Our Family's First Stitches

10:50 AM - Hear the most awful scream ever from HC. She comes in screaming "I'm baleeding. I'm baleeding." I see blood pouring down her face and it looks as though it will never stop. Hubby sweeps her up and carries her to the bathroom while I get a wet washcloth and some ice. She is wailing and I am on the verge of losing my lunch from two days ago (because I am still not up to eating yet).

I tell HC that she needs to stop crying so her head will stop bleeding and as Steve removed the washcloth I see this DEEP gash the size of a dime (Steve says it was the size of sunflower seed). I about lost it. I rinsed the washcloth and realized it was best that I leave the room while Steve handled things.

We put a large bandaid on the injury and I dressed HC for her trip to Children's Hospital. Knowing that my strength hasn't fully returned and that the process of being seen at the Hospital can be time consuming, we quickly realized Steve would be taking HC on this journey. I called the doctor and Steve was on his way.

I feel awful that I am not with my baby on this traumatic event. I called about 5 minutes after they left to see how HC was feeling. She wanted to talk to me and asked "Mommy, why did Daddy bring me to the Hospital and not you? You always bring me to the Doctor." I told her I was still not well yet and she said "OH, you didn't want to make all these kids sick did you Mom? That's a great idea Mom. Bye!" She handed the phone to Hubby and their waiting began.

HC is such a trooper. Steve told me HC was giggling and asking questions. She was so brave. She always amazes me in situations like this. She is so easy to reason with. Once she understands what to expect and what is going on she is fine.

I felt so bad that I could not handle the gore of the situation better than I did! I know I am NOT good in the gushing blood scenarios. I try to compose myself but that is my baby bleeding everywhere! I can't stand the sight of it! Thankfully Hubby can manage to overcome it, although it kills him too! He just handles it better!

I remember about 2 years ago we had our first bleeding injury with JB. He finished eating lunch and ran through the living room and hit the recliner in a very padded spot but must have hit his head just right because it cut his forehead. He didn't require stitches but it still was a crazy moment - and Daddy took him to the Doctor too! My baby was scarred! Now you can't even tell, unless you really look carefully at his head but... I guess it was bound to happen.
Now my sweet girl has been marked with a cut on her forehead! She was so brave and so precious. I know of all places for her to have injured herself, near the hairline is about the best place you could choose. So, now we've had yet another day of excitement and adrenalin. I am ready for things to settle down again.

The injury was made by HC jumping off of the chair in her room onto the diaper change mat. We gave her the diaper change mat for her to play with her babies and she was using it as a jumping mat. She hit her head on the toy chest instead and she was quick to confess her mistake. Even though the chest has rounded corners it really did some damage! I am so glad it was rounded - I cannot even imagine if it had been pointed! ICK!

When the doctor asked her "Did your Mommy and Daddy tell you not to jump off of chairs?" My precious girl says "No, not before I jumped." OH, OK. I see. We didn't tell her the millisecond BEFORE she jumped but the other 1000 times didn't count! :) They know how to make you proud don't they? :) So HC wins the prize for having stitches first! I thought JB would have won that prize but thankfully he has not! I pray this will be the last of gashes and gushing in our house for quite a while!
Finally at 3:25 PM - Daddy and HC arrived home, with 6 stitches in tow. I still cannot bear to look at the stitches. I still see the gushing wound when I look at it, and the creepy stitches are hard to look at. So Daddy is on cleaning and neosporin duty! Sorry that I cannot be a big girl Mommy on this one HC! I am usually good at handling Mommy duty but this one is too much for me. JB was so worried about HC. He asked her "HC does your hurt feel better?" I love that they care about one another so much!