::..a BIG first..::

Barrett's first trip to the ER.

 

I say "first" because I know it will be the first of many.  This little man is soooo busy and soooo into everything, that I just know throughout the course of his life, we will become well accustomed to the ER!

 

Here's the story:

 

This afternoon, the kiddos wanted to go outside but Alexa was using the little girl's room and needed my help.  Barrett followed me in but when I mentioned outside, he went to follow Payton.  Then I heard him screamed.  Payton had slammed the back sliding door shut.  I opened it to free his hand, scooped him up in my arms while I'm scolding Payton and went to sit down on the ottoman to comfort my hurt little boy.  That's when Alexa asked, "Mom, is that blood?"  To my horror, I look down at his hand and there is blood everywhere.  All over his hand, all over me, all over the floor.

I immediately took him to the sink and grabbed a towel but he wouldn't let me touch his hand.  By this point, I could see that the tip of his pinkie finger was hanging on by a thread.  I always thought I'd be calm and cool during an emergency...but I was scared to death.  I managed to tell Alexa to grab my cell phone and then somehow was able to call my neighbor, Brandon (he's a stay-at-home dad and our kiddos play together).  He wasn't home but said his wife Karla was and he'd send her over.  Then I managed to call Kevin (all while holding a screaming baby and trying to calm down two hysterical little girls).  First miracle/blessing/tender mercy: Kevin answered his phone (he'd just finished up with a patient).  All I said was "Barrett just chopped off his finger" and he said "I'm on my way home". Second miracle/blessing/tender mercy: Kevin was at our new office that afternoon that is only 2 miles from home. He was home within 5 minutes.  Karla had already walked in the door and managed to help calm me down a little and then invited the girls to go back home with her while we took Barrett to the hospital.

 

It took 7 stitches on his tiny little finger to reconnect the tip but they told us it would barely show a scar.
Kevin and I had to literally pin Barrett down during the procedure, together with one of the nurses, as the anesthetic had already worn off.  My poor baby felt each and every stitch and it broke my heart.  But he was such a trooper...when it was all over, we said "Barrett, what do you tell the doctor" and he said "gankoo" (thank you).  It was so sweet.

 

(*side note: this post is written 5 months after the fact and I STILL cringe every time I think about that little finger!)

 

I'm grateful that my little boy is safe and that his finger will heal but I sure don't like ER visits...I hope he'll go easy on me during his growing up years! :-)