Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better

This weekend was pretty laid back for us. The girls had dance, we ran a few errands, and we got to relax at the house. Sunday was church and more relaxing. I guess I should have expected something to break the peace eventually. With four kids, it is never quiet for long.

Sunday evening the kids were playing in the playroom. We heard some shouting and then Peyton rounds the corner holding her head with blood running down her face and all over her dress. I think every parent has thought about what they would do in situations like these and I don't think you really know what you will do until it actually happens. Luckily, neither Matt or I fainted and we managed to fumble for some paper towels to try and squelch the bleeding. Amazingly, she wasn't crying at all, she was just upset over all the blood.

As Matt tended to Peyton's head, I tried to tend to all the blood. OF COURSE the playroom is located around the corner and all the way down the hall from the kitchen. We managed to clean up most of the blood, but I won't be surprised if we keep finding droplets everywhere for the next few weeks!

After I cleaned up a bit, I checked on Matt and Peyton and Matt had decided that we would definitely need to make a visit to the ER. Peyton and I headed off to the ER while Matt and the rest of the kids stayed home.

Fortunately, Sunday night was slow at our ER. We're lucky that we live in a city with a teaching hospital and they have a specialized ER just for kids. It was great and they actually called our name to go back while we were still in the process of checking in! They took us back to our room and got Peyton all outfitted in her gown.

Now, I'm not an ER novice having logged a few hours there myself as a child and teenager. Who knew that the entire ER experience could transform from a place of fear and trepidation into a four star resort in less than 20 years? Upon entering Peyton's spacious suite, she was handed a remote control so she could watch whatever she wanted on TV while she waited (I'm thinking of petitioning our pediatrician's office for this lovely distraction). We had to wait about 20 minutes for the numbing cream to take effect (no more Lidocaine shots to the forehead here!), but that passed quickly with Bubble Guppies in the background.

Finally, the dreaded doctor arrived ... except he was really nice and was noticeably younger than me. He even had a trendy first name to betray his definitely-born-in-the-80's-ness. I was prepared for some screaming or crying, but those fears quickly disappeared when a nice girl entered the room and did this for the duration of the stitching process ...

Yes, she held an iPad up for Peyton to play with for the entire time she was getting stitched up. She must have arms of steel. The iPad is a luxury for our kids (they don't get to play with it often), so unrestricted access to one was a dream come true. Peyton actually complained when they were finished because she hadn't had a chance to finish her game.

All of it was so easy and effortless, I could hardly believe that it was over. They left us to get some paperwork and said they'd come back in just a minute and asked, "Would she like a prize for being so good?" Of course she nodded and I though how nice that was of them. Maybe they'd bring her some stickers or a lollipop. So when they waltzed in five minutes later with a Barbie, my jaw hit the floor. What?!? What kind of ER was this? No waiting, no shots, TV, iPads, free Barbies?? Where is the funding for this place coming from? I kind of want to make a trip to the adult ER to see if they're giving away free massage gift certificates or Krisy Kreme donuts in their department.

So we made it back home in under 2 hours from actual head-splitting incident to head being repaired. The girl didn't even have any Tylenol or anything and has never complained once about it hurting. She's one tough cookie if you ask me. Or maybe Barbie just makes everything better!

(She asked me after they'd given her the Barbie how they knew to give her a dancer Barbie since she, herself is a dancer? She was amazed at their perceptive abilities).

So now we have two girls with head lacerations in the past year. I know they're sisters and all, but I'm going to have to put an end to this need to match in everything.