This is a girl.
I want to say she's more than just a girl. I want to say she's a princess, but then you'd get the wrong idea about her.
Why is it a Prince Among Men is all things good, noble, and strong, but a Princess Among Women is almost entirely opposite?
Kick-ass women should reclaim the princess title. Kathryn will be one of the first.
This girl has an arm.
It smells bad.
Until today, it had seen neither soap nor water for eight weeks.
It had not seen the sun, either.
There are few creatures that can survive eight weeks without sunlight. Those creatures probably smell bad, too.
For eight weeks, that arm could not write. It could not do art projects. It could not play at recess. The only thing it could do was suffocate koalas in the middle of the night.
That didn't really make up for the other things.
The arm had some rough times.
But those times are over now. The arm is free. And no matter what I said at the beginning, that arm smells like flowers.
Which is just sentimental crap. It really smells bad.
Nasty! Even if she's not Miss Jackson Jack
Posted by: muskrat | October 17, 2008 at 12:41 AM
OH, man... I thought I had gotten over the "not elbow," but I was wrong.
I'm so glad she has her smelly arm back so she can properly beat down gender stereotypes! Smack smack smack "I'm not afraid of you... I had three elbows once!" Smack smack smack.
Posted by: loren | October 17, 2008 at 01:22 AM
A little Johnson's baby powder should do the trick!
keep her whole!
Posted by: swirl girl | October 17, 2008 at 01:37 AM
Not witty enough to leave hilarious comments like your other visitors, but, "Hooray, Kathryn!" (And Kathryn's arm, of course.)
Posted by: Fawn | October 17, 2008 at 01:39 AM
um... that's 4 of us awake after one am and trolling around the dad's back yard. Not sure what this says about us, but I hope Kathryn is sound asleep and enjoying fuzzy koala against bare skin. Cause when she wakes up, she's gonna kick some serious ass. Go Sparky!
Posted by: heidi number 2 but whose counting... | October 17, 2008 at 01:59 AM
I never broke a bone as a kid, so when my oldest broke his arm a year back it was totally new ground. I think the thing I found most disconcerting was the 'not elbow'. But it did indeed, eventually, resolve itself.
Posted by: PG | October 17, 2008 at 02:16 AM
It really does smell awful, doesn't it? I've had enough experience with other people's recently freed limbs to have plenty of extra reason to be happy that I've never broken a bone.
Congratulations, Kathryn!
Posted by: LiteralDan | October 17, 2008 at 02:35 AM
Oh yes. That. Last time I broke my arm it was only in plaster for 6 weeks, but it was not smelling good. Also, I had been on holiday when I broke it, and the tan remained, even though the rest of me had returned to my usual colour. I had to go outside to remove the flaking skin.
Of course, the real delight was regaining use of the muscles, which had atrophied to the extent that I couldn't make my wrist bend itself. But they got better after a remarkably short amount of time.
Congratulations, Kathryn! Enjoy your new arm!
Posted by: Abi | October 17, 2008 at 07:22 AM
The love you have for that little girl is amazing. Excellent post.
Also, keep the stinky arm around until you're ok with her dating. Say, her 35th birthday?
Posted by: Karen | October 17, 2008 at 08:07 AM
Finally! 8 weeks is a long time in the life of a little kid.
Posted by: Meg | October 17, 2008 at 08:09 AM
Where can I get that calendar?
Posted by: You can call me, 'Sir' | October 17, 2008 at 08:44 AM
Hooray! Congratulations to you all. A newly freed arm is worth some stink. (Easy to say from the opposite coast, I know.)
Posted by: lizk | October 17, 2008 at 09:26 AM
YAY! I betcha it's icky hairy too. My ankle/leg was when I broke it as a youngster.
Congratulations on straight limbs, Kathryn!
Posted by: Kelly | October 17, 2008 at 10:04 AM
yea kathryn!
nice post dad. i like how you keep it funny to hide how sweet you are about your kids
Posted by: lisa | October 17, 2008 at 10:19 AM
That t-shirt rocks!
Posted by: Catizhere | October 17, 2008 at 10:25 AM
YAY for Kathryn!!!
Posted by: Tammy from Little Rock | October 17, 2008 at 10:35 AM
I recently started following you, and I have just one comment: YOU NEED TO POST MORE OFTEN! This was hilarious. Thank you.
Posted by: Joanne | October 17, 2008 at 10:50 AM
Woohoo!! That is wonderful that the cast is off, but sorry about the smell. I'm sure it's smelling so much better now. I'm sure everyone, especially Kathryn is so very happy that the cast is gone, I have my fingers crossed that there are no more broken bones in anybody's future.
Posted by: Angela | October 17, 2008 at 11:12 AM
Hey, you know what stinks worse than a newly freed arm? A arm confined to a cast. Of course, the first is literal and the second is figurative... and you don't have to plug your nose and cough to cover the gagging when the arm is figuratively stinking in the cast. So... Yaknow. Whatever.
YAY FOR THE GIRL! HUZZAH ON ONLY HAVING ONE ELBOW PER ARM! We like that ratio. It works.
Posted by: Amanda | October 17, 2008 at 11:19 AM
Congrats on the positive outcome. Just remind her that arm will now be stronger than it was before the break!
And the t-shirt is awesome. Concrete has no sympathy nor is it forgiving.
Best wishes.
Posted by: Gary | October 17, 2008 at 11:20 AM
Hooray for no more cast! Maybe rub vanilla on Kathryn's arm? Are Victoria's bruises subsiding as well?
I'm digging your observation of connotations of Prince vs. Princess.
Posted by: renata | October 17, 2008 at 11:53 AM
Hooray for stinky arms! And I love her broken bone shirt.
FWIW, my daughter is a princess all the way and that's just a-ok with me.
Posted by: Jen | October 17, 2008 at 12:12 PM
Oh, how I still remember the stench of my sister's arms after each cast was removed (she broke both arms 3 different times growing up).
Hurray for Kathryn for having 2 elbows again!
Posted by: floreksa | October 17, 2008 at 12:20 PM
My oldest son broke each of his wrists (at separate times) while in kindergarten. People would ask me all the time if I kept his casts after they came off. Those people have obviously never experienced the stench that accompanies a 6-week contained limb, that's so bad it remains on the arm for days after the cast is long gone...
Glad Kathryn's arm is straight again. You have given me practical evidence to use whenever the subject of heelies comes up around here.
(I typed "hellies" instead of "heelies" on the first try - maybe more appropriate?)
Posted by: bobbi | October 17, 2008 at 01:41 PM
Yeah, but I bet it's the best bad stinky arm smell in the whole wide world!!
Posted by: Anne Prince | October 17, 2008 at 01:55 PM