you’d think he’d been involved in a fisticuff, a bar brawl, or a gangsta gang fight.
but of course it was nothing as exciting or roguish as that. though, none the less mischievous.
it was sunday morning and i was still languishing in bed with the little one, only to be fully woken up by the sound of the boy’s crying, obviously in pain. “oh no,” i thought, “sounds like trouble…” and found the daddy applying pressure on the boy’s brow with ice, blood dripping down the collar of his shirt.
yes, he’d indeed attempted a daredevil stunt, evel knievel-style, down the flight of staircase at the common corridor, with his bright, plastic tricycle.
his daddy wanted to drive to a nearby shop and didn’t allow him to bring the trike, but the insistent (read: stubborn-nak-mampos) boy always had to find his own solutions to get what he wants.
and what he got was a tumble down the stairs.
he sustained a rather deep cut over his left eyebrow. not sure what he hit, but apparently he was still on his trike at the bottom of the stairs, so his head didn’t hit the floor, which would have been worse.
from the stories i’ve heard countless times of his daddy’s own ‘adventures’ as a small kid (stitches on his chin and his head on separate occasions), i knew this was a ‘rite of passage’. we were both actually just waiting for this day to happen! (a self-fulfilling prophesy prophecy, it seems.)
i wasn’t too worried coz he was up and running again within minutes (i think his pain receptors are impaired!), but we had to head to the A&E anyway to get it checked and prevent any infection.
of course, as murphy’s law has it, we discovered that the car’s battery had died, so we had to call for our resident auto-mechanic (thanks azfar! ;p) for help, and reached KKH more than an hour later.
the wound warranted immediate entry through the Red Door (if you’re familiar with KKH’s A&E, you’d know the Red Door, hehe), and the boy pointed out his head to the attending doctor (as well as his ribs, and his shins – by then, i thought he was going through the ‘head, shoulders, knees & toes’ song).
so the options were to either apply some ‘magic gel’ thingy on the wound to numb it and sew it up, or sedate him so he wouldn’t move during the procedure. since it’s pretty close to the eye area and we doubt he’d be able to sit still for anything, sedation it is.
he was more fascinated with what was happening around him than anything, trying to talk to the doctors and nurses, recalling the Hulk movie he watched the night before where the muscular green hero also had wires strapped on his body, and the X-Men movie where Wolverine too had sharp things coming out of his hands like that needle poking out of his own.
at this point, we were laughing at his plight and his dazed mumblings, his eyes glazing yet you can tell he was fighting the sedation meds.
but a while later, when we thought the stitches were done, the two docs came out and told us they’re calling down an eye doctor coz they were concerned that some muscles or nerves might be affected. so we waited, his eye was checked, and the cut was pronounced to be too high above the eye to be worried about. so now they called for a plastics doctor to do the actual sewing (i guess they’re more specialised for such delicate work), which we had to wait for some more, and another dose of sedation was administered. the boy was so high after that, i tell ya!
a few things struck me after that.
well, mainly, guilt, for letting accidents happen to him, coz if anything, it’s always the parents who are at fault, right? they’re supposed to warn him, nevermind if they turn into boring nags. eyes are supposed to be on him AT ALL TIMES, coz at his age, they’re impulsive, lacking in judgment, and not as physically adept as they think they are.
then having to account for the incident to his grandma, who’d no doubt blame us, with her “aku jaga dia tak ada pun kena apa-apa!”, at which i’d silently reply, “if you’d let things happen to us once in a while, maybe we’d be better risk-takers and not be scared of doing anything”, but of course, those were my issues. and her “bawak dia balik sini nanti!”, making me feel like a shite parent who can barely function myself.
then the thought of having given birth to this child, in perfect condition, a clean slate, only to eventually have him scarred, physically, and – just wait till he’s older! – emotionally.
and, the final thought, that if this is the kind of thing we have to go through with children, i’d rather not have any more. it’s too painful, and my pain receptors, they’re not so impaired.
so there, another ‘battle scar’ to, erm, add character to his face. six stitches, of which story he can regale others with, a great conversation starter if anything, a legacy he can pass down to his future sons: “daddy pun dulu jatuh kena jahit! tengok ni?”
