The Lee Ledger: Parker's accident/15 month check up

The original day that Parker's 15 month well-check up was scheduled, did NOT go according to plan!!! That day I had my post-op appointment earlier in the day and then Parker had his appointment later that afternoon. Jeanie was watching Parker while I was at the doctor's, and when I came home, he had just woken up from his nap. Parker was eating his snack and watching Sesame Street on the couch, and Jeanie was about to leave. Now, of course in the past couple of days, Parker had started standing up on the furniture and we have been trying to correct this behavior. But needless to say, he hadn't understood this fact!! Parker stood up, I was not even 5 feet away and as I was telling him to sit down--his foot slipped off the front of the couch and he face-planted on the coffee table, hitting NOT the padded corners, but the flat, unprotected side, busting open his lower lip!!! (uggh!!!!) SO....after going to the peds office immediately, going to the Pediatric ER @ 6pm--waiting, and waiting, and waiting....(which during this time, Parker could not eat or drink---not easy for a 15month old to understand...) we see the doctor, Parker gets stuck 3 times to start an IV :(, wait some more, Parker gets sedated, 2 dissolvable stitches are placed and we leave the ER at 11pm!!! THANK GOODNESS Bruce, Lucian and Jeanie are there with us!!!

BUT it doesn't end there!!!!! After a very stressful evening, we get Parker home and I am laying him down in his crib for bed--about 5 hours after normal bedtime, and I notice that the top stitch seems to have come out!!! This is when I break down, sobbing...because I know we have to go back to the ER. Bruce calls the ER to speak to the doctor, and then I talk to her---because I just can't bear the fact of going back, waiting, having Parker sedated again, etc!! The ER physician was very understanding and reassured me that we had to come back in order for Parker to heal well, but that he wouldn't be sedated again and we wouldn't have to wait. So....back to the ER again!! This time we arrive at 1 am, Parker gets local numbing paste placed on the lip, the nurses send us out to just hold Parker down and the ER doctor places a 'real' stitch. Parker handled it well, considering everything, and we left the ER at 2 am; getting home at 2:30am. Luckily again, Jeanie was with us and spent the night so that we could try to get some sleep before Bruce and I went to work.

It was a traumatic experience, but somehow I have a feeling that there will be more episodes similar to this---having kids (and a boy at that) means that accidents happen no matter how careful as parents we are or try to be!! And sometimes, children have to learn some consequences in order to grasp a concept!! Thankfully, Parker will never remember this (although Bruce and I will never forget) and we had such amazing family around to support us and be there for our little munchkin!! Parker did great and has healed really well--he'll probably have a very small scar, but it won't be that noticeable as he gets older. Thanks to everyone for your prayers and for reading this long post!! ;)

FYI: Parker did have his 15 month well child check-up a week later and his stats are:

25 lbs (55%)

33 inches in length (93%)

18.6 inches head circumference (52%)

Here are a couple of pictures that we took while in the ER the first time with the phone's camera. You can't really see the laceration, but you get the idea.