Happy freakin' birthday
 

Yesterday my daughter turned 12.

She broke her arm. On her birthday.

Not only that......Her 6th grade class takes a 4 day trip to San Diego every January to go whale watching, take educational tours at the zoo, wild animal park, and Sea World. For Christmas, we bought her participation in the Dolphin interaction program at Sea World on the day they'll be there. They have to wear a full wet suit. Called Sea World this morning. Since she'll be in a cast (left forearm), the wetsuit won't fit over it, and she can't participate.

Talk about a disappointed 12 year old girl. :(

Poor kid!!!!:(

Are you sure there isn't something they can rig to cover the cast? They have plastic covers for showering- maybe they can improvise something. She might not be able to interact with the dolphins too much, but at least then she could still get in the water with them. If not, maybe there is something she could do instead that might be extra special?

I'm about to cry over here! :( :( :(

Isn't there anything Sea World does for the disabled??

Sorry about your kid, Leo. Just tell her that you're going to take her to Disneyland instead.
:)

The wife and I haven't talked about anything yet that we could possibly do to....compensate?....for the bummer of it all. My daughter has an EXTREMELY low pain tolerance, so without swelling or bruising, we figured she'd be over it this morning. She was still hurting pretty bad, though, so we took her to be xrayed this morning.

Sea World said the problem is that they have to wear a full wet suit, and the wet suit won't fit over the cast.

She's at the doctor right now - we're hoping since it's only a fracture that they might allow her to have some sort of removable splint until she gets back from San Diego.

To add to the disappointment, we had worked out with her best friend's parent that they would give their daughter the same interaction program for Christmas. So she was going to get to do it with her best friend.

Awwwwww! Poor girl!!!!! That just sucks.

I threw up once on my birthday, but that was after eating a ton of marathon bars and faux mint julips with green food coloring and doing the bunny hop up and down the stairs. Stained the carpet green though.

How did she break her arm?

Well....remember the saga of the trampoline and what a pain in the butt it was to put it in?

She was on the trampoline with a couple friends. She didn't fall off - we have an enclosure - but she fell over and landed on her left hand on the foot of another girl.

That is really a drag. :( :(

Here's hoping the fracture will be such that she can get by with some sort of wrap that will enable her to don a wetsuit and enjoy the dolphins.

Donna

I knew it was the trampoline. Those things are killers, man.

So did I, but that's because I got Bush to tap his phone line 'cause I heard Leo ordered Middle Eastern food once.

Hey, maybe as compensation for not being able to do the dolphin thing, Sea World will make an exception to that pesky "21 and over" rule for the free beer. That'd take care of the pain problem too!

Yep - Heather (her name, by the way), either to console me or to preserve her favorite thing at our house, told me that I shouldn't feel bad about giving them the trampoline. Accidents happen, she said.

We're still holding out hope. She wasn't able to get in to an orthopedist until Friday. Obviously, it if was super severe, they would have gotten it taken care of right away. If she can go 4 days without it being in a cast and only in a brace, why not allow her to go another week? The dolphin thing is on the 13th.

Oh, that doesn't sound like fun, AT ALL!

And it's not bad enough to get in a cast right away, but bad enough you have to see a bone specialist? I broke my (upper) arm when I was almost 10 and the regular doctor I went to go see was able to do everything, although I didn't need a cast (ok, yes, this was in the dark ages)

I hope you're going to be able to avoid the cast all together - or AT LEAST until she gets back from San Diego!

Ouch, that sucks - hopefully they'll find a way to accomodate her

That makes sense. I hear that falafel is very sphincter-friendly. :D

scaeagles?

Never had falafel. I don't know if I could name a Middle Eastern food. Maybe Roasted Goat?

You know, I think it's an insurance and a CYA thing. Her doc said she had to go see one to get a cast or whatever they make her do.

I can't imagine trying to wrestle myself into a wetsuit with an injured arm. It's hard enough as it is!

This is so sad for your daughter. Can you take her another time to make up for it?

Suckwad as this is ... do NOT jeopardize your daughter's health by postponing treatment for the sake of some dolphin interaction. (Getting into the wetsuit without morphine would be, as pointed out, nearly impossible anyway).


You're just going to have to bite the bullet and foot the bill for Heather and her friend to have 12 hours in the water with 17 dolphins at their private disposal. Or else, what kind of dad would you be????

Oh, I most certainly won't. I'll see what the orthopedist says on Friday. The way I see it, though, if it was so horrible, they'd have gotten it in a cast the next day.

I'm probably just holding out hope for her.


A dad who still owned a house?

Nowadays they like to wait for the swelling to go down before they apply a cast. On some fractures they will just use a splint, but either way you're probably not going to want to take the chance of her being injured worse, and it's unlikely the school or the facility will either. Maybe you, the school and/or Sea World can come up with something special to help her feel better about missing out on this.

However, I can imagine wrestling in a wetsuit.

In a pool of Jello.

...and there goes my breakfast.

When she gets better, bring her here to Hawaii. I'll comp her a dolphin (or ray, or sea lion) swim from Tiki. I'd be heartbroken if something like that happened to Alice. Wishing her a speedy recovery!

I may have to take you up on that. There's Hawaii talk for next summer, but I don't know if it will materialize.

Sigh. It is now official. She is in a cast. She had tears running down her cheeks as they were putting it on. :(

Maybe she'd feel better if she heard the story of our poor 4 year old step niece who just had to have her finger sewn and her fingernail sewn back on all with inadequate anesthetic. Poor girl went through hell.

Yikes. Misery does love company.

On the same day she broke her arm, her 2 year old cousin dislocated his elbow. Doesn't sound as painful as your poor little niece, though.

The book I am reading has an account of two root canals on the front teeth, a cavity and 2 crowns on the side teeth all being done without anesthetic. Nothing will seem bad anymore now that I've read that.

I've got a friend who refuses to take anesthetic for dental work. I'll never understand it.

You're reading 'A Million Pieces', aren't you?

I am! And, I love it/hate it. I picked up his new one at the store and put it back down again after carrying it around for a while.

I think it's too close to home. Except I take anethesia.

I read 'My Friend Leonard' as well- both books were hard to read and equally hard to put down. Brutal stuff, but I'm glad I read them.

(Sorry for the derail, Scaeagles!)

Every once in a while something happens that makes you think you've done something right as a parent. And that you have a really great kid.

We had offered to a few people that will be on the trip (they left today) to purchase the dolphin interaction thing from us and let Heather have the money to spend as she chooses - after all, this was her major Christmas present.

On Sunday, she told us she didn't want to sell it. She wanted to give it to a friend whose dad had lost his job a few months ago, since they are hurting for money and she didn't get much for Christmas. So she did.

Of course, now I want to do something even more special for my kid.

oh wow.... YOu did something right SCA

Your daughters generosity of heart will not go unnoticed. Congratulations, and a giant hug to that girl of yours.

That is really touching. It sure sounds like you did something right and that she is a very kind and compassionate person. You should be proud.




Of course, this probably means that she will eventually become a democrat. A republican would have kept the money. :evil:

Thanks for killing my "proud parent" buzz.

Oh shush... don't let him get to you. Keep your buzz....
Her actions speak louder then ANY premonition of what she'll become.

:rolleyes:


Though it does kind of say bleeding heart ;)

Edited to add... yes I knew it was a joke... STILL!!! I'd elbow him for that.

It was a joke, Ponine. I should have put a smilie or something after it.

I can't mojo 'eagles for his good parenting skills

Nor should you. Raisin' a bleedin' Commie, he is!