Entries (RSS)
my boys’ scars exactly the same spot as Aniq’s…& yes the grandma’s comments berdesing telinga dengar…
i still remember my 2nd twin nye comment biler on sedation….’mama why you got 5 eyes’ T thn start to count the location of where my eyes actually were…LOL
eerr hope it does’nt come out d wrg way…i mean my mum biler my boys jatuh pon say d same thing….
wah piang! em’ stitches look pretty darn mean!
anyway yups i so get the feeling of the mum thingy, i gez it happens wen our parents look after the kids. same thing. With her nothing happens, with me kepala terantuk la, gigi terkena high chair la..basically macam2 la!
he looks all right now~i wonder macam mana u felt wen u saw him then? Takpe friday boleh crita! if i can make it!
oh so begitu ceritanya, kesiannya tapi cute betol la budak aniq ni. wish him a speedy recovery..(i think he doesnt need it thou! hehe)
ur story reminds me….i screamed the first time i saw blood dripping down her jaw dulu..her first cut on the lips….hehehe…cos she was doin some ala skating stunt using a plate…mcm mak dia dulu use selipar jepun to do some skating act….
Hi Hana,
It’s ok, don’t feel so guilty about it. Things happened and with another babe in your care, it’s quite impossible to monitor every movement that the other child make. It’s really discouraging when our own mothers (or worse, a MIL) put us down for not able to watch after the kids (dun wori, I’ve been there and retaliated too) but no one’s perfect. The kids will always be our constant joy and worry : )
Have a speedy recovery Aniq!!! I’m soooooo phobic of hospitals after my mild affair at ttsh about the finger. So i’m now sooo xtra careful. But kids are juz so difficult to control….maciam kera got belacan on the butt…wadever dat feels like.
aiyoyoyoyo..nvm..aniq strong boy right? hehe
nvm nvm
aniq strong abang kan?
it will heal very soon because aniq is growing very fast to get well!
(even though the 1st thought that came to my mind kan SIs Hana was… ADOI!!)
i do hope aniq recovers soon.
i think our parents are just being concern and its only natural for them to put us down the way they do. i got the same treatment when misha’s arm was in a cast after a bad fall, but thankfully she did not break any bones. my parent went like “macam mana korang ni? jaga budak macam ni?” aiseymen. accidents happen, and we should just be thankful that it did not get any worse than it already is.
take care.
~sarah
Aww, poor Aniq, but he’s a strong boy! Can’t help but say I’m sure he will certainly be thankful for the scar in the years to come. I had one myself (5 stitches on the forehead), had it at Aniq’s age, and friends in primary school ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ over the permanent mark the stitch left behind. Hehehe! Something for show and tell at sch, defintely. =D
Hana,need a favour from you…can i have the contact for the marhaban group you did for auni’s cukur rambut…thanks a million
oooohhh…ngilu betul tengok aniq’s stitches..didnt mean to be crude…all of sudden i had “reminiscence” of the pain i had from the episiotomy stitches a few weeks back!!!
i guess its a matter a time tat aniq will share the same childhood passage his daddy had gone thru
about the red door…tell me about it…its like a privileged concierge service each time i “checked-in” my daughter to KKH.
he look so cute nonetheless… kids now a days are really prone to all this stiches. i have a cousin, who was abt aniq’s age, had 2 accidents. and haf 17 stitched in the forehead, a few more on the chin and some more on the arm. and to say only boys get stiches…. this is a G/I/R/L… her abang hardly get hurt. but this little stunt woman simply cannot sit still. even wen she talks, her leg is either hanging on the sofa or she is running around… haizzz
watever it is, get well soon aniq. =)
yep, it’s the “rite of passage”! danial had his mean cut when he was less that 1 yo. glad he’s ok.
btw, the plastic docs ada sebijik mcm mcsteamy tak?
yes i understand the’pain’ that u are talking about..as much as our children bring us joy, we mothers feel the PAIN when she/he is sick, get involves w accidents no matter big/small..ni smua cubaan sebagai seorang ibu…i’m constantly worried bout my girl too cos she’s so active & daring!! But I’m sure aniq is a brave boy too rite..nasib baik mata tak kena ape2…
hehe…anytime! and thanks for the jumper cables!
I think my marhaban group in need. Lol. You can get through me via email then I pass you my contact to your friend. Btw, kids are kids. Accidents do happen, no doubt rite?And I bet he’s 1 strong boy and HOPEfully he can join our gendang gangs. Lol.
poor aniq!! anyway, why is it always near the eye around the eyebrow?? i have known others *mostly boys* with the same scar ard dat area..
