The Power of One

My oldest sister, Kim, is pregnant with her first baby. Baby "Snap" is due on December 7th but they have a C-section scheduled for tomorrow. The baby has turned itself around breech TWO TIMES NOW! Little Monkey. So, if tomorrow morning baby "Snap" is still upside down (or right side up, I guess.) they'll do the C-section. It is killing me that she is THERE and I am HERE and we aren't TOGETHER. I have cried a lot this afternoon. Now I understand how she felt when I had my three babies. This is pure torture! I can not wait to be an Aunt for the first time! I'll keep you posted.


So, as Kim has been preparing for this baby she and her husband have been making all the decisions that first time parents have to make. What car seat? Stroller? Doctor? Nursery theme? Name? Epidural?

And one decision that most of us don't spend much time thinking about, if ever.... disposable or cloth diapers? This question NEVER crossed my mind, nope not once. But Kim has decided that she is going to use cloth diapers and wipes. She is a very environment conscious person. Kim really prides herself on the fact that she has very little garbage in a week yet her recycle bin is always full. Disopasble diapers are just not something she is comfortable using. (I think she told me that a diaper takes 500 years to decompose...YEP. I just googled it. And anything you read on google is TRUE!)

Now, I know you are all immediately thinking that she is crazy (I do!) BUT, I TRULY commend Kim for taking a stand and making a decision that may not be easy but that she feels can make a difference. I like to think of this as the Power of One. I think that we all have made decisions in our lives that we feel make a difference. We might not be able to single handedly change the world but we feel that we can make an impact on our world, our community, or maybe just our own little families.


Here are a few of my Power of One decisions.....

1. I don't allow my kids to chew gum with sugar in it. I know, what a mean mom. I know, what a hypocrite cause my kids have LOTS of other stuff with sugar in it. It is just my thing. When I take my kids to the dentist and they have no cavities, I always chalk it up to the no sugar gum rule! My kids will even ask their friends' moms when they are offered gum if it has sugar in it. I know the moms think I am a nut. At Sirri's gymnastics her teacher always gives them a piece of bubble gum at the end of the class. Sirri will chew it as we walk out of the gym and when we get in the van she always volunteers to throw it out. So proud!

2. I don't drink caffeinated soda. I don't share this to look like I'm perfect or anything. In fact, it is just the opposite. I have so many shortcomings that I have to take advantage of as many easy decisions as I can. It is the same reason that I took out my second earring when the prophet said to wear only one. It is an easy choice that I can make that can make a little bit of a difference for me.

3. I won't buy any products that contain the artificial sweetener Aspertaine. I used to buy Yoplait yogurt with Aspertaine but after being alerted by a very wise sister I decided to not buy it anymore. There are studies that conflict each other on this issue of course. One says it causes cancer, the other says it won't. I'm just not willing to risk it for myself or my family. After my own cancer scare, it just seemed like such an easy simple choice.

So....what is your Power of One? What are the choices, small or large, simple or complex, that you have made that give you a feeling of power? I'd love to know!

P.S. Since this is my blog, I get to make the rules. And there is ONLY ONE. No one is allowed to poke fun of, laugh at or scoff at anyone else's choices. We should congratulate each other for trying to make a difference!

(Especially, Kim. Let's give the girl a break. She has heard it enough about the diapers and is having her first baby tomorrow for goodness sake! Plus, like I said, I'm proud of her for her choice!)

Inherited

There is this little trait that some of us have acquired from my mom (I think she aquired it from my Great Grandpa Hiatt. Is that right mom?) It sneaks out of us when we aren't looking BUT when we ARE concentrating really hard. Just the other day I saw it sneak right out of little Miss Sirri. I laughed, and of course took a picture.

Wanna see?

Be patient.

Oh, here it comes. Slowly but surely.


THERE IT IS!!! The tongue. In all its concentrating, thinking real hard, I'm focused, GLORY!

