Adventures Out In The World

Tuesdays were always mommy group days. Because of the surgery I missed a few weeks and was just itching to get out of the house in general. My amazing mommy group friends had been so supportive and helpful delivering meals, visiting, helping with Riley. One of the girls offered to drive me to group this week. I was thrilled I even put on jeans for the first time since surgery for the occasion.

She pulled up in her four runner and swiftly buckled Riley's carseat into the backseat next to her little man who was snoozing despite kids sing along songs music playing just on the back speakers. Then I pulled myself into the passenger seat while my wheelchair was loaded in the back and we were off. I forgot my parking permit so we parked in the parking garage. It was the last space before the structure went up a floor so it was at a pretty extreme incline, but I was so excited to be there it didn't occur to me to worry.

She unloaded my wheelchair first as Riley stubbornly trying to converse with her sleeping friend in the backseat. I got out of the car and into the chair easily enough. She handed Riley over and we strapped her into the Ergo. She made sure we were settled for a moment and went to get her little one on the other side of the car. I felt the chair starting to tip and focused on keeping my face and voice relaxed for Riley's sake. "Uh-oh" I uttered quietly as I grabbed her head and pressed it to my chest. I braced myself and when we hit the ground I exhaled and looked at Riley who was grinning from ear to ear. Satisfied that she was unharmed and still wanting not to alarm her I called my friend and simply said "we tipped over."

She said "What?!?" dropped her bag and flew around the car. I had been joking the day before if I fell at this point I'd be like a turtle on it's back flailing pointlessly. I was correct. She asked what she should do and I laughed because I had no idea what to tell her. She put Riley back in her carseat and we started with my legs since I could move those and the whole chair was to heavy and at an awkward angle to lift. Then I rolled on my side so she could pull the chair out from under me. I managed to get to my hands and knees and at that point she lifted me into standing position.

Now, back in the chair Riley strapped on and my friend pushing the wheelchair with her little guy on her hip we pressed on. Everyone was so happy to see me and it felt so good to be back. It's astonishing how quickly time passes. Riley is now one of the "older babies" one of her friends from group turned one and the little guy we rode with is walking. As group wore on towards the 2hr mark I felt myself spacing out. My friend approached to inform me I looked pale and she was gonna pull the car around.

As soon as we had loaded up the sky opened up. Good timing. She offered me some chocolate covered almonds which I happily accepted. I've been having blood sugar issues I thinking it just takes a lot of nutrients to heal a wound this big. We sat in my driveway waiting for the rain to let up with two soundly sleeping babies in the back and chatted.

Once I was inside slightly damp with baby in my lap I noticed some "unusual" pain. Mike rushed into another room to take a crisis call from work and Riley who was still dressed in her beautiful white outfit had a diaper explosion. She wanted of course to get off my lap and get poop on whatever she could find, but I fought her and restrained her. The universe loves to overwhelm me. Mike managed to toss me a diaper and a wipes box. The wipes box was empty, ha ha universe. I continued to restrain the baby and breath through pain, but now I was started to lose my calm.

Once I had wipes I held Riley across my legs on her tummy, unfastened her diaper wiped her back, pulled off her bloomers and shirt and then wiped her butt. Once I had her butt clean I pulled the diaper out and rolled her over. Diaper changing without the ability to bend, think about it. I tried to get her to stand up so I could wipe her front, but in true toddler fashion she folded like a lawnchair repeatedly. Once she was clean to the best of my ability I put the diaper down open and tried to sit her on it. I can't support her weight so if she objects we have problems. I kept thinking the last thing I needed was to be peed on right now. Somehow I got her butt covered I laid her back and pulled it through her legs and fastened one side. At this point Riley is furious and the only thing she wants is to get down. Since I refuse to let her the only recourse left to her is to twist and turn like sheets on a clothesline in a hurricane so that I can not fasten the other side. Somehow I overcame my willful and indignant little girl.

With the baby clean I called the Ortho's office and informed that I did my own stunts that morning. They asked me to present myself for x-rays. I called around for help and secured a ride and in one of numerous feats of baby juggling that day another mommy group friend got Riley and I to the Dr. Both babies dozed on her lap in the waiting room while I was subjected to multiple x-rays while the pain crashed in waves. I was in tears when the Dr finished his phone call and came to tell me everything looked fine. I was told to rest and come back if it wasn't better in a week, nice huh? A week.

We got home and after many thank yous I went to bed. Thank you my amazing mommy group, my baby jugglers, my creative diaper manuvers, my cell phone, Extra Strength Tylenol, will power, video on demand, and memory foam I survived.