The DREADED Stitches

We've had a pretty insane life lately.  I've been working little side jobs (tutoring/office work for my mom/teaching piano) to get out of debt faster while I stay home with the kids.  Not to mention, we've been busy with other extracurricular activities and have helped out with the Easter Pageant.  All of last week's evenings we were busy as a family.  So Sunday came and I was happy to have a "day off".  The joke was on me.  After church, my husband just wanted to leave the house & go to our family dinner early.  I said, "Well, we can still go early, but let me clean the kitchen first."  That was my first mistake. :)  I sat the boys down to color pictures for my brother, Taylor, on a mission in Guatemala, and 20 minutes later when my dishes were done and my kitchen looked great, Emmett got up from the table to get something and RAN INTO the corner of our island counter.  Our kids have hit the counter many times before, but this time, the counter THREW him back, and he kind of flipped back to the floor.  Mitch and I ran to him and picked him up and when Emmett moved his little hands from his face, blood was EVERYWHERE.

 

 

This is after he was all cleaned up and it was still gaping.  Poor Tyson had the hardest time with the blood.  He looked up and his voice started shaking, "Oh my!  This is scary!"  Once I confirmed that the eyeball wasn't injured and that it was just the eyebrow, I told Tyson "Don't worry, it's just a head wound--they bleed a lot, but he's going to be okay."  As the wound kept bleeding and I could tell a butterfly bandaid probably wouldn't work with the hair, I told Mitch I thought Emmett needed stitches and as we were gathering things to go Tyson re-entered the room and I said, "Buddy, you might want to say a little prayer for your brother." Without hesitation, voice still shaking, he said, "But I JUST did!  That's where I was!  I ran to my room and said a prayer!"

 

Bless his heart.  It made me so happy that his first reaction for peace and comfort and help was to pray.  I believe it helped, too.  Some might call it a coincidence, but Emmett's wound quit gushing blood about the time Tyson was praying.  Never underestimate the power of a child's prayer.

Tyson was coaching Emmett all the way to the doctor--"It's going to be okay.  It might hurt a little, but it will help you.  You're probably going to have to have stitches, but you'll be okay."

 



 

My poor children--we we ALL there for the papoose, the crying, the screaming when the stitches really did hurt even though he was supposed to be numb.  I had to tell myself that I was doing the right thing and that I was being a good parent.  My anxiety level was rising with each stitch. Finally at the end of the 3rd stitch when I couldn't take it anymore the doctor said, "We're done!" And I said, "Thank goodness!"  What a miserable experience.  :)  It's a good thing Mitch was there, because Emmett just wanted his daddy.

 

 

Mitch made me laugh, because he bought mustaches from the little vending machine to cheer up Emmett.  Emmett would begin to crack a smile but after half a second he would remember that he was still upset.  We tried to tell him he looked like a pirate or a ninja, but he didn't like that idea until the Tylenol kicked in.  When he felt better then we were trying to get him to calm down with his ninja moves.  :)

 

The picture is a little washed out, but there's a scrape under his eye, too.  I am so grateful he didn't lose an eye.  God created eye brows for a reason, and I'm so grateful it saved my little boy's eye.