Kai receives URGENT CARE!

Sunday Sept 30, 2007
I had just returned from dropping Greg off at Midway airport, and wanted to catch up on sleep since I was up at 5:30 am. I had fed Kai and his cousin Cohen breakfast and retired to the bedroom. I was about to fall asleep when I heard a thud and the familiar cry coming from Kai.

I tried to ignore it, thinking it was just another minor incident when Adira brought him into the room. Kai was spitting up blood and I could see he had a bloody mouth. Kai had stepped on a toy and slipped falling forward, hitting his face on the hard floor. I thought perhaps it was a cut lip or he had bitten his tongue again, but I could not find the source of all that blood. I just happened to look under his top lip and to my surprise saw this gash about 3mm in diameter. It wouldn't have been so bad but there was a gaping hole and the thin line of skin that connects the gum to the lip was severed.

I woke my sister up, the nurse, and she immediately told me to take him to ER- he may need stitches or at least antibiotics. Kai took off and started to play with Cohen just as soon as I stopped the bleeding.

I asked about Urgent Care instead, in hope that the wait wouldn't be as long as it usually would be for an ER visit- plus he wasn't an emergency case. Luck would have it, the Ingalls Flossmoor Hospital just built a new urgent care branch, and it was a 5-min. drive away.
Kai was not happy with my trying to put ice on his mouth, and while we were waiting to be seen- I noticed a red bump forming on his forehead between his eyes. Great. Another injury. But he appeared to be perfectly fine but was more solemn with thumb in mouth. I worried that he quietly sat on my lap, which was unusual for his typical hyperactive self.

So other than being asked by 4 different medical people how the injury occurred, Kai was given another ice pack and had his first "anal" temperature taken. My sister Cheri distracted him with a blown up glove to help get the job done. The tactic worked very well. Temp was normal as was his O2 saturation and pulse. Kai had a hospital band secured to his wrist, which he immediately tried to pull off (and eventually succeeded).

In a few moments, Dr. Meeks evaluated him and I was pleased to hear from her that Kai did not require stitches as it should naturally heal. And his head was fine. However, I would have to give him antibiotics for the next 5 days and make sure he was not becoming irritable (from the head trauma) but I thought to myself, Kai is usually irritable anyway- so what difference?
Anyway, to make a long story short. Kai is doing well and played all day for 5 hours at the Patriot Park in Homewood, IL. with his cousins. We played volleyball, soccer, Frisbee, football, flew a kite, blew soap bubbles, and stuffed our faces, and even fell into mud.

Cohen and Kai viewing us from up high

Kai tosses a huge Frisbee.

Kai and Cohen dig a trench.

Which Kai got soaked from!

Hope hangs out with her new ballerina socks, a gift from Kai.

I thought I'd do a nice thing and change her wet diaper, and she surprises me by shooting pee at me and gets my hand wet. Kai saw that and exclaimed"Yuck!"

Tia Arleen and baby Hope. Mama Cheri joins us and we just had to make faces for Hope to remember our silliness when she is much older.

Nana shares her Capri-Sun drink with Kai, who greedily chugs it all down.

Daddy Greg learns all about this hours later after the incident (remember he was still up in the air and unavailable for the next 4-hours). He knew eventually Kai would make it to the hospital, (due to his extreme nature) he just didn't think it would happen this soon.

~

I was just glad it was all over and the day turned out to be a good one after all. There was a lot of laughter that day. By the way, when Cheri was helping Kai out with a bath, he peed on the bathroom floor, which she ended up standing in. Hey what goes around, comes around, yes? ahha