the BROKEN JAW...LONG STORY!

The infamous words of a mother, "One of these days you/he, are/is really going to get hurt." Well, guess what- This mother's ability to gaze into the future, finally came to fruition.

Monday night- Jason and Dawson were rough-housing in the basement as usual after Jason's long day at work. We had some out of town guests staying with us (as usual, here at the Hotel de Rasmussen) and the 3 boys were bouncing and running on the inflated blow up mattresses. One missed judgement and a full forced fall on the floor, left our little Dawson SCREAMING at the top of his lungs! As it has been described to me, by one sad feeling daddy, was that Dawson went to jump on the mattress just as Jason moved it. The combination of the two, threw Dawson directly onto his chin, with no pause or chance to brace his fall. Almost 3 hours later of Dawson not being able to calm down, we headed to our pediatricians after hours care.
(Thanks Kyla for taking Carter!)

That night after 6 hours of worry, the x-ray report came back with 1 confirmed fracture in the upper left bone in his jaw and another possible break in the right cheek bone.

Tuesday morning- after being on the phone for hours, we were finally referred to Primary Children's ear, nose and throat specialists. We had an appointment to meet there at 4:00 pm. Well, I continued to ease Dawson's pain with Motrin, but for the record- had we not had an x-ray to prove the break...YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW! He was a little moodier than normal, and had some difficulty eating, but I would never have suspected a break. Maybe the usual tenderness because of what happened, but yeah...you get the idea.

SO- 4 pm rolls around and I'll save you the boring details, but by 9:30 pm we were able to leave the Emergency Room (yes, ER) We ended up having to have a CT scan taken of his face to properly determine the severity of the breaks and where they were. Poor Dawson wasn't able to eat anything in case they needed to put him under anesthesia for the Scan or possible surgery -nothing for almost 8 hours. The triage nurse decided it would be a "great idea" to have an EMT intern 'practice' putting an I.V. in a small child...so Dawson was then the target practice (not once, but twice) for an I.V. That was the worst part of the whole ordeal! I was even mad- not to mention my now bruised and bloody kid! And then after all of that- they didn't even use sedation. He was as still and as quiet as can be through the CT scan...His primary teachers would be so proud!

After all was said and done, they told us to keep him on a soft food diet for 3 weeks and bring him back for follow-up. Had it not been for my mother's carreer and practically growing up in a hospital and 'hospital talk' at dinner, I could have quite possibly had a nervous breakdown. Thankfully, I understand the process of how hospitals work (to some extent) so I wasn't super worried. I knew he was in good hands. Jason on the other hand, felt terrible about the whole thing...It's hard to not feel at fault, but I keep reminding him that accidents happen. But the next time I say "Jason, don't use your child has a human space rocket!" he might think twice.

As for Dawson, Motrin is his best friend. However, they did give me a prescription for Lortab...which I might use on either myself or Carter. (just kidding) And Dawson is going to get a lot of miliage out of all this...with his Birthday coming up and the guilt of his sweet daddy, I'm sure a few trips to Toys-r-us will be in his near future!

the ANNIVERSARY

It honestly seems like I just wrote one of these sappy "I love you honey, Happy Anniversary!" Posts...but I guess thats a good thing! So here we go...I tried to mix it up a little?

Jason at 6 months.

I love that you are such an amazing father, you change the diapers, read the stories, play the games, teach the manners and do all that you can to support them. Dawson and Carter are in awe of you. They are such lucky little guys to have someone like you as their father. I know the decisions you make, big or small- are made with them at heart.

Jason at 5 years old.

How ironic is it that I married someone who likes to shop almost as much as I do? You always look your best and I appreciate that about you. You care about your physical well being and that is very important...now if you could just give me a little bit of your motivation? Going along with that, you work so hard to provide for us. Your ability to keep going when you don't feel like going, is a huge part of why I love you so much. You never give in and you do it all with a smile.

Jason pre-mission days.

And lastly, I just love you for you. That might sound a little cliche, but I don't think there would be enough time in all my life to write down all the reasons why. You let me win the silly battles and stand firm when you know the truth. You support my hobbies and interests and have proven time and time again that you believe in me. You make my world go round and prove that it doesn't really revolve around me (or anyone else!)

You are 100% incredible and I look forward to many more anniversaries with you!

Happy Birthday Mommy

(Its a week late, but she was off crusading in Nashville last week)

Every once in a lifetime, you meet certain people that can impact every single breath you take. Quite literally this woman, has impacted me in such a way- not only because she brought me into this world (after 9 months of intense morning sickness) but just because of the person she is. For any of you that know my mom, Terri- you know she is creative, strong, witty, capable and amazing! There is rarely a day that goes by that we don't talk at least three times on the phone. I can call her just to tell her what I had for lunch or to let her know when my world seems to be falling apart, no matter what- she always listens and makes sense of the nonsensical ravings of her daughter. Here is a quick top 10...I'm sure I could think of a few hundred more...
but I love you MOM!
10. Her need for diet pepsi after any sort of shopping.
Like mother, like daughter.
9. If she is laughing really hard, she tears up and snorts.
She hates it when it ruins her mascara.
8. Her ability to text.
But she always calls it "email."
7. She loves all 9 of her grandkids. If she spoils one, she spoils all.
She loves to make them clothes.
6. Her ability to ignore drama in life. She has always said,
"Put on your big girl panties and DEAL WITH IT."
5. What a great wife she is. I honestly can say I don't ever remember my parents arguing. They are best friends and respect each other so much.
She is a motorcyclist's wife.
4. She is an excellent cook!
Jason wonders why I didn't get that gene?
3. She is practically the best thing to happen to nursing.
Can you say Masters degree?
2. Her willingness to try new styles!
I love being her shopping companion.
1. Jason is always asking me "Why can't you be more like your mother?"
How many men can say that about their mother-in-law??