The First of Many....Stitches

I can hear it now, "You see this scar?....My brother gave it to me!" It started out as a beautiful morning and we met Shawna and the girls at the splash park in her neighborhood. The boys love this park and it is the perfect solution to having a water activity and not having to get both boys in the pool by myself. The kids were enjoying themselves and Shawna and I were having great conversations intermittedly between bathroom breaks and me running after Jack making sure his ear plugs were staying in his ears and not being used as chewing gum. I heard Jack cry and I ran over to where the boys were playing with a metal squirter gun. Keegan had accidently hit him with it, but Jack popped back up and played some more. This contraption is fun, but dangerous. You lift it up and water shoots out and then the kids it get bored with it and they let go, swinging it the other direction with lots of force. Not even ten minutes later I heard Jack squeal and saw blood gushing out of his face and down his chest. The water gun had swung and hit him again, but this time very hard. Fighting the nausea, I grabbed him and saw the inch long gash on his chin. Keegan went home with Shawna and I took Jack to the doctors office knowing full well that this was going to be an awful experience.

The doctor took one glance at it and said, "This is not going to be fun. The younger they are the harder it is." Enough said. I called Jonathan in for reinforcement. They pulled out this papoose looking thing to secure his arms and leg. He was terrified and his little blue eyes looked at me to rescue him. For a long 15 minutes, I stroked his head, sang to him, cried, tried not to look at what the doctor was doing, told the nurse that this was awful, and then it was over. Jack was released from his papoose and the sobs were so sad. He had a death grip on me and had no plans on letting go. I know this seems weird, but I loved that moment. For the next hour he was either laughing hysterically, or crying hysterically. Poor guy, rough morning.

Back to Keegan. I was very frusturated at him at the splash park and in my state of mind, I could not believe that he hit Jack again. I scolded him and then regretted it all day...he is just 3! I got him home for his nap and he cried himself to sleep saying, "I broke Jack's chin". I loved on him and told him I was sorry that I yelled at him because it was an accident, but at the same time he needed to obey mommy. Poor guy, rough morning too.

I am glad that I already got one experience under my belt with stitches, and I hope it will be my last!