Love reading the ups and downs of your kids life. It is evident how much u love ur kids from ur entries. Truly, there is no question of your parental skills. Keep it Up! Oh and prophecy is spelled with a ‘c’. Cheers!
Hai! I am a avid reader of your blog!
Can’t help it but need to just pen up something re-aniq stitch.
It was a big felt coming from that stich but I bet he’s a lean and mean (brave) boy!!
I have 3 boys of my own and I know how “dynamic” there are.
Anyway the stitch will heal and the scar might look mancho on him.
Girls might fall in love with the scar….u know what I meet.
Anyway he is already a handsome boy!!
Happy recovery deary aniq…muaacck…
if you’re familiar with KKH’s A&E, you’d know the Red Door, hehe
kekeke … i’d been through that red door TWICE. kekeke …
in the last pic of aniq with 6 stitches … i cant help looking @ those curl-up eyelashes.
oh boyyyyy … mak jelesnyerrrr … kekeke …
oh yes itu red door.. selalu noh masuk.. hehe
so very familiar, everytime reach there mesti kena pi RED DOOR no other door..
hehe bt he looks cute with the stitches leh..
anyway boys kan.. susah skit nak kawal kan.. n dats e same statement from most grannies kan
Wah Aniq, you look very fierce ah with the scar.
Nobody will dare mess around with you anymore! ;p
poor aniq, hope his wound heals quickly! on the other hand, that would be a totally cool battle scar to show off hehe! i have one too, but definitely not for show and tell haaa!
i’m curious (i know misa asked first!), the plastics doc ada macam mcsteamy-lookalike tak???
budak baik…
the pics makes aniq look darn mean..:)
he’s a brave boy yah.
take care sweets!
misa & kak m: more like mcsteamed pau, lol! :p
yah liza, i myself always stare at his eyelashes. gerammm, macam nak petik petik.
wow hami, 3 boys, macam lynette in desperate housewives – now those boys are ‘dynamic’ indeed! how do you ‘tame’ them eh?
tx for pointing that out, anon, you must be a teacher! (well actually from your IP, i’m guessing you are one, hehe.)
i’ve sms-ed lynda the contact no, jannah.
maya, arent u glad we can’t see our episiotomy stitches down there? the thought is indeed mengilu-kan!
yeah, yani, nasib baik tak kena biji mata indeed. and you’re right, shida, how come scars seem to always happen ard the eye area? thank god for the bones that protect our eye sockets!
wow syafiqah, 17 stitches?? tu macam kena jahit pakai sewing machine! how did she fall?
azranan, show & tell eh? lol! ok, and also good to ward off bullies in school too!
oh yah, misha’s arm was in a cast not long ago, right? boleh tahan terrer jugak girls sekarang eh!
azlifah, i believe the saying is macam kera kena belacan, not sure if their butt has anything to do with it lol! maybe u got it mixed up with macam ada cacing kat bontot?? :p
diah, will sharleez find him more macho now? heeee.
tx sumi! yikes, MIL eh? i don’t have that problem, but i can imagine both my mum and her would have ganged up on me, lol!
cik yah, awak ada ambition nak jadi figure skater rupanye!
korang nak gi shopping kat vivo besok eh farah? i see how lah eh, al-maklum kena hangkut anak-anak, hurhur. will u all be wearing red & white?? :p
tu lah julia, under sedation pon masih nak berbual mcm orang mabok minum todi, kan! that’s so funny!
and ayuuu, we got your stuff from lini, tankiuk!! mcm nak simpan jer the tights for auni lor!
will trf the $ to u soon k. and btw, my mum agaknye dah sampai sana, dia fly tadi pagi! should hv told her what to buy, but i think tgh musim sejuk so byk winter stuff eh?
Boys..nasib baik tak injure his eyes…somehow i think babies/kids will be protected somehow or another..
The red door? Oh yes, I’ve seen that, we went thru it once, i hope we won’t ever need to go thru it ever again!
Oh..ok..hehe…
can i petik his eyelashes? boleh buat falsies..hehehe!
aii i hope he gets better soon! when i was a kid, i fell on my face and cut my lip (4 stitches) and my dad laughed AND clapped his hands and said padan muker. aper seh.
wah aniq and pak ngah same same lah…pak ngah also has stitches on the forehead….bicycle related as well…
i heard she was trying to become wonder woman if im not wrong. jumping off the sofa and land heself near something sharp. and now, she can happily show off her scar.
