Longer Day

Well, when I wrote that post Thursday night about our long week, I didn't think things could get much worse. I was wrong. It was a much longer day than the week had been long. Here is what happened yesterday (Friday):

1:00 - 5:30am - I am awake non-stop with Jake, then Ben, then Jake (Kevin had to leave to go crabbing at 3:00am).
7:30 - Jake is up for the morning and cries all morning long, refusing to go down for a nap. Ben is very fussy too and his feet and legs are terribly swollen from the rash.
11:00 - Ben and I head off to the doctor's office because his rash is even worse than the day before. I have to push him in the stroller, because my car broke down (again!) and Kevin forgot to take Ben's car seat out of the car before he took off fishing so I couldn't take him in my mom's car either. We are thankful it is sunny out and that we live only a mile or so from the doctor's office! The doctor says that the rash is NOT hand, foot, and mouth disease, but that it is nonetheless a viral skin infection that nothing can be done about.

My poor boy! :(

2:00-3:00 - I get in a much-needed one-hour nap!! Yay!
5:15 - I'm standing in line with Abby at Taco Bell to pick up some dinner after dropping a few tuna orders off at the post office. My cell phone rings. It is my mom who is at my house with Ben and Jake. She tells me that my nephew Stephen's girlfriend Patti called to say that Stephen was in a motorcycle accident on I-5 and that he was being transported to one of the Portland hospitals and that she would call back when she learned more. I immediately start crying, even though I am now at the front of the line and have to order our food! As we wait for our order, Abby and I pray for Stephen. For the next hour, we all worry about the worst and hope for the best.
6:45 - Patti finally calls back to let us know that Stephen's injuries are relatively minor (PRAISE GOD!!!) for flying over his motorcycle handlebars (he came around a sharp corner going the posted speed limit, but traffic was stopped; he braked quickly, lost control and flew off the bike toward the shoulder). His main injury is his knee (I will not post pictures of it - it was very gross looking!) which sustained a very bad laceration as well as a chipped patella. So much skin is gone that they couldn't even stitch it together. This morning he had surgery on it (mostly for deep cleaning of the wound) and he will have to remain in the immobilizer brace (pictured below) for around 10 days. His foot was also banged up pretty badly, but all in all he should recover fine given enough time. Again, we are so thankful for the Lord's protection!

Stephen fresh out of the OR (picture sent from Patti's phone).

10:45 - I finally get Jakey to go to sleep, but then have to deal with Ben who is still crying in his crib and keeping Abby awake. I let him follow me around while I pump, wash enough bottles to make it through the night, get a snack (this dairy-free diet leaves me hungry all the time since there are so few options that I can eat!), and get ready for bed. During this time, I spill a whole bottle of breastmilk which splats all over the floor, the cupboards and my pajamas - in my sleep-deprived condition, I just want to sit down and cry.
11:45 - After some cuddle time, Ben is finally calmed down enough to go to bed. I fall into bed, physically and emotionally exhausted from the day....only for Jake to wake up at 1am with a new cold. :o)

Thank goodness today (Saturday) went better! ;o)