The End

I'm glad we got to go up to Provo for Christmas, even if it was a pukey Christmas, we still had a good time. Rachel got to be pretty crabby and argumentative while we were up there. And we had some tough times getting her to go to sleep. We decided it must be because she was so out of her normal routine. Next time we'll remember that she needs her regular routine even more when we're on vacation—same discipline, and the same bedtime, not staying up late, and not skipping part of the bedtime routine.

On the drive back home we stopped at a hotel in Mesquite, Nevada. This is almost the only time when she was actually happy while we were there, when we were almost ready to leave in the morning and she was playing with Annie:

That night at the hotel was by far the worst night. The whole drive down she would randomly start crying saying, “I miss Aunt Cari.” Occasionally she would say she missed Grandma or Grandpa or another one of her aunts, too. But once we were in the hotel trying to sleep it was more “I want to go home!” “I want to sleep in my bedroom!” With big tears and everything you imagine when you hear the word tantrum. We tried driving her around, and everything else we could think of, but she was so beyond tired she could not calm herself down enough to go to sleep. Finally we put on a movie and by the end of it she was asleep. At 2 am. Then she was up at 7am again crying, “I want to go home!” And kept crying that in about half hour intervals the whole way home. What a pleasant ride home. ;) But we were all so happy when we finally did pull in to our driveway. Except for Rachel who didn't want to eat at home. "I want to go to a restaurant!" Silly girl.

I have so much more respect for my parents who drove us all the way up to Idaho every summer and occasionally at Christmas, too, for most of our childhood years when it was probably the hardest to travel that far. And without a portable DVD player, too!

As for crabby, crying, argumentative Rachel, after 2 nights of sleeping in her own bed, she pretty much returned to her normal, happy, 3-year-old self, thankfully. It's amazing what a little familiarity will do for a 3-year-old.
One big blessing we found upon returning home was that my mom was going to be released to go home early. Her goal date to get out of rehab was January 10th. When we got home on Wednesday she told me they said she'd probably be able to go home a week early, the 3rd or 4th. Thursday she had a doctor's appointment and was okayed to be able to put some weight on her arms, which helps a ton in her mobility, being able to use her arms to balance with a walker while she balances on her one leg she's allowed to put weight on. Then later Thursday she was told she'd be going home Friday. So as one of the best ways to kick off the new year Mom is at home. Woohoo! She's had so many people praying for her there's no way she couldn't get better, and to do it so quickly is a miracle. Really, the docs at the hospital originally said she might be in the hospital for a month. She was out of the hospital in a week, and home from rehab just 3 weeks after the accident. If that's not a miraculous recovery, I don't know what is. It's a good thing we came back from Utah early or she would have either been stuck at rehab over the weekend, or Dad would have put himself back in the hospital from moving furniture out of the way to get things ready for her hospital bed and such and we would have had two patients who couldn't walk to take care of. :) At least they would have been gimps together. ;)

And thus ends 2010, the year of hospitals: Jacob in February with Steve, Dad in May with his back surgery, me and Annie in October when Annie was born, Mom in December thanks to a big truck, and Rachel squeezing in that Christmas Eve visit to the ER.
Here's to 2011 being hospital free! Happy New Year!!