Oh, would you look at that...Meg inherited it too!!!!!

Jensen Family Week in Review Nov. 18-25

Sunday: Sirri had her first Primary Program. My parents are the best and drove from Boise Saturday afternoon to watch their oldest granddaughter basically do, well...nothing. Since she is a Sunbeam her class all said a part together, and yet, the teacher was the only one who you could hear. Okay, so I was told that she did sing the songs, though I couldn't see her from my spot on the stage. I was so sad that I basically missed her first program. Oh well. MANY more years of Primary Programs. Of course, I was told by numerous people just how cute my daughter is. So what if she didn't say much? She's cute!

After the program the kids and I rode with my parents back to Boise. (See... #1 grandparents. They weren't even in town for 24 hours!) It was such a nice ride. I love to be chauffeured! Kendon was on call through Sunday night so he came Monday morning.

Monday: Hmmm. Pretty uneventful. I DID make really yummy enchiladas.

Tuesday: We had the kids pictures taken at Kiddie Kandids. The kiddos did much better than anticipated and I was happy with what we got. I wish I could have had a camera on Kendon when he saw the pictures. Such a proud Daddy!


(Take note. The following paragraph is a little foreshadowing!)

A friend, Nickelle, said that we were lucky to have pictures without bruises or bumps or scrapes. She is right because that is typically how it goes. We have a family picture from when Sirri was little and she has a black eye. Ouch! (Bummer. I was going to show you a picture of the black eyed family portrait but I forgot Cindy photoshopped the black eye out. Kendon was sad.)

So, yes lucky. But not for long.

Wedenesday: I had a major Mommy Melt Down Moment. And Cindy was a witness. Poor girl. Sorry Cin. I wasn't feeling well and wasn't up to doing anything. The longer we sat around the house, the rowdier the kiddos got. And rowdy in someone else's house doesn't go real well. (even if it is Gma's house. ) So, at about 12:00 I decided to get the kids dressed and take them somewhere for lunch. We got the kids dressed, hair done, Meg in her car seat, just in time for Sirri to throw a fit (I lose track of the reasons), Meg to decide she is tired and begin to bawl, and for Connor to pee on my only pair of pants. Yes, I was wearing them, don't ask how it happened (just remember...little boy, learning to pee.) Needless to say, I freaked and we didn't go anywhere. Cindy promptly took over. She fed the kids lunch while I frantically tried to find something to clean in my Mom's house. (I like to clean when I am feeling out of control. Or in this case, not just feeling it, but truly had lost it!) So, we put the kids to bed and I did something I rarely do. I took a two hour nap. BUT FIRST, I ate a very large bowl of peppermint ice cream and read my book. Ahhhhhh. I then felt much better.

After naps, when I was ready to be a Mommy again we took the kids shopping for family portrait outfits. Of course, Cindy came along. Number one, I think she may have still been afraid for the children's lives, and number two, I am hopeless when it comes to shopping. We found some great outfits and had cookies at Carl's Jr. to reward the great shopping kiddos!

Thursday: Thursday morning we had family portraits taken. It is so nice to have a photographer sister. Cindy does a great job! (If you live in Boise and need pictures done...Cindy is the one to call.)




Well, as you can see, these pictures turned out really well too. No cuts, scrapes, bruises, UNTIL.... Kendon and Connor slipped on some icy rocks and Connor gashed his head open. To make long story short, Kendon felt (still feels) extremely terrible, there was LOTS of blood, we were a few miles from a hospital, he ended up with four stitches in his head, Connor was soooo brave (and impressed the heck out of the hospital staff), and his daddy (still feeling guilty) spoiled him with a big dish of ice cream, with m&m's, chocolate chips, and sprinkles, from the hospital cafeteria.

We are sorry we have no pictures from the accident or the hospital. Kendon did say that my sister wouldn't make a good photojournalist. He wishes that she had kept snapping pictures after Connor fell. "it would have made for a good blog," he said. I know that Cindy was just being a good auntie and was more worried about Connor than getting a good shot.

