Isaac's school picture did not turn out well this year and we were out of town on make-up day. He's had "school pictures" since he was a year old and attending ICEC, so we wanted to have a picture for this year. I took the boys to Target this morning for some simple studio shots. It was nothing short of a disaster. They immediately started fighting over a toy in the waiting area and then Isaac got Luke's finger caught in a gear which resulted in lots of tears. Once it was finally our turn I had Luke go first because I knew he would quickly lose interest in the whole thing and be ready to run. He was fine for a few shots (though acting very shy) but then the lady picked him up to move him to a different pose and he burst into tears. I could tell it was over for him at that point and just figured he was nervous or scared. Meanwhile Isaac was hanging out behind the backdrop causing all sorts of problems. Once it was his turn I could not for the life of me get him to look at the camera and show a natural looking smile. Luke would settle down for a minute and then start crying again. I wanted a shot with the two of them together but that simply didn't happen. Thank goodness this whole thing was inexpensive.
By the time I picked out the photos we wanted (these will have to do - there is no way I am going back anytime soon) I could tell something was wrong with Luke, but I thought maybe it was the finger that got stuck. By the time we got to the car I had figured out what was wrong. The same thing happened when he was about six months old. I was remembering it incorrectly, thinking it was the shoulder joint but it was the elbow. Anyway we drove down to Mission Viejo to the urgent care so they could snap Luke's arm back in place.
It's something called Nursemaid's Elbow and is supposedly common in young children. The joint is not fully developed and the ligaments are loose so the arm can easily be pulled out of place when children are swung, lifted, or tugged by the arm. I don't remember exactly how the photo lady picked him up (I don't think it was by the arms), but I know that's when it happened. It's weird though because I actually do lift and swing Luke by his arms sometimes and he is fine. Anyway, his left arm was hanging limp by his side and he would not lift it or use his hand. When he was not moving he was fine but every time I picked him up or touched his arm he would burst into tears again. It was heartbreaking. Luckily the urgent care wait was not too long and the doctor quickly diagnosed the problem and popped the joint back into place. He wrapped him up with a little bandage to restrict movement a bit, but Luke had torn it off by the time we got home. And now he's perfectly fine.
That same thing happened to Nathan when he was a year old! It is the saddest thing! Luckily we were with my mom at the time and she was able to use her nursing skills to pop it back in place. I'm glad you were taken care of quickly at the Insta-care. Sometimes the wait at those places is tough to bear.
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