Day After Day....

Cowpokette is doing well. She is the best patient I could ask for. She has her "Princess" moments, but other than that I couldn't ask for a better kid. Great Grandma comes and visits once a week, which is wonderful. She helps us with our weekly doctor appointments. She also watches Cowpokette so I can shower and do things around the house. Most of the time Cowpokette just wants someone to sit by her. Cowpokette has a fantastic attitude about it all. We are now totally potty trained!! We have a system down that keeps her cast dry and lets her use the potty. Which I think is terrific. On Tuesday I took Cowpokette to a different Doctor to get a second opinion about her bone moving around. The new Dr. was very good. He explained everything and even showed us some x-rays of another little girl who had a femur brake and it was worse than Cowpokette's. He showed how it healed and how it looks 6 months down the road. It was nice seeing another brake. It made me feel not so bad about Cowpokette's leg. The New Dr. had also told me some things about her cast and how to do her diaper. I told him that she goes on the potty and he said, "Really?" I said, "Yes, she insists that she goes on the potty." He then said, "Well, make sure her cast doesn't get wet." I assured him that we keep it dry. We use a piece of toilet paper taped to the seat to guide the urine into the toilet. It works really well. And she stays dry!! He was impressed with the potty training! It did take me getting my feet peed on to get everything right, but it's worth not having to change diapers and worrying about her cast being wet. Cowpokette doesn't complain about her leg hurting as much. She likes to try to sit up more now too. Which is great because now she can feed herself better. She also has watched four Barbie movies over and over again, so much that I have some of them memorized. But she LOVES her Barbie movies. I am so grateful for my house. I am grateful for large doorways and large open living room and kitchen. I can move her wagon around the house with no trouble. I could only imagine if we were still in the trailer and trying to move her around. It would be a lot more difficult. So, I am grateful for my home. And I am grateful for Cowpokette's patience with me. I am not always so gentle in moving her and she puts up with all my mistakes. I am also grateful for my mutts. Yep, even the lazy smelly bulldog. If it weren't for them...I think I might have had a freak out attack by now. When I can't sit by Cowpokette, one of the two dogs are right by her. It's so nice, and Cowpokette enjoys their company. I don't think Belle can get her nose any closer to that window.... She is such a strange dog... Belle watches what Cowpokette does. She even will go over for some scratches every now and then. Even old man Brodi gets in on the action of babysitting. He doesn't always like it though. Just look at his face!! ha ha ha ha!!! He is like, "Mom, do I have to?" Cowpokette is telling him to look at the camera for the picture. Bossy little girl!! But don't worry she gives him loving along with the orders! "Oh good boy!" But it doesn't take him long before he is done with being the babysitter. He'll give me the, "Am I done yet" look. Brodi is 12 years old this year. He is slowing down a bit. He can't jump up on my bed any more. I have to help him. But not this brute. She thinks she owns the place. And she LOVES scratches from Cowpokette. She actually lays with her in bed sometimes. Mr. Cowboy signed Cowpokette's cast. "I love you, Daddy's baby girl". No, he doesn't spoil her at all......

The Dr. said she is healing great and is having some new bone growth already!! So, it's a totally better feeling than last week. We don't have to go back for two weeks. I may have to call them though, she has a part of her cast by her belly that is unraveling and the padding is separating from the cast. Me, I would glue it, but I am not sure if they would want me to do that???

But things are looking up and she is getting better. I know in time when I look back at this I will think, "That went by fast." So, I know, this too will pass.

Quick Update

I took Cowpokette to her first doctor's visit. It was an adventure. She was miserable by the time we got home. The Dr. took an x-ray to see how the bone was doing. Well...not so hot. I was really hoping he would say, "Wow, everything looks great, keep doing what you are doing!" But instead he said the top half of the broken bone has moved down 9 mm. When she broke it it was only shoved down 3 mm. And then the brake has moved 15 degrees. The Dr. says that if the bone moves any more that they will have to cut part of her cast off, put in a wedge, and recast her.

Well, that wasn't what I wanted to hear. We got home from the Dr. office and Cowpokette has been miserable. Tonight she actually broke down screaming and crying that her leg hurt. I just held her and told her she would be okay. I think maybe she had a muscle twitch. Something had to have hurt her. She didn't even cry like that when she broke it.

Sorry, I have been so bad about posting. I have been so busy with getting a business going, kids, horses, rodeos, baseball, church, dogs, last minute senior portrait sessions, and now one little girl with a broken leg. She has been really needy yesterday and today. I haven't been able to leave the room much.

I don't want to sound like I am complaining, but I am just really tired. So, I am going to go to bed.

Hot Pink Body Cast

On Thursday the 15th Cowpokette and I went out to the barn to clean stalls, fill water buckets, and let out Ozzie. It was what we do every morning, but that morning ended up a bit different. Cowpokette climbed up on some cattle panels that were leaning up on a fence. When she got to the top of the panel, it fell backwards, and she landed on her back with her left leg back behind her.

When that happened, she screamed. It was a panic scream. I was across a turn out pen filling up a water bucket. I ran across the field and climbed through the barb wire fence. I was telling her, "Momma's coming! Stay calm, it's okay, momma's coming!!"

I lifted up the fence and saw her left foot bent behind her, it wasn't how a foot was supposed to be. I put her leg back how a leg was supposed to be and it felt like jelly. Cowpokette looked at me and said, "I want to go home and get an ice pack."

