Friday, September 21, 2007

Things I learned from a night in the ER *EDIT*

*****EDITED TO ADD pictures! And a video! Lucky you!*****

Here are the pictures of the famous injury. I promise--they're not gruesome. In fact, it probably looks much less serious that you would have thought, reading my description in the previous entry. Like I said, it was a small wound, but deep enough for a solitary stitch.



Don't mind the messy mouth--she was eating dinner when I snapped these shots.



And, totally unrelated to the whole ER visit... here's a video of Ari doing the sign for "more." If you don't know what it's supposed to look like, here's a picture....



So she's still a little clumsy at it, but hey, as an added bonus, now you get to see her wound in living color. Also, I don't know why she has her hands on her ears at the beginning--she just does that randomly. I try not to take it personally.



*****END EDIT*****

(This will make a lot more sense if you read the previous post first.)

The ER is nowhere near as exciting and fast-paced as it looks on TV.

Never underestimate how quickly your child will get bored of every toy in the room and want nothing else but to walk outside.

Never underestimate how well a cell phone can entertain a bored toddler.

Folding automatic doors can, if your child is standing in just the wrong place, hit your child in the head.

Which is not good when your child already has a head injury.

Doctors are looking younger and younger. (Or is it me that's getting older? Nah, can't be that...)

Even if you don't want to talk to anyone in the waiting room, you will be forced to, because your toddler will inevitably walk over and make herself quite at home with a stranger or two.

Expect that your partner will find the oddest, most mundane thing to fret over. (In Tony's case, it was worrying that the rails on the side of the bed would suddenly collapse under the power of a 1-year-old's might.)

The Disney Channel can--and will--repeat the exact same episode of the exact same show in the same night--within hours of each other.

Apparently, they made a 4th Beethoven movie. (The dog, not the composer. If you're confused--lucky you.)

Circumstances aside, kids look really funny with giant bandages on their heads.

At least one or two parents will spend their entire waiting time griping about the wait, about the incompetent hospital staff, about how they're going to sue the hospital if their child suddenly keels over in the waiting room, etc.

This can be quite entertaining. Especially when the only entertainment in sight is a measly pile of children's books and a TV with the volume turned too low to hear.

Apparently, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson guest-starred on an episode of Hannah Montana. Which included him dressing like a woman too. I will never look at him the same again.

When you haven't eaten in 10 hours, Goldfish can be the most delicious food in the world.

Waiting in the ER shows you what kind of person your child becomes when they stay up way past bedtime.

Sometimes something as simple as a fellow parent, stopping you on your way out the door to ask if your child is OK, can make your whole day.

My kid truly is the cutest kid in the world. Or at least, the cutest kid in the children's ER on Thursday, September 20 from 7 PM to 1 AM. I'll take that.

5 comments:

Eden said...

lol

Anonymous said...

Ok - I have plenty of experience with the ER. Yes, I went there twice in 1 week when I was younger. To clarify I was stung by several yellow jackets! The idea is to act worse than you are. 1) Spread ketchup on ones self (bleeding - they always look for it). 2) Hack and wheeze and complain loudly that you can't breathe 3) Have several body parts swell multiple times larger than they normally should be. 4) If all else fails - pass out on the floor. Ok, for others reading my comment - please do not take this seriously nor assume this is coming from a trained medical person. This is only coming from a person who has been driven to the ER multiple times by my parents for mostly head injuries. :) No comments from the peanut gallery, please!

Eden said...

Good job with the signing Ari!!!

I was 3 months old and rolled off the bed and broke my clavicle and had to be taken to the ER. With my past history and the antics that my child currently does, I am truly surprised that she hasn't had to go to the ER yet. lol I know the day will come and God-willing it won't be anything to serious.

Lots of love to Ari. oxox

Eden

Mary said...

Ari's cute, even with a wound on her head. It's small, but it looks deep. She's cute when she signs. Hey, when she says "bah bah bah", it reminds me of a High School Musical song, "bop, bop, bop, bop to the top..." yadda yadda.

As for Josh's comment, sometimes the results of those head injuries make themselves known (hee hee) ;)

Dave + Jess said...

The stitch doesn't seem to bother Ari at all, which is good! And it certainly didn't stop her from visitng/flirting with people at the Big E yesterday! Which is also good.

Thanks for all the ER tips, I hope I never have to experience anything like it. Maybe you should pack a special ER bag and fill it with all the stuff that will keep you guys and Ari entertained. Just a thought...and not that I think it'll happen again...a "just in case" thing.

Mom and I watched the video of Ari signing a few times. We'd look at each other and "awwwww" like we had something to be proud about! Keep up the good work, Ari-girl! I got a few kisses in yesterday, so just give her 10 more and that should be good. :)