Our own Harry Potter!

While we were in St. George, Drake had his first "BIG Owie"...

Not. Fun. 

Here's the Story in detail for my memory:

Friday morning (6/29), we were getting everything ready to go to the pool and he was running around like his normal, rambunctious self. He ran head-first into the edge of the big-screen TV and split his head right open.

Hannah was sitting on the couch and saw him do it and immediately ran and grabbed him. I was in the kitchen and heard him start crying really hard so I ran into the front room. Staci was already there and said, "Oh, there's blood!" 

There was blood running all down his face. It was a tad shocking to see! Head wounds bleed so much so I should have known that it wasn't quite as bad as it looked at first.

I picked him up and dashed to the kitchen sink and threw a washcloth on his head to stop the bleeding. 

He was so extremely upset and the girls were too- it was no fun to see our little buddy screaming like that.

After we got it cleaned up and got him settled down, we were able to get a better look at it. I debated just putting some steri-strips on it, but as I got a better look, I decided it definitely needed stitches, so my mom and I headed to the ER at Dixie Regional Hospital (we made the girls stay home and go to the pool so the day wasn't ruined).

I want to remember this how it honestly was so I'm not going to sugar-coat it. Drake was extremely upset. I kept telling him to try to be a big boy and would try to calm him down, but he was terrified of the whole situation. He cried every time we touched it, he screamed when I put a bandaid on it, and he freaked out when I was getting him out of the car. He was yelling "No! No Doctor!" and running away from me.

I felt so bad for him and would have given anything to just take the whole experience away from him and put it onto myself. My mom and I were doing everything we could to keep him calm and distract him. (And my mom was doing everything she could do keep me calm- haha)

At the ER, he started to calm down a little. He was great about letting the first nurse get his vital signs. The nurse asked me if I was going to be okay with having to hold Drake down and see him cry while they gave him stitches. The other option was to put an IV in and sedate him for the procedure. My mom and I decided that the IV itself would be just as traumatizing as getting the stitches and then he would have to deal with coming out of the sedation and the confusion that can cause him. It was an easy choice. I told myself, I'm a nurse and I can be tough about this.

We headed back to an exam room. Another nurse was there and had us take the bandaid off so that he could look at the cut. Drake got really upset again and was just so extremely scared. 

Next, a physician assistant named J.R. came and took a look at it and decided it needed stiches. He put a cotton ball with numbing ointment on Drake's head and wrapped his head in green Coban to hold the cotton ball in place. Drake was so brave for that part and held perfectly still while he did that. I was so proud!

We waited about 15 minutes for it to get numb and then it was time for stitches. That's when the major freak-out happened. Drake did not want to lay down on the bed. He was terrified and upset and mad. I held his legs, my mom held his arms and body, and a CNA held his head, while J.R. put the stitches in (Holy cow, that kid is so strong- it took our whole weight on him to hold him still). It probably took about five minutes for him to put the stitches in, but it seemed like thirty! Drake was screaming at the top of his lungs with tears streaming down his face. He was yelling "Stop Mom!" and "Let go of me, Grandma!" It was so awful. I felt like we were torturing him. My mom and I would try to talk to him and explain to him what was going on, but he was so upset. We both held it together, but we were crying while it was being done too. I probably sound like such a whimp writing this, but it was so terrible for me. Yeah, I may "be a nurse and be tough", but no one has an easy time watching their kid suffer. I kept saying, "Are you sure he can't feel it?" "Are you sure?" and the ER staff assured me that he couldn't and that being pinned down was the worst part for him.

By the 4th stitch, he finally started to calm down a little and hold still. My mom and I talked to him about the cruise and about camping, and tried to take his mind off of it. 

Finally after 7 stitches, he was done! 

I grabbed him and smothered him with kisses and hugs and told him how sorry I was.

Then, guess what happened?

He jumped up and started playing. Like nothing had happened.

What!?

My mom and I finally let our emotions go and shed a few tears, but Drake? Drake was totally fine. I couldn't believe it. I thought he would be traumatized for life by the way he acted throughout the whole procedure, but he was over it in seconds. I sure could learn a few life lessons from that! :)

We thanked the staff (that physician's assistant was so awesome- he sang to Drake during the stitches! How sweet is that!) and were discharged.

Pictures-Left to right, clockwise: In the car on the way to the ER...a look at the cut before stitches...looking awesome in green!...thank you numbing ointment! Drake was happy and silly playing on Grandma's phone...7 stitches later.

Here's a close-up of that nasty Owie-

Grandma deemed this day- Spoil Drake Rotten Day! (and mom agreed)

We headed from the hospital to Target and Grandma got Drake 2 awesome new toys- a Buzz Lightyear and a Fire Truck! It helped our hearts to spoil him. No judging!

Here he is with all his toys in the cart at Target and showing off his new awesome fire truck a few days later-

 Buzz and Drake quickly became the bestest of friends and Buzz joined us for dinner the night of the stitches event-

For the shortened version of this long story, here's Drake to tell you about it-

(Goodness, Drake has such a demanding mother!)

Rob & I took Drake to get his stitches out on Thursday (July 5th) and I decided that I am done with this pinning-my-child-down business!

 The doctor at the Pediatric Clinic here in Brigham didn't think he would be able to get scissors underneath the stitches. That physician's assistant down in St. George was so sweet and caring with Drake, but I guess he put the stitches so close together and so small and tight that it was extremely hard to get them out. We were possibly going to have to go to the ER again and they would put Drake in a papoose to hold his head perfectly still so they could use a razor blade to cut the stitches. I was praying in my heart so fervently that he could get them out right then with scissors.

Rob held Drake's body and I held his head. He started sobbing again about the whole affair (the sad, seriously scared kind of crying). Rob was so good with him though and really helped to keep him calm! The doctor tried a couple times and was really struggling. I had told him that I am a nurse so after struggling for a bit, he asked if I would feel comfortable helping him. He had me use the scissors to cut each stitch while he used tweezers to hold them up so they could be cut more easily. I was kind of a nervous wreck about it, but went into nurse mode and got the job done only freaking out a little once because I snipped Drake's skin. I probably sound like a big baby again, but this is hard stuff to do to YOUR own child. It's different in a clinical setting. 

Alas, we got those STUPID stitches out and we were done!

The doctor said he was proud of all of us! And especially of Drake- he did so good!!!

Once back in the car, he got a present for being such a big boy and we headed home.

And that is the end of this yucky story. I'm sure many of you mother's have dealt with much worse with your kids, but this was my first experience with Drake so I'm sorry I sound like such a baby.

Can we be safe for awhile now, bud?
Love you so much!

We now have our very own Harry Potter!