A Close One - Alex and the Hospital

 Our family recently experienced a scary few days in the Pediatric Intensive Care unit of Primary Children's Hospital (which I might mention took excellent care of our little Alex). 

A few days ago, during the first few days of Summer vacation, I was in the yard doing some gardening/weeding while Alex and a friend were playing nearby.  Somehow, they found themselves tangled in the dogs leadline and their feet pulled out from under them.  Both little boys fell and hit their heads on a stone walkway. I heard the crying and wailing and brought them both in the house and with McKaleigh's help applied ice to their quickly forming "goose egg" size bumps.  Alex's little friend was o.k. after a bit, eating playing etc...Alex on the other hand was going downhill.  I knew he has lost consciousness for a few seconds, but figured he would be fine, with a large bump on his head.  I was wrong, and realized this when his eyes began rolling around and he began vomiting.  I knew I could get him to the hospital quicker than calling 911 (as it is about a mile from our home), so I put him into the car and carried him into the ER.  They admitted him, and quickly ordered a brain scan.  I was hopeful that Brett and I would just be dealing with a "silly mom worrying about nothing kind of bump" and a large bill for the scan, but the doc returned with the news that Alex had suffered a concussion, fractured his skull, and that there was bleeding in his brain.  Scary, huh?! We were told that he was going to be transported up to the children's hospital by ambulance and placed in the Picu.  Brett drove with him and I ran home to make sure the kids would be o.k. while I drove up to the hospital to meet them.  When I got there Alex was a mess, wailing with wires, iv's, a neck brace and machines monitoring his condition.  After a long wait there was a bed available and we made our home up in his Picu room for the next day and a half while he was monitored,cared for, checked and scanned and x-rayed some more.  We were very relieved to find out the next day that the bleeding had stopped, and that his condition had improved.  The staff were great and allowed him to bring his teddy bear along during his tests and such (they even made the bear an ID tag and took "brain scans" of his fluff).  Alex busied himself with t.v., dad's iphone, and Coltons gameboy.  He quite enjoyed the hospital room service ordering slushies, milkshakes, smoothies, froot loops, brownies and chocolate milk, but i'm not sure he is too anxious to go back. I have to say he was really brave! 

We are now at home and it should be an interesting start to the Summer break with no running, jumping, bikes, scooters, skate boards or jostling or jiggling of any kind (this is very hard I have found out - you just don't realize how much jiggling could or does take place in the natural activities of being a 5 year old boy!).  We are taking it one step at a time...here are a few pics of his hospital stay (and let me say in defense of my pic - I was EXHAUSTED mentally, emotionally, and physically:).