Another Black Eye

When you look through my scrapbooks and photo albums, you may notice something about Paisley. In several photos of Paisley through various ages in her growing-up, she has black eyes and some kind of bump or bruise to her face and head. Some were caused just by her learning how to walk and others were part of that phase that I think every toddler goes through. The phase of tripping over their own two feet causing scraped knees and such. Well, Paisley is also notorious for walking into things. Things that are pretty much right infront of her. Things that one would think that atleast her peripheral vision would pick-up on.

Every Friday we head out for some kind of dinner out whether its something quick or some nice sit down dinner somewhere. It's our end of the week tradition. We picked Red Robin last week. It is a perfect place to take a family with kids. It's nice and loud! Yep, loud! When you have little ones such as I do it's always nice to eat out when you are not worried about your table neighbors giving you a glare should your child have a relapse in judgement and act up at dinner or something. I mean what child never acts up at dinner, right? Okay, so now I am off point here.

I was following the host and leading my family to our table. Scot was bringing up the rear. We approached our table and as always I started to plan our seating arrangements. I turned around to check my family and start placing children where I saw fit when I saw Scot bent over placing Ian, who was in his carrier, onto the floor and Paisley who was whaling and holding her face. As Scot comforted her I quickly sat Skye and retrieved Ian. As Scot soon sat at the table with Paisley in tears we evaluated what had just occurred. "What happened?" I asked. Scot replied "She walked right smack into the chair." Scot then remarked that he couldn't believe that she didn't see it. He didn't understand how she ran into it. Then Scot and I remarked how she always seems to do it and how. I asked her if she was okay and she just whimpered in her daddy's arms. Scot and I continued on with our discussion. "Looks like yet another black eye." "Can't believe she is going to have another one." "May be we should get her eyes checked." Then Scot and I stopped in our tracks so to speak.

I could tell the same thought popped in his head as did mine. Our pediatrician recommended it months ago after seeing Paisley with a black eye. WE FORGOT!! How could we have forgotten!! I felt horrible. Little Paisley had gotten overlooked during Skye's illness and Ian's kidney scares. Poor Paisley, the middle child, got lost in the shuffle of it all and I felt horribly. I had vowed before Ian had come that Paisley would not become the lost middle child and what on earth had I already done!

And sure as some of my friends commented to me this weekend, I had a lot on my plate and those were abnormal circumstances, but still it didn't make me feel any better. Paisley didn't deserve that especially with her being a trooper lately. She was shuffled here and there and left with that person and this person during Skye's hospitalization. She saw Skye come home with all the flowers, treats and get well gifts and she got almost nothing. Soon after Skye's PICC line was removed, she was moved into Skye's room in preparations for Ian's arrival and she lost her bedroom. Soon after little brother was born, her beloved passy was taken from her to save her teeth, for which the teeth she didn't give a darn about, and then she was potty trained shortly there after.

But you know what? She did it with such grace. All of it. Bless her heart. Such grace. Hardly any complaints. Even though I failed in one area and my middle child got lost in the mix for a bit, when I think about Paisley I think of her grace and how she just kept on keeping on. Even when I was unable to spend as much quality time with her as I had hoped when Skye was supposed to be at preschool but was home sick instead with H1N1 and later pneumonia and then a 2nd chest infection. Paisley never complained. She is a strong little girl and I have to trust in God that although at some point we plan on a 4th child, Paisley is our middle child for now and He knew she could handle it. He knew what He was doing.

Anyways...with all that said, Scot and I were able to quickly schedule an appointment for her this week! The appointment was set up so smoothly, unlike her brother's appointments at the moment for his ultra sounds and renal scan. Three days of trying and we still have not been able to speak to the scheduler personally. Must trust that that will all work out soon too and God has a handle on that as well. Anyways...Paisley's appointment is early tomorrow morning and we shall see how her little blue eyes are doing.