODNESS!!! Larissa, I am so so sorry. It's so hard to comfort your child when you feel so helpless against all that is happening! We had an awful bout of sickness one after the other and I was so worn out mentally after it was all over. You feel like you can't ever assume any plans will go right again! I remember seeing something about a child nervous about a cast at school and how you can make it "cool" by having it be bright colors and having everyone sign it. Perhaps you can go with her into class on that first day back and have her tell everyone what happened as a sort of "wow cool" sort of thing (because kids think that sort of thing is cool, strangely) and see if you can have everyone decorate it somehow? Puffy paint pens???? I'll have our daughters write her a card and send it in the mail :)

Emma said...

Oh, that is awful. I'm feel so bad for Olivia, and you! We haven't had any broken arms here yet (knock on wood), so advice for you. Good luck.

Pam Emmons said...

Poor baby! I feel so bad for her! Hope things get better soon!!

Belkycita said...

More like a very memorable Christmas!
I will go with the idea of making it cool. My friend in 4 t grade broke her arm and we were all her servants for a couple of weeks. It was fun for evryone :-)

Feel better Olivia!

Nancy Mc said...

That does sound lie the worst Christmas Break and then the get a break of her arm...terrrible. Sledding does look fun though:)

Sally said...

How sad! I'm so sorry for Olivia. Tell her hello for me, and maybe see if she wants to decorate her sling so it's cool? So sorry and good luck!

Ricki said...

Well that totally stinks! Maybe she'd be encouraged by the fact that next Christmas vacation couldn't be any worse (hopefully!).

WendyJ said...

Oh sad!! I thought my break was awful because we didn't leave the house for 2 weeks, but at least we weren't sick or breaking arms!! Poor girl. Maybe she could have a special helper friend get to carry things for her and sharpen pencils etc. My oldest is currently doing that for her best friend who just had major foot surgery.