Here is an after shot.
We then of course had a ver yummy feast at my parent's house. Lots of food and good company makes for a great time. My favorite is the green bean casserole. Yummy. And my least favorite...yams. Yuck. I also don't like pumpkin pie. Grrrross!

Friday: Kendon got off work early so we were able to spend the afternoon and evening together as a family (he was able to work for the week in Boise. It worked out really well. Kinda like having a paid vacation.) We met my dad at Cabelas. The kids love to go there and see all the animals and the great big fish aquariums. Connor knows the names of all the animals (even the tricky ones like antelope.) He even knows the difference between a white tail and a mule deer. This makes his hunting daddy very proud.

Then we went to the Festival of Trees. I just love to see all the trees and listen to the Christmas music. It put me right in the holiday spirit! I can't wait to get my house all decorated on Monday!!! The kids had fun too and were very well behaved.

We came home and had Pappa Murphy's pizza with my parents. It was a really nice night!

Also, Meg is officially weened from the bottle. I am still soooooo sad, BUT I am happy that she can now go to bed without her bottle and she also sleeps through the night. Yipppeeee!!!!!!!!

Saturday: Drive home. No major occurrences which is just how we like it!

Congrats to anyone who made it through this BIG OLE LONG post! I should have a drawing for those kind souls who made it this far. BUT, I won't. Sorry. How about I just promise to post something a bit more entertaining soon? Deal!

Changing my profile.

Hi. Sorry about the VERY large picture of ME. I'm editing my profile. I'm not sure how to get rid of the post without losing my profile pic too. So, there you go. You get to look at me for a moment. I'll be sure to get a new post up ASAP.

"We have the cutest kids in the world."

A direct quote from One Proud Daddy!

Oh, but I think he is right!

Teach 'em Young...

The other night I was folding laundry and watching Dancing With the Stars. I thought that Sirri would enjoy the dancing and told her to come in and watch with me.

She walked in the room, took one look at the dancers, and here is the conversation that followed:

Sirri: "Mom, that 's not honest."
Mom: "What's not honest."
Sirri: (Pointing at the T.V.) "That's not honest. It's NAKED!!!"

Last night, I realized, Meg hadn't had a bottle in 24 hours. And then I cried. Literally cried. Pathetic? Maybe. Terribly sad that Meg is growing up? YES.

Thinking of my sweet Mega Mega Roo Roo (and almost giving her a bottle just because I wanted to) made me realize that I never posted pictures of her birthday cupcakes OR more importantly, HER EATING her cupcakes!

So, without further ado...Baby Meg, eating her little monkeys (I had to do little monkeys for THEE little monkey!)

Enjoy. She did!

The ABC's of Baby Meg

Meg Elizabeth Jensen
November 13, 2007
One Year Old

• A= Apples. These are my favorite treat. I loved going for walks down to the apple tree at Aunt Wylene's house this fall. I would chew on an apple the whole way home.
  
• B= Bottle. I LOVE my bottle and still need one to go to sleep. Sometimes I even wake up in the night for a bottle. This is going to have to end soon I am afraid. (Just as soon as Mommy and Daddy get brave enough. I hope it takes them a while)
• C= Copy Cat! I love to play copy cat. It is so cute. My favorites are: spitting/blowing bubbles, fake laughing, and shaking my head no.
• D= "Don't throw me in the air daddy! I do not like it."
  
• E= Eat, eat, eat! I am the best eater Mommy has had. I can eat more than my brother and sister on any given day, any given meal.

• F= (Not) FAT. I am the skinniest baby that my mom has had. At one year old I weigh 19 lbs. 12 oz. For comparison: at nine months Connor weighed a whopping 28 pounds!!!
  
