Easter Puppies, looking for their new homes!

Female, the runt of the litter. White with black spots. Spunky little girl. Third born.

Male, second born. White with orange/brown. A little shy, but warms up quickly

Female, seventh born. Black and white. Cyprian loves this little girl. She is held a lot.

Male, eighth born. White with black/brown spots. This one is big and a bit longer haired. Sweet temperament.

Male, fourth born. Brown with white. He is a cutie.

Male, first born. Brown with white. My favorite as he is a little charmer.

Male, fifth born. This guy is adorable with his white head and patch eye. He is simply cute both looks and personality.

Female, seventh born.

Male, first born.

Male, eighth born.

Male, first born

Male, first born. I can't help taking this guys picture. 

Male, fifth born.

Male, fourth born.

Part two of Chrysogonus accident

I left off with we were waiting for the ambulance to take us to Duke in Durham.

When the EMT arrived they had mixed up on the weight of Chrysogonus and thought he was only half the size he really is. So they had prepared something like a box for transport, I forget what it is called. They said we had to reweigh to be sure he was big enough for the car seat strap they can attach to the stretcher. Seriously, this was annoying since they had already weighed him. Finally they got the correct weight and proceeded to strap Chrysogonus securely to the stretcher. Then we finally headed out. It was a sometime after 1 am at this point. Chrysogonus was thankfully sleeping so the EMT suggested I close my eyes.

So I closed my eyes and continued the rosary that I had been praying throughout the whole ordeal. We arrived in the ambulance garage of Duke. We had to go through rechecking in. The hospital was full so we were put in an examine room. They found a crib for Chrysogonus and I laid down on an examine bed. Not exactly comfortable but we did have the privacy of our own room.

Right away a nurse hooked Chrysogonus up to a monitor. Then it was the wait and rest if you can. So after texting Franz to let him know we were settled I tried to sleep. I dozed every now and then, but woke at the slightest sound from Chrysogonus. I nursed him every time he got fussy. Every two hours someone would check on us. I was relieved to see Chrysogonus smile and coo at me when he awoke around 6 am he and was alert for over an hour. Early morning I was debating whether to call Franz or wait. He called me. We talked about when he and the boys should head our way. A doctor came and examined Chrysogonus. I asked him if he had an idea of when we would be able to go home. He said there was a good chance by afternoon since Chrysogonus had been stable so far. So I called Franz told him and he and the boys got ready after breakfast and headed to Wake Forest to pick up the van and come our way.

Now I knew we were at Duke but I had not really paid attention to which Duke location. It had been late and I didn't think to ask. Franz said he was headed to Duke in Raleigh, I went to the desk and felt a bit silly but asked where we were. Thankfully I did, since we were at Duke in Durham. So I redirected Franz to us.
I told Franz to please bring me some food. I had not had food for 15 hours. I do not do well when I do not eat. I finally asked a nurse if there was food somewhere. She kindly brought me some graham crackers and peanut butter. Part of the problem was we were still in the basement due to the hospital being full and I did not want to leave Chrysogonus to find the cafeteria.

Franz and the boys arrived around 11 with a sub from subway. I ate the whole footlong, only giving Cletus a few bites. Chrysogonus was so good smiling at me when he was awake. It was heartening and kept me from completely falling apart. After hanging out awhile Franz and the boys decided to go get a late lunch and find a park to play at while we waited.

It was around two or so when a nurse popped in and said that we were going to be sent up to a room. I asked why, because I thought we were going to be discharged soon and it seemed silly to be put in a room for such a short time. She wasn't sure. Well around 3 we were brought up to a room. The nurse that settled us said she would talk to the doctor and ask when we could go. She too mentioned that normally you wouldn't be put in a room for just a couple of hours. So once again I waited.

A doctor and a doctor in training came in to see us. She stated we needed to see and talk to a social worker due to the fact that it was an incident with an infant and being a head injury. I said fine, I was okay talking to a social worker. Soon the doctor came back and stated that a social worker could not see us till 9 the next morning, so we had to stay overnight. Too they wanted to do a full skeletal x-ray to make sure there were no other injuries or problems. I asked if that was really necessary. She stated that if I didn't want to have a hassle with child protective services and an abuse counselor, yes. I was starting to feel very demeaned. To top it off she came back again and said that I could stay but that I would have to have a baby sitter in the room overnight. I said I do not want to make trouble but that I would really like us to go home to rest and heal. I also said I want you to talk to my husband when he gets back. She said okay. I called Franz and he and the boys headed back. As soon as Franz heard what was going on he started making calls. He wanted to talk to his father who is lawyer and find out what his rights were and just what they could do if we refused to stay. Unfortunately he was not able to get a hold of him. He was however able to get a hold of a friend here in NC who's husband is a lawyer. I swear they must have had our room bugged because as soon as Franz got off the phone a social worker visited us. I told her exactly what I had said a dozen times, what happened. I could see in her eyes she was wondering why in the world they were keeping us there. After talking about our farm and honey bees she said she was going to go talk to the medical team. I said thank you. Meanwhile our priest called and Franz was talking to him when the doctor came in. She said that they were discharging us after talking to the head doctor in charge of child protective services and talking to all who had worked with us. They had determined my story checked out and that I was not a threat to the safety of my child. I was so relieved and very sincerely said thank you! So it was 5:30 when headed home to rest and heal.

Franz teases me that I am giving a tell all. I said it is therapy. Too, there many little details I have left out that I remember. This is an account to share so that others who were speculating have the bare facts of the accident and what happened. I hope that each of you who read this will pray for all involved. I do not want the dad who dropped Chrysogonus to feel guilty. Guilt is a terrible thing to live with. I know from past experiences. I have forgiven the dad and did so pretty much right away. But I still struggle with anger and guilt at my self for letting him hold Chrysogonus and him being careless. It was an accident and though it is hard right now I do believe good can come of it. I know I will have some more frustration to deal with once we see the medical bills. But ultimately I am thankful that Chrysogonus is doing well and we are home as a family.

