This Makes Me Sad

My youngest, my baby (who’s five), fell on the stairs yesterday.  It was awful.  When I saw all the blood on him, his pjs and the toy cars he was holding (which didn’t let go of before, during or after), I screamed.  Not cool.  Rookie mistake.  I scared the bejesus out of him.  I wasn’t the only one who was scared.  Daddy actually made the trip to urgent care with me, because it did not look good.

CHOA, at 9 a.m. on a Sunday morning in February, was packed.  We had to wait, as I held a blood soaked towel to my baby’s lip.  In triage I heard:  “Is there a hole?”  “Can you see through?”  “Maybe he needs to go downtown.”  Dang.

Fortunately, after cleaning the lip and chin, they opted for stiches.  He received numbing cream, a pharmaceutical “cocktail” and a tetanus shot (which had me on the edge), producing some whimpering from both mother and son, that I hope to never hear again.  After two stitches on the outside and two on the inside, we went home with one chillaxed boy, who I was hoping wouldn’t remember a thing.

Two hours later, the rascal had chewed though his inside stiches, so back to urgent care I went.  Momma was not happy.  Fortunately, they had mercy on me and swept me right to the back, all the while the hordes in the waiting room stared daggers into my back.  Poor Cam had to get two more stiches, this time with just the numbing cream, but my boy is brave.  Braver than me.  I couldn’t even watch, I just cried into his back as they performed the procedure.

It was a rough day.  Although it wasn’t my first emergency trip or my first experience with stiches and my children, it’s always an excruciating experience.  My heart can barely take it.  I have three boys, so I’m often told it’s a rite of passage.  It’s one I could do without.  Me and blood have never been a good mix.  I’m better with vomit, mucus and diapers (don’t ask me why). 

What about you?  Any trips to the ER?  What can you NOT handle when it comes to your children?