ConCUSSion

An almost 3 year-old can say some hilarious things in the Emergency Room in the middle of the night. Not that I WANTED to be there or enjoyed it in the slightest, but I know Ava's night is bound to provide some laughs for our family sometime down the road. (:
It all started when Ava was playing at the playground during Mason's teeball game. I was just going to get her when I saw (in desperately slow motion might I add) a baseball coming right for her little head. Funny thing- the slow motion must have been just for my own personal mommy trauma- there was no time to warn her. Some big boys were practicing nearby and had thrown it from quite a distance when it accidentally hit her. I saw it hit above her right ear and I saw her fall down and immediately let out a wail. I ran to comfort her and then the panic set in. Did she have some sort of brain injury? Internal bleeding? A concussion? Should I go straight to the ER?
After some loves and a little Tylenol, she calmed down. Her eyes looked fine, her behavior was normal, and I calmed myself down a little.
We watched her the rest of the evening and then finally put her to bed at about 9:30. Before 10:00, she woke up screaming and throwing up in bed. Not good. This time it took only a split second to decide to head to the ER.
Now Ava is not a puker. I'm not sure she has thrown up since the baby spit-up days. So she looked all disoriented and miserable. At the hospital, she always made it into the lovely pink bin they provided (she was proud that it was PINK and it was hers). After awhile, there was really nothing left in her tummy. After another round of the dry heaves (gross but true), she looked at me and said, "Mommy, did you watch me frow up?" I nodded and she said, "Did you see that frog in my mouth?"
Ha ha- isn't that exactly what it feels like? And SOUNDS like? She is freaking funny!
We were put in a tiny room with a curtain divider next to two men who appeared homeless. One was yelling profanities and kept saying, "I need to get out of here!" Very comforting for my child, let me tell you. The nurse kept trying to calm him down and said, "Jack, there are children in here. Please don't use those words." Finally, Ava looked at me with a slight smile and said, "Jack just wants to get out of here" like she wanted me to convince the nurse to send him home.
The CT scan was a little drama. We didn't really want to have it done because we knew it would be scary for her and the risks are slightly alarming. There was really no choice though, considering her symptoms. The first try was a lot of crying (by her and her pregnant mommy). Then I was touched as I watched Ro take her back to the first bed and practice the CT scan with her (mimicking the machine's sound and movements) and telling her it would be funny. She decided it would be her "Great Adventure Spaceship" (LOVE this girl's imagination) and with Ro looking into her eyes (and me panicking in the hallway), she did it.
Results showed no damage. The doctor said she had a mild concussion but will be just fine. Scary stuff that I wish we didn't have to go through, but amazingly, I wouldn't trade the time we spent with our personality-filled child for anything.
But just to be safe, next time we go to a teeball game, Ava will be wearing a sun hat AND a hard hat!