The Scariest Sight I've Ever Seen

Yesterday I witnessed an image that will not soon be erased from my memory.

I was home alone with my 15-month old son. My wife was performing at church and would not be home for another couple hours. I fed my son his lunch and put him down for his nap. It was exactly noon.

Here's where things got ugly. I, in my very ambitious go get 'em parenting style, was hoping to begin to break my son of his pacifier addiction this weekend, so I put him to bed without it. Naturally he threw quite the fit, but I told myself, "Self, let him fuss for 10 minutes. If he's still fussing, go in his room, remind him it's nap time, give him a kiss and leave him be."

12:03 p.m. - I began to make myself a man-sized lunch. Fried pork chops and oven-baked fries. Yum.

12:06 p.m. - My son was still fussy, rather vigorously, but nothing out of the norm.

12:10 p.m. - I went to check on my son who was still crying, but not as loudly. I opened his door to find him covered in blood. His entire face smeared with blood. Blood on his hands, arms, pants, sheets, blanket, crib. Blood everywhere. It was the scariest sight I'd ever seen.

12:10 and 3 seconds p.m. - I snatch him up and whisked him off to the bathroom, apologizing profusely for letting him cry all that entire time. "I'm sorry buddy. I didn't know you were hurt. Oh, I'm sorry. How long have you been bleeding? Come here. Daddy's got you. I'm sorry."

12:10 and 42 seconds p.m. - I grab a wash cloth and immediately begin cleaning him up and searching for the source of the bleeding. My first guess was a bloody nose, but that wasn't it. He had blood in his mouth. Did he knock a tooth loose somehow? No.

12:12 p.m. - Finally I discover the source of the bleeding. He'd split that thin, little piece of skin that attaches your upper lip to your gums.

My guess is he was throwing a fit in his crib and banged his mouth on the rail. The bleeding had slowed, but didn't stop. So I decided to have the pros take a look. I took him to the nearest immediate care center.

The doctor there was very reassuring. By the time she saw him the bleeding had completely stopped. She told me several times I did the right thing, which was all I needed to hear.

No need for stitches, it will heal on its own.

Mommy arrived home shortly after us at which point we found a pacifier and put our son to bed with a heaping helping of hugs and kisses.

We can wait until another day to break the pacifier habit, whadda say?