Christmas morning...and stitches to boot!

I couldn't ask for a more priceless, precious gift!

My sweet boy Tag.  Having some fun of his own :)

Ever tried to get a nice picture with two silly dogs?!

Evan in his Santa jammies

Hungry Hippo here we come!!

Completing our "sports center"

Our "excitement" from last night.  Huge gash...

and 4 stitches later!  Oh my heart!

Well Christmas was full of fun, family and excitement.

Brett, Evan and I all slept in until almost 11am, which in itself was a nice gift!  And then it was time to open the mound of gifts that "Santa" left under the tree!  So much fun watching Evan and his little face light up. 
Then it was off for dinner one of two!  Off to Brett's parents to enjoy our first turkey dinner!  It's hard to pace yourself when it all tastes so yummy, but you know that within hours you are going to be gearing up for turkey dinner number two!  And that's what happened that same evening :)  YUMMMM!

Evan had so much fun with all his cousins.  And it was definitely fun to spend time with both sides of the family!

Then the "excitement" of last night!  Evan had run in to his bedroom, and moments later I heard "the cry" and started to head to him, only to see him racing to me holding his head with blood gushing from his forehead!  I just instantly scooped him up and started to go in to panic mode.  Thank goodness for my level-headed, calm (good poker face daddy!) husband!!  He moved my hand and said "we need to go the the ER now".  So I wrapped Evan up in his blanket...no boots or jacket (he was in the process of getting ready for bed!).  Just bundled him in his jacket with a compress on his head and held him to the hospital.  When we got to ER admitting the nurse came and asked what happened and I told her he cut his forehead open...and then she moved the compress.  I hadn't actually seen HOW bad the gash was...and when I saw it I just started to shake and cry.  It was NASTY!
She dug out Evan's health card from my purse as I couldn't move my hands from Evan and told me to go straight to little peds ER and she would bring the card to me.
The doctor came and said it wasn't as bad as I thought it was.  Ummmmmmmmm...when you can see that far in to a kids layers of skin...that's bad for a mommy!
He put on numbing cream on the gash and then gave Evan a mild sedative in apple juice. 
Brett had to keep reminding me (lovingly of course!) to "keep it together".  And seriously...Evan was SO brave!!!!! 
The sedative was actually kinda funny!  Evan was all goofy but in a "drunk" kind of way...and he would NOT stop chatting!  He chatted up a storm with every nurse and the doctor and us.  One actually couldn't help but giggle.
When they did the stitches Brett held Evan's head still, the nurse held Evan's one hand and I had my head on his chest and held his other hand.  All Evan cared about was the string he could keep seeing as the doctor stitched.  He was just so intrigued by that stitch.
Then Evan and I talked about the nurses stethascope and how it was just like Dr. Wonko's (Evan's neonatologist), and the doctor asked how we knew Neil (Dr. Wonko) so I explained that Evan and his twin brother Zac were born at 28 weeks, and Dr. Wonko was one of Evan's doctors and who does his follow ups.  I then also explained how I must have seemed like an irrational basket case mother for being such a mess...but after spending so many months in the hospital...we have seen enough of the inside of that place.

Anyhow, after the stitches were done (Evan didn't even flinch the whole time!) the nurse gave him a blue popsicle.  Again...like watching a little drunk person trying to lick a cold popsicle but not totally "with it" to realize his mouth was cold!  He ate it all the way home.  Lets just say I have one winter jacket to wash now, and his face around his mouth is still blue from the dye!
When we got home he kept begging for another popsicle.  Thank goodness I had freezies!  And then I took him to bed with me and we watched one of his movies before he finally caved and went to sleep.
He was up once in the night, but I think he had bonked his stitches.
And today he is back to his old self and trying to do summersaults!  And here I am chasing after him making him be still!  Fortunately he caved for a nap this afternoon and is still sleeping.

I know that this is likely the first of many scrapes, cuts, bumps, etc...but I am praying against any more episodes of racing to the ER for stitches, and praying for his little bones to be made of steel so he never faces a broken bone!  I don't know how much my heart could take of watching him go through these things.

It's hard enough knowing he still has another hernia repair on the horizon.  His first was one week after he came home.  And he has had this belly button hernia since as well, but that one they don't repair until they are 4 or 5...something like that.  But just KNOWING that he will face another surgery and I will hand him off to someone once again as he is taken to the OR...makes me sick to my stomach.  HOWEVER, that is still a bit down the road so no sence in panicking about it now!

All in all it has been a  good holiday.
I was able to "sneak" out by myself on Christmas day as well to just go and sit and have a visit at the cemetery and talk with my Zac and my Ethan, Jack and Whisper.  And that meant a lot to me too.  It was quite a nice day so I was able to take my little fold up chair and sit and journal as well. 


Being with family is so important...and that includes my angels.  All my family! :)