Burn, Baby, Burn!

So what could this post possibly be about? Exercising and feeling the burn? Nope. Burnin' rubber on the asphalt? Nope. My hunk of burnin' love, Mike? Nope. It is about my actual baby burning.

Yes, it all started when I decided that, instead of calling a babysitter to watch my kids while I worked with our Youth Group on Tuesday (Mike was out of town), I would just drag them along with me. People do it sometimes. It is volunteer. The Young Men were in charge of the activity, so I figured it wouldn't be too hard to keep an eye on them. They did well for quite a while. Then the boys started playing tag in the gym and Christian started to participate. Then it moved outside, unbeknownst to me. No problem. EXCEPT that they had been dutch oven cooking pizzas outside in the parking lot. Which means that there were live coals still in the parking lot. My dear precious child, who would love to go barefoot all the time and had been reminded that it was time to put his shoes on (but did not), ran outside in chase of a boy. A little while later he came back in and sat down a few yards away whimpering and looking at his foot. Never one to make hoopla out of a small hurt, I ignore it, knowing he will come to me if it really is more than a stubbed toe. A minute later I look back and he is gone. Shortly, Katie comes and says in a slightly more than concerned voice, "Mom, Mom, Christian is hurt!"

I start to get up, but then think, no, I'll see if he is really hurt if he can't walk back to me. So I send Katie out to have him come show me. I mean, how many times have you had an overly excited child come tell you someone is hurt to run out and see that same "hurt" child laughing and running again. And he was JUST there and didn't say a word to me. (I think it was because of guilt since he wasn't supposed to have been outside, but he isn't saying...)

Seconds later he is CARRIED in by another boy. Oh. He IS hurt. In his cute shaking voice that instantly breaks your heart he says, "Mom it really hurts. I stepped on a coal outside while I was running." Oh. No. But I can't see anything (his feet were dirty, but no puffiness). Then he starts to whimper harder, so I take him in the kitchen and start to run cold water over it. At this point he starts to really cry and I quickly weighed my options while some men got cold water for him to stick his foot in. My friend Annette who was there to pick up her kids and who often plays the single mom while her husband travels (much more than mine) was awesome and offered to take Katie for me while I went to Urgent Care (Thanks!!!). Women are awesome. They see a need and just step in. Always the consummate mothers. (Okay, obviously not from my own example above, but once I really realized...).

So after two doctor visits within 16 hours, great gooey stuff for burns, Tylenol with codeine and good friends that helped, Christian is stuck with a second degree burn between and on his big and 2nd toe for awhile. He is already running around though. And he loves the codeine...luckily we only have so much. :)

So the moral of the story...if they are dutch oven cooking at the church and you might need a babysitter, get one even if the logistics of getting them home is a bother. That way, you won't burn, baby, burn....