Butterflies and Stitches

On Friday, Noah's summer camp took a field trip to the Museum of Natural Science. It is not too far from my work and I was able to take the afternoon off to meet them there. We had a great time looking at the dinosaur skeletons, the butterflies, and other exhibits. Here are some pictures inside the peaceful butterfly area:

Noah's favorite butterfly (because it lookes like a zebra):

We were enjoying a lovely summer afternoon when this happened:

Noah tripped and hit his head on a marble bench. OUCH!! The above picture was taken several hours afterward at the hospital (because, you know, I suddenly became quite preoccupied at the time and even this camera-happy mom was not about to stop for a photo-op). I can not express to you how much blood there was. Head lacerations are like that, I'm told (very bloody, that is). Poor Noah was SUCH a trooper. He cried of course, but he was so brave and relatively very calm about it. I carried him to the museum's first aid station and got an ice pack and bandages. Then we headed to Texas Children's Hospital (fotunately it was very close as the museum district and the medical center are in the exact same area of Houston), where we spent the next five hours.

We did our best to stay occupied as we made our way through triage, registration, the waiting room, and the ER room (which was private and included a TV and a hospital bed, which Noah found very fun). We passed the time looking at pictures, watching Sponge Bob Square Pants, napping, and being silly with the camera.

Noah received wonderful care at TCH and I am SO relieved and extremely grateful that his head injury was not more severe. The thought of what might have happend is so scary. My little guy ended up with two stitches. I showed him my appendectomy scar and told him we could be scar buddies. Here he is all stitched up:

(I'm looking forward to the bill).