StITcHEs

Dear Katelee,

I am always so sorry when you get hurt!  This week you got your first (hopefully last!) stitches, so I want to write down the story so we can remember.  

Last Thursday evening we were still over at the church around 8:30 p.m., doing a little clean-up from my piano recital.  You had been really good during the recital, even though you had to go to the bathroom right when it was mommy's turn to play.  :)  

After the recital, you took the medal off my neck that I had been wearing for my 'costume' when I played my song.  You thought it was a beautiful necklace.  You wore it happily while we ate cookies and visited with everyone.  Finally, Grandma and Grandpa Reynolds were the only people left in the building besides the three of us.  We had just finished getting the last of the crumbs off the floor and were talking about locking up the doors to the church when you let out a loud cry of pain.  You had taken the medal off your neck and had decided to swing it around by the ribbon; the result was that the medal struck you in the forehead just the wrong way and sliced your head open!

Daddy ran to get some paper towels to stop the bleeding while I picked you up and held you.  We put the towels over your cut and got the bleeding to stop and slow down, but just one look at that cut and we knew we had to take you into the doctor.  

Grandma and Grandpa drove you home with daddy while I locked up the church and jogged across the street.  We changed you out of your prized 'princess dress' so that it wouldn't get dirty, put you in some comfy pajamas, and gave you some tylenol.  The area around the cut was getting really swollen, so daddy got an ice pack for your head.  You hated having that ice pack on your head, but it helped the swelling go down!  Daddy drove us to the urgent care while I kept the ice in place.  

While we waited for the doctor to see us you kept saying, "I'm all better!"  You said it over and over, probably in hopes that we would take your word for it and just head home.  But, as always, you were a trooper while we waited and read books.  You also got about a dozen drinks from the fountain because it had a kid-sized stool that you liked.

When it was our turn to go into the back, you climbed right up on the cute little hospital bed that was just your size.  If fact, you were very good while the nurse prepared everything.  It wasn't until they got out the papoose that things took a turn for the worse!  They strapped you into this papoose that made your arms stay down and your baby stay stiff.  You hated it!  Even though you hadn't screamed during any of the painful things, you screamed now!  "Get me out of this thing!" was almost the only thing we heard from you for the next five minutes.  You were so sad that it made me cry, too.  The doctor put three stitches in your forehead, and it was all over soon.

You were just fine as soon as they let you out of the papoose.  You got a pink sucker and the nurse made you a purple balloon animal that was supposed to be a monkey, even though you thought it was a hippo and mommy thought it was  a dog.  Oops!

As we were leaving I said to you, "I'm so sorry that that made you sad, Katelee." 

You responded while eating your sucker, "Oh, that's okay, mom!"  Your voice implied that it was no big deal, that everything was okay in the world now, and that you were trying to comfort me.  You are such a sweetheart.

I am so proud of you!  But no more ouchies, okay?

Love,

Mommy