I didn't know chins could bleed that much.
On the bright side (because that's where I like to live), Susie's teeth weren't knocked out, the stitches at the ER only took 2 hours, and none of the other kids drank Larry's untouched glass of beer while he and I were at the hospital with our injured one.
Yeah, Larry was just settling down for a rare relaxing evening when all this happened. He should have known better, right?
While Susie was still screaming and Larry was attempting to stanch (sp?) the flow of blood, Rachel was yelling at me, "Get the band-aids! Get the Bactine!" She's a natural medic. I just hope she doesn't get any weird sewing ideas after she sees Susie's stitches.
There are 8 stitches on that little chin. Sensible guy that he is, Larry, after getting an initial glimpse of the damage inflicted, said to me, "Let's go. And don't look." I guess he didn't want to deal with an unconscious wife in addition to an injured child. Good call.
And, as usual in these situations, the parents are more traumatized than the child. Susie didn't even cry during the stitching. And she sang herself to sleep tonight while playing with the pretty hospital bracelet the "nice lady" gave her.
******************************
It turns out that the manager at the bookstore is interested in hiring someone who has a kid-induced lobotomy. Imagine that! Can I interest you in our members' discount card?
Love ER trips given to us by our children. Little Man fell asleep before his last set of stitches too. Strange kids. I think you should get rid of all the chairs, this could have happened on a regular chair too.
ReplyDeletei have to ask..... did he hire you to work in the kids section?
ReplyDeleteSorry about the stitches!! Congrats on the new job. I knew they would be crazy not to hire you!
ReplyDeleteWatch out for that chair! EB is my only one who has experienced stitches, twice, for the same injury. It didn't teach him to be careful, that's for sure! I'm glad it wasn't too traumatic for Susie.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on landing the job! We knew you had it in you. :)
Now I am wondering... if I leave a glass of beer on the counter, will it go untouched? Hmmmm... 4 boys, ages 17, 16, nearly 13, and 9 years. Doubtful.
So you got the job! Good on you. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking from experience, chins are second only to scalp wounds.
ReplyDeleteFun times.
ER trips are such fun! Good times.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the job!
If Rachel gets some sewing ideas from seeing Susie's stitches, maybe she will sew the heads back on all of the stuffed animals that she decapitated.
ReplyDeleteWe had the same split chin a few years ago. It happened when a child who I had just warned to NOT lean on the screen door, continued to lean on the screen which promptly broke, sending the offending child chin-first to the pavement.
He didn't cry while getting his stitches either.
I'm glad she's okay.
ReplyDeleteKids are amazing.
Wait Larry was HOME???? My children only like to go to the ER when Daddy is TDY.
ReplyDeleteI hope your little one is healing nicely this morning.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the job! I cannot wait to hear all the fun stories!
Bev
That chair was giving off such bad vibes yesterday! I could just feel its evilness!!!!
ReplyDeleteGlad nobody went down the stairs on it. Then you'd have had a concussion, broken bones AND stitches to write about. (I can see the bright side too!)
Poor Susie! Poor you!
A job in a bookstore? That is only marginally less wonderful than a job in a yarn shop! [Or the quilt shop I worked in 25 years ago, where I had both a small tab and an employee discount.]
ReplyDeleteLast time I had a co-pay at the ER, it was $125. That was when LittleBit had two injuries in one day while working tech crew at the school play. The teacher's son was surfing on a flat and ran over LittleBit's foot, and she got her hand smashed while trying to slow the curtain when somebody else rang it down improperly.
Yes indeed, this is why mothers turn grey!
oooh, congratulations about the job!
ReplyDeleteand i am horrible with blood. luckily, the two times our kids have needed stitches hubby was home. i think if he hadn't been the kids just might have bled to death. it evens out i guess because he can't handle puke. didn't do so well with the poopy diapers either. wait a minute! maybe it doesn't even out--there've been way more puke and poopy diapers in this house than blood! still, that's a good thing...
Poor Susie! Glad to hear she made it through okay. And congratulations on the new job!
ReplyDeleteEars. Ears bleed a lot. My husband knows that firsthand (his own ear, car accident, college). Knock on wood, no stitches yet for the offspring. Considering we don't HAVE a copay, even better. We have a deductible. Hmm, you know, we actually hit it this year, but I STILL don't want to have to take any kids to the ER.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the job!! Books for everyone for the holidays!!
