Broken arms, yes; broken spirits, no!

Lucy was such a champ today at Children's Hospital, proving that a broken bone does not lead to broken spirits. As we waited in the exam room, she curiously peeked out the door to greet the orthopedic surgeon. Lucy grinned at her, and then ducked back in the room quickly in a playful fashion when the surgeon approached, accidentally knocking the surgeon's file cart to the ground. Oops. Then, as I talked with the surgeon, Lucy made herself busy climbing up on the exam table and opening all of the drawers in the room. The surgeon said, "Well, isn't she just a sweet thing? She's like a cartoon character! I've never seen such a busy, curious child."

Then, the surgeon and I turned our backs on Lucy for 10 seconds to look at the x-ray, propped up in the light box. We heard a "Help, mommy," and turned to see Lucy, hanging from the sink area, legs dangling two feet from the floor. While we had our backs turned to the light box, she had taken the doctor's swivel stool and wheeled it to the counter, stood on it, and was "washing her hands" when the stool slipped out from under her, leaving her precariously hanging on the counter. In less than TEN SECONDS. The surgeon looked at her in disbelief, and then started laughing hysterically. She said, "It's not surprising to me at all that she's broken a bone. She's a real life little Curious George, isn't she?" and then she proceeded to giggle in a very un-surgeon like fashion...for over 30 seconds. Maybe longer.

My retort (in the nicest voice I could muster given all of her giggling): "It isn't quite so funny when you are her mother and in charge of watching her every second of every day." She stopped laughing, considered that for a moment, and then said, "Yes, I suppose you are right. So, Curious George, it's off to the cast room for you!" And then started chortling again. She was still laughing as Lucy skipped down the hall to the cast room.

Lucy chose a wonderful lime green cast wrap. She was enamored with the whole process and was proudly holding up her new cast for all to see. Until, that is, we got to the car, and she gestured to it and said to me in her most frustrated tone, "Off, mommy, want it OFF!" Let's hope the next few weeks (no swimming, no sand, no baths???) go quickly...for all of our sakes.