Good as new. Almost.

Little man had a big day at the hospital today. Just over a month after breaking his finger (see here), he got the all clear from his doc to leave the splints and buddy straps off for good.

As we said a thankful goodbye to the team that's cared so expertly and gently for him since his accident, he happily peeled the straps off of his finger for one last time. My wife crinkled her nose at the now-discolored, very frayed strips of fabric, then crinkled a little more when Noah asked her to hold onto them as a memento.

He's missed a bunch of activities, including his class ski trip and a skating outing, so he's already looking forward to getting back to the typically frenetic life of a busy young man. First up: curling.

We won't be wrapping him in bubble wrap or otherwise keeping him from doing the things he so very loves to do. He has such a delightful, touch-the-world spirit about him that it just won't do to hold him back for fear of injuring himself again. Bumps, bruises and even the occasional broken bone or two are all part of the game when you're growing up.

As perverse as it may sound, watching this sweet, focused boy go through this experience was one of those privileges of parenthood we won't soon forget. No one ever wants their kid to get hurt. But when the inevitable happened to him, he managed to teach us a thing or two about finding the joy in something most people would simply write off as a negative experience. I'm learning our son doesn't think or act like those mythical "most people", and that's an entirely good thing.

Welcome back to the land of the unbroken, little man.

Your turn: What else should Noah do now that he has his full suite of digits back?