Thursday, June 11, 2009

The Proper Way...

... to ease back into Real Life after a blissy Craft Retreat would be to go off to teach tap-dance, as planned, to the Monday Night students - of whom there are many - and rock some of the new choreography accomplished at said Retreat.

But the way I did it was to drive in the cold and rain and dark to the Royal Children's Hospital with the brave Cherub, all the time wondering if he would need an emergency operation to sort out his painful and dangerous urological emergency, whilst simultaneously trying to call/text as many students as possible, in between updates to Fixit, at home with the Climber.

The Cherub is fine now, and no operation required. They gave him happy gas, and although his body contorted and his face went red as they put him to rights he has absolutely no memory of it. They took the gas mask off his face and he sat up straight away, cheery as pie, and ate with relish the lemonade icypole they gave him, then asked if he could go play on the play equipment in the waiting room. (Of course I let him.) He then chattered happily all the way home, chiefly about how much fun it was to sit in the front of the car with the booster seat - such was his pain beforehand that he'd not really noticed this on our drive in.

And I was fine through most of it, buoyed, I think, by residual serenity from my weekend, the Cherub's braveness and the lovely staff at the RCH who saw him instantly (once we made it past the Swine Flu Security Guard). There was a moment though, when he was chatting to the nurse and the gas took effect: suddenly he had no idea who she was and then his worried eyes scanned the room until they found me ... and then he relaxed. It felt like one of those moments in parenthood, when they needed you and you were there.

21 comments:

  1. Poor little mite.

    I hope it didn't completely undo all the relaxing good of craft camp for you! Oh and I like how you snuck that scrabble motif into your post.

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  2. Oh Dear - welcome back to reality !

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  3. Crap.
    Kids. Mix kids and hospitals and it's never fun. I'm so glad that he's ok.

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  4. Great score on that urological emergency !! I'm taking this one very seriously, I hope your little man is OK! I regret I haven't had the opportunity to go the gas myself yet, hopefully I'll break a leg sometime soon.

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  5. Oh no, what a way to return to 'real life'. There is no stress like the stress when your kids are injured or ill. I hope you're winding down from the hospital drama (sounds like Cherub was over it within minutes, but it's we parents who take awhile to relax again!)

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  6. Ye gods! Sounds like the kind of fun we've been having round our place...!!

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  7. Well that gave me a fright! So goodness knows what it did to you..

    So glad the weekend gave you what you needed to make it through that particular crisis.

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  8. We've all been there. Unexplained sickness in kids is the scariest! Glad he's right as rain again....

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  9. Nothing like being brought back to earth with a thump.
    I am glad your little one is ok...

    hugs mumma.

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  10. I like that last line. So glad you were there for him. Can't imagine otherwise.

    Was he all twisted up? I'm wondering as I've a little one with those parts...just keeping my medical all ordered. Glad he's better now.

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  11. You know OF COURSE you had to back up a craft retreat with an emergency hospital visit. It's just the mothering way.

    RCH is well known to me from our frequent (oh, it's you again, go straight through please) visits in the late 90s.

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  12. I don't even have the same equipment and I felt the poor fellow's pain! Thank God for lemon icypoles and laughing gas... and steady mothers too!

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  13. They didn't let you have just a little of the gas to calm you? I'm certain you deserved it after the dash to the hospital with him in pain beside you!

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  14. That's quite a tapdance ! Glad it ended well !!

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  15. Squeaky had the gas once, she'd got her finger stuck in a wooden nut from a construction set. Obviously a dodgy one with finger sized holes. She lay back quite happily and watched ABC kids on the TV. All she remembered was Pingu. Thank goodness for anaesthetics. And TV.

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  16. So glad he could have that gas! And all is well that ends well. What a horrible fright for you!

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  17. Those are such scary moments in parenting, but it makes us such hero's, in the end it's so tender.
    Glad he's better.

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  18. Oh dear, poor Cherub! And poor you! Glad all is well now.

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  19. OhMyGosh-- poor little guy! I'm glad all is ok (and really impressed at the scrabble picture-- no strange search engines bringing people by)

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