Monday, September 5, 2011

A Flair for the Dramatic

My big girl, Tootsie Roll, is about to turn 9 later this month, and will begin fourth grade on Wednesday.  TR has always been a dramatic kid, from the first four colicky months of constant day-and-night screamage to the following ten months of ear infections (tubes saved the day at 15 months).  She pulled a tv onto her head at age two, and got stitches above her lip thanks to a smack in the face by a pole at age five (that's what happens when you keep swinging around it, let this be a lesson to you all).

She has since channeled her energies into more productive and artistic venues, from theater camp to tap/jazz/ballet classes to teaching herself basic piano to nonstop singing to upcoming violin lessons this year.  Her Type A side (ohh she's her mom) is coming out in the way she likes to have people follow the rules and her love of lists and schedules.  She is emotional, doesn't understand why people hurt one another, and is a fabulous writer for her ability to see deeply into people's feelings.  The constant physical drama of her younger years has definitely melted into early tween navigation through friendships and the pouring of thoughts onto paper.

But then yesterday, riding her bike as the summer days dwindle, she fell, and in a style befitting a much younger version of herself, got a lovely bike handle (sans streamers) directly in the gut.

Yes, that is the exact impression of the end of her bike handle with the hole in the middle where streamers could go if she weren't a super cool almost 9 year old.
Yeah, her new bike is black and pink with skully things on it.  Love.  Anyway, no worries, we did the responsible thing and took her to the ER, where we did ridiculous amounts of waiting they ultrasounded the bejeezus out of her and the very lovely tech complimented each of her very clear and compliant internal organs.

All is well, and now she has a lovely photo (although it saddened her that I disapproved of the idea of her lifting up her shirt to show her friends her battle scar, like Madeline - even the "Ok, then I'll only do it on the playground" version) to share with her friends... which will probably get top billing in the fourth grade requisite What I Did This Summer journal entry over her month-long theater camp, week long trip to Vermont, and triumph over all things "I can't really swim". 

Here's to a new year - you never know what drama lurks around the corner! ;)


15 comments:

erica and christy said...

Glad she is okay! Our three year old is our little risk-taker and he's lost a front tooth and had stitches in the chin (two separate accidents) to prove it. 9! ahh! And I can't get over our five year old starting kindergarten. Here's to a safe year ahead for you all! Christy

vic caswell said...

she's young for a fourth grader- just like my eli! i'm glad everything turned out alright! i hope your new school year treats your whole family well! my boys have been back to school since 8/18. :)

Melissa Ann Goodwin said...

It's a really impressive and interesting wound! I'm glad she is okay, boy, I bet it smarts!
Nine is such a great age, but I must say, in your picture you don't look old enough to have a 9-year-old! That's meant to be a compliment!

Slamdunk said...

Glad to hear that she is ok. I have yet to experience a trip to the ER that was not similar with all of the waiting and waiting.

Sarah Tokeley said...

They love to frighten us to death!

Glad she's okay, and has an awesome war story - with evidence! - for school :-)

Old Kitty said...

Now that is one battle scar to be proud of! :-) Awwwwww!! What a star your TR is!! Brilliant - but I do hope she's ok too!! :-)

Take care
x

Anne Gallagher said...

Monster Child and Tootsie Roll are a lot alike. Especially when it comes to bikes. I wish I could show you her knees, currently scabbed over, finally. I've never seen cuts like this, not even with my brothers when we were kids.

She, of course, had to show all the kids the super monstrous band-aids I had to use, and then, the cuts that were under them. So much for protecting against infection in the playground.

I suppose we can't keep them in cocoons for the rest of their lives.

Hannah said...

Oh, bike injuries. Gotta love them! I think we all grow up with a few.

I'm so glad she's okay!!

WV: eekywack (WOW! I love this word.)

erica and christy said...

Okay, I finally showed up a week later - sorry! Hope Tootsie's doing well!

My 5-year-old son has a similar wound at the top of his ribcage (but not as pronounced). He maintains that it's a bullet wound and Daddy's friend shot him. (yes, he will major in DRAMA). (and no, no friends have been shooting anyone, or anything, around here lately).

Good luck with her for the next, um, manymanymany years!
erica

Misha Gerrick said...

Yaow that looks painful. I'm glad she's ok. :-)

Joseph P. said...

One of the biggest mistakes that people make when they start biking is to take the exact same routes they used when they were driving.



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