Pass the Band-Aids

(Warning: Minorly graphic pictures of bumps and scrapes in this post. It's really not bad but I feel like you are supposed to advise about these things.)

So as I remind everyone constantly, most of my time is spent taking care of a 31 pound picky eater with a fluctuating appetite, short attention span, ever-changing moods and a huge, monster love for climbing, jumping, and you know, any kind of physical activity really. Now that the weather has finally turned nice, we are outside a lot a lot a lot. (Sunny days + warm air) ± (shorts and Crocs) + running¹⁰ = BOO BOO SEASON. 

Since the last time I posted, there have been a few major incidences, only one of which landed us in the emergency room. About 10 days ago, Ashton was outside playing with a toy firetruck, pushing it way too fast and those damned Crocs...he tripped and fell and sliced the bottom corner of his lip open.

It doesn't look that big, but then, Ashton's not that big so size is all relative. That's an authentic teardrop too. Anyway, it was really deep in person blah blah and I had one of those moments where I felt totally frozen. Jason was at work and of course it was a Sunday so the pediatrician wasn't open. Do I take him to the ER? Do I not? Sigh. I packed up and went. Luckily it was not the 6 hour affair it was the last time. They told me that if it were any other spot, they'd stitch, but with toddlers they do not have success with sutures holding in that area. Home we went and by 2 pm Ashton was asleep in his crib. Don't worry, we went for another walk that afternoon, Ashton fell again and got more scrapes on his face. Oh the joy.

OVERALL OUCH FACTOR: 6+
(+ stands for ERVN - emergency room visit needed)
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We are 2 for 2 with his knees. They actually look worse right now - this picture is a few days old.

OVERALL OUCH FACTOR: 4

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And then, last night. Ohhhh, last night. I picked Ashton up, we went to the grocery store and then took a walk around the block before dinner. There is some road construction nearby and he is obsessed with tractors, trucks, bulldozers and backhoes. So we went to take a look.

Then we collected a few pebbles and fed them to the sewer.

We were having a nice walk, full of adventure ;) And then, ugh. He stood up on the curb and was walking along it. I took out my iPhone to get his picture but realized my camera roll was full (as it often is). So I flipped through and was quickly deleting to make space for new ones and that's when he fell. :( Right off the curb and faceplanted into the street. He split his forehead up by his hairline, scratched the side of his nose and blood was going everywhere. I could not believe how fast it flowed! I stripped his t-shirt and used it to try to apply pressure and get the gravel out of his mouth and nose...he was screaming. It was awful. We were two streets from home and I ran back with a shirtless, bloody toddler in my arms and called Jason no less than 6 times. He ended up coming home from work for 20 minutes to help me clean out the cut (I couldn't see how bad it was because his hair was matted and he wouldn't let me near it). Luckily, I did not see his skull gaping through which is what I had braced myself for (I can be, as they say, a bit dramatic). I was praying not to have to go to the emergency room for stitches and aside for the monstrous egg on his forehead, he seemed to be ok. I, on the other hand, was still crying long after Ashton had stopped.

OVERALL OUCH FACTOR: 7.5
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Yes, I know kids get hurt. Yes, I know little boys especially. It still doesn't make it any easier. Twice in the past ten days (three times actually, he fell and bit his lower lip that resulted in bleeding too), Ashton has fallen on his face and started crying. There is literally that moment of dread, like Oh my god, right before you pick them up when you wonder what you are going to find: where the cut is, how deep is it, if all his teeth will be there, etc. It's hard :-/

But for Ashton, nothing above compares to the worst pain of all. Not one of his injuries in the last couple of weeks can compare to the dreaded haircut. This event warranted a very public pacifier both before and after. That's when you know it's bad. That awful salon! And all those poor hairs, cut within an inch of their lives...I didn't get a "during" picture, you can imagine why.

OVERALL OUCH FACTOR: 10. It's been a tough couple of weeks.