We went home and I propped her up on some pillows and gave her an ice pack. She wasn't crying but kept telling me that her bo bo hurts. Just then my sister in law knocked on the door. Which was wonderful because I was worried about what I should do. I answered the door and said, "I think Cowpokette broke her leg!"

We looked over her and I called the doctor. Which was annoying. Nobody could get her in until 2 pm and it was 11 am. I was debating to take her to the ER, but I now how much that costs and I knew the doctor's office was opened so I wanted to get her into there first. I ended up making her an appointment for 1:45 pm. I left the house at noon and just showed up and said, "She broke her leg, can he see her now!"

They saw how much pain she was in and they got her in right away. The lady who took her x-ray was the best ever! After she saw just how broken her femur bone was, she insisted we don't move Cowpokette. She showed me the x-ray and her bone was snapped in two. Just like a stick. I felt so bad. That same x-ray tech drove us to the hospital. She stayed with us in the ER to make sure the ER knew how severe the brake was. She was wonderful.

It was wonderful having her in there with me and Cowpokette. She parked my van and then gave me her personal phone number in case I needed anything. At this point I was a crying mess, Cowpokette? Nope, not a tear, she was smiling!

The nurses came in and prepped her for surgery. Cowpokette got an IV. She just watched. Here she is smiling for the camera and showing us her bracelets. She thought tat was so cool that she got TWO of them! We then went from the ER to the Recovery room where they prepped Cowpokette and Me for surgery. I didn't go in, but they told me everything that was going to be done. By then Mr. Cowboy had gotten there. He had to drive over an hour to get to us.

Cowpokette had to have a tube put in and then a full body cast. I asked the Dr. if she could have a pink cast! He said sure! And here is my Princess in her room for the night. She was all smiles and such a wonderful kid. I am kinda sad because she was fully potty trained and now we are back to diapers, so hopefully this won't set her back too much. Cowpokette wouldn't let anyone sign her cast. She wanted her best friend Ryanne to sign it first.

The next morning the Dr. came in at 7:45 and woke her up to check her out. He said we could go home. We loaded her up in a wagon and took her down to the van. I laid her in the middle row of seats. She told me, "Momma, drive soft soft and slow slow!" She is such a sweet girl. Still smiling. We got home and I gave her some pain medicine. The stuff tastes horrible, but she drinks it up because she knows it makes her feel better. The first day she spent on the couch. Today we have her in a big wagon. She actually is bugging me right now to take her for a walk in the wagon. I am glad she is so wonderful about it all. This morning I had to put her on her belly and really wipe her bottom well. I then took alcohol and wiped her cast and her bottom down. Then I had to take a blow dryer to her to dry out her cast. She liked being on her belly. And she enjoyed getting aired out. I am so nervous about her getting sores.

So, if anyone has any advice about how to take care of a full body cast let me know! I am hoping that next week, when she isn't so sore, that I will be able to hold her over a bed pan. That will help her stay dry. I have Googled it and read a lot about using hair dryers on cool, and using alcohol to keep the skin dry and tough.

Cowpokette will wear this for 4-6 weeks. We go once a week to have an x-ray done to check the heeling. I pray that the 4-6 weeks go by quickly.

Science Fair, Leaves, Barn, Horses, Busy, Busy Busy

Things here have been very busy. Both Cowpokes had Science Fair projects due today. Little Cowpoke and I worked on his during Spring Break last week. Big Cowpoke went to visit his Dad for the week, so I put together as much of his as I could with out interfering with his work. Big Cowpoke put the finishing touches on his late last night. Little Cowpoke made three different bridges and did an experiment to see which bridge would hold the most cars. That was his paper bridge. He really liked counting the cars and seeing which bridge would hold the most with out falling over. Big Cowpoke did his project on Mold, and how it grows on bread. I didn't get a picture of their posters. I will get pictures when they bring them home.

On the Barn front, we got our barn ordered! Hooray!! I am so very excited! We went back and forth on how we were going to do it and we are going with an all metal building. Then we are going to order some stalls from Ramm Fencing and Stalls. This is what the colors of our barn are going to be. Barn red with a light stone colored body. I am really excited for it to get here. We are going to have three stalls, with dutch doors that go to the outside. We will also have two 12 foot wings coming off the side of the barn. Mr. Cowboy is also going to be building me two run in sheds in our two pastures. They are going to be Barn Red. We are going to use those for stalls too. That will give us 5 stalls.

We also just got a lease on about 7 acres down the road from us. I am so very excited about that. We are going to be moving our stud over there and move some mares around to help the grass grow. I am really excited about that.

Ozzie Update, he is still "off". His pastern is a little swollen still. He doesn't have any heat in it any more so he is aloud small amounts of turn out time in small turn outs. Today is his first day in a little big larger area than a round pen. He was happy to be able to eat some grass.

Finally, the Cowpokes helped rake Great Grandma's leaves the other day. The Oak trees here loose leaves in the Fall and in the Spring. Fun fun! The Cowpokes did a really good job. Great Grandma was really happy to have it done. It was hard work, but they hung in there and got it done. It helps when you have a boss woman telling you what to do. But when all the hard work is done, they got to play a bit. They all had a lot of fun playing in the leaves. Don't shoot!!! Cowpokette even got some play time in with her Maw Maw. And Little Cowpoke was silly as always. And Big Cowpoke modeled for me. I was practicing using a reflector. Since then I have learned not to blind my subjects!! ha ha ha!