A Mama's Sore Heart

I literally had a sore heart yesterday. It all began at the library. I had the kids in my sit-n-stand stroller that I love so much and was standing in an aisle at the library. Samantha gave Bella a "knudge" or whatever it was when they were sitting on the bench of the stroller together. She said she didn't mean to knock her over. Isabella fell down to the floor and started crying. At first I was thinking more along the lines of "be quiet!" rather than "are you hurt"? I quickly realized that Isabella wasn't going to stop crying even though I was trying to help her. A woman next to me said, "Can I help you?!" She seemed to think it was more urgent than I did. Then I saw what she saw. The blood. It was dripping down from Isabella's head to her shirt to the floor... Again she said, "Can I help you? Can I hold the baby?" She looked at Bella and was saying, "Sweet Jesus!" softly. I was holding Livi because she had gotten fussy before Isabella fell. I let her hold her and asked her to put the baby in her carrier on the stroller. I was holding Isabella's head with her blood on my hands. The lady went for help. I had Bailey push the stroller and made it to the counter where a man was trying to get an ice pack to work but it wouldn't. At one point I looked and saw all eyes in the "used to be quiet library" were on us and the blood running down Isabella's back. Some were gasping or saying something along the lines of, "Oh, my!" I was glad when the lady reminded me what I have already learned from the other kids that head injuries tend to bleed a lot. The lady helped us to the car. She was so sweet. We got the kids in the car and suddenly it started pouring down rain. I welcomed it as it washed the blood off my hands. I called Derrick and he said I should go back in the library & get ice and apply pressure but I told him how difficult it was in there and just getting to the car and that it was now pouring down rain. I assessed her head well enough to know I could go to my grandma's down the road. When I took her inside there I was able to get a better look at it. I knew we needed to get it closed up. My grandpa sent my grandma with me because he thought I was a little out of sorts. She drove and I applied pressure with ice to Bella's head, tried to feed the baby that was now overdue for a feeding, called the doctor, some other calls, tried to instruct my grandma how to turn my wipers on because it was still pouring down rain (I thought we were all going to die!)... Then we got turned away at an urgent care because they don't stitch 2 year olds. So, finally we got to the emergency room and walked in looking like wet rats. Isabella's hairs were standing up on her arms being cold from the ice and rain. We put a blanket on her. The doctor told me to hold her arms and legs down because we were all sure she going to be pretty upset when he stuck the needle around the wound. She layed on her stomach as quiet as a mouse and still as she could be. She didn't move or make a sound. She hadn't cried since we left the library. I watched him stick the needle all around and then staple it six times. It hurt me! Even with the staples she just layed there! We couldn't believe it. The nurse said in her 14 years of experience Isabella was the best patient she ever had. I thought maybe she has a high pain tolerance. When she sat up I said, "Isabella? Did that hurt?" She just quietly nodded her head yes. Then she said, "Can I have a piece of gum?" I laughed and said, "YES! Yes, you can have a piece of gum." She smiled and chewed her gum heartily. On the way home I decided we were going to pick up dinner. My body was physically spent and my heart literally hurting. We smelled of the metallic blood smell with blood all over the back of Bella's shirt and dried in her hair and on me as well. Bella was starving so I let her eat some leftover Chik-fil-a fries in the car. She spent some time visting with Derrick and he was looking at her head when we got home. Then we showered before we ate our dinner. It happened to be one of those days that I was ready to be over with. The toilet clogged and yucky from a Weeble Bailey had flushed down it, Bailey slinging hot sauce into the refrigerator that resulted in having to take out shelves and drawers to wipe it clean, couldn't find my wallet to pay for dinner and had to get back in the drive-thru line just to pay for it (thankfully Sam had reminded me that it was thrown in the stroller at the library that was now in the back of the car)...And Bella, I thought she would have passed out, still had a lot of energy at bedtime. I couldn't sleep when I finally did get to bed. But I am so thankful to God that Isabella is okay.