I had one of those scares almost two weeks ago that I will never forget as a mother.  It started as our family's typical Saturday morning with some cartoons and pancakes.  Then BW went off to study while I took the kids to Target.  I had boy2 in the shopping cart seat and girl4 in the back.  The facts are now a little blurry, but basically my list dropped and I jerked the cart back to pick up my list.  Then I saw out of the corner of my eye, my 4yo flip out of the cart onto the tile floor and heard a noise so horrible that those shopping around me gasped along with me as she started to scream.

I picked her up and held her face to my chest to muffle the scream, touching the back of her head where I assumed there would be a huge bump.  I didn't find one.  I lifted her face off my chest and had to immediately put it back again because I saw the grossest green golf ball sized goose-egg growing on her forehead.  Of course, her older brother was busy scolding her for not sitting in the cart and I had to try to keep him quiet and push the cart thinking I just needed to get her out of the store.  A store employee came up, asked what had happened and offered to get her some ice.  Thinking she was taking me to someone experienced in first aid, I followed her.  Then she walked over to the Pizza Hut area and started wrapping some ice in a napkin!  I explained that I just needed to get her out of here because it was pretty bad. 

So I pushed the cart out to my van and strapped her in.  At that point, the other kids saw her head and started getting upset.  Once everyone was in the car, I parked the cart (unfortunately, I realized later that there had been some items in the cart!), and called BW on my cell phone.  He said to just get everyone home and he would meet me there.   Of course, I got every red light on the way home.  I kept talking to her and asking her questions.  She was whining, but ok. 

Once home, I started freaking because it didn't appear to me that my husband was going quite fast enough in getting her to the ER.  He assured me that there were lots of good signs that she was fine - she had never passed out, her speech was not slurred, she was not vomiting.  He put her in the car and I started trying to figure out who to call to watch my other kids so I could go to the hospital.   I chose to try first one of our friends from church who lived close by.  Fortunately, she was doing nothing and was over within about 15 minutes so I began my own journey to the hospital. 

Meanwhile, BW talked to Girl4 the whole way to the ER and as they were crossing the parking lot, she told him she didn't need to go to the doctor.  He thought maybe she was just worried since she had been in the ER just about a month earlier with severe stomach pains and had a bunch of tests done.  Then she said, "Daddy, we can go to the doctor, but it is God who will heal me." 

By the time I got to the ER(which was very crowded), she was all smiles and laughing - I decided she was delirious.  The triage nurse went through a series of questions, and gave her and ice pack but didn't seem to concerned for the same reasons as BW.  When we saw the wait would be a while and I saw that she seemed to be fine other than the enormous ball coming out of her forehead, I went home to relieve our "babysitter". 

Ultimately, BW decided that instead of waiting he would bring her home, watch her and take her back if something changed.  With the exception of some grumpiness, she was fine all day.  Eventually, in the afternoon before her nap with Daddy, we let her look in a mirror.  The expression on her face was almost comical as she touched the bump on her forehead after looking in the mirror.  I even went back to Target later in the day (since I had never ended up buying what we needed the first time) though I didn't go back to THAT Target. 

Praising God!!! that He was gracious to spare her from any real damage.  Sunday, she went to church and did fine other than the fact that she was becoming sensitive about people asking her what happened.  By Monday, she had two black eyes and looked like a racoon with a small bump on her head.  Honestly, she looked like she had been in a car accident.  I didn't show her a mirror - amazing that 4 year olds really don't bother to look in mirrors often!  Finally, on Wednesday, she was in the bathroom while I was getting ready and asked if she had accidentally put marker on her eyes.  Since Tuesday was our first Bible Study Fellowship of the year, I called the Children's coordinator to ask her to tell the teachers what happened so I wouldn't have to tell the story in front of her over and over - and so no one would call CPS. 

Two weeks later, she still has some greenish circles around her eyes, but is definitely nothing like it was before.  BW did decide to take a picture(I had no such desire) and had her make a scary face - Those pictures will not be posted online:)  A close family member said too bad it's not Halloween yet!  Men have such different humor!

I am so humbled that God protected her and give Him all the glory for healing her. 

-J