There Is Always Someone...

FrenchFry and his dad after a night in the ER.

A few nights ago, FrenchFry (2.5 year old) fell and landed with his mouth on a small wooden table.  There was a horrible, horrible sound and then the silence of a kid in shock and pain before the loud screams and cries.  I held him as his mouth filled with blood and we immediately knew this was a bad one and that his teeth were likely damaged.  After just a few moments of holding him, we jumped in the car and drove the excruciatingly long drive to the Children's Hospital.  (Why do we not live closer to the hospital?!)

By the time we got there he was mostly calm and watching videos on my phone.  The bleeding had stopped and he would only cry intermittently. We saw the ER doctor who couldn't find any damage to his mouth except for the clearly bent back front teeth.  She consulted with the on call dentist and we had an appointment for the next day at the dental clinic.

That night we had FrenchFry sleep in our bed so we could stay close and monitor him.  He woke up moaning a few times and we gave him some Tylenol.  The next day I stayed home with him and we cuddled on the couch and he watched way more TV than I'd care to admit while I took care of some work before his appointment.

Holding hands while he watches Umizoomi and I get some work done.

The dentist appointment was more traumatic than the actual ER visit for both FrenchFry and us.  He screamed through the exam and then had to get x-rays and since I'm pregnant I couldn't be in there with him. I feel bad for the other kids in the waiting room having to listen to him scream bloody murder for ten minutes.  Not exactly a great introduction into going to the dentist.  And then the dentist came back with our "two options:" either pull both his front teeth right then and there or wait a week and most certainly have to pull them then.

That's the point when I lost it.  I know they are only baby teeth but the news that they wanted to pull them was shocking.  I said no way to pulling them onsite, asked a few more questions and we left with an appointment set up for ten days later.  I've since come to terms with the idea that they may need to remove his teeth and it will be okay, but in the meantime we are also going to get a second opinion just to make sure it's really necessary.

So it's been a rough couple of days in the Ketchup house... but through it all and certainly now that we've had some time to see that he is going to be okay and to adjust to the possibility of losing the teeth, I know that it could have been way worse.   It can always be worse.

It was scary and hard, and it is sad to see his swollen little face right now, but he is okay.  There are parents who go through much worse with their kids.  And there are people who have tried to become parents and would give anything to be in our shoes with a healthy, normal kid who is going to have some accidents in his life and at worse might be without his front teeth for a few more years than we expected.

It's good to remember that there is always someone who would love to have your bad days....
 

Quotes That Keep Us Grounded - CandidCuddles Linky Post

After quite the hiatus from the blog - for good reason, which I will be sharing very soon - I'm back!  And for my first post in a long time, I'm linking up with the #CandidCuddles linky!

My quote for this week is one that helps me stay grounded as a parent:

This picture was taken at Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee where we are vacationing this week.

 "The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice" by Peggy O'Mara. 

This quote has always spoken to me, even before I had my son.  It's one of those things that I read and it just made sense to me.  And it's a good reminder when things get frustrating - as they tend to do with small children (and older children too I imagine!).  A reminder that how we react to them and the that things we say, and maybe just as importantly how we say it, matter.  Children are a blank canvas when they come to us and we are forming the world for them with everything we do and everything to which they are exposed.

My family and I are on vacation right now and all of our routines are turned upside down.  We are also here with my brother and his family including his two young children who have their own routines and set of rules.  This can definitely cause more than our normal share of toddler meltdown moments and can be a little less than relaxing... to put it mildly!  But quotes like this remind me to take a breath and try to stay patient because moments like this matter.  Plus I want to enjoy my vacation and letting myself get too upset or worked up because of some extra whiny-ness because of a missed nap isn't going to help me (or anyone else) enjoy this time together.

Do you have a favorite quote that helps you stay grounded as a parent?

Check out the CandidCuddles quotes linky  and the rest of this week's quotes here:

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Quotes That Mean More Now That I'm A Parent

I started thinking  about some of my favorite quotes and sayings for Candid Cuddles Quote Linky from Cuddle Fairy and it made me think of a few quotes my parents used to say to me that mean so much more now that I'm a parent.

The one that stands out for me right now is:

Why yes, that IS butter covering my toddler.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff.... And It's All Small Stuff!

 

My parents used to say this when I was a kid (I think my dad had a book by that name) and it has always been helpful to me.  It helps you keep things in perspective when things are going wrong or when you're having a bad day.  I know it was especially helpful for me as an angsty teen and early twenty-ish something, and I needed some perspective.  

And of course - it now comes in handy VERY often as a parent!  There are so many ups and downs as a parent, and life with a baby or toddler (and I can imagine older kids, tweens, teenagers...) is full of stressful stressful situations.  Sometimes it's easy to let the craziness get to you - particularly if you've had a bad day at work or have been cooped up with a cranky toddler all day.  The straw that breaks the camel's back is the soda your kid knocks over onto the new carpet or the "butter incident."

Sometimes your toddler gets his hands on the tub of butter and proceeds to grab handfuls of it like it's Playdoh and smear it all over himself, his high chair and the floor! (See photo above)  And it's okay.  It's small stuff.  Butter can be cleaned up (though you will still find it in the crevices of that chair for weeks) and clothes can be washed.  When things like that happen (because there are going to be countless examples) sometimes you just have to shake it off and laugh.  Because in the grand scheme of things these are small things and life is still full of those ups.  And it could always be worse...

It could have been poop!



If you want other useful, inspirational and/or funny quotes, check out the CandidCuddles quotes linky:

#candidcuddles