Poor Jerome.
Tuesday night he got a hematoma on his forehead when his friend jumped on him as he was hiding under a pillow on a tile floor. It wasn’t maliciously done, just thoughtless rambunctiousness, and they were both in tears. The bump gave Jerome quite a bruise, but he hasn’t complained about it hurting and the swelling went down fairly quickly thanks to soft ice packs and arnica gel.
Then last night I was putting the big boys to bed by 9 and it was quarter til and I told them they could have a little ice cream while I read a book to them on the couch. Jerome came in the kitchen to help me. He got down the bowls and spoons and lifted out the ice cream for me. I didn’t get a good grip on the scooper (my wrist is still weak and bothering me from handling my big camera for eight hours last week), the ice cream was hard, and I should have slowed down. Just as I lost the scoop and my hand flew up, Jerome leaned in to see and the scoop hit him in the eyebrow. Now, if it had been any old regular ice cream scoop it would have been just another bump on the poor boy’s head, but it’s not…it’s a Tupperware fancy scoop with a pointed tip. Just from his reaction I knew it was bad. I had to pry his hands down to look at it, and I had cut his eyebrow pretty badly…with an ice cream scoop. We both cried. And I have been thanking God ever since that Jerome still has an eye. It was so close, and sheer accident.
He got three stitches. His first stitches ever. And it’s not even his fault, it’s mine. He was a blue ribbon patient, but mostly that’s on account of Dr. Tim’s patience and gentleness. Huge thanks to Tim for saving us an ER visit! The stitches will come out Monday night, and hopefully I can find some forgiveness for my own folly by then.