"DADDY!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The piercing scream came from outside my bedroom door. A terrified yell, mix with sobs. I woke up with a start and shot out of bed, throwing on my ample robe, crossing to the door, and flinging it open.
There stood The Freak (5). She was holding her hands to her nose. Blood was coming around her fingers. She's terrified of bloody noses and worse, has been getting them once a day or so, since allergy season started.
My bride, the blood queen, wasn't at home, gallivanting around somewhere else for the night. My specialty is barf. I'm scared of blood, broken bones, bumped teeth, loose teeth, bruises, forks stabbed in an eye, gashes to the bone, cancerous tumors that come and go over 24 hours, and anything else that happens to kids. But barf? Bring it on. I got that shit.
I had no choice. It was 2:30 in the morning and she had yelled for me.
I grabbed her hand, blood and all, and gently led her to the bathroom, grabbed a few Kleenex, and a baby wipe or two, put the Kleenex to her nose, scrubbed her hands with the wipes, and laid her carefully on her back, on Mommy's pillow.
She whimpered a little and added a little pressure. I went downstairs to the freezer, wrapped a few ice cubes in a wash cloth, and then applied that to her nose as well.
In just a few minutes, it had stopped, commencing the next phase in bloody nose marathons - sniffle and ask Daddy 100 times if it's really done.
She stayed the night in my bed.
I may have this down. But really, I can't wait until my wife is home. I'm going back to barf.
The piercing scream came from outside my bedroom door. A terrified yell, mix with sobs. I woke up with a start and shot out of bed, throwing on my ample robe, crossing to the door, and flinging it open.
There stood The Freak (5). She was holding her hands to her nose. Blood was coming around her fingers. She's terrified of bloody noses and worse, has been getting them once a day or so, since allergy season started.
My bride, the blood queen, wasn't at home, gallivanting around somewhere else for the night. My specialty is barf. I'm scared of blood, broken bones, bumped teeth, loose teeth, bruises, forks stabbed in an eye, gashes to the bone, cancerous tumors that come and go over 24 hours, and anything else that happens to kids. But barf? Bring it on. I got that shit.
I had no choice. It was 2:30 in the morning and she had yelled for me.
I grabbed her hand, blood and all, and gently led her to the bathroom, grabbed a few Kleenex, and a baby wipe or two, put the Kleenex to her nose, scrubbed her hands with the wipes, and laid her carefully on her back, on Mommy's pillow.
She whimpered a little and added a little pressure. I went downstairs to the freezer, wrapped a few ice cubes in a wash cloth, and then applied that to her nose as well.
In just a few minutes, it had stopped, commencing the next phase in bloody nose marathons - sniffle and ask Daddy 100 times if it's really done.
She stayed the night in my bed.
I may have this down. But really, I can't wait until my wife is home. I'm going back to barf.
I don't/didn't worry much at all about the bloody noses (my kids are young adults now, 18 and 17) but the barf nights were more difficult for me, all that violent upchucking that would overtake their little bodies and the look of horror as they felt the convulsions coming on.... that was much harder for me. For nosebleeds, I never laid them down because the doc told me the protocol was to sit up and apply the pressure. (Something about the blood running down the throat or something but you can Google that if you care to....The ice was not often needed for me but the minutes it took to stem the flow often dragged on and on...)
ReplyDeleteEvery time my wife had to be absent overnight or late into the eve, when the kids were young, I sure noticed the extra duty! Having two share it all makes a huge advantage. I admire single parents for their strength and tenacity. Only love makes that occupation even close to possible. Sounds like The Terror feels some fear about the bleed. She is lucky to have daddy to comfort and help.
I can hear your mother dear thanking God for all your efforts ;-)