(Note to readers: This ends totally fine, so don't freak out!)
On raising a boy: I consider it a formidable accomplishment to have made it 2 years, 11 months and 5 days without an ER trip because of a boy stunt. Friends with boys warned me that one would be forthcoming, and, with Dash's antics, I was just biding time.
Then, last night, since the kids were playing "fort" nicely together, I was loading the dishwasher when I heard the thud -- and the cry that meant something was really wrong. Petunia dramatically reported that Dash had decided to jump off of the couch onto his face. Had he hit the hardwood floor, he would be missing his front teeth. As it was, he hit the area rug hard enough that he opened a fissure in his gums that bled like I've never seen anything bleed. Soon, there were blood spots all over my shirt. When I discerned from where the blood was running, I ran him over to the sink for a rinse. His teeth were intact and not loose at all, but the blood continued long enough that I thought it wise to take him to the ER in case he needed stitches. Before leaving, I tried both doctor's and dentist's offices and emergency lines to no avail. So, the blood having slowed to a trickle, we left, looking like gunshot victims.
We arrived at Princeton's hospital to find the place overflowing at 5:30 pm (did I mention that Dash pulled this stunt JUST after the dentist's and doctor's offices had closed?). We checked in, but after waiting around twenty minutes -- with Dash screaming to go home the ENTIRE time -- not one person had left the waiting room, and many were looking like they were about to turn us into real gunshot vics. We stepped outside, and I paged both doctor and dentist again; finally, the pediatrician called me back, having never received my first page. She indicated that gum injuries aren't usually sutured, and, that if the bleeding had stopped (it had), I could probably go home without being seen and just take him to a dentist first thing in the morning. Since our dentist is (blessedly, thankfully) open on Saturday, we agreed with that plan (else we would have been in that waiting room until... actually, we'd probably still be there). En route home, I stopped at a friend's house and asked her to take a look; she has three kids who have had such injuries, and she agreed that it was probably nothing major.
The Guv took Dash to the dentist first thing this morning, and x-rays and an examination showed that nothing significant was amiss. The fissure is significantly healed today, too. And what did Dash do to celebrate? He jumped off of the couch again, bloodying his other lip. Damn kid is never going to learn, and, try as I might, I just can't sit on him (take that literally, because that's what's required) every minute. So, we made him wear a ski helmet all day. Seriously.
Did I over-react to the whole incident? Possibly. But, having had a girl first, we've never had a bloody injury, so I had no idea. I probably should have asked a friend's opinion first, or tried to re-page the doctor, or just waited a bit to see what happened. I fear, though, that this incident portends worse things to come, which, friends tell me, is life with an over-active boy. He's freakin' crazy. God help us all!
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