Hadley's 1st trip to the ER!

Hadley has had her first (and hopefully last) trip to the ER. We were at the neighborhood playground today with friends and she fell and cut her head. Technically she fell because of Wyatt, but it was an accident so I couldn't punish him. He was climbing up a step and she was already at the top. He lost his balance and reached out to catch himself and accidentally knocked her over in the process. I saw it happen, but like most mishaps with kids, it just happened too quickly and there was no way I could catch her in time. She didn't fall far at all, but she hit her head on the wooden railing on the side as she went down. I had no idea it was even cut until I picked her up. I was shushing her and telling her it was ok, then I looked at her head and saw blood trickling down. She must have hit it just right because it was bleeding like crazy. It was gaping open like a tiny hole. I ran home (it's not much more than a block) with her in my arms while a girlfriend pulled Wyatt in the wagon. I raced to my next door neighbor's house (who is a nurse) for some medical advice. She confirmed my fear, it was too deep for the steri-strips she had and I should take her to the ER for some medical glue or a stitch to avoid scarring. I left Wyatt with her and took off. She loaned me her hospital badge so we could park in the staff parking lot and sneak in the side (hope no hospital staff are reading this).

Even though she was "fast tracked", we waited 2 hours and 40 minutes in ER. I left in such a hurry, I was quite ill-prepared for the wait. I had no food, no diapers, no wet wipes, no snuggie bunny, nothing. She was so good while we waited, not a single tear. She sang songs and danced around in the waiting room, entertaining the other patients. Finally, she started asking for Wyatt, then she started asking for food. I got desperate and bought some yogurt from teh vending machine. Sadly, that was dinner. I didn't even get a bite. When I tried, she said "No mommy. Dat MINE!" I felt so sorry for her, I didn't try to take another bite. Sometime during our wait, I remembered I had chicken enchiladas in the oven on delay start so they'd be ready when we got home from the playground. They were probably very close to being done or had possibly already self-combusted in the oven. Dayven was stuck at the Toyota dealership in Edmonton getting my oil changed so I frantically called my neighbor back and asked her to make sure the kitchen wasn't on fire and save the enchiladas. She was in the middle of getting some of her college age son's Star Wars toys out of storage for Wyatt. I am so grateful to have such wonderful neighbor friends!

Hadley is such a trooper. The doctor gave me the choice of medical glue or a stitch, but the stitch was his preference so that is what we did. He recommended it for optimal healing and minimal scarring. They had wrapped her up in a sheet like a burrito/straight jacket so she couldn't move. Probably the saddest part is she was giggling and squealing, thinking it was a game (we always play the burrito game at home). She was the only one that didn't know what was coming. It was crushing to watch. The doctor numbed it with a needle by literally sticking the needle straight into the wound TWICE! She screamed only for a couple of minutes, then she was fine. She is so tough. They offered a cream that would numb the skin before the needle but it took an extra 30 minutes and we were on borrowed time by that point. She was hungry and tired and on the brink by that point so I said go ahead without it. Easy for me to say, right? I feel really bad about that. Thank goodness she is tough and will never remember it! Three days from now the stitch will come out and my neighbor offered to do it so we don't have to go in to the doctor or back to the hospital. Phew, what a night.... 

She has had a rough week. She gets voracious bloody noses and had a gusher a few days ago. I found her in her crib in the morning looking like a scene from Chain Saw Massacre. It bled on and off the entire day, so much that we were unable to leave the house. It scares us both when it happens, and she's not wild about letting me hold a cloth on it and tilt her head back to stop the bleeding. The more she moves, the more it bleeds. I'd go check on her and her entire face would be covered in blood. The doctor claims it's just dry air and irritated sinuses. Saline solution and a humidifier are helping. She only gets them about once a month now. Poor thing is also getting over a respiratory virus and is still wheezing with a terrible cough at night. We were just at the playground trying to get out and get some fresh air. Maybe next week will be your week, Hadley Kat!

She woke up starving and was very ready for her oatmeal, fruit, toast, sausage... She ate like a champ! I have a feeling snuggie bunny won't be far from her side today!

Epilogue: It looks pretty good this morning.  It doesn't look nearly as bad as it did when it happened. Just closing the gaping hole makes a huge different. Wyatt has a matching scar in almost the same place from a mishap when he was about her age. And I did finally have some chicken enchiladas, about 9pm last night. Maybe it's because I was past the point of starvation, but they were amazing...