Riiiiight.  So, when the ER doctor said “Once a child dislocates her elbow it’s likely to happen again…” I didn’t realize that he meant like TWO DAYS LATER.  Here’s what happened: on Monday, I’d just gotten Kayli up from nap.  I changed her diaper (on her changing pad which we just put on the floor).  And just as it’s happened a gajillion times, I finished changing her and she put up her hands for me to pull her up to standing.  Did you catch that?  I PULLED HER HANDS – basically the EXACT thing you’re not supposed to do with this whole dislocated elbow business.  Yeah, it was a mistake, an accident, a completely forgivable mishap, but really?! Come on!  So, I pull her up to standing and I feel and HEAR a pop sound.  Kayli froze.  We simultaneously gasped.  She turned white and sucked in air and then shakily said, “BUMP!” and then started to wail.  Crap. Crappity crap crap crapums. 

I called the pediatrician’s office and thankfully they were able to get us in immediately which saved us a trip to Urgent Care (and mucho buckos, I imagine).  The doctor told me that since Kayli had just dislocated her elbow two days before, the ligaments were stretched out and would just be ‘extra’ sensitive for a few weeks….if we could make it without her dislocating her elbow a bunch of times, then, hopefully, in a while it won’t be as likely to happen.  But in the meantime…she showed me how to pop Kayliana’s elbow back in – something that is REALLY something I don’t want to have to do and honestly, I don’t know if I’d be able to.  I’d really like to not find out, but signs are sorta pointing to more likely than not.

On Tuesday morning, I took Kayli and Zach to the gym so that I could do Spin.  Mike was a little concerned, “What about Kayli’s elbow?  I mean all the kids ripping around and stuff….” I reminded him that we weren’t going to be putting Kayli in a bubble for the next two years, so we’ll just have to risk her, you know, being released into the wild and interacting with the other natives.  Zach proudly told me in the car that he’d “look out for Kayli.”

When we arrived, he walked up to the check in gate and told one of his buddies (a very serious looking four year old boy), “Don’t touch my sister’s hands, she has elbow problems.”

When I explained to Monique – the childcare lady – what had happened to Kayli and that, if she could just avoid pulling or picking up Kayli by the hands, that’d be ideal…she looked at me like, “seriously?! You’re leaving me with this situation?  Yeeeah, I won’t be touching your kid at all…” 

We’ve now made it two whole days without elbow dislocation.  I call that a success!