A Bit of a Scare

I took the day off from work yesterday, in anticipation of my nephew's bris and Zach's 21-month height/weight check at the doctor. Then I planned on having a lovely "adult" evening in NYC, first having a drink with my old boss and then meeting my visiting mom for a yummy, kid-free dinner.

All of those things DID happen - but what I did not anticipate was the trip to urgent care at midnight last night (this morning) with Zach. You see, our little active 21-month old loves to jump on Sadie's dog bed, and plop down. He happened to plop down just hard enough to land on his hand, on our nanny's watch. Of course I wasn't home at the time (having drinks with the old boss) but Jason called to say Zach was absolutely hysterical and not moving his arm at all. He said it didn't appear to be swollen or bruised but he wouldn't let Jason near it and Zach didn't use it at all during dinner. Jason gave him Motrin and (carefully) sent him off to bed.

I arrived back home at 10 pm and just as I was falling asleep around 11, Zach woke up crying. He was clearly in a great amount of pain because he wouldn't move his left arm at all, and cried when I touched it lightly. After a call to Dr. Grandpa to see what we should do, it was determined we should bring him in. By the time I left the house at 11:30 pm for PM Pediatriacs (which is 20 mins away and closes at 12 am), I was just praying he wouldn't need a cast (or x-rays, for that matter).

Thankfully, the doctor was quick and precise and determined it was a common case of "nursemaid's elbow," which is found in kids under age 5 when their elbow dislocates from the joint. He popped his elbow back in place, and we were sent on our way back home, with a much happier Zach and a relieved (but tired) mommy.

Of all the things that could have gone wrong, I am quite happy that this was such a minor incident. I am sure there will be more trips to the doctor and urgent care in my kids' lifetimes, but thankfully this was a quick, easy one. I hope they are all this easy!

And speaking of pediatrician visits, Zach's height/weight check went fairly well. He grew 2" in the last 3 (really 6) months and gained 1/2 pound. He moved up to the 8% for height and is still not on the chart for weight at 21 lbs. But the doctor was happy that he grew and gained some weight. Next visit at 2 yrs will determine if we need to see an endocrinologist or if we stay the course and wait for our little guy to have a growth spurt. For now, though, it's a good thing he is small since he wants to be held all the time!