This Girl Just Keeps Surprising Me

Before

Given my children's personalities and risk taking propensity I've made some assumptions about how certain things in life will go. Like who will be the first to go to the emergency room, who is going to send me to the loony bin in college, etc. Of course they are already proving me wrong. But that isn't that why we have children? To learn just how much we don't know and that we aren't as intelligent as we thought we were. I know in a few years they will inform me of that very fact themselves but in the mean time I'm learning that I shouldn't make so many assumptions about them.

After Charlotte was born I had her pegged as the one that would go to the minor emergency/emergency room first for an injury. She has always been a risk taker. The type that just jumps right in and worries about the consequences later. Not like her older brother, Rehm. He likes to sit back and watch what everyone is doing and how things work together. He is very thoughtful and purposeful. Then along came Ruby and Eliza Claire. Ruby makes Charlotte look cautious! She is truly a spontaneous person. Eliza Claire on the other hand is very cautious and thoughtful. Given everyone's personality I had Ruby pegged as the first to have an injury - well since Charlotte hadn't already met that milestone. Next on my list was of course Charlotte, then Rehm and last, Eliza Claire.

I was wrong! This summer Eliza Claire got a trip to minor emergency while we were at the beach for a dislocated elbow - nursemaid's elbow. She was walking holding my hand and decided to go limp like only a toddler can do. I instinctively tightened my grip on her wrist and thus dislocated her elbow - which we didn't figure out for a couple of hours - bad Mom!

Then yesterday she fell at school face first onto concrete while running. She chipped two teeth, knocked anther back - it is loose and the gum is very bruised, and lacerated her inner lip. She has a nice flap of lip that is no longer attached. And let me just say it ain't pretty! I know I'm not supposed to use ain't but it is appropriate here - trust me.

Yesterday at the surgeon's office - doesn't look too bad. She was actually running laps around the waiting room. I apparently was the only one traumatized by the experience.

We visited the pediatrician who thought it might truly need to be stitched so he sent us to a pediatric surgeon instead of making us go to the ER. The surgeon said that since it was inside the mouth they don't do anything especially when it has stopped bleeding on its own. It will heal with no intervention.

This morning. She is saying "cheese" and smiling in this picture - not that you can tell. Trust me this does not do it justice it looks much worse in real life.

Yesterday I believed him. Today, I'm afraid my daughter is going to have a deformed lip for the rest of her life. The piece that is lose is now hanging straight down from her top lip. It is simply hideous. So hideous that I have actually called them back to ask them if it really is supposed to look like this and if they are sure it will really be OK. They haven't called me back yet and I'm sure will think I'm crazy when they do. But it is Friday and I want to make sure it is really OK before the weekend. So hideous that sometimes it even makes me cringe when I see it and gives me a case of the heebeejeebees. Isn't that terrible?

We also called the dentist per the pediatricians recommendation. She is out of town at a conference. We called another dentist and he was also at the conference. His assistant made a few calls for us and called back to say everyone she called was at the conference but that the consensus was that there was really nothing to be done but call and make an appointment next week with our dentist.

So my girl has a very nasty looking mouth that suffered a lot of trauma but there is at this point absolutely nothing to do for any of it.

And I have learned that I can not make assumptions about my kids as they will prove me wrong every time!

Have a good Friday! And if you see my precious daughter please try not to wince.
Jenn