Gusher

Yesterday, Jonah was sitting in a little cardboard box (playing Diesel Engine, I presume) a few feet away from me while I was using the computer. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him tip over, then start crying. I didn't jump up because, well, he cries about everything. But as I turned to look, he was trying to get up, and I saw that there was blood. Everywhere. All over the floor and on his hands and feet as he was trying to stand up.

I panicked and immediately thought he had knocked out a tooth. But I hadn't heard a thunk or anything, and he was facing me and I saw nothing on his face. So as I got to him, I saw blood running down the back of his head. There is a very old (unused due to the fact that it's not safe) brick chimney in our living room. It's mostly surrounded with things, but there is a corner exposed, The edge is not sharp, but has a lot of little broken and chipped dull edges. Apparently that's what he hit when his box tipped.

So I grabbed a rag and had him lay down while I pressed it on his head. The cloth was soaking awfully fast, so I figured it was a big gash. My mind was running through the scenario-- "Okay, Nathan's not home... I need to take him to Urgent Care for stitches... I only have the truck to drive. I'll try to stop the bleeding, then I have to get the carseat in... bandage his head enough to make it to the hospital..." etc. So I called Nathan on his cell and told him. He said that head wounds usually bleed a lot and to just keep pressure on it. He asked if he should just come home, but I said wait and that I would call him when the bleeding stopped and I could look at it.

After a few minutes, the bleeding suddenly stopped. So I looked. His hair was all matted in the cut, so I had to try to move it carefully. I was expecting a big flap of skin or something. Instead, it was just a swollen bump with a little "T" shaped cut, each part being maybe 1/4 inch. Sheesh! That was a hurkin' lot of blood for such a tiny cut.

So I called Nathan back and Jonah insisted on telling Daddy that he bumped his head, and then he ran out to play (dried blood and all). "Yeah," Nathan said, "head wounds bleed a lot."

Kids are so accident prone. I guess I should just get used to it.