 Thank you all who have sent us prayers and kind thoughts. It very helpful in our healing process.  

The fracture on Chrysogonus skull

Whether this will help me deal with what happened or not, here is the first part of what happened in Chrysogonus accident

I have started going back to Tae Kwon Do. I went the first Tuesday of this month bringing Chrysogonus with me. I wanted to see how it would go having my little guy with me. It went fine, he slept most of the time in one of the students mom's arms while she sat watching the class. So I decided I could bring him with me the next week which was last week. On Tuesday he was held and watched by a grandma to one of the students. Thursday I brought him with me once again. Again during the class he was held by the grandma who held him before.

Near the end of class Chrysogonus got fussy. So I stepped out of class and went to the room off the main one where I could nurse. The grandma was with me. I had just finished nursing when a dad who happen to be the husband to the woman who held Chrysogonus the week before, and is also a dad to four boys, two of whom are students, popped in and asked to hold him. I handed him Chrysogonus only intending to let him hold him a few minutes. I also stated he is a strong boy.  Then I said something to the grandma and was turning back toward the dad, when I saw Chrysogonus roll off his arm. It happened so fast but in a sense is seemed an eternity. I tried to reach for him but it was too late. The dad apparently thought he could hold Chrysogonus out on one arm to look at him. I am assuming Chrysogonus startled and he is a big strong boy so he literally rolled off the mans arm. Worse we were all standing.

When I saw Chrysogonus hit the floor and I heard the impact, I was incredulous. He landed on his forehead in the fetal position. I quickly scooped him up and at first he was not making a sound. His face was screwed up but he had not let out a scream, then when he caught his breath he did scream. I was trying to frantically get him to open his eyes to check his pupils. As I was doing this I said get some ice. The dad was just standing there, I am sure in shock, so I repeated very firm, "get some ice." The dad did go get some and I was finally able to see Chrysogonus eyes. Thankfully they were clear and the same dilation. Then I ran my hand over his head and I felt the lump and could start to see it. We put the ice on but he started getting really upset so I gave him a rest from icing. The dad said, "I am sure he will be alright." I looked at him and bluntly said, " no, he is not alright."

After that the dad must have slipped away because I did not see him again. A very kind and amazing friend who also does Tae Kwon Do helped me make a call to our boys family doctor.  I called Franz who didn't pick up, so I left him a message telling him he needed to call me right back. Which he pretty quickly did. I told him briefly what had happened and that were waiting to hear back from the doctor. When the doctor did call I was advised to bring him in to emergency to be checked over. So my friend very willingly offered to drive Chrysogonus and I to North Wake Med Emergency.

Well on the way Chrysogonus was crying in pain, but finally fell asleep just before we got to the ER. I was happy he was sleeping because I have been told rest is important for healing with a head injury. I knew they use to say that when someone hit there head to not let them fall asleep. But especially since I had seen his eyes were clear I figured sleep was good. At the ER I go up to the reception desk and the receptionist when she realized what I came in for rudely and loudly told me that I was suppose wake up Chrysogonus because you never let someone who hit there head sleep. I snapped back and told her that the doctor I talked to did not tell me to keep him awake and to not talk to me in that tone especially after I just saw someone drop my child on his head. Well the commotion woke up my poor sweet boy so my friend who came back in took over answering the questions so I could nurse Chrysogonus and try to calm him down. The receptionist apparently on the side was telling my friend that she told me not to let Chrysogonus sleep. She said her grandma said you never let someone who hit there head go to sleep. Obviously this is personal not professional advice.

Immediately after they got our information we were called back. Head injuries especially in infants make you a top priority. In triage the nurse when he took his weight asked me if was right for a one month old. Chrysogonus weighed just over 12lbs. Meaning he gained three pounds in one month. My boy is a big strong boy. Once all the initial checks were taken care of they had us go in a room. The doctor after looking him over said he needed a CAT scan. My amazing friend kept calling Franz with updates throughout our visit.  

Oh man, the CAT scan about did me in. I was the one who had to hold his head. Of course Chrysogonus started sreaming in pain and fright when the machine turned on. I held him though because I did not want him exposed to more radiation then necessary. I was praying fast and furious and if I was a crier I would have melted in a puddle. My friend helped hold his arms when they ex-rayed his neck.

My friend kept me company in the room while we waited to hear the prognosis. The doctor came and told me that Chrysogonus did indeed fracture his skull. He proceeded to show me the picture and the clear break. Amazingly there was no swelling on the brain. There was a hematomia that is the bleeding from bruising on the outside of the break. They wanted to transport us to Duke in Durham where there are pediatric neurosurgeons who could look at and monitor Chrysogonus.

My friend took my van back to her truck and Chrysogonus and I stayed to wait for an ambulance to come and pick us up. I could hear the nurses outside our room arguing and realized they were talking about us. Apparently the EMT who was coming to get us was saying that they had to put an IV tap in. The nurse who had been taking care of us was saying she thought it was unnecessary. I had a nurse pop in with the IV stuff, she looked frustrated and stated that they needed to put the tap in. I said is it really necessary and she quickly said, "you can refuse, but I do have to tell you in the case of an emergency that if they need to do an IV they will drill one into the leg." I said, "I will that take that chance because I do not want put my little guy through any more unnecessary trauma."

Now since this post is getting so long. I will share the rest in another one. The next is also a doozy of a story.