All he wanted was to go bowling...

Poor Miles.

He's been asking to go bowling for several weeks now, so we thought what better way to celebrate turning three than to take him to the bowling alley for a little fun? About the 8th frame, he was carrying the ball up to the lane when he tripped and fell. Long story short, his thumb took the brunt of his body and the bowling ball. We quickly assessed the damage and after grabbing napkins and a bag of ice, we headed straight for the car and off to the ER.

What a trooper my little guy was. I can only imagine the pain he was in. He fell asleep in my lap while we were waiting in the waiting room, and then woke up when it was time to get X-Rays. The X-Rays showed that he had an open fracture - the first part of his thumb had been smashed to bits from the fall. There was nothing they could do to put it together again, but he did need to get stitches on the pad of his thumb.

He sat on Jeff's lap while they did the stitching up. He was so brave - just yelling and crying "ow ow ow ow ow!!!" (can you blame him?!?), but never flailing or kicking or resisting. The doctor was happy he did not have to get out the "papoose" board to restrain him and frankly, so was I.

Monday morning we headed to the hand doctor to have it looked at by a specialist. He confirmed that the break was extensive, and unfortunately, there is no way of knowing at this point if it will heal properly. The key right now is to immobilize it, and so after cleaning the stitches up and wrapping that up with antiseptic gauze, he fashioned a removable fiberglass splint for him. We'll go back next week for X-rays and then assess what the next steps will be.

I'm praying for healing. Tonight when we were changing the dressing I couldn't help but squint at the sight of his little mangled thumb. It's swollen, oozing, and appears to be quite disfigured at the moment. But God can heal his thumb, this I know for sure.

Happy Birthday, Miles!

Three! Today you are three!

On this birthday you are less of a baby and more of a little boy. A big, blue eyed wonder of a little boy. You have changed considerably since last year, and not just in size. Your language has really taken off, and even though most of the time I act as your translator, you have a way of communicating. Someone once said, "he talks a mile a minute - too bad I have no idea what he's saying!" No worries - I always know, and nine times out of 10, Adam knows too, so between the two of us, we've got you covered.

You are feisty and determined. As the little brother, you often feel you have to defend your territory, be it a toy, your spot on the couch, or racing to the destination spot first. It's hard being the youngest, I'm sure. But the scrapper in you puts up a very successful fight more often than not, and that makes me smile. You've got spunk, kid.

You are very loving. You still let me rock you in the evening, and sometimes before naps, too. I love how you are quick to say "Wuv you, Mommy" and plant wet kisses often. What I thought was last year's "phase" has continued this year. "Mommy Do!" has continued full-force. Will you grow out of it this year, I wonder?

You have focus and patience that your brother did not at your age. You will sit and do puzzles - big ones. You will color and do other projects for long periods of time. The other day you drew what your Dad and I thought was a very impressive picture of a person, complete with eyes, mouth, arms and legs. That is something! Oh, and so far, you continue to be left-handed. Interesting!

Oh Miles, where will this year take you? Hopefully potty training is at the top of your list, because I know it is on mine. Soon spring will be here, and I know you're excited to get out the t-ball and baseball mitt again. Sports are your thing, I'm here to tell you (and I'm not just saying that because I'm your Mom, either).

Here's to the next year of your life, Mr. Miles. It's going to be fantastic.