Because Everything's an Adventure

It's virtually impossible to go anywhere with four kids without a fiasco of some variety. I've been trying for weeks to get a passport for Eric and Ben for our trip in January. I'm pretty pleased that I'm getting this done early and not waiting until the last minute here. Yet, it seems that some sort of force has been working against me to keep this from happening. I even had an appointment last week to get this done and only had 3 kids with me. Sadly, I had forgotten that the child had to be with you and since Eric was in school they couldn't do his. So, I rescheduled for yesterday.


I misjudged how the traffic would be, and somehow managed to hit every single red light on the way so I was about 5 minutes late. I hate being late. It gets me all anxious and stressed. Even with four kids in tow I usually manage to be on time. It's just one of my things. So, I was already flustered. In my attempt to not be even more late I opted to leave the double stroller in the car and just let Zack walk and carry Ben. Remind me to never do that!

Despite being late, I got right in, which really hacked off the guy behind me who apparently had been waiting awhile. The post office guy explained to him that I had the next appointment and his appointment wasn't for 20 minutes. I felt kinda bad for him that he got their responsibly early and I fly in late and don't have to wait. Ultimately, it worked out well for me, though. The first little bit went okay, I had to fill in a few spots I left blank because I have been left so addle brained from all these kids that I can't fill out a simple form correctly. The kids were standing in a corner of the very small office and that was fine except they were getting increasingly louder and louder and oh my goodness could they be any louder? Yep, they sure can! I shushed them and tried to remain the calm but firm mommy and they kept getting louder. Only now Eric and Mark were on the floor rolling around and at some point it looked like they were trying to play leapfrog. I had enough of the shenanigans and pulled the instigator out of the mix and made him sit on the floor at my feet. Success! It was suddenly calm and quiet... for about 3 seconds. Then there was a crash and an ear splitting scream and my Zack was on the floor with the stool that was in the corner on top of him. It had smashed his poor little finger and he was distraught. I tried to comfort him but the time had come to write checks which meant I had to put him down. Lots of tears later, we were heading out of the post office with my mission accomplished.


I debated whether to take Zack to the doctor, and got some opinions from friends and ultimately decided that I'd wait until Kevin got home and let him make the call. Zack, while being really careful with that finger, was not complaining or whining or really doing anything besides being his happy, bubbly self, so I felt pretty confident that no bones were broken. Kevin did all the movement tests and all that and my boy didn't even flinch. It seems he could move the finger just fine and while it looks horrible, the swelling is down today, and I only feel a teeny bit nervous that I didn't take him in to the doctor. I've told myself if he starts acting like it bothers him that I'll take him in. In the meantime I'll just wonder if I've made the right choice and fret and worry until his finger no longer looks like this.