After an enjoyable but somewhat chilly trip to Zoo Atlanta today, we had every intention of a quiet afternoon. Sam was going to take a nap, I was planning to nap myself, etc. Well that all changed when in the rush to get in out of the chilly weather, Sam slipped and his forehead hit our granite steps. As all head-related cuts do, it bled – profusely. A good five minutes of pressure and the bleeding stopped, we called off the ambulance, but knew we’d need to head into the emergency room for stitches. Sam was a trooper – the stickers emblazoned on his chest were a big help in that department – as were all the doctors and nurses at Hughes Spaulding Childrens Hospital. First they used a topical local anesthetic, and before stitching the wound, Sam was given a pediatric dose of Versed which induces some amnesia in patients over the time spent under the drug’s influence. It also makes kids fairly loopy. Sam was quite amusing – singing in nonsense rhymes, barely able to hold his head up, but very, very happy watching Cinderella and Bambi on the conveniently-provided TV and VCR in his room. He’s doing well now after getting one internal stitch and two outside the wound, and the doctor did not expect to see any scarring with appropriate care, especially if we are vigilant using sunscreen for the next six months or so. He’s sleeping comfortably now. This was a tough experience on everybody, but thank God it was no worse. He’s a resilient little guy – we just have to convince him to keep a Band-Aid on his forehead for the next week. That’s going to be the challenge.
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=lTb_eCchqOk[/youtube]
Sam hams it up for the camera, singing an adaptation, en espanol, of the kids classic ‘Frere Jacques.’ Yes, they have Spanish class once a week at his preschool. I’m no expert, but I think his accent is pretty darn good!
In the clip above, Sam reads to us from the book currently at the top of his rotation – Judy Schachner’s Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones. The story of a misunderstood and imaginative Siamese cat who thinks he’s a Chihuahua, the series is full of a mish-mash of Spanish and English, great songs, and some very funny nicknames. Sam can’t get enough. Check out the video above. It’s my first posting from a spiffy gift I received, a Flip Video camera from puredigital. It’s a flash-based, very basic and simple camcorder, and the results are suprisingly good. Certainly good enough for YouTube. You tell me!
Today was the final meeting this semester for one of Sam’s favorite activities – The Music Class (more background on this program here). Founded locally in Atlanta, and now available internationally, The Music Class has sessions aimed at kids from birth on through their kindergarden years, and practices a beautiful philosophy of exposing kids to all kinds of music. This morning, Grandpa Marty, Grandma Sherrie and I took Sam over to Glenwood Park so he could enjoy the last class of the session. Focusing on the notion of ‘use it or lose it,’ the classes engage even the littlest ones with aural repetition, dance, and rhythm. It was a joy to see all these kids having so much fun.
