The ER

Isaac is such a funny little guy. And, if you don't already know -- he is all b-o-y. So far (knock on wood) he has been the only one of my kids to send me running to the hospital.

Last night, he was jumping from some stairs to a love sac and he kept going higher and higher until, sure enough, from the 9th stair he was unable to make it to the love sac. He hit a lower stair instead and rolled his ankle. He wouldn't put any weight on it and it was causing him quite a bit of pain. It swelled up big enough to make Brian and I question if we should take him to the ER (it was late enough that the clinics were closed). Being the seasoned mom that I am, I said that since there was no bone protruding from the skin and no zig-zagging lines where there should be straight ones, we should give him ibuprofen, wrap his ankle and put him to bed.

This morning, he was still "walking on his knees" as he called it (also known as crawling) and refusing to put weight on his still swollen limb, so, it was off to the doctor's office for us.

Two hours and an x-ray later, we were relieved to find out it was just a sprain. Whew!

Isaac has been such a character about the whole thing. Each new nurse, receptionist or doctor we would encounter would ask him what happened and he would proudly relay his story of jumping from the 9th stair. He was super excited about the x-ray machine and wanted to understand why there was a warning sign about "radiation" on the door. When he found out he could take a ride in a wheelchair, he no longer wanted my piggy back rides and instead sat proudly in his new ride.

That is my Isaac. Living it up and excited to explore life.

In the summer of 2009, right after he turned 4, he fell down and sliced the top of his ear open, requiring stitches. Brian was working late and my sweet neighbor lady and her husband rushed up to my house to talk me through the situation, because, with it being my first trip with a child to the ER, I was in a bit of a panic.

I was upstairs making cookies and he was downstairs. When, I heard his screams, I knew it was serious. I met him on the landing in the stairwell and folded him into a long hug while he cried. When I pulled him away to see what the damage was, the first thing I noticed was my white shirt soaked in bright red blood (enter panic). Then I saw the gash on his ear and dialed my neighbor lady for back-up.

She rigged up a bandage to catch the blood, reminded me to change my shirt, and paid Isaac $1 to hold an ice pack against the gash. She is the best. Then, she and her husband took over my two older kids and resumed the cookie baking. I think they snitched a little cookie dough, but, she would not want me to mention that.

On the drive over, I called my mom to ask her to meet me at the hospital. I had taken Katie Jane with me since she was just a few months old and I had never left her before. I wanted my mom there to hold Katie while I took care of Isaac and, secretly, I really wanted her there to hold my hand because my mom is the absolute best.

By the time I was driving, Isaac, with his high tolerance for pain, was completely calm. I stopped at the after hours clinic to see if they could stitch him up and he was so calm that they didn't even believe he needed stitches until I uncovered the gash. They said they could not stitch ears and sent me on to the ER.

At the ER, the receptionist did not think he needed stitches (again, because he was so calm). He was so charming while we checked in that she bumped us right to the front of the waiting list anyway.

The bed they gave him was one that converts into a crib. He wanted me to put all of the sides up so he could pretend he was a lion in a cage. He wanted to use the nifty remote to change channels on the funny T.V. mounted up near the ceiling. He was curious about all of the doctors and their equipment.

When it was time to stitch him up, a male nurse came to hold his head still but Isaac didn't flinch or move a muscle. That boy is brave. The nurse said he usually broke a sweat from struggling with the kids to hold them still, but, Isaac was calm as could be. He was rewarded with extra candy treats and a stuffed animal. After they stitched him up, they cleaned and bandaged his leg from a nasty burn he'd gotten on a 4-wheeler a few days earlier. All b-o-y I'm telling you.

He was so excited and happy about the whole thing, that for the rest of the night he kept telling me, "Mommy, thank you for taking me to the emergency room." And, I guess today was a little bit like that. More excitement and enthusiasm for an x-ray machine and a wheelchair ride. Now, he is intrigued with walking and the way his injury makes him limp. He is hilarious!

Isaac,

Thank you for being my adorable son and for helping me have the full motherhood experience.

Love,

Mommy