Philip's caseworker came to our house yesterday to deliver all of the documents related to Philip's case. It is one of the final steps in this adoption process and I was excited to sign for their release. We had a nice visit and then Philip and I walked her out to her car.
I held Philip in my arms and he waved bye bye while she drove off. I then turned to get the mail out of the mailbox and Philip twisted back out of my arms at the worst moment because the mailbox blocked my other arms' ability to grab him. He fell from my grasp and landed flat on his head in the gutter. It was one of those slow motion moments and I just couldn't stop it from happening. (I am still sick as I replay it in my mind.) Unfortunately his head is what hit first and so it made the most sickening thud I have ever heard. I immediately swooped him up as he screamed into my neck, rushed inside to grab some ice, and called the doctor. After talking to the nurse, she confirmed my fear, a fall from that high onto concrete needed to be evaluated at the ER and I needed to take him in right away. Oh no...what have I done? Needless to say, I was sick at the possibility of his injury. All of the color had drained out of Philip's face, so I hurried him into the car and headed to the ER. He fell sound asleep on the way which made me even more worried.
When we arrived at the hospital, the Doctor determined that he needed a CT scan to rule out a head bleed. CT scans are amazing diagnostic tools, but they also emit a tremendous amount of radiation and there are risks that I had to consider. After conferencing with the doctor, we decided that it would be most prudent to have one done since he is so young and can't tell us his symptoms.
So, we headed off to CT where we attempted to keep Philip still while they got the image they needed. It took two tries, but they were able to get a good picture and so we headed back to the room to wait. While waiting for the news, my friend Anna unexpectedly showed up to support me and I was so grateful for her thoughtfulness.
After waiting for about a half an hour, the doctor came in and said that there was no bleeding around his brain (which was the primary concern), but he did have a skull fracture. What?!? I had literally broken my baby's head. Once again I felt sick, but the doctor reassured me that he wasn't in any more danger, the fracture wasn't creating any pressure on his brain, and that he would heal on his own. While it was good news, it didn't really help to dispel my guilt. After she consulted with the on call Neuro-surgeon, she gave us permission to be released.
After we arrived home, I asked my brother, Devin, to come over and help Matt give Philip a Priesthood blessing. Matt gave him a blessing in which he blessed him with the ability to heal and reminded him of Heavenly Father's love for him and our whole family.
I am very grateful for the Priesthood and my husband's worthiness. I am grateful for the health services that we have so accesible to us. I am grateful for life saving diagnostic technology. I am grateful for the kindness and compassion that was shown to Philip and me on this stressful day. Most importantly, I am grateful that Philip is going to be ok and that there will be no lasting damage.
This whole event made it very clear to me just how desperate I am to get this baby to the temple so that he can be sealed to us. As I replayed the events of the day I couldn't help but realize that the outcome could have been very different. If anything happened to him right now I would have no claim to him. Not in the legal sense or the spiritual sense. I am more anxious then ever to make this adoption final. Thank goodness we are almost done.
Project Run & Play Repeat!
9 years ago