The first case occurred the morning of Monday, May 12 when Billy left for New York. I got a call from the kids' daycare less than 2 hours after dropping them off. It was Barrett. Pinkeye was the suspect. A little later the doctor confirmed that as well as an ear infection. By the time Billy got home that Friday, the pinkeye was cleared up and Barrett was halfway through his antibiotics for the ear infection.
The second case happened the morning of Tuesday, May 27. Billy left for New York again. It was Barrett's second birthday. I noticed his face was red that morning, but thought it was from sunscreen at the lake the previous day. Less than 3 hours after dropping him off at school, I got the call. Suspected hand foot and mouth disease. The doctor confirmed the diagnosis shortly thereafter. Fortunately, it was a mild case and Barrett was able to go back to school before his father returned on Friday night.
That brings us to the current case. It all started Monday, June 23 when Billy left for Utah. I went to work as normal, and there was a moment around lunch time when I did a little victory dance in my head because I had not heard from daycare. I thought I had this one in the bag. I was wrong.
Fast forward to 4:35 p.m. My work cell rings, and I know the number of the incoming call. It was daycare. This time, the suspect wasn't viral or bacterial and the victim wasn't Barrett. Audrey had fallen on the playground. Nothing was broken, but her face was pretty banged up.
When I arrived at DCC, Audrey was sitting at the front desk with the receptionist. It was worse than I expected. The entire left side of her face was almost glowing red, and her lip was so swollen I couldn't tell where it stopped and her nose began. And her lips. They were blue. How would a fall cause that? I quickly figured out the blue was from a popsicle her teacher's gave her to occupy her while she waited for me. Thank goodness.
We drove out to West County so we'd be close to home, and I took her to urgent care. Since Billy was gone, Barrett had to tag along. That meant I spent most of the time we were there chasing him around trying to keep him out of trouble and managing a response to nurse and doctor questions when needed. As if that wasn't enough, he managed to fill his pants less than 5 minutes after we got there. Naturally, I didn't stop by home to get a diaper bag before we went either. I am not sure if the people at that office were feeling sorry for us or thinking I was the most scatterbrained mother ever.
Audrey was incredibly brave while the doctor cleaned her wounds and inspected the gash on her top lip closely. As she was laying on the bed, I wanted to be by her side, but was trying to contain her brother instead. The doctor's diagnosis was mixed. No trauma injuries, but the cut needed to be addressed. He recommended going to a hospital right away to get stitches. Before I even got the discharge papers, I called Jamie to see if she could watch the B man at our house while I took Audrey to the ER. She was at our house in 20 minutes. I was so thankful.
At the ER, Audrey continued to be very brave. She got a plastic hospital bracelet, which she insisted on wearing to school today to show her friends. When the doctor came in, she quickly determined one stitch was needed on Audrey's lip. As soon as Audrey heard that, she sat up, turned her back to the doctor and faced me, and demanded, "Mommy, give me my shoes."
"Why do you need your shoes?" I asked, genuinely confused.
"Because I am leaving. I am going to the car right now. I am not getting stiches," she said firmly without wavering. Her tone was steady and even; she was resolute. It almost made me laugh, but I managed to hold it in. I realized at that moment just how much like her mother she is. I scooped her into my arms and started trying to work my mommy magic. I asked why, told her it wouldn't hurt, talked about why it was necessary, and made my best case. She wasn't sold though.
Then, a man knocked on the door and came in to get the trash. He politely asked how it was going. "We're having a tough time with the idea that we need to get some stiches," I sighed. I am not sure what I expected him to do, but I needed someone to empathize with me at that point.
"Oh," he said, "stiches are cool. I don't know why you'd be scared of getting them. It is really quick and then you'll get to go home."
I thanked him as he left, and turned back to Audrey, who had loosened up her grip on me. I promised her a milk shake if she was brave, and that seemed to be the last thing she needed to convince her to stay. She let me set her down, and the doctor came in and started preparing her supplies. Audrey did great the whole time the doctor was getting everything ready. I was starting to think this might be pretty quick and easy. There were cloths around Audrey's face, but her eyes were uncovered. I was wondering if that was a good idea, and the doctor reassured me it was. Then, the doctor got out the little curved needle that's used to make the stitch. As soon as Audrey saw it, she started freaking out. I knew I should have asked them to cover her eyes. The nurse held her head steady while I held her hands down to her chest. She was kicking her feet the whole time, but the doctor managed to get the stich in. It was done. I was so relieved.
They asked Audrey what kind of popsicle she wanted, and I was glad she chose cherry so her lips wouldn't be some strange color again. Then, the nurse asked me if I needed a popsicle too. I laughed, but I almost said yes because I was starving. It was almost 9 pm and still hadn't eaten dinner.
After a stop by Chik-fil-A to get dinner and a milk shake, we finally made it home. When we went upstairs to go to bed, Audrey got on her pajamas and went to brush her teeth. It was the first time she had seen herself in the mirror since the accident. I could tell she was a little surprised, but she held it together and studied the marks on her face for a bit. "That's not very cool," she said. I contemplated whether to talk about inner beauty or the fact that it would heal, but before I could jump in, she continued, "where is my stitch?"
Relieved, I responded that it was clear thread and had some blood on it, so it was hard to see. I assured her it would be easier to see in the morning. She was glad to hear she'd have something to show off to her friends. That's Audrey for you! At least if she has to deal with Nance's law the rest of her life, I know she will make the most of it.
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