This past weekend was so much fun and so stressful at the same time. Lucas played his last T-ball game of the season against his good friend Judah's team followed by a sweet celebration party where each kid got some mad props by the coaches along with a pint-sized trophy. The best part of the game was when Lucas ran to home plate and hugged the catcher, his friend Judah! Total sportsmanship! We also had a fun play date at our house with homemade waffles. On Sunday we went to the swimming pool with some friends and had a fun day in the sun.
And then it happened. Lucas was walking on a wooden retaining wall barefoot (ice cream in hand!) and got a splinter. It bled right away and he was in a lot of pain. At first glance it seemed like a normal splinter, but when when we took a closer look, it was a cut with what looked like a small pebble embedded underneath the skin. Ouch.
We first tried to get the splinter out after soaking his foot in warm water. I ended up texting our friend/neighbor who is an ER doctor and he offered to take a look at it. Two and a half hours later and well past Lucas' bedtime, the nerve block he injected didn't seem to work and Lucas wouldn't keep still. We went home and I called to make an appointment with our pediatrician the next morning.
Before our appointment, we stopped at Blue Bottle Coffee in Oakland’s historic W.C. Morse building. I figured we would have a nice mama and me breakfast date before heading to the doctor's office to do all the not-so-fun stuff. I was in awe of this building -- the high ceilings, the flood of natural light, the mix of old and new and those waffles. With chocolate ganache drizzled on top.
Our next stop was the pediatrician's office. After one look at the wound, he immediately referred us to a podiatrist. They took x-rays of both feet which came out clean -- but didn't rule out that there might still be something deeply embedded. I didn't realize x-rays don't catch wood, just shadows. The podiatrist recommended surgery which was scheduled the next day.
On our way home, we got some delicious lunch at one of my favorite spots, Summer Kitchen. And then some yummy ice cream right next door at Ici -- vanilla creme brulee for Lucas and Earl Grey for me. I figured since he wouldn't be able to eat for the next 12 hours in preparation for surgery, we would at least stuff ourselves silly with his favorite foods.
The next day Lucas got prepped for surgery and was SO brave and sweet the entire time. He got to watch shows on tv and received lots of attention from the amazing staff. We arrived promptly at 10 a.m. as surgery was scheduled for noon. How cute and sad is he with that hospital gown? I kept a strong exterior for Lucas but was so nervous and scared inside.
And then the waiting began.... for the next 7 hours we waited patiently to get into the operating room (apparently the surgery before his took a lot longer than expected). The staff wheeled the gurney around to different areas throughout the day. By the time Lucas got in, he hadn't eaten or drank a thing for 23 hours. Poor guy! What a trooper!
The actual surgery lasted about 15 minutes and we were SO relieved when it was all over. Turns out there was a toothpick-like piece of wood the punctured the bottom of his foot -- went straight in versus sideways like a splinter). Ouch. The first thing Lucas said when he woke up was, "Hi Mama, can I have my popsicle now?" Oh, my brave boy -- I love him so much.
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