A Night at the ER

We had an eventful night on Sunday. I was making dinner, our dinner guests had just arrived, and out the window I hear Josh crying. He falls a lot outside, so I didn't think anything of it at first. After all, I was busy. But after about thirty seconds, he didn't stop, so I looked out the window and my heart twisted inside my stomach.

Blood was pouring down his face and onto the ground (though Zeus did a good job of cleaning it up), and I immediately called for Dave. He's so much better at handling stuff like that. I kind of freak out inside and get queasy and wonder if my baby is going to live. But Dave is calm and knows what to look for and how to handle blood and injuries.

Turns out Josh had face-planted on the cement and cut his lip wide open on a rock.

Long story short, I ended up driving him to Prescott to get stitches, while Dave stayed to entertain our other kids and the dinner guests. As you can imagine, I panicked inside a little, seeing how Prescott is an hour and a half away.

But I held it together, for Josh. And geez, I didn't even need to. If anyone was holding together anything for anyone, it was him being strong for me. He was so good and brave. Of course we had to wait in the ER for 2+ hours, and that whole time he was his chatty, normal self, though his talking was impaired from his swollen lip (yes became "yesh").

The stitching process was a bit harsh, though. They had to wrap him in a sheet and while I held down his feet, one nurse held down his upper half, and the PA stitched him up.

And he screamed the whole time. Screamed and cried. And I soothed. While tilting my head in the other direction.

But as soon as it was over and they unwrapped him, he stood on the hospital bed--still sweaty, still semi-crying, and exhausted--and while doing the hand sign, said, "All done!"

And I have to say that other than the stitching-it-up part, me and Josh actually enjoyed our time together that night. Kind of like a little six-hour date to the ER, topping it off with an-almost-midnight run to Walgreen's.

A few minutes after it happened. The blood is covering it, but he had a deep slice at the bottom of his top lip, from the inside of his mouth to the outside.

Waiting in the ER for someone to look at it. But the three old women smokers in wheelchairs with oxygen got first priority.

That night when we got home, cuddling with Daddy. With a swollen, stitched up lip. Still, he was as happy as ever.

The next day, on the way to the park. And wearing Daddy's hat.

Today, day 4. When he woke up from his nap, the scab was gone! Stitches are still in tact and everything is looking good!
Except that scab I found in his bed. Ew. I still get the chills just thinking about it.

The injuries seem to keep piling up with my kids, and while each of them have had their fair shares (Sam: two surgeries before the age of 1, stitches on his ear at age two. Josh: the scorpion sting, other minor injuries, and this. Luke: upcoming surgery September 2), I feel like Josh is the most accident-prone. That kid is always having bad things happen to him.

And maybe it's because he's more daring than Sam and takes more risks, but he gets the brunt of it all. Last summer it seemed to be at its worst. The day after his scorpion sting, he'd gotten bit by a friend's hamster, then two nights later, he'd almost suffocated while sleeping, and three weeks later, he'd gotten his whole big toenail knocked off by a heavy door.

That was gruesome.

But still, no stitches.

And I thought we were safe this summer.

Lesson: Never think you're safe.

Yes, I do get overwhelmed sometimes from all the things that happen to my kids, but really, I feel like this is normal stuff every little kid goes through.

Then I have moms tell me they can't believe all I go through with my kids--moms with two kids, and even some moms with five kids, who've never had a bad thing happen to them. So, what's normal? That, or stitches, accidents, and surgeries?

Or is there even a normal?

Oh, and how do those parents with piece-of-cake kids not have things like that happen to them? What are they doing? Or is it just luck?

Anyway, regardless, I feel extremely blessed. While it's hard being a mommy and having to hold down your child in the hospital as they stitch up his lip/ear, while trying not to vomit from the queasy feeling in your stomach trying not to look, yet speak soothing words at the same time, and your heart's breaking for what they have to go through...I think I have it pretty dang good.

My kids are healthy. They have all their fingers, toes, and other limbs, and everything is fully functional (as far as I know). So I have no right to complain. I feel like the luckiest gal in the world.

And I'm sure I will have to endure many more stitches in the coming years. Maybe even some broken bones.

In fact, for sure some broken bones. Because they are boys.