How quickly things change

On a lovely, sunny and mild day just a week before the start of Spring, we had an unfortunate accident. As I was cooking dinner, Ethan came up beside and me, reached and pulled down a pitcher of hot tea I was brewing on the counter. We quickly went to the ER, but were then transferred via ambulance to the Burn Center at Springfield's Memorial Medical Center.

Upon arrival, the staff determined that he had 2nd degree burns on 13% of his total body surface area. It's a good amount for a little guy, and he was in a lot of pain. They continued the morphine that the ER had begun to administer, which calmed him down quite a bit.

He was delirious, and slept fitfully. David and I, though technically not BOTH allowed to be in his room overnight, were there the entire night to make sure he was ok. This was probably one of the worst nights we'd ever had.

The above pictures were taken on Thursday night when it happened. You can see much of his arm, and part of his chest were burned, but I couldn't get a shot of his under arm/side of torso area. That evening they washed the wounds, treated and bandaged him. They don't allow parents into the tub room, and for good reason. I could hear him screaming throughout the whole burn unit.

The next morning, they repeated the same procedure, and they continue to do this everyday, evaulating his wounds with each dressing change. As many of you have read from my emails, most of his wounds will heal on their own, but there are a couple of areas that suffered more extensively, and it is a "wait and see" approach at this point.

Today, Ethan is doing a LOT better. They stopped the morphine on the second day, and he is eating and drinking well, so they've pulled out the IV as well. We have an occupational therapist working with us to make sure Ethan uses his bad arm. In doing so, it'll prevent that skin from stiffening up from not being used. She brought some toys and balls for him, which was fun for a while, but admittedly Ethan does get bored easily!

We are thankful that God has spared Ethan from any more serious injury. We praise Him for his mercy and provision. We have friends with whom we can stay in Springfield, which means David and I can get good sleep while the other is with Ethan. We have friends who are taking care of our home and kitty while we are gone. But most importantly, we have an extended family of brothers and sisters in Christ who are praying for us. And their prayers are being answered everyday. God is good, and He is able!