Well, I knew it would happen sooner or later. Unfortunately, it was sooner. Claire had her first trip to the emergency room. Yep, my little girl got stitches. And believe it or not, we both survived.
It was Wednesday afternoon. We had been spending a very lazy day around the house as I have been battling a sinus infection for over a month. We had just returned to the living room for an afternoon showing of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse when she decided to go into her "playroom" and get some toys. As she walked across the floor, she tripped on her own feet and fell headfirst into the corner of the wall. I immediately knew she was hurt. She started screaming and then I saw it----blood. Of course any wound on the head bleeds much more than anywhere else, so the sight of even a minor injury can scare you to death. This one did just that. Luckily I was able to get the bleeding stopped rather quickly and get Claire calmed down. Actually, I'm pretty sure she got ME calmed down! I phoned my dad and he quickly came to my rescue. After calling the pediatrician, I found out the best place to go to have her seen quickly. We headed to Scottish Rite Immediate Care.
Upon arrival, she was quickly triaged and a HUGE bandage was placed on her head to hold the anesthetic in place over the cut. She didn't seem to mind. In fact, the nurse allowed us back into the waiting room so she could play while they waited for it to take effect. The ladies out front teased her for being the happiest head wound patient they had seen!
Claire taking a break from playing to enjoy a cookie
Back to playing!
Finally it was our turn for the doctor and the dreaded stitches. The nurse had mentioned using a sedative to make it easier on everyone. The doctor didn't seem to be in favor of it (she said it wouldn't really make a difference and Claire would scream anyway), but I said I'd rather have it than not. So, Claire got a little baby Valium. This was the best part--she quickly became SUPER happy. She was loopy and thick-tongued and in a very loving mood :) When the doctor put the stitches in, Claire even gave a couple of good belly laughs! The doctor admitted that she would have to re-think not recommending the sedative to parents now that she'd seen what a great effect it could have. 3 stitches later, we were getting dressed and heading out.
Claire and her babydolls on the ride home (no, I wasn't driving)
Claire and her toes :)
On the way home, Claire was still extremely loopy. She hugged her babydolls (both of them), kissed her babydolls, and made her babydolls kiss. Finally she began singing about her toes. It was quite a sight! Once at home, she ate a little dinner and quickly drifted off to sleep.
This episode turned out to be minor, easily fixable, and even a little comical. But don't think that the seriousness of what could have happened was lost on me. Those moments when I was holding her in the bathroom trying to stop the bleeding were the most terrifying of my life. To think that my precious baby girl was hurting--and could be in real danger--made me sick to my stomach. I'm thankful that the Lord gave me presence of mind to call for help and stay calm until we could get her to a doctor. I replay her fall over and over again in my mind, cringing every time I see her slip. It just goes to show that accidents can happen any time, anywhere, even when your precious child is within your reach. If this accident did anything for me, it made me more diligent in my prayer life--remembering to always thank the Lord for the wonderful gift her has given me and praying for His continued hand of protection on her life. What a beautiful, precious blessing she is to me.
