No more stitches for Grace!

Today Grace had her stitches removed.

 She was very calm about the entire procedure.

 We took one last photo of her hand with stitches.

 Can you believe Grace just smiled as she closely watched the nurse pull her sutures out?

 And here's a closeup of her hand without stitches.

"See?  My stitches are all gone!  My fum (thumb) is all better!"

And then Grace fell asleep in her carseat as we drove home.  What an exciting morning.

A closer look at Grace's stitches.

We have to clean Grace's hand each day and apply fresh bandages.

 Grace wants to show you her stitches.

And here they are.  All three of them...  She'll have them taken out in 10 days.

Grace's first visit to the ER

Last night we had a little mishap and we ended up at the emergency room.

You see, Grace wanted some candy from an Easter egg.  So she got a knife from the kitchen drawer and tried to open that egg.  Only she stabbed herself in the thumb.  In that really fleshy meaty part of her thumb where it meets the palm of her hand.  She screamed and I knew immediately something bad had happened.  I ran to her and she was crying, "My hand!  I hurt my hand!  It's bleeding!"  When I looked at it, I knew it was going to need stitches.  So we loaded up and headed to the hospital. 

All the way to the hospital we reassured Grace that everything was going to be okay.  We were going to make it all better.  And she believed us.

The doctor told us if it was his child, he'd go ahead and stitch it up.  So that's what we decided to do.

A sweet nurse gave Grace a bear.  And we sang songs and talked and played little games while waiting.

We named the bear "Stitches Bear."  Then we were told only 1 parent could be with Grace while she got her stitches.  So, David and Faith left the room while I stayed.  The doctor told me that they would wrap Grace tightly like a mummy and then two male nurses would hold her down while he stitched her up.  And he told me to be prepared for a lot of screaming, that it was normal, and it wouldn't bother them.  Then he left to get ready, and I held Grace in my lap and talked to her.  I explained that the doctor was going to put some stitches in her thumb.  It was going to hurt just a little bit but then it would be all better.  Grace simply looked at me and whispered, "I don't want to."  And my heart broke a little bit. 

I looked back at her and replied, "I know you don't want to, but we have to."  Then I showed her my arm and where I had stitches when I was a little girl.  And I played it up like stitches are the coolest thing ever.  I don't think Grace bought it, but she played along.  Then the nurse came by to mummify Grace.  And I helped Grace stand up and told her we were going to wrap her up like we were going camping.  She was going to be as snug as a bug in a rug.  And we were going to pretend we were in a tent.  Grace went along with it without complaint.

Then it was time for Grace to get a shot in her thumb.  I continued to distract Grace by talking to her about anything that came to mind.  We talked some more about camping outside.  And bears and birds.  Maybe seeing a snake or alligator.  Then the doctor started on the stitches and Grace winced and whispered, "That hurts,"  and a little tear rolled down her cheek.  And my heart broke a little more. 

So I told Grace that we were going to have to go to the beach when Mammee comes to visit.  And Grace could push her in the water.  And Grace smiled a bit and agreed.  Then I said and Aunt Hope is going to go to the beach with us, too.  And we would bury her in the sand so she can't get out.  Then we would tickle, tickle, tickle her.  And Grace grinned a little bigger and even let out a small chuckle. 

We continued talking about Grace's cousins Stephen and Luke, Pappy, Aunt Jennifer and Aunt Bethany, Queenie, Seth, Granddaddy, Nanna, and Gran.  Anyone and everyone that I could think of to keep her distracted.  Some of our relatives ended up splashed in the swimming pool.  Others got tickled.  Some were scared when we jumped out and yelled, "Boo!"  I don't even remember what all we talked about, I just wanted her thinking of anything other than that needle and thread going in and out of her thumb.  And it worked!   Grace kept talking quietly with me and never moved her hand once while the doctor stitched her up. 

After three stitches, we were finished.  The doctor wrapped her hand to keep it stable, and Grace looked down at it and then at me and said, "Look, mom.  Teamwork!"  That's what Grace calls a thumbs-up.

The doctor was quite impressed with us and said that he has never seen a child Grace's age get stitches without screaming and yelling.  And the fact that I was able to get her to smile and even laugh a bit was even more amazing.  He offered me a job working with the kids that come to the ER.  But I have to admit, it was more to Grace's credit than mine that she didn't cry.  I think she must have an incredibly high pain tolerance.  And she trusts me and David so much.  When we told her she was going to be okay, she believed us.  It's as simple as that. 

I am so grateful for Grace and love her so much.  And I am so humbled by the sheer amount of trust she has in us.  She is one brave little girl and makes me laugh in so many ways.  I love her more than my heart can hold.  And I hope we never, ever have to go to the emergency room with her again. 

A visit to Grace's pediatrician

I kept Grace home from school today.