• G= Giggle pot! I may be skinnier than my two older siblings but I am just as ticklish. (Well, almost. I am actually probably the least ticklish out of the three of us. But I will not tell you that I am most ticklish on my thighs. Oops!)
• H= Hair. I still have very little. It is even shorter than Sirri's hair was when she was one. This has my mom a little worried.
  
• I= Ice cream is one of my daddy's very favorite treats and I love it when he shares with me. I eat a LOT. And when he doesn't want to share I scream until he does! (He always folds!)
• J= Just cut two more teeth. (And they hurt.) That makes for a total of nine. Yes, nine.
  
• K= Kimmy's baby and I will be just over a year apart. I cannot wait for Baby Snap to get here. Hurry Baby Snap! You are the only cousin close to my age.
• L= Lover of: music (I "sing" and "dance"), baths, clapping, suckers, smarties, apples (I know I already told you that, but Mommy thought it looked bad with only suckers and smarties!) Pointing. This is my very latest trick. I love to point at everything. I also love giving kisses. Very wet, open mouthed, lots of tongue, kisses.
• M= Mommy is so sad that I am one year old. She was teary all day on my birthday.
  
• N= Nicknames: Mega Mega Roo Roo (that's what Mommy calls me.) Baby Meg is what Sirri and Connor have called me ever since I was in Mommy's tummy. Meggers (Daddy's nickname) Megatron (Brooke and Koy's daddy) Meggera (Aunt Stacey and Uncle Sharman.)
  
• O= Off. I always, always take my shoes and socks off. Just like my big brother who won't leave his on either.
  
• P= Pretzel. I am a very flexible baby and can flatten out like a pancake or fold up like a pretzel.
  

• 

• Q= Quiet. That is how I like it to be when I am sleeping. I'm a very light sleeper. Mommy and Daddy don't appreciate this very much.
  
• R= Runny nose. Whenever Mommy takes me to the doctor they ask, "how long has Meg had a runny nose." Mommy's answer, "her WHOLE life." Honestly, I always have a runny nose.
• S= Sweet . Sweet. Sweet. This is the first word Mommy would use to describe me.
  
• T= Talk. Something I don't do yet. I say mamamamama, but that's it. My Mommy thinks that I should be able to say uh-oh! or something by now. Oh well. I'll talk someday and then she'll be wishing she could keep me quiet.
• U= Unbelievable eyelashes! This is always the first thing people notice about me. "Wow, look at those eyelashes!"

• V= Very smart. Sirri plays Pat a Cake with me and I can clap and "roll it." I am also very good at peek-a-boo.
  
• W= (Not) WALKING. Yet. I pull myself up to the furniture and walk around but that's all I seem interested in so far. Mommy is okay with this. She isn't ready for me to be mobile. I can stand up for about thirty seconds. When I want to. Like I said, I am not too interested in walking!
• X= Xtra CUTE! Enough said.
• Y= Yes, I am sweet. BUT you should see me throw a fit! It is quite good if I don't say so myself. I am a little stubborn and dramatic. Much like my older sister. (Yikes.)
  
• Z= zzzzzzzzzz. That is what I am doing right now. Thankfully. Like I said. I am not the world's greatest sleeper. On average I probably sleep at least three hours LESS than my brother and sister in a 24 hour time period.

Happy First Birthday Baby Meg!

A Look Back...One Year Ago

Never forget for a single minute, you didn't grow under my heart but in it.

It was so nice to finally meet you.

Love at first sight!

Precious.

Our first complete family photo.

Going home.

We love you, Baby Meg!

