Last Minute Stitches

For some of us, the joys of parenthood never end. For some of us, we have a child in the family, usually just one, who pushes past all boundaries and takes all risks. In my house, that's Sam.

Sam-I-am is something else. At four years of age, he's 35 pounds of solid muscle. Seemingly indestructible, there are moments when everything goes wrong for him. Tonight was one of those moments.

At 8:00pm , which is 30minutes to an hour too late, Sam, James Henry and Olivia were in my shower in the master bathroom. Sam and his sister were fighting and their father pulled Sam out of the shower until Olivia finished. Instead of staying on the bathmat where his father put him, he ran naked into our bedroom and jumped head first (for the 100th time) into the decor pillows from our bed which were on the floor. Of course, he didn't hit the pillows, he went head first into the table beyond the pillows.

Seeing his head wound gaping open and bleeding, it only took a second to know we had to have it stitched closed. Steve and I loaded up the entire gang in their pajamas and drove as fast as possible to the Children's Hospital Urgent care. They close at 9pm and we signed in at 8:35. From the time we arrived until the time we left at 10:45, I heard two ambulances pull up to the facility. TWO. Crazy. I felt so sorry for the staff--because there's no way this had been a normal night if two ambulances had been called for transfer.

So other than waiting forever and a day, Sam was a real trooper. He laid so still to get his stitches, I've never seen him be so cooperative with ANYthing. He now has 3 stitches along his cheek bone under his right eye.

Good grief. You know there are mothers of boys and there are mothers of girls. All 3 of my boys have proven themselves to be capable of anything. This is Sam's 2nd set of stitches. He's also had his stomach pumped. (that's a story I'd love to forget!) I dare not ask the question, 'What's next'...for fear of the answer!