A First - the E.R.

We had our first ER experience with Luca. It turned out to be fine, but it was scary while it lasted. We were at the Splash Park when he slipped and fell onto the hard ground - using his head at the contact point. Surrounding moms said they heard the crack. When I got to him, he was still on the ground, crying - but it didn't take long to comfort him and for him to want to get back out there to play and splash around. The impact made him a little unsteady, though - and, about a minute after he started playing again, down he went. This time I kept him with me and noticed that - despite the hard hit - he didn't develop a bump. One the other moms suggested I call the pediatrician because she had heard that a bump on the inside, as opposed to the outside, could be dangerous. So, I called and was told to rush him over to the ER right away. I hadn't expected that kind of response - so it took a bit before panic set in. KT was also there with Grace and Sophia and - great friend that she is - she sent Grace home with another mom and she and baby Sophia accompanied me and the boys to the hospital. On the way there, Luca seemed fine, but - just as I was about to get him out of the car, he started to nod out. I kept my panic at bay, but I that made me nervous. Having just come from the splash park and having rushed to get Luca into dry clothes - my own clothes were completely wet and I look bedraggled as I half carried, half walked him into the ER while KT pushed Matteo in the stroller AND carried a half-naked (just from the splash park) Sophia in her arms. We must have been a sight.

Despite the fact that I consistently diss our small, local hospital because of past experiences there (mine and other people's) - their new pediatric ER situation is really pretty good. They were fast and efficient and - besides the underlying pompous attitude of one male doctor - everyone was really nice. Luca took it all in stride, answered their questions and allowed himself to be poked and prodded. His main concern was the scrape on his knee that he sustained during the first fall. He mentioned it several times, but the doctor and the PA didn't hear him. Finally, the nurse taking his vitals heard him talking about it and once he hooked him up with a band-aid, Luca pretty much felt like his visit was complete.

As for his vitals and his responses to the poking and prodding - everything seemed fine. He hadn't blacked out, he was cognitive right after the fall and during the ER visit, he hadn't fallen asleep or puked, etc, etc. They said that we could give him a cat scan - but it increased the risk of cancer to one in three hundred and there's also - apparently - new findings that show that cat scans in kids causes eye damage of some sort. So - the risks of the scan outweighed their (non) concern over the fall. We left with the directive to keep a close eye on him, to sleep with him that night and to wake him every two hours to make sure he was okay.

The experience was as good as it could have been. I was really grateful that KT had come for company and support, I was happy that they got us in right away and - of course - most of all I was extremely relieved that Luca was okay. My mind has a way of running away with itself when it comes to the kids and harm's way. I thought of a million things that night and it took a few days for me to not feel like I needed to push an overwhelming feeling of doom away at any given moment. I managed to move through all of that and get to the other side of it - so grateful that my children are safe and healthy and I have them with me today.