A brave little boy

As a child, I never broke a major bone or had stitches. The same pretty much goes for my siblings as well. On the other hand, Andrew and his siblings, well lets just say that they weren't as lucky. Apparently my children have not only inherited their blonde hair and blue eyes from their dad's side, they seem to be prone to injury much like their father's family. Although we have had no broken bones each child has had stitches. Two times we can blame moss on a rock, once a thorn, and today we can add a hose. Today was emergency room visit #4 for stitches and the poor, unfortunate soul was Ty.

The kids were playing outside. Ty decided to get the hose and spray Arick and Bri. This is against the rules so Arick grabbed the hose away from him. Somehow the nozzle hit Ty on the lip and left a lovely gash. Brianna came in yelling that Ty was bleeding. I grabbed a wet washcloth and ran out the door. What a sight! It is amazing how much a small facial cut can bleed. Amazingly, I kept my composure and got the situation under control. As soon as I wiped away the blood I could tell that Ty needed stitches. He had cut his upper lip and above his lip line. Unfortunately I made Andrew take the van to work so I had to call him to come home immediately. Ty was completely calm during all of this, however, Arick was a mess. He felt so bad for hurting his brother. I reassured him that it was only an accident.

I didn't know where a hospital was so I had to call a friend. We guessed that an ER was better prepared for facial cuts and a quick inquiry at an Urgent Care clinic confirmed to us that we should go to the ER. Andrew took Ty to the ER while I stayed home with the kids (my neck injury has flared up again and I am in incredible pain myself). While Andrew and Ty were gone, I encouraged Arick to offer a prayer for his brother (I also hoped that this would make Arick feel better in the process). He prayed that Ty would be be brave and that he would be able to see a 'good' doctor.

All went pretty smoothly at the hospital. Originally the doctor that the nurse wanted Ty to be seen by (because of his skills concerning facial stitches) was not available but fortunately that changed. The stitching went well. Andrew said that Ty was obviously in pain (they did use a topical anesthetic) while they did it but he never lost his composure. The doctor was incredibly impressed by his bravery and told Ty that he had behaved better than some grown-ups. After his three stitches, he was rewarded with a popsicle and sent home. He came home a little shell-shocked but with his trademark smile still in place.

I am so grateful that everything turned out okay. I am amazed at how an event like this can strengthen my faith. I truly believe that Ty was able to see the best doctor for his situation and that he was able to be brave because of his brother's heartfelt prayer. It was wonderful to see Arick's face when he realized that his prayer had worked. I hope it is something that he never forgets. I know I never will.