FYI--This is a long long post about my father-in-laws accident and beginning stages of recovery. If you already know the story or dont care to read it scroll down and you can see pictures and a video of Nate on Halloween.
It all started monday morning when Skyler, his dad and brother Blake were out on the deer hunt. My morning was a usual monday morning. My friend had dropped off her daughter that I babysit during the week and we were building blocks when my phone rang. It was Skyler's mom. I assumed she was calling to see if I wanted to go do something with her and my sister in law while the boys were out hunting. I answered the phone and she asked if I had talked to skyler that morning and I was like no why? She said well there has been an accident. My heart dropped and I said oh my gosh what happened! She began to cry and said Rick (skylers dad) had been hurt. Her son Blake had called her and said the horse fell on dad and life-flight was on its way to get him and bring him to the hospital. She told me she was heading over to the hospital and I told her I wanted to go but I was babysitting my friends little girl so I couldnt. I began to cry because I really wanted to be there but there was no way I was going to bring 2 kids 2 and under to the hospital to wait around. She said she would call me when she found out anything else. In tears I hung up the phone and went over to Nate and said grandpa got hurt can you help me say a prayer for him. He said yes and we prayed for him. Thats all I felt I could really do since I couldnt be at the hospital. Then a minute later my phone rang again and it was my mom. Skyler had hurt both his wrists a couple nights previous and we werent sure if they were sprained or broken so she was calling to see how he was doing. I said well skyler is doing fine, but I just got a call from his mom that rick has been in a horse accident and is being life-flighted to the hospital. She immediately said let me come over and watch the kids so you can go over to the hospital and be with the family. I was so thankful and knew at that instant that heavenly father had prompted my mom to call me at that moment so that I would be able to go over to the hospital because I wanted to be there more than anything. I didnt want to call and ask her to come watch them but when she called me and offered it was the greatest blessing! Once my mom got to my house I went over to the hospital.
To make a long morning short we found out he had broke his pelvis bone and needed surgery, but the saint george hospital was not able to treat his kind of injury. He was life-flighted to the Salt Lake City Intermountain Medical Center where he was put in the ICU where they could keep a good eye on him. My mother and sister in law drove up to salt lake that day so they could be with him. Blake and Jesse had school and skyler needed to stay and run the office so we decided we would all go up that weekend to visit him.
Tuesday morning a woke up really sick. I was sick all day and woke up still sick on Wednesday. I called the doctor and the soonest they could get me in was friday morning and it wasnt even with my regular doctor but I didnt care! I wanted to get in and get medicine so I could go up to salt lake that weekend. Friday I woke up feeling a little better but still sick. I went to the doctor and she prescribed me medicine and when I got home I took it and instantly felt so much better! There again was another great blessing!
Meanwhile during the week Rick had to wait until thursday to have the surgery because they had to wait for some internal bleeding to stop and it did. It was a 6 hour long surgery! The doctor said surgery went really well. He had broken his pelvis in 4 places and broke his sacrum. He had multiple plates and screws put in him and he has a exterior fixation rod on the outside of his stomach to hold his pelvis together (he says he has a built in QB towel holder now :) The exterior rod will be moved in 6 weeks, but the plates and screws will stay in him for life. The doctor said he can put weight on his right leg, but no weight on his left leg for 2 months! The physical therapist said his injury is the hardest to come back from, but the doctor gave him a 100% recovery prediction so we know he will make it through this! He should be coming home weds or thursday this week. They will transfer him from the salt lake hospital to a saint george rehab center in an ambulance. He will have to stay at the rehab center for 2-3 weeks until he can pull himself up and get out of bed by himself. It will be nice to have him back in saint george so we can go and visit him more often! He has a long road of recovery but we know he will make it through this! We appreciate all the love, support and prayers everyone has given Rick and our family! Keep them coming as the recovery process is just beginning!
Since we were up in Salt Lake for halloween we packed nates costume and decided we would take him trick or treating up there. He loved it despite the fact that is was raining and cold! I was glad I bought him a costume that was able to keep him warm! He was a dinosaur for halloween and he LOVED his costume! He was so excited when we put it on (I wish I would have video taped it!) Once he got his costume on he was running around Skyler's grandmas house roaring at everyone! It was so cute! He had been watching cartoons all week where different characters were going trick or treating and he was so excited to go.
After we put him in the hospital we went over to the hospital to show grandpa rick his costume. He wasnt being a great sport at the hospital...he was to anxious to go trick or treating! Skyler and I left the hospital and brought him back to skylers grandmas where we were going to go trick or treating. Unfortunately it was still raining but that didnt stop us! We busted out the umbrellas and headed down the street!
He ran up to the first door with Skyler and said trick or treat and they gave him a candy and ran back to me so excited and said look mommy as he opened his bag to show me the treat. Skylers grandpa game with us as we took him door to door. It was a lot of fun watching him go up to each house and say trick or treat! He was always so polite and remembered to say thank you! Although I think in the video skyler told him to say it, but at the majority of the houses he said it on his own! After we would get done with one house he would say lets go to another house! We went to 20+ houses and I was afraid he was going to be so sad when were done, but when we ended back up at skylers grandmas house he said grandmas house! I was like yep we are all done and we made it back to grandmas...should we go sow her all the treats you got? He was like yeah! He was so excited to show her his trick or treat bag with all the goodies he got! We dumped it out in front of her fire place and he admired all this treats! Even though halloween isnt how i thought it was going to be with nate trick treating by himself with just skyler and I and great grandpa it turned out to be a lot of fun and nate really enjoyed it!
Here are a few pictures and a video of our weekend. (I didnt take any at the hospital...I didnt think Rick would want pictures of him at the hospital...I know I wouldnt!)
On our way up to Salt Lake we got a flat tire as we were passing Parawon and we didnt have a spare! There were no shops open anywhere close to us nor were there any car rental places open! Luckly there was an off ramp some what close to us where would could drive the car slowly to a gas station. We tried pumping it with air but the tire was too flat and would not pump up at all! Jesse called one of his friends who drove up skylers truck while his wife drove up their car. He dropped of skylers truck to us and then him and his wife drove back home. Thats a good friend! (We were an hour away!) Here is a picture of us chillin at the gas station waiting for his friend to drive up skylers truck.
Blakes birthday was on thursday and since his dad was in the hospital and his mom was up in salt lake with his dad he didnt get much of a birthday celebration this year (just dinner with skyler and jesse). We celebrated his birthday at the hospital on saturday when we were all there. One of his presents was a unicycle. Here are some pics of skyler and blake trying it out...
Great Grandpa helped entertain nate while the boys were messing on the unicycle. He brought out the blower and nate loved playing with it and blowing the leaves!
Great Grandpa showing nate how to do it
Nate doing it all by himself
Nate trick or treating
Here are a few pictures of Nate in his costume...the pictures arent the greatest quality cuz my camera was dead :( I might take some more tomorrow with him in his costume to try and get some good ones cuz he looks so cute in it :)
