Wouldn't you know it....at 5-minutes to 5 o'clock, just after ballet but before leaving Grandma's, Bettina clocks herself on the coffee table. Stoic little thing...she won't show she's hurt, hiding the gushing wound under her hand, until she sees Mommy. Then, the tears pour.
I take her to the bathroom to wash off the blood from her hands and assess the wound and know instantly it needs at least 2, but probably 3 stitches. Damn, now we only have 3-minutes until the doctor's office closes... I scramble for the cell phone which has the number pre-programmed and dial.
"I know it's like 2-minutes until closing, but can I rush down there? Bettina's gonna need stitches and I don't want to go to the emergency room." The bad news: the doctor's already left for the day. The other bad news: they don't do stitches there anyhow. The good news: I don't have to go to the emergency room! There's a great little urgent care place nearby where they can do the work with hardly any wait. You make an appointment and, even better, it's only for pediatric work!
A short phone call later, I have an appointment for 20-minutes-from-now. Within an hour, Bettina's in and stitched up (they did a really nice job, too! ) and out the door with a couple of prizes to commend her bravery.
What is the wonderful place that EVERY mom should know about? Night Owls Pediatrics in Pleasant Hill. The other good news: as long as you have a PPO health plan, you're completely covered; all you need to pay is your regular co-pay! Fabulous tool to know about!
