When the Toddler Breaks a Leg

Sadie has given me many heart attacks over the past year. She is sure that she can do everything the older girls can. As a result, she hasn't used a highchair since she was 15 months old because she wants to sit on the barstools with them. She also learned to climb to the top bunk a few months ago, and she plays with real Lego instead of normal toddler toys. I'm always so scared that she's going to injure herself in some way, but she does a pretty good job of knowing her boundaries and adjusting accordingly.
Last week came as a surprise then. We took the girls to the Jump Yard in grande prairie for a fun day. It's really great there...wall to wall trampolines, even on the walls! There's foam pits, jungle ropes, and a balance beam. There's also lots of safety measures in place, and staff everywhere to enforce the rules and minimize possible injuries.
At one point, Addison was jumping hard on a trampoline to launch herself into the foam pit. In a split second, Sadie broke away from holding Daniel's hand and stepped onto the trampoline. Immediately she collapsed crying.
Usually she has her cry, then gets distracted and runs off playing again. Not this time though. We were pretty sure something was wrong right away because she fell asleep in my arms, and would randomly whimper, hold her leg and say "ow" in her sleep.
Fast forward to the next morning when we got in for x-rays...and got her first cast. In fact, it's the first broken bone of any of our girls!
She needs to wear it for four weeks, so it will be the beginning of March when it comes off. After that first day I felt like time was going to crawl by this month. It has come with it's struggles for sure, but I'm surprised at how quickly she has adapted. I suppose it's the general toddler mindset...they don't like obstacles holding them back, so they come up with their own solutions for things.
Within three days, she had mastered a butt scoot, and a crawl while dragging the casted leg behind her. The girls were so happy that it hasn't slowed her down from chasing them all over the house!
On the Sunday after she got the cast, she was a bit whiney. She was bummed that she couldn't play outside with the girls, and she kept asking for a bath. I was so hesitant, but decided to try sealing it up well enough that she could take a quick bath. There was obvious flaws in my plan though, and the cast got soaked, so we got to watch the halftime show for the super bowl at the er while we got it replaced!
She's definitely been spoiled this past week. She's gotten presents, popsicles, and tons of extra snuggles! When we put her to bed, she entertains herself by rubbing her cast back and forth on the bars of her crib.
I've benefited too. I get so much extra exercise from carrying my toddler who's weight has almost doubled from the weight of the cast (not really, but it sure feels like it!). She loves playing outside, but since she can't play in the snow, I've been bundling her up and taking her for walks in her sled. She loves it, and my fitbit is almost at the highest it's ever been. Given how crazy this week has been, I really have to look at the silver linings in the situation!
I suppose, when you're the fifth child, there's not a lot of things left for you to experience "first". Hopefully this is the most creative Sadie gets with that line of thinking!