Starting the New School Year Off With a Bang!

I got a call from Caroline's school on the 2nd day. It was the director, Mrs. Shields, who told me very calmly that Caroline was ok but that she had fallen and hit her head on the corner of the counter when she was throwing her trash away after snack. She said that, as a mommy herself, she really wanted me to come and take a look at it. I started cancelling my patients and rushed (after getting stopped by a train) to pick her up. I thought maybe they were just being cautious since it was on her forehead and since she was new to the school. When I walked into the Mrs. Shields' office, I was surprised by how big the cut was (about an inch long--that looks really big on a little forehead). I was glad that Mrs. Shields downplayed it some while she was on the phone with me. Caroline was sitting in her teacher's (Miss Floyd) lap coloring. She was completely calm and happy. Miss Floyd was holding some gauze on the cut and it was still bleeding some. They said she was so brave (Caroline said "like Merida!") and barely cried at all. We put a band-aid on it, headed into my office to get all my stuff I left there, and went to her pediatrician. They took one quick look at it and sent us to the ER for stitches. I'm so thankful that we have a pediatric ER here in Jacksonville (and that I work for the same hospital!). We were in and out in less than 90 minutes (maybe it helped that I had my Wolfson work shirt on!). They brought Caroline a princess sticker book and animal crackers while we were waiting. And while they were stitching her up, there was a lady whose job it was to distract Caroline with bubbles and an iPad with her favorite tv show. John got there when they were about to get started. They laid Caroline on this backboard/papoose thing that swaddled her up so she couldn't move. It was sad to see but I know it was easier than someone trying to hold her down. I held her leg and rubbed her face while she cried and cried. It was heartbreaking to hear her say "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy" over and over. And when she said "Ow" when they gave her a shot. And when she looked at me from under the sterile paper sheet covering her face with the most scared sad look on her face. It was like she was saying "Mommy, why aren't you helping me?". I couldn't think of words to say to her at first besides "I'm right here, I love you, I'm not going anywhere". Those didn't make the crying stop. I told her that I had a surprise for her at home. I told her that I had a Minnie Mouse drum set with all sorts of instruments that she could have (I was really thankful that I made that impulse purchase at Walgreens the day before with the intention of giving it to her for her birthday!). That started to calm her down and then we talked all about going to the zoo the next day and how we would ride the carousel, feed the giraffes, and ride the train. She stopped crying but sounded so teary when she talked. As soon as they were done and she was unstrapped, she sat right up looking for the bubbles the lady had promised her. Totally fine. I, on the other hand, wanted to pass out and throw up. The calm God had passed over me was gone and I was fighting back tears. But we all survived (John was trying to stay quiet and calm in the corner during all this), and you would never know anything was wrong...until it's time for me to take the band-aid off each day. :-) Before (faking a sad face--she was totally happy at this point!)

After