A Break in the Action

Kinley has had a little break in her action. Literally. She has a thigh-high purple cast to prove it.

Two weeks ago today, Jill was carrying Kinley down the stairs and tripped down the last three or so. Accidents like that happen so quickly, but evidently, Jill hit Kinley's ankle during the fall. She called us that night, saying that Kinley wouldn't walk on it, but there was no bruising and no evident break. We advised her to see if it was better the next morning. It wasn't. So they took Kinley to get an X-ray on that Saturday morning.

"No," that doctor said. "It must just be a deep bruise or a sprain." But, when she still wasn't walking on it on Monday, they took her to her regular doctor.

And this time, they got a different X-ray and a different diagnosis. Miss Kinley had a broken ankle. Her doctor put it in a brace, and they headed to an orthopedic doctor the following day.

We were all surprised when the cast ended up thigh-high. Since yellow wasn't an option for a cast color at that doctor's office, none of us were too surprised that she chose K-State purple. (Brainwashing begins early in our family, but Kinley did the choosing.)

It doesn't slow her down much, especially now that they've figured out some friction for the bottom of a sock covering the cast. Who knew Eric was such an artist? For a daycare program this week, Kinley's fancy Christmas dress was accessorized with a purple cast and a sock with a Christmas tree painted on the bottom, courtesy of her Daddy.

We stopped and saw her on our way back from Kentucky. Girls with casts just might get a book to read and a Minnie Mouse figurine to dress up.

The cast doesn't keep her from helping Mommy in the kitchen.

 

She is still quite the cook - whether she's helping make beef and broccoli for supper or trying out a new white whole wheat muffin recipe for Mommy's work.

Another major issue has been trying to figure out how to keep the cast dry during bathing. They covered the top of the cast with a washrag, then wrapped it in plastic wrap, before inserting the whole kit-and-kaboodle in a trash bag fastened with duct tape. Quite a production just to take a shower.

She will be in the cast 4 to 5 weeks, so she'll probably still be wearing it during Christmas gatherings. Her Mommy is really hoping she'll get the cast off as a birthday present. Kinley turns 2 on December 30. It would be great to unwrap the cast before she unwraps her presents.