Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to ER we go...

Here's something I never want to experience again - taking my three-year-old boy to the hospital for stitches. I realize I'm not the first mom to go through this kind of ordeal, nor will I be the last, but it's certainly something I pray I will never have to repeat.

Now, being a mom of three boys, I've always understood that emergency room visits would be an unavoidable part of my life. I just didn't count on my baby being three the first time I had to hold him down while a doctor sutured his face. No one really knows what, exactly, happened, but we're guessing he fell off the foot stool in my parents' basement and smashed his chin on one of the chairs. It's actually to the left of his chin, along the jaw bone. It took five stitches in total to close the wound; one on the inside, and four on the outside. The fatty part of his cheek was actually hanging out a bit and the doctor tried to poke it back in as he stitched. One piece refused to stay in and I watched as the doctor took scissors and snipped it off. Yes, I was there through the whole procedure, helping the the nurse and...male nurse/doctor/paramedic (not sure exactly what he was) restrain my thrashing baby.

The one thing I can say is God is good. Actually, He's down-right amazing. I have bragged on this blog that I have THE most amazing, wonderful doctor EVER! And we've seen quite a bit of him in the last two months. As we drove to the hospital, I had the fleeting thought of how nice it would be if he was the doctor on call. I immediately dismissed the notion, not even bothering to put the thought to prayer. The first sound I heard as I entered the sliding glass doors was the sound of Wonder Doctor's voice. At least I thought it might, could possibly be. I stood in disbelief, straining to hear. Then I snuck closer so I could get a tiny peek in the curtained off room. I didn't want to totally violate some one's right to privacy, so I settled for checking out the shoes I could see below the curtain. The feet were the right size, the shoes the right style and...IT WAS HIM! Isn't God awesome? I was humbled as I was reminded again that he knows the deepest desires of our hearts. He knows our inner-most thoughts and even when we can not put words to prayer, He answers.

So, now we're home, my family is sleeping and I'm even contemplating calling it an early (for me) night. Kolten's left cheek and jaw are swollen up like a chipmunk and he's not able to open his mouth wide enough to fit a spoon in which is making it a little hard to feed him. BUT, he has all his teeth and although he's going to turn all shades of blue, black, purple and green over the next couple of weeks, the bruising will fade, the swelling will recede, and the gash will heal. The kids are off school for spring break next week, so I think we'll take it a bit easier. I have play dates lined up for them, but nothing important that can't be changed.

And now, I've got to go change over the laundry and then I'm heading to bed. I may even turn the light off before midnight. Maybe.