The Birthday...and before and after

Thursday night we were out at the mall, eating dinner at Red Robin and getting See's Candies for me (Jessica's idea). The girls got me flowers at Costco earlier in the day. We got home, put the kids to bed at about 9:30pm and thought we were done for the night. But Bekah had different plans. Instead of lying in bed with her covers over her, drifting off to lala land, she was crawling across the bottom of her sister's bed. Well, she lost her balance and fell off. We heard the scream from their bedroom and came running. You never saw the Hubby and I move so fast. She met us at the door to their bedroom and was screaming. I couldn't tell what hurt, so she finally said it was her head and put her hand against the back of her head. That's when I saw the blood.

I checked the back of her head and there was a gash about three-quarters of an inch across on the back of her head. It was not bleeding that much, but any amount was too much for Bekah and she was a bit frightened. We grabbed some cloth diapers (yes, I still have them and yes, they work great for everything!) and some wipes and headed for the emergency room. We got there at about ten o'clock. They called her in to look at her after about a half hour and then we had to wait. The place was pretty full. There is only one hospital in the whole valley. Another is being built, however, it will be probably another year before it is completed. So we waited and they finally called her name at about 11:50pm. She was, of course, fast asleep.

I laid her down on the cot and the triage nurse cleaned up the wound a bit. The tech came over and said he wanted to put some staples in it, so it needed to be cleaned. Rebekah slept. The tech comes back with the staple gun about ten minutes later and asks us to wake her up. He said he felt really bad doing that while she was asleep. Rebekah is a VERY sound sleeper. I knew she wouldn't wake up, so I told him to go ahead. So he pulls her hair back and does the first staple. She moved around a bit and he waited. He does the second staple. She fusses a little more and grabs her head. He does the third staple. Now she is somewhat awake and starts to cry a little bit. But not much, considering what just happened. They are amazed. Said she was the best patient! Poor little thing. She just knows now her head hurts. She was awake enough to walk part of the way to the car. Good thing, too, since she is pretty heavy.

I was carrying her quite a lot that night and probably strained my back. I am sure I overdid it, but my baby was hurt. She is fifty-eight pounds and I just don't have the strength to carry her for long periods of time, but she was asleep for about an hour and I was holding her in the chair and then walking with her as well.

The next morning, she didn't remember much. So, aside from getting a late start, we were still going to go ahead with our plans. Last year on my birthday we went to Oxnard and had so much fun that I wanted to do that again. So we packed up the car and I decided to grab the folding chairs in case we needed them. I leaned over to pick one up and BAM! my back snapped. There is this one muscle in my lower left side that does this once in a while and when it goes, it goes BIG! This has not happened in a long time! Well, I could barely reach up to close the back of the van, so I knew I really did something. But we were still going to go!

I drove, which was easier for me than being a passenger. That was fine, but walking around was not easy. So when we got to the park at the beach, Hubby went with the girls down to the water and I stayed back and took pictures of them. It was gray and cloudy, windy and gorgeous! Weather that we love. The girls got to play in the sand and on the swings and then Hubby took them to the beach and the tide was coming in, so they had to scoot back a few times. They had a blast. There is also this "ship" on the beach that has a cable on it with a big rope attached to it. You climb up on the ship and ride the cable to the sand pile. Jess did it a few times and had a blast! Bekah wanted to, but Mommy said no, because of her head and once she got up high enough to grab it, she decided she didn't really want to do that anyway. Worked out fine.

We left the park at the beach and went over to Andria's Seafood and Market. It is the best. Clam chowder, fish and chips and fried shrimp and cole slaw. Yum. You walk up to the counter and order and then find a place to sit. It is so good! I really like the fish and chips at Red Robin. This is like, at least, ten times better. Fresh. The restaurant is within yards of the dock where the commercial fishing boats go out of. Really fresh fish!

We all ate the yummy food and were full and headed back toward home. It was about 4 o'clock. Then it started raining pretty hard. It was pouring by the time we got on the freeway and the windshield wipers couldn't keep up with it! So COOL! We stopped at a couple of vegetable stands on the way back home. There are many between the beach in Oxnard and Castaic. Orchards and fields everywhere. Beautiful area. So we got a box of grapefruit, some dried apricots, pumpkins, strawberries, zucchini, cashews, and some other stuff. Yum!

By the time we got to Castaic, the rain had dissipated. It was still beautiful, with puffy grey clouds with the sun coming through and everything looked fresh and crisp. We drove home and then we all had the cake that Hubby and Jess made for me that morning. The one time each year that I get to have white cake with white frosting and coconut on it. That is SOOOO good! Even Hubby had some, although he said it was only because it was my birthday cake. He only really likes chocolate!

I got lots of calls from people who love me on my birthday. Including one from "Jerry". Once, a long time ago, when I was young and not very bright, I responded to an ad in the Pennysaver classifieds. I met the guy at Coco's and we were supposed to have dinner. He had already eaten, so didn't order anything and I just had dessert. He was trying to be romantic and I was trying to hurry up and get out of there. He unscrewed the lightbulb above our table so as to create "ambience". At Coco's. I never saw the guy again, however, he had my cell phone number. That was more than ten years ago. I know, because I have been happily married for eight and a half years. Well, he calls me every year on my birthday. To wish me a happy birthday on my special day. And to say hello to my hubby. Whom he has never met. I don't answer the phone if I don't recognize the number and his came up "Unknown", so not a chance, but I can't believe he is still calling me! Weird! You would think after all this time he would have something better to do! Oh well, he doesn't know where I am, or what my last name is and he only calls on my birthday. But after the strange things that have happened to me in my life, it does creep me out a little.

All in all, I had a very nice birthday. I am still hobbling around because I can not stand up straight, but I am sure within a few days, I will be back to normal. I hope. Hubby is at church with the kids right now. I figured I had better stay home and take it easy. So I am. I don't get many opportunities to do so!