Ice Skating on Christmas Eve - and MORE!

So, last year, we went ice skating with Kim, Mark and the girls on Christmas Eve. It was a lot of fun. We decided to make it an annual tradition! We headed out to be there when they opened. As you know, we have skated at other times during the year as well, so LM was well aware of what we were going to do, and was excited to take part:

Ready to go!

Because I am well on with child, and because I also have this weak ankle that still isn't completely healed, I did not skate. So, it was LM and S on the ice together. I stood at the edge of the rink and watched them go around a couple times, and snapped these photos. Then, when a seat opened up, I went to sit down. I figured I had a long while to wait on them, so I'd take a breather. 

OK, so as I'm sitting there, checking Words with Friends, S runs over and says, "LM fell down, and needs stitches in his chin." Wait. What? Huh? Ok - apparently just after I left the side of the rink, LM tripped, fell on the ice, landing on his chin, and busted it open. There is a first aid person at the rink, who cleaned him up, put on a couple of butterfly bandages, and sent us on to the ER.

Besides the initial shock and tears, this boy was a champ!

There was a television. That helped.

They numbed him up for a good long while, 

but he still got a shot too, due to the depth of the cut.

He didn't flinch at any of it.

I laid down with him for a while. 

I'm pretty sure this was a bonus for both of us.

They wrapped him in a sheet for the stitches, but he was so good, he didn't move!

Three stitches was all it took.

Everyone was super nice in the ER.

Besides regularly scaring his parents to death that he would bang that chin again and knock out those stitches, they stayed in and healed quickly. He had them removed on New Year's Eve. When the doctor who removed them asked him what happened, LM gave him a play by play all by himself, getting every single detail correct. Apparently, this is one of the most common childhood injuries, and one of the most common places to get stitches. So, we're in there with good company. And, I guess, now, we can cross "first stitches" off the list. 

See you soon.