Friday, July 18, 2008

One Toddler, Slightly Damaged

Being a mother gives you a new definition of "normal". Talking to random firemen, policemen and truck drivers? Normal. Dipping apples in ketchup? Normal. Carry fourteen different cars with you everywhere you go? Totally normal. Leaving the playground and heading to the emergency room? Not normal, yet. Yesterday we decided to try out a new park that had recently been renovated. It was really sort of a fact-finding mission to decide whether or not we would use this park for Hollis's upcoming third birthday party (we will). We played on the swings and slides, climbed, ran, found sticks and rocks. As we were getting ready to leave, Hollis decided to take a stroll along a retaining wall. This is also within the realm of normal. The three foot fall off the wall and onto a cement slab was not normal. First, I thought his leg or ankle was broken because he wouldn't put weight on it. Ahh, summer, trip to the beach, starting preschool all with a cast. Awesome! Then I noticed a mark on the side of his head and thought of my friend's son who fell onto concrete and fractured his skull and had a brain bleed. This would be about the time the hysteria set it. We got in the car and started driving to The Children's Healthcare Urgent Care Center. On the way, I tried to call the pediatrician, but the nurse line went to voicemail. Then I tried to call John and that went to voicemail too. I called my parent's house and my dad answered. This was about the time I lost it and the waterworks started. For the record, crying when your child is hurt does not make him cry less. And crying while driving and talking on the phone while watching your child in the rear view mirror is not a great idea either, but hey, I'm a multitasker. Come to find out, Children's Healthcare closed that location. Why, why, why is your sign still up? Mommies in crisis do not have the wherewithal to decipher your Google Maps print off of your other locations. So, everybody back in the car. We go back to another urgent care center. When we arrive the tears(mine) start again while I am trying to explain what happened. Hollis takes over and says, "I fall down and get a booboo on my head and knee". Is it bad parenting when your child has to give out his own medical information? When he's three? I am pretty sure they only saw him in order to calm me down. I didn't even give them any information, like our names or insurance cards. They probably spent their lunch break talking about the crazy lady who came in crying. But whatever, they took his vitals and sent us over to the emergency room, "just in case". There is something about walking into an emergency room that has magical healing powers. Once we were there he was walking around (no broken bones) and climbing on chairs to see the fish. Hello, didn't you just fall on your head? The doctor finally saw us and declared him fine, of course. They brought him popsicles, stickers, a coloring book and crayons and we were on our way. At 4:00pm, none of us had eaten since breakfast so we went to lunch and had dessert in honor of no traumatic brain injuries. I hope this will not become our normal. Hollis and the $100 popsicle

1 comment:

Mandee - I Think You Should said...

What a nightmare! So glad the little man is ok.