From Bad to Worse to Grateful

Well, I never got to feed others yesterday beacause right before our company came, James and Parker were running to shut the front door. James beat Parker to the door, Parker put his fingers there to stop it and BAM! The door slammed so hard, there couldn't have been anything in the way. But, Parker ran to me in tears with blood gushing everywhere. There was so much blood I couldn't even see what was wrong until we ran it under water and I almost fainted. His left pointer finger was squirting blood everywhere, it was blue and purple and the nail was only half way on.

Mike walked in the door right as I couldn't handle it anymore. He took over, cool, calm, patient to my worried, frazzled panic. He was amazing. Our great friends shuffled Jace and James around while Mike and I spent 3 hours in the emergency room. We found out Parker had broken the bone in the tip of his finger, they tore the nail off, the stitched up the nail bed that was badly torn up, then stitched his finger to hold it all together. Makes your knees to weak, right?

What's really amazing is that Parker is so calm and brave. He stopped crying as soon as we were at the hospital, though I knew he still was in enormous pain. He sat on our lap, we talked, he asked Mike a million questions, we read a book about jungle animals. He talked with the doctor and nurses, cooperated for every x-ray and procedure. When it was time to take the nail off and do the stitches, Parker watched the whole thing and asked quesiton after question to Mike. It didn't bother him one bit. The only time he cried was when they gave him a shot in his finger to numb it. We might have a doctor on our hands!

The doctors said they had never seen such a brave, patient 3 almost 4 year old. He never asked to go home, get down, get something to eat, he just sat there chatting with us. He is so great. And today he hasn't complained of pain at all and he's been a happy little boy who really wants to ride his bike still.

So last night instead of being grumpy, I just felt grateful. Grateful for:

A little boy who is braver than I

Brothers who love each other and are concerned for one another

A few moments alone with Mike and Parker

Crushed ice and red powerade in the hospital soda fountain

A super cool husband who calms me, loves our kids and is perfect in a crisis

A caring husband who slept on the couch last night to make sure Parker was okay

Good friends I can call anytime to save me

Great frineds who will help without being asked and will go the extra mile to make your life better

Really good carrot cake

Doctors who know what they are doing

Good medical care

24 hour pharmacies

A healthy family

And mostly for the chance to be a mom. For the ability to care for another much more than you care for yourself. For the chance to feel the kind of panic I felt when I saw Parker in pain, because you know only deep, motherly love allows you to feel that way. It's not always rainbows, but I LOVE being a mom.