9.20.2009

Head injury: a first for this mom!

Levi and Vivian and Matt and I headed out the front door yesterday. The dog
bolted too, so we were all going to get him. No big deal, he never goes far
and was just one house down. So he's across the street. Matt and Vivian go around one tree, i go the other way and Levi is playing in front of the next door neighbors house. Matt gets Fred and is
walking towards our house. I say, he'll follow the kids, it's ok. He lets go
of the collar and Fred goes to play with and follow the running kids. Levi's
balance and perception is still not quite right, so he's running, Fred comes
up being him, Levi turns at the same time as Fred turns the other way. BAM!!
Fred takes Levi's feet right out from under him. He lands on his back on the
blacktop first and immediately hits the base of his skull to. SHIT!! I run
to pick him up (I'm only 3 feet away) and start walking in the house.
Then I realize: I scooped up Levi and started walking, and Vivian just
followed, with Matt there to corral her and Fred.
1.She knew her brother was hurt, and I've seen this before; one gets hurt
the other inherently knows mom is busy and they do EXACTLY what's needed of
them to be where they need to be.
2.Matt was there to help. Had i been alone, or had I still had little Eric,
how different would it be? How would two instead of one react in times like
that? Would they automatically take care of each other to (like my one does
now) be exactly where they need to be?
So I take Levi inside, his whole body hurts and he's screaming. He keeps
asking why it hurts so bad. I'm cradling him and I have my hand on his head
where he hit it. I look at my hand and there's blood all over it. SHIT!!
Vivian wants to know "what's wrong with my brother? Why's he bleeding?" I
have Matt call into the doctor and tell the answering service to have a
nurse call. I'm holding an ice pack on Levi's head and Vivian has
disappeared. Levi calms a little and the bleeding is less. I go upstairs to
check on Vivian. She doesn't want me, she is screaming that she wants
Megan's friend Megan (we call them Megan and little Megan). So Megan takes
her down to see Megan and her chinchillas. By this time I have talked to the
nurse and Levi hasn't thrown up, I've checked the wound on his head and it
doesn't need stitches. So he's under a watch for head injury, but at least
we aren't going to the ER. I call Eric (he's on the road) and tell him what
happened. He's worried and wishes he were home. I tell him Levi's fine, I'm
watching him.
Another realization: I've been a mom for over 18 years. Holy Crap! 18 years!
(oddly, this is the first time I've had a kid with a head injury)

So Levi is calming, he wants to show the neighbor (little Megan's dad,
Matt) what he did to his head. We walk down there. I was supposed to go to
my sisters birthday party but don't go now in case something does happen
with Levi. Matt tells me how that worried him because he didn't know what
difference it made to have an injury to Levi's head since he had that brain
bleed when he was a baby. I realize I don't know what difference it makes.
I'm impressed that my son had thought of that! Then he says he wanted to
beat the crap out of Fred when he knocked down Levi. I say it's not Fred's
fault, he says he knows, but he doesn't like to see his brother hurt.

This morning Levi woke up and said "I have a bump on my head and on my
back". "yeah, i know bud, are you ok?" "Yeah mom, I'm ok"

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