One week

In one week I will be driving to South Carolina (for a wedding) and leaving Maddie for four whole days. She's staying with my sister, whom I trust fully, but I am still sooo nervous!!!
I just know she'll be fine, she loves my sister and loves her cousins (I say cousins because even thought Elizabeth is Becky's only child, she cares for Mark and Matthew pretty much 24/7, so they're family!)
I just get nervous because Becky is used to a three year old and two nine year olds, she's not used to a one year old. I get worried that she'll forget that Maddie can't sit on the couch by herself, she falls off! Or that she can't eat huge bites of things, you have to chop them in little pieces. Or that she trips a lot, A LOT!
The good thing is that Becky is so receptive to this stuff, I've already told her how nervous I am and she just said to write out everything and she'll make sure that nothing gets forgotten or overlooked, but really, it's my baby!! She's my heart walking outside of my body... And I have to go without that for four days... that's so tough.

Now I need to go make my list for Becky, now that its on my mind!

stitches

Welp, I knew it would probably happen, I just wasn't ready for it.
Maddie isn't completely steady on her feet all the time, she falls at least once or twice a day, usually bumping her head on the floor, or into a table or whatever. She usually cries for a few minutes, gets a little bump and it's over with.
Not this time.

on Tuesday we ran a 5K on campus. Ryan had the jogging stroller with Maddie in it and walked/ran for most of it. I was up ahead running it. We were beat afterwards because it was up and down some huge hills, so it was pretty strenuous!
So we came home, but it was still about 80 degrees out, so we threw some Turkey burgers on the grill and were making dinner together.

Maddie was walking her doll's carriage all around the house. Then at some point she picked up her sippy cup and was attempting to run it into the kitchen to us and tripped on the lip into the kitchen. She was just too close to the corner of the counter and smashed her head into it. All I remember was looking down and seeing bright, dark, red blood gushing out of her head and hearing her shrilling screams! Ryan was screaming about calling 911, I yelled at him to grab a wet paper towel and call for an ambulance.

She was crying non-stop and I was just trying to put as much pressure on her head to get the bleeding to stop enought to see how bad the cut was. At this point, she was sitting in my lap on the kitchen floor and we both were covered in blood and sitting in a pool of blood. With all of that blood I was expecting the worst, but knew that head wounds bleed like crazy.
The campus police were there within a minute and I had moved her into the living room to watch the Backyardigans (which I hoped would calm her down- and for the most part I was right).

As soon as Captain Sampson was there, I felt a bit better, he assessed it and said that it would need stitches. The fire department showed up and said the same thing.

So, we got the burned burgers off the grill, I wrapped up her spinach and cheese tortillini and we put her in the car to head to the ER.

After three hours in the ER, were were taken into a room where they basically put Maddie in a straight jacket and clamped her head in place! A huge needle was used to give her novicane and I had to sit down because the room went black and I was about to pass out. What a great mom huh?
She was screaming like no child should EVER scream and Ryan was amazing! He was talking to her through the whole thing, and he watched as the ER Doctor put the stitches in her head... I couldn't watch, I couldn't even open my eyes without fear that I'd hit the floor.

after what seemed like hours, I was able to hold my baby girl, who instantly stopped crying when in my arms, thank GOD!

With instructions to give her Tylenol and how to wash the stitches, we were sent on our way. Maddie finished her dinner when we got home and then at 10:45pm finally went to bed!

I couldn't eat, and just broke down when she finally fell asleep! Seeing your child go through that is something no parent should have to go through.

Then it gave me a whole new appreciation for my parents and what they went through for my 9+ surgeries. I do not know how they did that over and over, knowing what they'd be going through...

Luckily, I am not a hot mess from all of that, so I know Maddie will be just fine. But I can tell you, I will never get those images out of my head!

I pray... pray... that was the last time for something like that!!!