After many requests for pictures I am finally posting a few... yes, of course I took pictures.
This will be a fun memory one day... at least, that's what they tell me:-).
Most folks know what happened but for those that do not I will share.
We went for a hike out at Bernhiem Forest, Tuesday before last, and not even ten minutes after we GOT THERE he fell onto a clump of sticks. Not just a pile of sticks, but a clump of sticks that looked like they used to be a bush and someone sawed the bush part off, leaving the sticks there, poking out of the ground, just waiting for little boys to fall on:-). And so, that is what Judah did. He fell on them.
James picked him up by the back of his shirt and lifted him OFF of the pile of sticks. He had a puncture wound on the cheek and a few scratches... didn't look to bad. So, we cleaned him up, brushed him off, and told him to walk it out... no, not really.
We didn't tell him to walk it out, but we did not treat it like it was a big deal because we did not think it was a big deal. That is, we did not think it was a big deal until the next day, when it turned red and started swelling.
We called the dr. and she was not in that day. No biggy, we called the minor emergency, 3 hour wait with swine flu people and most of them were saying that we really needed to go to a children's hospital if we were going to see someone that night. This would make our 3 hour wait into a 5 hour wait. YIKES! We decided to wait till the next day when we could see our own pediatrician. I brought him in around 12:30 on Thursday, by this time I could not even talk about taking off his shirt or put on his jacket. He screamed at the mention of it. He would not let anyone even go near his face, or his mouth. As soon as the ped. walked in she gasped and said I would have to take him to the hospital and that we were looking at surgery. I/we had no idea it was THAT bad... we did not even think an infection could get so bad that fast! She could not believe it either and sent us straight to the children's hospital downtown. She said to expect to be there a few days, don't take time to go home... this did not sound good to me:-(.
All the way down there I was trying to think of everything that needed to be done and wondering if they would need to cut my two year olds face open. If so, would they mind going through the inside of his mouth so as NOT to leave a huge scar on his cute two year old cheek:-)? Where would the other kids stay? How would James get home?(We had sold his car only a few days before)Could we work it out so that Jonah could still go to his friends birthday? Would I be able to find a parking spot relatively close to the hospital? Parking a 12 passenger van downtown is no picnic! How could I get the things I needed from home in order to make it for a few days? I NEED my toothbrush!! I really felt overwhelmed and helpless to do all that "needed" to be done to make this happen and felt like it was a lot to ask James to jump in and do everything. And my phone was dying:-(.
It was fine though, I did not need to ask James to jump in and take over. God had already arranged everything:-).
So, I called James and told him what was going on and to pray for this situation. We discussed the details and he told me not to worry, that he would handle it. When I hung up I really prayed for God to show His faithfulness in this. And He did. I called a few friends to ask for their prayer for Judah, I knew it would be a long night for him, they offered their homes for our children as well! James called back a few minutes later saying he was on his way home to get the other kids and take care of them. Someone at work loaned him their car! He was able to take Jonah and all the other kids to the birthday party, pack Judah and me a small bag(with things I did not even think he would think of, but that I would love to have!) he even took the kids to our friend's house to stay the night... he had packed them up too!! Meanwhile, I drove downtown and began looking for a parking spot. I cannot fit into a garage, the van is too tall! The Lord provided a parking space right across the street from the hospital! Amazing!!
So, they set Judah up with an iv and started antibiotics. He did not actually get into surgery until about 7:30 and that is the exact moment that James walked in! A bit too late to see Judah but that was okay. It was the first time that one of our kids has gone into surgery and James wasn't there to pray with them before. It was sad, and a little scary for me, but it was okay. God is good. Judah was fine. And they did not have to make a large incision after all.
The doctor came out after the surgery and said that the stick had not merely punctured the skin, as we initially thought, but it had gone all the way up to the temple and left debris there. This was why it became so infected so quickly. He thoroughly cleaned out EVERYTHING in that side of Judah's face and put him on some really strong antibiotics. He was doing well the next day and so, they decided to let him go home that afternoon! Praise the Lord!He has done fine this week and continues to heal. His face is still sore and the wound leaks a little now and then, but he is doing a lot better!
God is good, He provides, He is a God of DETAILS, and He is in control... I don't have to be! What a sweet relief!! I loved this little lesson because of what it means to me as we are about to leave the country. I am always trying to think ahead especially when it comes to the kids. I want to be prepared for things like this and this one totally blew me out of the water. NOT PREPARED AT ALL! But God showed me through this that I don't have to rely on myself for even the little things, and even in a country where everything is readily available, that doesn't mean that things will be predictable. He cares for my kids/husband/self/situation when I am helpless to do anything about any of it.
May He be glorified!!
BTW, my phone did not die until we got home from the hospital:-).
