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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

So why does Briggs's hand look like this?



Because he got 5 stitches in his little right hand Saturday night.

Here's what happened in a nut shell:

Brian and I thought it was ok to give Briggs a dresser that is taller than him. We also thought it was ok to make him get his socks, undies and PJ's out of a drawer that he can't see into.
So what does the little squirrel do? He improvises. For months now, he has been climbing up the end of his bunk bed, then turning around and leaning on the knob of his dresser in order to get things out of the top drawer.
I also thought it would be really stylish years ago to get glass knobs to put on his dresser - pink for Ashlynn and blue for Briggs.
We thought all of this was a really good idea until Saturday when the knob sheered off while Briggs had his whole weight on it. The knob basically turned into an obsidian knife.



To make it brief, he was a trooper in the ER. They made us wait about an hour. During this time he fell asleep (thank-you for the inspiration to brink his blankie at the last minute.) From then on, he didn't cry. Not during the x-ray, the numbing shots or the stitches. We kept saying all night, "It's a good thing he is left handed. At least he can still write."
His response to that: Yes. But I can't say the pledge of allegiance.


As soon as the nurse had put the last bandage on, he whipped his right hand to his heart and said, "Oh! Phew! I can still say the pledge of allegiance. I just can't feel my heart beating. "

He has been to school and taken the bandage off and cleaned it and he's been fine. Not even any Tylenol. Looking back, we are lucky he still has his thumb or none of the nerves were damaged.

Can you tell this is my first real emergency with my children. I'm sure many of you have been through this and worse. (V, certainly there have been stitches in your family.)

I would love to hear your list of casualties so I can put mine into perspective.

P.S. The glass knobs were off of the dressers before I even made it to the ER. I will certainly think twice about glass knobs in the future.

6 comments:

Grandma Caroline said...

I'm so glad that it wasn't worse. Don't blame yourself, he learned a good lesson! What a trooper. As for my stories, well...I don't think this will make you feel any better. I didn't have one trip to the ER the entire time I was raising our kids. However, Mark decided to wreck my score. When he was a Senior in High School, he was playing Street Hocky at a friends house, and let me tell you that little squirt is competitive and fearless. Well, he took a hocky stick through the cheek of his mouth and ended up with a concussion. "Russ's house; Russ's stick", over and over and over again in the hospital. UGH!

SoCal Rogers said...

YIKES... poor little guy. I remember when I was walking on the ledge between the pool and the spa and slipped. I fell right on my chine and split it open. I remember blood and lots of tears!

kmk said...

What a little trooper. Thaks for the tips not to get glass knobs! HOpe he heals well.

Mae said...

I asked him today how he managed to catch himself. He screwed up his face and thought, and then said, "I actually don't remember that part..."

Annessa said...

Ah, but those knobs were so pretty! I don't blame you, though, wood knobs are a good idea! Our er story...which one?! Oh, you mean the kids (not the husband - he doesn't believe in gloves). We thought Gehrig had appendicitis one time. He was doubled over screaming in pain for a long time. The nurse told us to get into ER right away. In the time we waited to be seen, he burped and tooted and was fine thereafter. Dang that lactose intolerance!

Mark and/or Lisa said...

Poor little Briggy. The pledge of allegiance concerns are priceless.

I remember when Lisa scrapped her chin on the bottom of our pool in our new house when everyone was there on a house hunting trip but me so when they got back for some reason everyone lied to me saying she just fell down so I wouldn't be mad or jealous or something...not really an emergency just sort of weird.