As a mama with two little girls close in age to yours, my heart honestly skipped a beat for a second. What a brave little girl. By that smile, I’d say she is totally rocking that broken thumb.

Poor Margot and what a terrible feeling Andy must have felt. Glad she’s in good spirits and hopefully her thumb is mended soon.

,,,at first sight of margot’s thumb bandaged i wondered if she was playing “let’s pretend”, anxious to read “mama digs” to understand what happened,,,i imagine the little bump in the road doesn’t have margot down,,,have a fun reunion with your cousin and her children,,,

Posted my wishes for Margot (and Andy) on Mama digs but here I just have to say that it’s SO not fair to post that chocolate cake picture without a recipe!!! And SO not fair that you’re digging in the soil already!!! I’m jealous but trying to stay content, living vicariously and planing my own soon to be garden.

Oh, NO! Well, she looks like her happy self, all things considered.

ps – Today is Cory’s b-day. 🙂

Awww, sorry about the thumb but the cake looks fabulous. Recipe?? 😉

YESSSS! ROLLER DERBY!!!! Too much fun! Did you take the girls with you to watch?!?! Please tell me you did, I bet Margot’s commentary was simply hilarious!

Just read mama digs. oh my heart. seriously, i held back tears through the whole thing. firstly, margot is such a trooper….wow. like, really, wow…she’s amazing. and yes, it sounds to me like you are doing this mamma thing VERY right. what a big girl.
andy must be torn apart….the poor guy. my heart goes out to him.
from one mamma to another…i know what it’s like as my son has had stitches twice in his short 5 years. it just plain sucks.
hugs
Kris

R O L L E R D E R B Y!!!!!!!
What is your roller derby girl name? Mine is “Hyde and Streak”. (the kids LOVE watching bouts here and we love our derby girls)

Bless Margot’s (and Andy’s heart – I smacked Ivy in the head with the car door once)

Love that picture of Ruby grabbing for the orange juice!

Can I PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE have that cake recipe? I have a slight problem when it comes to combining chocolate and peanut butter.

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Oh shit! was my first thought.

Margot is such an amazing girl, so brave (although I’m sure you know this). My heart goes out to Andy, I can imagine the torment he’s putting himself through. Both wounds will heal.

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OH sweet Margot, you are a brave one….Yes Nici you and Andy are doing alright at this parenthood thing. Not sure who I feel for the most….Margot or Andy.

xoxo….Mom

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I think we all have a story of accidently smashing a childs body part. Nice splint parents. My stomach churned as I read this remembering Neysa’s fingers in the car door. Parenthood…one day at a time.

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Oh, broken kid parts just suck. I’m so sorry. It really is amazing how they can remain soooo calm; confused, but usually they’re not the ones freaking out.

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What a brave, strong little girl you have. Hope Margot’s thumb heals quickly and easily. It must have really made the situation a little bit less stressful since she wasn’t in absolute hysterics. My 4 year old would surely have been screaming her head off… she’s a sucker for pain.
Poor Andy, I’m sure he feels just awful. Things like this happen and I hope he’s not beating himself up over it too much.

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“She was my baby and my mentor at the same time.” LOVE that line. So true to parenting….all stages.

What a beautiful and brave old soul Margot is. I know Andy must feel awful, but like Joan said…we ALL have stories like that. Mine is about bad water….I’ll write about it someday.
The thing is, my kids enjoy tormenting me about it to this day. So perhaps the finger incident will be Margots line to “get” Andy when she is a tween!

Here’s to a speedy recovery…for the whole family!

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OMG…it hurt to read about it…..
What a brave girl!!!! She is so special.
I love reading your column and your blog. I always learn something…….
You are definitely doing a good job.

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Oh my! This makes my stomach churn. Not because of the broken thumb but because I know how awful it feels to accidentally hurt someone like that. I once nailed my kid with a door, and I shut my sister’s hand in our van door when we were kids. Nothing hurts me more than realizing I’ve hurt someone. The good thing is that she’ll know it wasn’t on purpose.
What a brave girl! Here’s to speedy healing!

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Oh poor Margot! Poor Andy! We’ve had our bumps and bruises here too. Fortunately, as awful as it feels at the time, it invariably either gets forgotten or gets added to the family narrative. What a brave and articulate little girl – good job you for raising her that way. Sending wishes for a speedy recovery your way!

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This made me cry. I don’t know if it was for Margo or for momma and daddy. So hard for all to be strong and calm but totally cool that that’s the way the situation was handled.
Heal quickly little Margo!

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All I can think is poor, poor Andy. There is nothing like that feeling that you’ve hurt your baby…I’m positive it hurts worse than almost anything else

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Oh man. Poor Margot and poor poor POOR Andy! I think I feel worse for him. It sucks to be the cause of a child’s pain. Even when you know for yourself that it was an accident. Ugh, it’s the worst.

Hugs for all of you.

You girl is your mentor by far. What a brave little one – way to go Margot on being so worldly.

I haven’t had one of those traumatic parenthood moments (yet) that makes your lunch turn while you hold that and your tears at bay. Margot is an amazing girl. You are doing a great job. Thanks for sharing.

