Gifts of Joy: July 2009

[While I was in labor early on Tuesday morning, I created several blog posts trying to bring the blog up to date. I got as far as September. Here is the first installment.]

At long last, here is the story behind our boy's stitches and pictures from July.

While we stayed with our friends Sam & Benjamin for a week, there were lots of occasions for scratches and bumps. But on the evening before Sam & Ben's parents returned, just before I was about to start dinner, I heard the front door close and then just a moment later, I heard James crying. Sam came bursting into the house yelling that James was bleeding. Thinking that he had probably just scraped his knee, I headed outside.

Poor James. His head was covered with blood and he gripped in his hand a small metal truck. He had tripped as he walked down the step, and that little truck had broken his fall - right over his eye.

Thankfully, just down the street from Sam & Benjamin live my mother's helper, Eliza, and her family. While I tried to comfort James and stop the bleeding, I sent Sam down to ask Eliza's mom & dad (Pete & Ashley) to come up. Right about the time they arrived, I started to feel faint. They had me lie down on the couch and then checked out James. Thankfully the bleeding had stopped. But they agreed that we should get to the Emergency Room. So Ashley took Sam & Benjamin back to her house and sent Eliza up to help me with James. Pete drove us all to the hospital where my Ben met us.

The doctor decided James needed 5 stitches and proceeded to use a numbing gel while we waited for Daddy to arrive. Once he came, Pete and Eliza headed home. And then the real drama began.

Ben tried to prepare James for what was about to come. He asked James if he was going to cry. James bravely said "No." And the nurse quietly said, "No. He's gonna scream bloody murder!"

Sure enough, they began to wrap him on the papoose board and James immediately lost it. Poor thing was terrified. I didn't watch them put in the stitches - I'm not brave enough for that! But I closed my eyes and put my head close to James and kept talking to him, despite the fact that he was indeed screaming bloody murder!

Finally the trauma was over and they unwrapped our sweaty boy. In no time at all, James settled down and was ready to go.

But it was well past dinner time, and I hadn't even started dinner yet. So guess where we stopped on our way home? California Tortilla!

Here is our boy with his stitches two days later:

That weekend, we celebrated Independence Day at a picnic hosted by old friends of my parents. We took our friend John with us. He had a great time! (And you can just begin to see my baby bump).

My mom & dad came at least once during July. James adores his grandparents. Here is one of very few pictures I have with both of my parents and James together.

And here is another picture of our boy with his guitar.

Sadly, I have no pictures of the "Fireman's Convention" that we got to attend in the middle of July. My brother is a volunteer fireman, and they participated in a fun day with a bunch of other stations from their area and beyond (we even saw trucks and stations from our area!). James had the time of his life that day - not only did we walk around and see all kinds of emergency vehicles, but the festival was set up in the shadow of a huge train bridge. At one point, a very large freight train headed across the bridge, much to our boy's delight! On our way to the car, various booth holders cleaned up, and one kindly gave us a fireman's hat for James.

A day or two later, while still in his jammies, we were outside saying goodbye to Ben. James had on his rain boots and the fireman's hat. But when I tried to take his picture, he took off his hat and posed for me. What a hoot!

We pulled out James' little pool again this summer. I was happy to see him getting wet. Other than the bathtub or shower, he hasn't been excited about water play. These pictures tell a different story. Yay!