Dear Pappa,

Hi. I thought that you might need a little pick me up since you just had your hip replaced and had the flu this week. I am sorry. I hope that you are feeling better. Maybe this video of me on my bike will help. I just LOVE my bike. I want to go for a ride every day. I am so glad that you found this bike for me. It is my new favorite thing to do. I am getting really good too. I used to need a little push to get going but I can do it all by myself now! I am even really brave when I fall off. My mom thought for sure that I would get really upset and be a bit dramatic (like I can get!) but I get right up and right back on the bike. This makes my Mommy really proud and happy. She thinks that I look like such a big girl on my bike and it makes her a little bit sad that I am growing up so fast. I love you so much and can't wait to see you next week. I am going to bring my bike so you can see me in action! By the way, Mommy and I named my bike Purple Paradise. She said that every bike has to have a name!!! (When she was little she had a bike named Blue Lightning!)

I love you!

Sirri

How Big is Meg???

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BIG!

And yes, Sirri is so big too!

(This is my favorite trick of Meg's and I am so glad that I was able to finally get it on camera. Now, I need to get it on video. Wish me luck. Meg is a stubborn little thing!)

I Scream You Scream...

WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!

A few days back, as I was strolling through the ice cream aisle, trying to keep my eyes forward and my motivation to resist ice cream strong, I saw it. Out of the corner of my eye. There it was. In all of it's pink and red and green glory. Peppermint ice cream. I was able to resist buying a carton even though my instincts were telling me to buy every box they had. (It is a novelty at this time of year you know.)

I have spent the last few days being proud of myself for resisting the urge to buy the holiday treat so early in the season but yet, the craving would not go away. It would creep up and continually assault me until I ate something else, just as bad for me, but NOT Peppermint ice cream, and still the craving would continue. And, so, like any woman with an insanely strong sweet tooth, self discipline that can not compete, and an affection for any ice cream really, I caved. And I am happy. And I have no remorse. And I plan on buying another carton when this one is gone. Which, if the eating trend continues, isn't too far out!

You know how certain songs or smells will remind you of a person or event? Yeah? Well, I get that too. BUT with ice cream.

The peppermint ice cream that I am eating right this very moment (yummo!) reminds me of my little sister and of our birthdays. Our birthdays are two days apart in December. And so for many a SHARED birthday celebrations we were treated with peppermint ice cream. Every year at our birthday party, I used to wish that I could have a party just for me. I was tired of getting matching presents with a sister who was three years younger than me. I wanted a cake all my own. I didn't want Cindy to blow out the candles, and then add three more so it could be my turn. And yet, as I sit here eating this ice cream, reminiscing about birthdays past and thinking about our birthdays to come, I am wishing that we lived in the same city so that this year we COULD SHARE a party. So, Cindy, on our birthdays, I will eat more peppermint ice cream and will be thinking about you!

Here are a few other flavors of ice cream that make me feel all warm and thoughtful inside. (Who knew that ice cream could make you feel warm?!?!)

Mint Chocolate Chip- This flavor reminds me of, well, of me! It is MY FAVORITE. Kendon's too. Sometimes we get in ice cream funk and buy this over and over again. It still makes me happy though!

Bubble Gum- My grandpa and grandma Bigelow used to take us to a quaint little ice cream shop called Delsa's. It was a real treat to go there. My sisters and I used to get the bubble gum ice cream. We would spit the bubble gum chunks into a napkin and save it for after we were finished with our ice cream. The only problem with this plan is that the napkin would stick to the bubble gum. That would make for extra chewy gum. Yuck!

Root Beer Floats - Technically not a flavor of ice cream but this is my dad's all time favorite treat. I would be curious to know on average, how many root beer floats my dad consumes in a week during the summer. Just curios. I can not eat a root beer float without thinking of my dad. And my dad will always offer to make you a float too and he will ALWAYS make it for you. You would never have to scoop your own when dad is around.


Cherry Dip Cone from DQ- When I was going to school in Lewiston my roommates and I went to DQ every Thursday night before Survivor. I always ordered a DOUBLE dipped cherry dip cone. One night I asked the casheir girl, "do I know you? You look so familiar." She looked at me a minute and replied, "I think you know me from HERE!" Ya, I think maybe we should have watched the DQ habit a bit more closely.

