A neighbor of ours just moved, and we asked if they were taking their playset with them. They agreed to sell it to us for a fraction of what it would cost to put up any similar set. And as a bonus, they only live a couple hundred yards away, so my Dad and my husband and my brother were able to easily disassemble it and carry the parts across the yard. Easy delivery.
"Plus, the parts are so fun to play with!"
"Hi Grandpa! Thanks for building my cool slide!"
"My very own bridge!"
"And swings!"
"And did I mention the slide? My favorite part!"(If you are related to me, don't mention this next part to my Mom and Dad. I don't want them to freak out about what happened next.)
We were still basking in the glow of Olivia's brand new playground...
She fell from the top of the tower. It was the most terrifying moment of my life.
She was playing on the ramp and she kept asking me..."Mommy, come?" She had decided that she liked having me in the tall tower with her. Like our own little clubhouse. So I followed her and she decided that she wanted to slide. I didn't mind her sliding alone because she has learned how to land safely, but she didn't want to sit down. THAT I had a problem with. I was trying to get her to sit down, and all of a sudden she was leaning out the front of the tower, grabbing on the rail and facing the tower, like she wanted to hang on from the outside. And in a second, she was flat on her back on the ground.
I thought she had hit her head on the frame below, and I was sure that she was badly injured. I scooped her up and ran inside, yelling to my husband that we had to get her to the emergency room. She was crying, but not in a "I hurt myself" kind of screaming way...more of a whiny, disoriented way. That just scared me more.
She screamed for the entire half-hour drive to the ER as I worked hard to keep ice on her head and keep her awake. She was mad about both. She desperately wanted to sleep (causing me to be more worried). When we finally got there and saw a nurse, she started crying louder. She has developed anxiety about doctors and nurses because of shots, so she was just inconsolable.
The doctor assessed that she was bouncing back well and that we should watch her closely and return if she started vomiting or if we couldn't wake her up. I was unconvinced. This docile little child wasn't acting like my kid. But maybe that was the exhaustion from crying.
We went to get some dinner. She refused to eat and mostly just sat and stared through dinner. Then we went to get a few groceries. In the store, Olivia consented to hold Daddy's hand and walk. She NEVER lets us hold her hand. She's too independent. A few minutes later, she wanted to be held. And then...the entire contents of her stomach were all over herself, Daddy, and the store's floor.
We were still basking in the glow of Olivia's brand new playground...
She fell from the top of the tower. It was the most terrifying moment of my life.
She was playing on the ramp and she kept asking me..."Mommy, come?" She had decided that she liked having me in the tall tower with her. Like our own little clubhouse. So I followed her and she decided that she wanted to slide. I didn't mind her sliding alone because she has learned how to land safely, but she didn't want to sit down. THAT I had a problem with. I was trying to get her to sit down, and all of a sudden she was leaning out the front of the tower, grabbing on the rail and facing the tower, like she wanted to hang on from the outside. And in a second, she was flat on her back on the ground.
I thought she had hit her head on the frame below, and I was sure that she was badly injured. I scooped her up and ran inside, yelling to my husband that we had to get her to the emergency room. She was crying, but not in a "I hurt myself" kind of screaming way...more of a whiny, disoriented way. That just scared me more.
She screamed for the entire half-hour drive to the ER as I worked hard to keep ice on her head and keep her awake. She was mad about both. She desperately wanted to sleep (causing me to be more worried). When we finally got there and saw a nurse, she started crying louder. She has developed anxiety about doctors and nurses because of shots, so she was just inconsolable.
The doctor assessed that she was bouncing back well and that we should watch her closely and return if she started vomiting or if we couldn't wake her up. I was unconvinced. This docile little child wasn't acting like my kid. But maybe that was the exhaustion from crying.
We went to get some dinner. She refused to eat and mostly just sat and stared through dinner. Then we went to get a few groceries. In the store, Olivia consented to hold Daddy's hand and walk. She NEVER lets us hold her hand. She's too independent. A few minutes later, she wanted to be held. And then...the entire contents of her stomach were all over herself, Daddy, and the store's floor.
When we arrived at the ER the second time, we had to wait. Olivia fell asleep for 20 minutes or so. We got a room. By the time the doctor got to us, Olivia was awake and singing her songs and responding to questions in normal fashion. This doctor (a different one) weighed our options but decided that we should wake her at regular intervals and watch her closely and return if something got worse.So, two trips to the ER and the same basic diagnosis. She had a bad fall and got pretty shook up. She must not have hit the beam after all because she doesn't seem to have a bump.
She slept well last night and woke up crying today. She cried through her bath and sat on my lap for an hour before she felt like herself. I really think that her body just ACHES. She was feeling better when the tylenol kicked in.
Now, she's pretty close to normal. She's still very tired, but I think she's bouncing back well.
New playset, first real trip to the ER. I think we are going to lay low for the next few days and recover.
3 comments:
Rites of passage indeed.
Asher had his first trip to the ER when he was about 19-20 months old (Silas was a newborn). He jumped out of his high chair (literally) and hit his head on the side of the fireplace. I really didn't worry until he took a 3 1/2 hour nap afterward. I had a hard time waking up, he was disoriented and sleepy, and his eyes were dilated. Turned out to be nothing, just like Olivia.
Glad she's okay. And the good news is that the fall may have scared her into using a little caution. We've had that happen, too (over the side of my bed). And congrats on the new swing set.
Great deal on the play set! How fun!
Sorry about Olivia's fall - that seriously is so terrifying. Lord knows ER visits are NOT fun with a baby. Good thing they're not as fragile as we think. So glad she's ok.
You get some kind of medal or certificate now, right? Good job on making it through your first (and second) ER visit. I hope she feels better soon.
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