Well, it's finally happened: our first trip to the emergency room. Poor little Harper. We were having a lovely evening. Dallin wasn't home from work yet, and Harper, Hunter, and I were outside in front of our house, chatting with our dear friends, Talyn and Jesse, playing and drawing with sidewalk chalk. It was one of the first warm, peaceful nights of summer. Then--as these things do--it all happened in an instant...
Harper fell off the bottom step, and on the way down, she hit her head on the tall ceramic flower planter. The sound was a sickening thud. She immediately began crying, and when I picked her up and turned her around to survey the damage, I couldn't help but gasp. She had a gaping HOLE in her head, and there was so much blood.
I totally panicked. Was I supposed to call an ambulance, 911, the pediatrician, my mom? Thank goodness for friends. Not only were Talyn and Jesse there with us, but our friend/neighbor Jen was outside too. She has 4 children and is no stranger to emergency situations. She gave me the following instructions: leave Hunter with her; she would call Dallin; we were to go straight to Children's Hospital; head wounds bleed a lot, but Harper would be okay. Her advice was beyond helpful; I can work with instructions.
So I left Hunter with Jen, and I hopped in the back seat of the car with Harper, while Talyn and Jesse drove us to the hospital. During the car ride, we tried to keep Harper as calm as possible, acting normally, reading her a story, and asking a lot of questions. She was so brave, whimpering a little, but answering my questions about the different colors and objects on each page. When we got to the hospital, Jesse dropped us off in front of the ER entrance, and Talyn came inside with Harper and me. They immediately checked Harper in, took her vitals, and wrapped her poor little head. After confirming that she was not in critical condition, we had to wait for a little while, during which time Harper stayed snuggled up to me.
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My poor little H--
snuggled up to me in the ER waiting room. |
Dallin met us shortly thereafter, and Talyn and Jesse headed home; I can't even express how grateful I am that they were with me when this all happened. Harper was seen by two doctors a little while later. After examining Harper's wound, we were given the option of having them stitch her up, or calling in plastic surgery to do it instead. Because of the size and severity of her wound--as well as its location on her forehead--the doctor recommended that the plastic surgeons take over.
So then we had to wait a while longer, as they had to call a plastic surgeon in especially for Harper. However, I have to say that Harper was supremely brave, AND Children's Hospital in Boston is an amazing, amazing place. The doctors, nurses, medical assistants, and support staff there were all so kind to us--and especially Harper. While we waited, Harper was given a special coloring book, countless sticker pages, and even a DVD player to watch movies (queued up with both a Barbie movie and Madagascar per Harper's selection). It was everything a little girl could need to stay distracted and to feel safe and secure, despite the giant bandage around her head and what was likely a very painful wound. I was really impressed with how brave Harper was throughout it all. I could tell she was afraid, but she cried minimally and allowed the doctors and nurses to do exactly what they needed to.
One of the conditions of having the plastic surgeon work on Harper was that she needed to be fully sedated. Dallin and I stayed in the room with her while Harper was given the drug Ketamine to put her under, though her eyes remained open (an unnerving and slightly eerie side effect that they warned us about in advance--thankfully). Then we were asked to leave for the duration of the procedure, though the nurses promised to bring us back in before Harper "woke up" so that she would never know we were gone. It was a heartbreaking thing to leave her there, unconscious and looking oh so tiny on the hospital bed, but we knew she would receive the best care. Living in Boston, so close to so many world renowned medical facilities, is such a blessing.
Those 30ish minutes in the waiting room were some of the longest of our lives, but sure enough, they brought us back in to Harper before she came to. We were informed that everything went smoothly, though she received two layers of nearly 20 stitches, the poor thing. Before she could be discharged, Harper needed to demonstrate that she was not impaired in any further way from the medication and that she could successfully drink and eat something--which she did. She then promptly fell asleep, having not slept at all while we were in the hospital, with the exception of when she was "under" during her surgical procedure. I can't even imagine how exhausted she was at that point, though I know how tired Dallin and I were feeling--and we had endured far less than Harper. We had arrived at the hospital around 7pm and finally arrived back at home at 2am.
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| Little H--finally asleep post stitches |
Fortunately for us, I had been able to reach Harper and Hunter's Mimi on our way in to the hospital, and she had driven in to pick up Hunter from Jen's house so that she could put him to bed at home. It was yet another blessing to know that Hunter was in good hands while Harper in the hospital, rather than feeling any additional stress. Since it was so late when we finally got home, Mimi ended up staying the night, and Harper collapsed right into bed with her.
Unfortunately, it was a restless night. One of the other side effects of the Ketamine Harper was given in the hospital is that it can make you cough. On top of that, Harper already had a little cough anyway. So from 2am until 4am, the poor girl couldn't stop coughing. Every time she would fall asleep, the coughing fits would start. It was excruciating, and I felt so bad for her. Finally, the coughing subsided after 4am, and she feel into a deep sleep.
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| Mimi snuggles make everything better |
The next day being Wednesday, my mom was already planning to stay with the kids as she does every week on Wednesday. Dallin headed in to the office a little late, and I took the day off work to stay home. Harper slept in later than usual that morning, and she definitely needed the extra rest. When she awoke, she was a little shaky on her feet, but she was beyond excited to see her little brother and her Mimi, and after a good breakfast and a nice warm bath, she was acting more like her smiling, energetic self again.
Then we took a trip to our happy place, Target, with Mimi and Hunter so that we could get the medical supplies we needed to keep Harper's wound protected (gauze and medical tape). Of course, Harper was able to choose a few "special" bandaids as well (she picked Dora the Explorer) and pick a special treat to help her feel better (the funniest little lion-themed Cabbage Patch Kids baby--promptly named "Lion Baby").
The most touching part about this experience was the outpouring of love Harper received. So many of our friends and neighbors stopped by that day with treats and cards for the little patient. While I wouldn't have asked for this experience, it was so special to see how many people care about Harper and our family. Harper will have a pretty decent scar for a while, but I'm sure it will fade in time. Either way, she is a beautiful little girl--and now she's a beautiful little girl with a battle wound and a story to tell. In the meantime, she loves being able to choose a special bandaid to wear each day! And if she's happy, we're happy.
Hunter's interests, of course, are far less focused at this point in time. He loves throwing the ball, and I'm convinced he will be an athlete like his father. He is just such a physical little guy. He is also a huge fan of playing peekaboo; his sweet giggle makes my heart soar. When I'm lucky, he sometimes even "helps" me fold the laundry. When we run out of things to do at home, sometimes we seek refuge in the air-conditioned, child-containing shopping carted bliss of Target. Our routine is simple but effective: get our cart, stop at the Starbucks counter, and then grab our groceries. Harper can now recognize the Target bulls-eye icon a mile away: proud parenting moments abound.