Peach- When Kendon and I were first married and we bought LOTS more ice cream than we do now, we got adventurous and stepped out of our mint habit for a time. For a while peach was our new favorite. I never would even have thought to buy peach ice cream. Kendon has really taught me a thing or two!

Any weird out of season flavor. Like Peppermint in July - My grandpa Bigelow LOVED ice cream and when we ate at his house a meal was always ended with ice cream. Grandpa would buy a lot of his ice cream at some local mart that sold old ice cream at a discount. He was always bringing home weird or out of season flavors. Many times he would douse a sugar cube in lemon extract, put it on top of our ice cream and light it on fire. Ice cream on flambe! (flaum- bay) It made the ice cream taste like yucky lemon but it made grandpa so happy!

Raspberry Sherbet- My best friend all through high school and college, Camilla, loved to eat Sherbet. She is this TINY skinny little thing but has always been health conscious, hence her choice to choose sherbet. I always agreed to eat the sherbet, pretending to be happy that we were making a "smart" ice cream choice, while I was secretly wishing for something chocolate the whole time! Whenever we would go to TCBY, Camilla would order raspberries for her topping. NOT ME! I always chose toffee! I guess that is why Camilla can still wear a kids size 16 and I CAN'T!

Phish Food- I loved it when a boy was mean to a roommate in college because we would always "fix it" with ice cream. And we all know that sherbet can't fix a broken heart. No way! We were all about the YUMMY, loaded with chocolate, marshmallow and caramel, Ben and Jerry's Phish Food!


Okay, I need to stop. I have already put the ice cream up (only because I had been eating it for so long- straight from the carton- that it was melting.) But, if I keep going on and on about ice cream I am going to have no choice but to reopen the carton of deliciousness!

What is your favorite flavor?

Sweet Boy of Mine

My Connor. Sweet sweet Connor. He can sure be all boy and get into his fair share of naughtiness but for the most part he is just so lovable. Here are a few moments in the last few days that have meant a lot to this mama.

* I had just put the kiddos to bed. Sirri and Connor both went down great but Meg had a tough time. She has been a little under the weather. I left her in her bed to get her some medicine. This of course created more crying and tears from her. Connor (who shares a room with Meg) told me, "Mom, you should sing to her. That will make her feel better."

By the time I got back with the medicine she had stopped crying. A few minutes later she was upset again. And what do I instantly hear coming from their room? Connor singing to his baby sister. And do you know what? He was right. It worked. Sweet Connor man sang his baby to sleep.

* At the Halloween carnival we were waiting in line to play a game. The little boy standing in line behind us decided to hit me. We don't know this kid and I don't have any idea why he it me but he did. Connor saw it happen, stepped in front of me, looked the boy square in the face and said, "don't hit my mommy."

* The other day the kids and I went for a walk. I was trying to help Sirri get her bike through the gravel driveway and pull Meg in the stroller at the same time. I was not very successful and ended up falling down and scratching my knees and hands up. Right after we got in the house, Connor was running and fell down on his knees pretty hard as well. The next morning when he woke up, I asked Connor how his knees felt. His response, "they're alright. Are you okay? Do your knees still hurt mommy?"

Sigh.

Thanks buddy. I love you Connor Man.

Happy First Birthday to....

Kendon's NEW and NOT so improved finger!!!!

It was a Friday morning. Much like most other Friday mornings, yet I was nine LARGE months pregnant and a little bit perturbed that I was not at the hospital having a baby. As with my two previous pregnancies my blood pressure had been elevated for some time. Due to my blood pressure I was happily induced two weeks early with Connor and I planned on the same happening with this baby. I had it all worked out in my "I like to have things planned" brain, that I would schedule my baby to be born on Friday November third. I like having babies on Fridays and I like having them early (since Connor was 9 lbs. Can you imagine if he had hung on for two more weeks. Hello... half grown baby!)

