Brielle, the one-armed super girl

Brielle waiting to see the doctor,
 flashing those dimples.
 Her Lambsy Lou was her
 comfort companion during the ordeal.

Oh my Brielle.  This little adventurer of our's took us on quite the journey of fear, bravery, and strength yesterday. We knew before how strong she was, how she didn't let things faze her. She's always been like that. She'd fall then get up and dust herself off before we could ask if she was okay. Her response was always the same, "Yes I'm okay." Sometimes she'd even beat us to it, putting both hands up and saying "I'm okay! I'm okay!" (but if she knew the reference I'm sure she'd say , " 'Tis a flesh wound!" because that's just how she rolls.) Every once in a while something would affect her to the point of needing a comfort hug from Mom. {And is it really bad of me that I liked when that happened? Because she needed me. ...I'm such sap. =) }  But it does not happen very often.
This little one has intense strength in her. Because not even a broken arm took her out.
Here's the story:

Sept. 24, 2013.
My daily routine includes picking up the girls from school. Normally this also includes going into the hallway to find B waiting for me and pouncing to give me a hug. (If you're thinking Tigger, you're not too far off the mark. And how much do I cherish those moments? Only more than I ever would have thought possible.) She so excitedly tells me about her day and all the things she got to do and who she played with on the playground.
But when I walked into the school today, my Tigger was not in full form. There was no pounce. There was a face that was trying so hard not to cry,  a heart that, I could just tell by looking at her, was being so brave about whatever was bothering her. As I approached her, her eyes welled up with tears and she said "I hurt my arm today but I am okay. I am okay, Mom. I am okay." Well, that was my first clue. Repeating that phrase over and over again was more to console herself than it was for me. So I took a look and sure enough: red, swollen, hot to the touch. My stomach sank as I recognized and knew she had a broken arm. She let me cradle her arm and gently maneuver it to see what movements she could make-- she couldn't make many. So I had her sit down by her kindergarten buddy Carter and went in to talk to her teacher. Well, bummer for me because she couldn't tell me what had happened. "The teacher that was out on duty didn't know what happened and I thought she just fell and scraped her arm." {Which, by the way, brought on my incredulous thought of "WHAT??? Seriously? Her arm looks like that and you thought she fell and scraped her arm??!?" But it was only a thought.} So we hightailed it out of the classroom, dropped Anni off at an appointment she had, and headed to InstaCare. Now, our B is not afraid of much. But doctors? FEAR ITSELF. Well... okay, let me clarify here-- she does not like shots. AT ALL. So she associates doctors with shots. As time goes on, she'll learn there's more to a doctor's office than needles and won't be afraid. Until then... yeah, it's a waking nightmare for her. =(  So there was quite the fuss about visiting a doctor. However, onward it was and by the time we made it to instacare she was feeling more like herself.
During the visit, her left arm hung limply at her side, unusable and swollen. Poor kiddo. Every once in a while she'd forget and try to use it and we'd hear a small little whispered, "OW." And she'd continue playing. I don't think the doctor believed anything was really wrong, he kept trying to emphasize that it was probably just a buckle and would heal on its own. But I knew it was broken and sure enough, when the xray came back it showed a break in both the ulna and radius. With that came the astounded look of the doctor who said, "I am amazed. She should not be acting so lively with a break like this. She's really a tough kid." Yes, yes she is. Well, it was then that he told us the angle of the break was right on the cusp of needing to meet with an orthopedic surgeon (More doctors???? How would I tell Miss B?!?!) who would reset the bones (called a reduction, a term my medically-interested mind will not forget.) and get her ready for a cast. So off to Primary Children's Hospital it was.

This was at 5:00. We made it to the hospital by 6 pm and by 6:45 were waiting in a room. It was at this time that Brielle turned on the super charm. She is a sweetheart to everyone and a friend to ALL. (I LOVE this about her.) She will talk to anyone about anything and everything. The first nurse heard her request for "medicine if it's grape. Or maybe cherry. Because I like grape and cherry." The Nurse Practitioner heard all about her new silver shoes, "See? They have a bow and I can wear them to church or to school. But today I wore them here to the hopsital. I mean, I mean, the ho-spit-al." After that almost every person that came in had heard about her from someone else and seemed happy to meet this little girl who wouldn't let a broken arm break her spirit. =)

They gave her a special doll and let her help them put an I.V. in the doll so B would understand more what they were doing when she had her I.V. put in.

Turns out she would need to be under sedation while they set her arm (understandable) so when the surgeons came in, they doped her up and Dan & I watched as she fought as hard as she could against the impending sleepiness. She didn't win. But it sure was amusing (and if I'm being completely honest,a little unsettling as parents) to watch. Then they doped her up again to wake her up quick and she picked up talking right away, even if she was pretty (read: extremely) loopy. And what did she talk about?? DISNEYLAND. Holla!!! "My mom... loves Disneyland." she said as she lifted her right hand (the not broken one) and draped it just *so* on the railing of her bed. "I had a dream about Mom and Dan and Anni and me at..." at that point she tried to lift her left arm (the broken one) only to realize there was something heavy on it. (the splint)  Oh my goodness, the look on her face was priceless!! "Well now wait a second, how'd that get there?" it seemed to say. Unfortunately, once the post-reduction xrays were taken they realized the bone had been jostled during the first reduction and didn't stay put. They'd have to do it again. But this time, they wouldn't put her out, just give her really strong pain meds and with gentle pressure nudge the bone back to where it needed to be. Let me just say right now how HARD it is to be outside in the hallway while you hear your daughter say "Ow. Ow. Ow." She didn't cry, she didn't call out. But hearing that, I knew she was in pain and oh good heavens I wanted to burst through that door and be by her side. But I restrained myself and let the professionals do their jobs. They came out and we again heard what a strong brave girl she is. My heart glowed, because yep!  She is strong. She is brave. And she is wonderful.

B watching Dora. She looks as thrilled as I felt.

Fast forward about 5 hours and who knows how many Dora shows later (Honestly, it's going to take me a month to get that song out of my head now.) we were ready to be on our way.

Now comes today. Our at home, I'm-going-to-spoil-my-brave-girl-rotten day. Library, Target, and who knows what else. Of course she'll be resting too.

My brave girl. She radiates happiness and joy and I believe everyone who meets her can see that in her. She loves this life and loves the people she comes in contact with. I love this about her. I love her brave spirit and her courage in doing something she is terrified of doing. She's quite the role model. Love my B. And thank you for the prayers, good thoughts, and good vibes from everyone. It is truly wonderful to know so many care about her and love her.  =)

And you may be curious: what was Anni doing this whole time? Well, she was home. proving to us just how capable she has become. She held down the fort so Dan and I could scramble and help Brielle. Sure do love our Anni-girl too. She has become an exceptional young lady who thinks of others and will help out any way she can.