ER trip #1

From the title of this post you can imagine all sorts of traumatic scenarios I'm sure. Thoughts of your own ER experience(s) are running through your mind complete with sights, sounds, and smells. I have never had to go to the ER for me personally but I have had to take a few family members from time to time. The last time involved watching my dad get lots of stitches in his leg and it ended with me sitting on the hospital bed trying to breathe so I wouldn't pass out!! This particular trip was for Gus, the first of many to come I'm afraid. While I hope, wish, and pray that it would be the first and last, I just don't see us avoiding it. My little boy is fearless and if it's climbable, and sometimes even if it isn't, he is going to try! This Saturday we had spent the day with Amy and Noah at the river and then at their house playing. We had eaten lunch, bathed, played, napped and eaten supper without major incident all day. However as time to pick up the debri from what looked like the storm of the century, Amy and I saw Gus fall from Noah's child-size rocking chair and his face collide with her end table. We both reacted quickly, me running Gus to the sink to wash the blood away and Amy to get a washcloth full of ice and then me walking outside to fill in J and Amy calling a local doctor for advice. By that time I had lost the adrenaline rush and was crying, Gus however was already trying to climb something else! After calling the after-hours hotline we were instructed to take Gus to the ER and since J was hot, nasty and sweaty he wanted to go home a shower first so Amy drove and stayed with Gus and I until J. got there. If someone would have looked in the truck on the way to the hospital they would have thought we were crazy. We had the dome lights on and "Bear Tunes" blaring, while Amy danced and I sang! We were trying to keep Gus from going to sleep since it was his normal bedtime and the nurse said he shouldn't sleep in case he had a concussion. By this stage I am fighting nausea and trying to put on a happy face for Gus but by the time we were almost there Gus was awake and having fun with my sunglassess.

This prompted a quick verse of "I wear my sunglasses at night" on my part and enough laughing to ease the sick feeling. After asking for directions to the ER, because Amy nor I had ever been to the one they sent us to, we parked and were promptly ushered into the children's waiting room. Overall the wait wasn't bad and the staff was really friendly. Gus did really great I think. He didn't like the name band on his ankle,

the blood pressure cuff on his calf, the pulse "thingy" on his big toe or the nurse and doctor that kept feeling on his hurt lip but all in all he did really good. Once we were given the ok to leave, Gus partaked in a bedtime bottle with daddy, who was smart enough to think to bring one (have I mentioned lately how great he is?).

The doctors never did determine if the teeth had gone all the way through the skin or not and I don't think they wanted to pull the wound open enough to tell and risk making it worse or upsetting Gus. The doctor said if it was her child she wouldn't stitch it because either way it would probably leave a small scar and stitches would be way more traumatic. So we came away with ointment, basically neosporin, and instructions to watch for infection and see our doctor in a week. We were very blessed that it wasn't more serious than it was and I ask all of you to go ahead and add Gus to your daily prayer lists now!

And for your comedy break for the day, this is what Gus looked like when I went to lunch today!

Notice anything odd? He ran out of clothes at Ma'am's house and had to wear Allie's. All lunch break I kept looking at him thinking how weird it was to see him in pink and flowers!! If only you could have seen him riding his pink pony (also Allie's) but thankfully his daddy won't get the opportunity to witness it. Ma'am already had his "boy" clothes in the dryer, so he should be back to normal when I pick him up!!

Bobbing on the River....

We took Gus for his first boat ride and trip to the sandbar on the River last friday when we got off of work. He had a great time, which we were sure he would. How could he not love the water when his dad and I love it so much?

Isn't she beautiful?

I can't tell you how much a love the river! Especially a cypress tree, which is a good thing since most of my house is made from one!!

Gus did some swimming..

Some climbing....

Some falling (notice the wound between the eyes)....

Some playing with fish hooks :o....just kidding (sort of)!

While daddy didn't catch any fish (in his defense we weren't out there very long) we had a great time and can't wait to go back. We have decided we are going to do this at least once a month. We'll call it Fishin' Friday!

92

My grandmother is 92 years old today! I can't even begin to imagine the changes that she has seen over the years. She was born in 1918, gas was .08 cent and cars were $500!! Let me tell you a little bit about her:
Growing up her family lived on an island that was only accessible by boat. I can't wrap my head around how isolated she must have grown up. They eventually moved onto the mainland but, like most people during that time, she stayed at home with the family pulling her weight of the chores. My granddaddy, whom I never had the pleasure of meeting, saw a glimpse of her through a screen door while she was ironing and said right then that she was the one he was going to marry even though she was only 16 I think!! They had 10, yes 10, children during their marriage: 6 girls and 4 boys, my mom was #9. Granny has never driven and car. I was told that one of her sons tried to teach her how to drive but she just never got the hang of it or decided there wasn't a point, I'm not sure which. To my brother and I, she has always seemed old so she didn't take us to do things like most people's grandparents do. But she did do everything she could for you if you stopped by to visit, she especially made sure that you had something to eat! She is a great cook and has cooked lunch for her youngest daughter, who lives with her, everyday up until recently. She is a firey woman that will speak her mind but in a quite way that is not offensive. I absolutely adore her and hope that I will be able to see traces of her in me from time to time. We always have her party at my parents camp because it is a bigger facility, although it still isn't big enough!! All of the 9 remaining children were present along with some of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. There were lots of hugs given, pictures taken, kids playing and catching up. Mom and I try to decorate a little bit, the flower centerpieces had Granny's initials on them and this year I made the birthday cake. By the way purple is her favorite color :)

And this is the guest of honor. I always think of the song "all because two people feel in love" when this side of my family gets together because ya'll it is a massive amount of people. Heaven forbid they all show up one year, I don't know where we would put them or how we would feed them!!!

I love you Granny! Can't wait till next year :)