Chins are bad bleeders. Both the twins have had chin stitches. But the worst was the gash right at thing 2's hairline that needed 25 stitches. We got a ride in the fun flashing-light mobile for that one. I have never seen so much blood in my life and I watch horror movies.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the job!!
Of course he's willing to hire you. You have skills far beyond any teenager.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your new job!
ReplyDeleteStitches are frightening for parents. I'll never forget OUR first time in the ER. Facial wounds bleed like nothing else, man.
Sorry about Susie's stitches but congrats on the new job!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I knew you'd get the job. They would have been insane to hire anyone else. What with all your library book experiance you will be an employee like no other - in a good way.
ReplyDeleteWowser's 8 stitches! I'd have been a mess. Poor Sweetie. Two is the most I can handle before becoming totally useless.
I'm picturing a swinging chair outside..not a computer chair.. Oh poor thing!
ReplyDeleteThe only time I've been to the ER was with a vomiting child at 105 degrees. Boy, does that get their attention! They fixed us up, but wouldn't let me go until The Girl peed...hours later.
ReplyDeleteSo, what section of the bookstore do you get to work in? Hmmm?
If she didn't clear the ER with her wails and then pick out her stitches yet, you are one lucky gal. I'm lucky too because that garage sale chair got hammered by the kids before anyone got injured. I firmly believe in super glue at this point when it comes to big gashes. As for the bookstore, they are so lucky and it sounds like a delightful job.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry Susie had to get stitches. And congratulations on the job! You'll be great at it, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteOuch! Knocking on wood I don't have a similar visit.
ReplyDeleteAll stitching on the face, specially on a child, should be handled by a plastic surgeon at the hospital if you went into an ER. ER doctors can't picture a grown child, p.s.'s can. Have her looked at it by one to make sure it was done correctly.
ReplyDeleteSeriously.
8 stitches? Yikes.
ReplyDeleteBut under 2 hours is impressive for an ER visit.
Oh no! Poor baby. Yep, it's all Larry's fault for getting comfortable. It's like he was inviting it to happen.
ReplyDeleteOh, poor thing! (And I'm guessing I'll be using this story as my reason NOT to get one; the kids - including the husband - begged for one all summer after seeing one in a store.) And isn't a job going to get in the way of blogging? Congrats anyway!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter had stitches in her chin in first grade. She was leaning on the edge of the pool during swim class and some other kids decided to use her head as a diving board. Chins and concrete do not go together. I got the call that she "might" need a stitch or two... when I looked (yup I looked) I about died! So, off we went. She didn't cry or whine UNTIL she seen the needle... then all hades broke loose.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the job. I would love to work in a book store!
Scene 20 years ago: rocking chair. Tall four-year-old boy rocking it as hard as he could, shorter six-year-old sister hanging onto the back. Me not in sight (or you know this wouldn't have happened.)
ReplyDeleteThe boy decides to see what happens if he gets it going really hard and lets go. Sister goes flying. Hits raised brick fireplace with the small of her back.
"Mommy, I can't move!"
911.
Ambulance.
Strapped onto backboard.
Goes screaming away, husband with her, me with the other three kids at home, desperately wanting to go too.
A few minutes later, said son asks quietly, totally breaking my heart, "Will I ever *see* her again?!"
Oh. My. Stars. Child. YES! (Did you think you'd killed her??!)
Apparently so, poor kid.
(Epilogue: back muscle damage only, 1-year healing time, and they all grew up and lived happily ever after.)
Oh, yes. Anna told me later that after we went running out of the house with Susie in our arms, she found Rachel (who had been spinning the chair with Susie on it) sitting downstairs on the couch with a very worried and confused expression on her face. Poor thing - we hadn't even thought of reassuring her before we left.
ReplyDeleteOh, and: a plastic surgeon who operated on my daughter's almost-cancer-caught-in-time when she was a toddler told us to buy rolls of paper medical tape from the drugstore and keep it covering the incision site 24/7 for six months at a minimum. He said that would keep just enough pressure on it to keep the scarring way down. It worked.
ReplyDeleteI would believe chins bleed that much--and head wounds, and lacerations over the eye, and shins that have been whacked by power hedge trimmers. As it happens, bleeding children are my specialty.
ReplyDeleteHoney, I think being a stage mother pales in comparison to mother of six.
ReplyDeleteI want to OWN the bookstore.
Bookstore work does sound intriging. My BF has worked in Barnes and Noble for years and loves mant aspects of the job. She gets lots of free books too, as they get prerelease copies for employees.
ReplyDeleteAlso rub vitamin E on the scar. It helps it to fade away.