The ER, My New Home

So, yesterday started off great with Ian waking up in his own room. We met some friends at the Hannam pool and were back home in time for lunch. Ian fell asleep in his highchair after eating his lunch and took a nice nap, on-time. When he woke up, I decided to reward him with a trip to the playground instead of the much-needed trip to the Commissary for groceries. He put on his helmet and we took his bike outside. He rode around for awhile and then wanted to play at the playground. Some of the bigger kids saw his bike and wanted to see how it worked. He was so excited that he jumped and his bike and started gilding before he was really on the bike. He fell and split his chin open. So, back to the ER for the 3rd time in just over 30 days.

It was a gusher! One of the ladies at the playground gave me a paper towel, but it kept bleeding. A kind woman named Elizabeth helped me get Eva and the bike back to my building while I took care of Ian. I couldn't find my door card to get into the building (story of my life), but a halmoni let us in. By the time we got to the apartment he had stopped bleeding, but since the wound was gaping, I decided to take him to the ER.

There wasn't much activity there so we were seen quickly. They put a numbing gel on his chin and we sat for 20 minutes while it took effect. Well, I sat. Ian climbed and jumped and tried to find electric sockets to stick his fingers in (well, not the last one, but you get the idea). Then, they brought us back to the room for the stitches. Curt arrived about this time. Ian was very calmed and listened well as they wrapped him in a sheet to restrain him. They asked me if I thought he'd lay still and I said maybe if he is numb, but I doubted it. With his head injury, he was hysterical until I nursed him and then he went totally limp and relaxed, but I couldn't nurse him during chin stitches so we went with restraint. He looked like he was in a zen state as they wrapped him and irrigated the wound. Then, they injected the lyodocaine and hot tears and primal screams followed. His eyes were searching wildly for me and he screamed,"Mommy-ah, come get me! Don't stay away!"

I got as close as I could, but a medic was holding his head and the doctor was injecting and stitching his face. I had an urge to cry but stopped myself because that would just make it worse for him. Finally, Ian said,"Mommy hold my hand!"

I grabbed his hand through the sheet and said,"I've got it. I've got your hand." He calmed instantly.

Then, it was over.

Surprisingly, this trauma had little effect on night #2 in his own room. We did his routine. He smiled and said,"I think you should sleep with me in this bed."
I said,"I have to sleep in my own bed. this is your special bed. It is just for you."

And then he went to sleep.