Cake looks great. So does the Roller Derby. The worms go without saying. 🙂

Cheers!

-Jennifer from Annapolis

Aw!! A little broken thumb! How sad. I’m proud of her for being so brave!

And hooray for the first earthworm. 🙂

Andy,

I had the same accident with my dad when I was about Margot’s age, and now (43 years later) I make my living using my thumb extensively every day as a typist! Little bones are pretty bendy and aren’t permanently hardened yet. I seriously doubt any damage was done. I’m surprised Margot didn’t take the opportunity to exercise her darker blue vocabulary because a nasty pinch like that surely would have given you both adequate excuse to let a few swears fly. It will be okay, and as bad as you feel, that only proves what a great dad you are.

Besides, that cake looks like it could raise the dead. Hubba! hubba! Little thumb boo-boo? No match for the Cake of Life!

Y’all are really good parents.

Take care,
Susan S.

What a brave little girl! I think it is amazing how you encourage honest feelings – I think you’re doing a great job as parents.

As for Andy, I’m sure he’ll always feel bad for what happened. BUT, these things happen all the time. It was an accident and he’s still an amazing dad regardless. Hope he can forgive himself.

Can you post the recipe for the dessert? Looks incredibly delicious!

Kisses for Margot’s thumb! And a big hug for Andy! When my girl was 1 1/2 she pulled the food processor off of the counter and it smashed her hand. I felt horrible. All turned out OK! Phew!

:o)

Such a brave little Margot! The same exact thing happened to my little brother when my Mom was trying to get us out the door for a road trip. Hope she is feeling better & is on the mend.
And that cake?!?! Oh-my-goodness that looks good. Could you post the recipe please? I have been craving chocolate & peanut butter together for weeks now… that cake looks like the perfect way to satisfy my craving!
A very Happy Birthday to Andy.
Cheers,
Kate

So where is the recipe for that mouth watering cake?

Can you share the recipe for the triple layer cake? Looks divine !!

Looks like a GREAT weekend! except for Margot’s thumb, she’s such a brave girl.
But Mmmm, that cake! Looks good, Dig!

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yikes! poor Margot! i just about cringed at every sentence and felt so bad for Andy. he must have felt like the worst dad ever… it’s ok, Andy. you’ve got quite a trooper!

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Poor baby. Ouch! I cringed just reading it. Children always amaze me how well they can handle things if you let them. Hope she is feeling much better today.

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Ugh, poor Andy – that is the absolute worst feeling in the world! Your Margot is a trooper. I used to work emerg, and I always preferred kids to adults in that kids are honest about the pain. Adults will whinge and bellyache for an hour after an injection, while kids will cry for the minute it actually hurts, then move on. Is Margot right-handed? Is the splint going to cramp her creative style for a bit?

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Poor Margot~Poor Andy!
I can imagine what that must’ve been like for her. Sounds very much like when Theo had to get stitches and he calmly talked to Eric and I, and like you said…very much guided us through the process of how to help him.
Lots of healing love to her sweet little thumb!
ps..gobsmacked~great job, writer-mama!

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You said it all with “my spit got watery”. That line encapsulated every moment as a Mama when the world slows down and then spins, for a moment, in the wrong direction.

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Oh brave Margot. Hope that thumb’s a quick healer.

And poor Andy, he’s probably feeling worse.

Dan’s mom dropped him on his head on the ice when he was a baby in 30 miles-from-a-hospital, Canada. He still has a scar.

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Hi Nici, I can totally relate to Margot. When I was a tad bit older, my mom slammed our 3+ inch thick, all wood, front door on my pinky finger. I was fiddling around in the door jam too, and mom came out in a rush and closed the heavy door. I nearly lost the tip of my pinky, and to this day my nail is permanantly ridged. Funny, I don’t remember the pain or what happened after when their was lots of blood. I do remember very vididly that door and what the door jam looked like, and I know my mom forever feels so bad about it. I like knowing we all have these experiences and we all survive…. and it becomes our story. xo

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Wow. Brave, strong girl. Just like her Momma.

How horrifying for all of you (particularly Andy). I can only hope I’d respond as well as all of you.

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I really felt for Andy in that story.

Tough girl, that one.

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I saw the title first thing this morning…and said…Omigosh… I can’t read it til I’m home…
so I just did. Poor lil amazing lil champ. And you guys. Awrr, dang, shit happens and it SUCKS every time! And you, kinda, well, you just keep goin.

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wow wow wow. Margot, you always amaze us:)
and Dig, you’re an amazing mom and have taught your girls such great communication skills.

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Did you take her to a doctor or did you wrap the finger yourself? Maybe you can actually splurge for some real medical treament.

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No worries Andy! My parents accidentally smashed my finger in our car door when I was about five. I still love them. Hope Margot feels better soon! Kiss that poor thumb for me!

Did you take her to the hospital? I can’t imagine treating a broken thumb solo?

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Hope that cute little finger heals fast! xo. We have been there with Megan a couple of times. You feel like such an ass when you slam your kid’s digit in a door. Megan was around Margot’s age when we did a few good numbers on her. We got handy with a homemade splint a time or two as well! Great thing about it, she still loves us. 🙂