Hana, don’t worry about it. My lil’ dude had about 7 stitches on his chin – just before he turned 2! I still feel pretty shitty about it, but dah bapak dia pon sama.. what to do? Bapak borek anak rintik I guess? Haha…
Aiyoh!!! Battle scar finally made its way there!!! I so not looking forward to one scar making its way to Ramzi. Eeks! But must prepare myself. One more boy coming! Double the Eeekss!!!
alah, cian cik hana, no worries, we will always be feeling that way whenever our parents (noted it hurts more whenever that person is closely related to us..(hint* own mum and mil inclusive ) especially when they say those dreadful words…ahaks, better let him get all the tumbles and bumbles now rather than later, ni baru trike, cik….belum scrambler….. heh! : )
P/S: My wawa is better known in the hse as the “crash test dummy” not for being one but for the number of falls and cuts that she (yes, she is a gal) has gathered in her “wonderful” 4 years of existence. : (
heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ur mom datang sini!! then u tak ikut? oh dear… and hows the things? ok? can? cannot?
ok i shall not buy adryan a bicycle later when he grows up ahaha
i shall cage him up hwahwahawh…
i m sure his uncles had a lot of stories to tell about their falls n accidents too! arshad had a few near misses already (think it’s probably becoz his testerone driven impulses are tampered down by some penakutness in him), his cousin adam had the stitches alreadi..and you can check with yana on her boys.
i guess it’s part and parcel lah..but for one thing, i dread getting the response from the grandparents.
hope he is ok by now, n auni too.
red door? very familiar place :p gone through it a couple of times in previous line of work *sigh* yeah, rather true that parents tend to nag when the children had “accidents”. i get it from my parents whenever they heard how hamzah knocked his head somewhere and then they start to nag down my ears! my in-laws tak kecoh sangat sebab they also are responsible for a few “accidents”. ngahahaha…
get well soon, aniq!
mahd..ur in laws responsible for few accidents…u nag tak kat dorang? ehhehehe
lynn: tak bleh ah…coz we also equally responsible. muahaha
hi hana…just passing by again..avid fan of yours hehe..
when i saw aniq argh my heart ache…have a son too..anything happen to him i panic giler..you very cool eh..you should see me handling all the panic attacks..cut sikit i nangis apa i nangis…as always haizz…must learn to be like you
my doas for a fast recovery..
en-tiu evy-odee!
aunty bread, cry? my mummy laugh at me some more! same like kakak liz’s daddy there.
yes aunty is, yai told told me how notty all my unkles were, except for unkle azri, i think he’s the least notty (daddy’s the most!).
aunty ayu, mummy said it’s too expensive to bring all of us there, hmph. i was looking forward to seeing the eng-a-roos!
woah aunty nahuya, scrambler?? is that something to cook eggs with?? must be dangerous!
ouhh aunty ela, another boy eh! maybe ramzi can teach him a thing or two, like wrestling.
hehe bapak borek anak rintik sounds… funny hehehheeee.
wahh pak ngah!! same same! next time show me o-tay??
Ouch… sorry to hear about Aniq. I hope he recover fast.
seram tgk tu stitches! teringat time i gave birth..kena stitch 2x. so eek!
anyway, yeah what u wrote IS true. the grandparents will always say ‘aku jaga takde apa2 pun!’ and make us the newly parents feel numb with capital L.
and children nowadays are risktakers from day 1 they are borned!
anyway, again. hopefully aniq gets well soon!
Poor Aniq! Heal fast, ok? It’s a battle scar to show off to peers in the future. I’m pretty sure he won’t take his trike near the staircase again though
I have the same notion about impaired pain receptors when it comes to FP’s tumbles and stumbles too. Kalau tak betul2 sakit or shocking, tak melalak! If he trips or falls, he will totter over, point to the not-so-painful spot for a rub, a kiss or a ‘tiup’ and off he goes making my heart flip and flop again with daredevil abandon.
Oddly, there are times when my mum will comment that I’m too over-protective over my adventuresome progeny. I can’t figure that one out when he trips, tumbles and falls more on my watch than on my mum’s. *shrugs*
Apa-apa pon, children don’t come with manuals hor? Parenting’s pretty much flying blind, despite the number of parenting books written! ;p