Suddenly, Kendon came screeching through the door. His face and shirt were covered in blood, he was holding his left hand in his right and blood was flowing everywhere. The first words out of his mouth alarmed me to the fact that this was serious. "Get in the van, now. We have to get to the hospital." In all the years that Kendon and I have been married he had only been to the doctor one time before and that was when he rolled his four wheeler and dislocated his collar bone, tearing the tendon and ligaments. (That time I truly thought he was having a heart attack by the way he came in the house all hunched over unable to talk or breathe.)

This time he had been working on building his brother a shed. Against his own better judgment he was using the table saw without the safeguard of a push stick. You can guess the rest of the story. Instead of cutting the wood, he got his fingers instead. It sliced his pointer finger and cut off his middle finger just above the first knuckle.

I quickly began getting my shoes on. Apparently not fast enough. Kendon was losing lots of blood and his calm all at the same time. It took me roughly two minutes to get my shoes on, call a neighbor to take the kids and get us all loaded into the van. To Kendon, it felt like an eternity.

As I began speeding down our road, with Kendon riding passenger (something that rarely happens. Another indicator of the seriousness.) I suddenly got a serious, and I mean serious, case of the giggles. I could tell Kendon was not humored by the situation but I could not help myself. The harder I tried to get in control the harder I began to laugh. The giggles ruptured into full blown laughter. Kendon, at the end of his rope, and his finger hanging on by a thread, lost it. "Could you PLEASE stop laughing? This is not funny." I truly did feel bad and tried to suppress my emotions. For that is truly what the giggles were, emotion. I tried to explain to Kendon that in a panic I either laugh or cry and I guess this time we got laughter. I'm not sure he would have wanted to be dealing with a bawling wife either!! The only way that I was able to gain some semblence of control was when I realized that Kendon was near passing out and to avoid that I had to keep talking to him. The whole way to the hospital I was pleading with Kendon to "please don't pass out. Please don't pass out on me." Thankfully, it worked.

We arrived at the ER and unlike on the movies, did not have to wait for a minute. The second they took one look at Kendon's blood splattered, pail white face, and "I'm going into shock" eyes, they took him directly back. The ER doctor was quick to make his rounds and even quicker to decide that this case would put him in over his head. He was able though to prescribe an I.V. of Morphine that was greatly appreciated by Kendon.

The Orthopedic Surgeon was called. As we waited and I fumed and grumped that this was supposed to be MY day in the hospital we made wagers over whether or not Kendon would keep his finger. I did not feel that I could make a proper guess seeing that I had not yet actually seen his finger. Kendon carefully pulled back the makeshift dressing that was covered in blood so that I could take a gander. It was horrible. It was disgusting. It was much worse than I had anticipated and now, I really felt bad for laughing. It was like a bad car wreck. You don't want to look becuase it is horrific but for some unknown reason you keep looking. And, it was literally CUT OFF.

Kendon and I both felt that his finger would probably be unrepairable but allowed the doctor to make the judgment call. Good thing he had the last word because he was quite hopeful that the finger could be saved with surgery. He was able to do the surgery right there in our ER room and I was able to stay and watch. Well, I did more staying than I did watching.

Approximately four hours after arriving in the ER we were on our way home. I have to say, that Kendon really was a great sport throughout this whole, not so fun, adventure. He truly was in good spirits. He was also shirtless because they had to cut his favorite (brand new) Cabela's sweatshirt off of him. But hey, he wasn't fingerless.

One year later, Kendon still doesn't have any feeling in the tip of his now crooked finger except for sharp pain in the cold. But, hey, as Kendon says, "it's THERE!"

WARNING!
THE FOLLOWING PICTURES ARE NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART.

Seeing as how we got out the door so fast on the day of the accident we didn't think to grab the camera. Sad.
This was taken three days later at a follow up app't.


These two are one week later.
And, TODAY!