Easter Saturday

Our Saturday started out splendidly, yet ended somewhat stressful. But, still, all in all, it was a really great day. We had kind of a late breakfast. I hid plastic Easter eggs around the living room while the oatmeal cooked on the stovetop and Jarrett played with Elsa in the back room. Just as we were finishing up eating, Elsa spied an Easter egg from her perch in the highchair, so as soon as she was cleaned up and let down to the floor, she immediately ran for her little Easter basket and started gathering eggs as quickly as she could spot them. You will notice in the video that we had a little trouble keeping accurate count.

Once the hunt and the Easter basket were behind us, we quickly got ready for an outing to Stone Mountain. The day started out really overcast and foggy, so we dressed in layers and started out for the five-mile trek around the park. By the time we made it around to the playground, the sun started to break through, and by the time we had eaten our packed lunch and ended our play, the sky was nearly completely blue and the sun was warming our skin. I felt like we were back in San Francisco.

While on our walk, we saw the train making its rounds around the base of the mountain, and asked Elsa if she would be interested in taking a ride on it. She said, "okay." So when we got back to the car, we drove over to the park's main parking lot and thankfully found out that you can purchase just a ticket to ride the train. As we had just missed getting on a departing ride, we took the opportunity to enjoy some ice cream together and then hopped on the next round. We asked Elsa if she wanted to sit in the front of the train or the back, and at first she said the front. But then quickly followed that up with, "I want to sit in the red." She meant, of course, that she would like to sit in the caboose. So we told her the caboose was at the back of the train, and though we could not sit in the caboose, we would sit as close to it as we could. And that we did -- we sat in the last seat possible. Elsa was very quiet for most of the ride, and had her fingers in her mouth for a lot of it, but she seemed to still enjoy it and said she did have fun.

It was a day full of bumps and bruises for little Elsa, with a pretty hard bump on the head at the playground and a spill onto the pavement after the train ride, but the worst of it did not hit her until we got back to the house. I had run out to the store to exchange a pair or sandals I had purchased for Elsa to wear with her Easter dress, as they were too small. After doing the exchange, and as I was headed toward the exit, I got a call from Jarrett -- Elsa had really injured her mouth, there was a lot of blood, and Jarrett was not yet really sure of the actual injury. I got off the phone with him so he could try and stop the bleeding and calm her down and then better assess what was going on, and I rushed home as quickly and safely as I could.

I had left the house with them watching Bambi on the couch. Since Elsa did not get her nap because of our full day at Stone Mountain, we figured she could at least relax a little bit in front of the television. Jarrett was sitting right there with her the entire time, but I guess she was getting a little restless. He was finally able to get her to lay down, propped up on some pillows, and she somehow managed to roll off and hit her mouth on the edge of the coffee table. Jarrett was initially concerned she had caught her eye on it and was scared as to what to expect to see when he picked her up. Then it was clear the injury was to her mouth. By the time I got home, he had stopped the bleeding and Elsa had actually calmed down. I held her while Jarrett took a better look at the inside of her mouth. Her lips were fine for the most part -- just a little bleeding -- and all of her teeth were present and intact (and in place!). It was her upper gum that was lacerated. It looked pretty bad, and we were having trouble figuring out how bad it really was, whether she might need a stitch or two, etc. Jarrett called our family doctor on her cell phone, and after explaining what was going on, she suggested we take Elsa to the emergency room.

So to Children's we went again -- the third time for Elsa. And Easter events surrounded our last visit as well, so I am hoping this does not become a yearly tradition. The timing was not great, as it was nearing dinner time, and once we were checked into the hospital, Elsa was not to eat or drink until the doctors were done with her. Elsa was a real trooper once again, even with about four or five people sticking their fingers and other instruments into her mouth to get a look. They checked all the various cuts, checked for loose or damaged teeth, etc., but in the end it turned out that she was completely fine. Since injuries to the mouth tend to heal very quickly, thankfully no stitches were needed. So after over two hours in the hospital, witnessing a girl puke in the waiting room (and holding our breaths, hoping not to catch whatever she had), seeing a little boy younger than Elsa who was going to need stitches for a cut above his eye, and many other sick/injured children and distraught parents, we were able to drag our weary and stressed selves back home. Elsa ate a very late dinner and went directly to bed, and we did not hear a peep from her until the next morning. She has not seemed too phased by the incident since, besides a bit of complaint on Sunday about her mouth hurting, which we helped with some pain reliever. It could have been so much worse, and we are just so very thankful for the news that it would all be okay, and our hearts just go out to everyone else there at the hospital who were dealing with so much worse.