This year I've had a late start. He's been two for almost a month (minus a day), when I finally called and scheduled an appointment. A few minutes later Elijah tripped on something, fell, and hit his forehead on the corner of a piano bench (which has since been exiled to the storage room). I heard the sound of the fall, and then a scream. Blood was rushing out of his forehead down his nose, into his mouth, onto his shirt, and into my hair. I panicked. We were home alone. I ran into the bathroom and turned on the water, but wasn't sure quite what to do with it. Clean the wound? But it'll get all bloody again faster than I can wash the blood off. The simple solution of applying pressure to stench the blood flow did not occur to me. But it did occur to me to call Ryan. After all, I couldn't even take Elijah to the ER without a car. Plus, I figured since he wasn't there to see the blood and hold the screaming child, he'd be able to keep his cool and tell me what to do, or rush home. Ryan didn't pick up. Instead he walked into the door.
Elijah calmed down pretty quickly and was ready to play again after just a few minutes, but we felt like a half an inch cut in his forehead that kept opening up each time he'd screw up his face required medical attention.
After a few phone calls and a preliminary examination by Grandpa, we took Elijah to a pediatric urgent care facility. We figured it'd be faster (and cheaper). Turned out, it was an after hours only place, so we had to take our child with a head wound to a real ER. We were hoping they wouldn't have to stitch him up, and they didn't. They glued the cut instead. Of course, Elijah screamed each time a nurse or a doctor touched him, as he always does. It didn't matter if they were checking his pulse, taking his temperature or cleaning his wound. His response was the same: SCREAM. I have to say that it was the fastest ER trip I've ever had. We were out of there in little over an hour from the moment we walked in.
The best part is our insurance doesn't cover ER. Well, technically, it does, but after our $2,500 deductible, so this one's on us. We haven't gotten the bill yet, but Elijah's resemblance to Harry Potter will probably cost us over $1,000. If he had just told me he wanted to look like Harry, I would have bought him a costume at a party store or something, and it would have been cheaper. But he doesn't speak very clearly yet. Oh well, maybe he'll get the lead role in a school Harry Potter play because of his scar. :) Meanwhile, there may not be a professional photo of a two year old Elijah.
3 comments:
Poor kid. And poor mom. The good news is that he's in good company. I hit my head on the piano bench when I was a youngster. Of course, I was jumping on the furniture when I found myself flying through the air, but still. I lived, and so will he. It's tough to be two.
P.S. My personal opinion: if you want pictures, don't skip them because of cuts and bruises. My younger brother leaned toward antics of his own around picture time: cutting his own hair, shaving off his eyebrows, you name it. Now, those pictures are our favorites. There's much more wrapped up in that, than in a nice smile and neatly combed hair.
Hey Bina, Chicks dig scares! hahahaha j/k Take the pictures anyway. You will laugh about it when he's older.
Mari
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