And Grace slept most of the day on the couch.  But then this afternoon she started running a fever.  Of 102.7 and 102.9 with Tylenol and Advil.  So I called Grace's pediatrician and they worked her in for an appointment this afternoon.  We explained to her how Grace has fallen every day for the last several days.  She fell Friday and got the boo-boo on her head.  Then again Saturday at the Fairhope pier during a birthday party.  After which she skinned her knees Saturday afternoon during our picnic at the park.  And finally she had that horrible fall Sunday that knocked her tooth around.  Needless to say, we are very concerned about her balance and coordination.  And to top it off, she's got a high fever.

Grace just finished a round of Cefdinir (Omnicef) antibiotics that was supposed to clear up the infection in her right ear.  But when Dr. McNair checked out her ear, the infection was worse than it was last week when she started the antibiotic.  And her other ear was starting to get infected, too.  She ran a flu test which came back negative and then did some blood work.  Her counts were fine.  So she suggested that we go back to the ENT as soon as possible.  The fever could be related to her ears.  And her coordination probably was, too.

It looks like Grace has ear tubes in her future after all.

Grace fell. Again. And displaced a tooth.

We went to the pier again today.  And I brought Grace back to the condo to get a juice and go potty.  David stayed at the pier with Faith, the double stroller, and the pier cart.  He had 3 lines in the water and the bucket full of fresh bait.  On our way back to the pier, Grace wanted to run.  And then she fell face-first in the gravel.  She tried to catch herself but just wasn't fast enough.

I ran to her and looked her over.  She opened her mouth and I saw that her front tooth looked pushed back.  Her gums were bleeding and her lip was already swollen to twice its normal size.  So I picked her up and ran back to the condo and all the way up two flights of stairs.  We went straight to the kitchen so I could get a better look.  I brushed off as much of the gravel as I could and re-inspected her mouth.  My heart jumped into my throat when I reconfirmed that her front tooth wasn't in its normal position.  All the while I kept telling Grace that "Momma was going to make it better.  Momma is going to fix it."  Then I picked up the phone and called David telling him simply that Grace fell and he needed to come home now. 

Then I found Grace's dentist's card on the refrigerator and called praying that someone would answer.  Of course, no one did but the voicemail had another number in case of emergencies.  This definitely qualified in my opinion.  If the dentist didn't work out then we were heading to the emergency room.  Fortunately, Dr. Jones answered and told us to meet her at her office in 10 minutes.  I don't think I've ever been so scared or worried.  This was my baby.  And she was hurt.  And I couldn't fix it alone.

By the time I got Grace in the car, David was back.  He managed to pack Faith up, load up all the fishing gear, and get it all home with the help of a neighbor.  I thank the good Lord that we have such kind neighbors and such a logical husband.  David is my calm in the midst of storms.  He keeps me focused and helps me not panic.  He is better than I deserve and I thank God each and every day for bringing into my life.

Well, we loaded Faith into the car, grabbed a popsicle for Grace, then headed on our way.  After we arrived, Dr. Jones took us straight back to the exam room and cleaned Grace up.  Poor baby still had gravel on her face and in some of her cuts.  Fortunately, she didn't need stitches.  Then Dr. Jones confirmed that Grace displaced her tooth, but it wasn't loose which was a great thing.  She took some xrays to make sure there wasn't any root damage or bone fractures.  And there wasn't as far as Dr. Jones could tell. 

Dr. Jones did tell us that Grace's tooth should be fine but we'll keep a close eye on it and she suggested putting Grace on antibiotics to prevent an infection that could cause an abscess.  Then she gave Grace a princess crown and gift certificate for an ice cream at Chick-fil-a.  All in all, Grace is just fine.  She'll need to eat soft foods for the next couple of days and take her antibiotic to prevent an infection, but she's okay.  She's a tough little girl.

 When we got home, we fed Grace some chocolate ice cream.

 And that made her happy.

But then she looked up at me and said, "Momma.  My teeth feel wrong."  And it was all I could do to not cry.  After Grace went to bed I finally broke down and cried my heart out.  I felt so silly but I just couldn't help it.  It had been such a terrifying event during which I refused to let Grace see how worried I was.  And I had all kinds of emotions built up that I just couldn't hold in any longer.  Worry.  Fear.  Anxiety.  Relief.  I am so grateful that she is okay.  In fact, I think her fall may have been harder on me...

Grace fell. And hit her head.

Grace, Faith, and I took Chloe for a walk around the neighborhood today.

And Grace wanted to run.  Then she fell.  She caught herself on her hands but she was going so fast, she just rolled over onto her head.  If she hadn't gotten hurt it would have been quite funny.  She almost did a complete somersault.

So we cut our walk short and came back inside to check out the damage.

I told Grace we needed to clean her boo-boos up.

But she insisted on looking at them in her mirror first.

But we found some matching Spongebob bandaids.

Luckily it was just small scratches.  This time.

She was so worn out that she crashed before 7:00pm in her bed still holding her juice box upright.