life changes in a split second... sniff2

for all of you out there whom we havent contacted personally as yet, this entry will help clarify things. we're sorry we didnt call sooner but i think you'll understand it was a stressful time. we got back from our week away on sunday about 1 am.. slept and woke up in our cosy bed at about half 6 and i waited for baby to wake up cos i missed her so sooooo much. anyway we spent the better part of the morning opening presents and playing with her new toys and mickey mouse soft toy. it was a sunday morning like so many others.. one big happy family.

for all mothers out there who will surely understand, the unthinkable happened. one second i was on the phone and martin was in the room when suddenly our dog was on top of baby biting and growling. martin rushed out and threw cindy into her cage and i had dropped the phone, grabbed baby, screaming 'oh god no!'. it was a pretty harrowing experience cos baby's face was covered in blood and there was even blood in her eyes. i think she was really shocked more than in pain because i read somewhere that adrenalin helps numb the pain. within minutes we were on the way to the hospital. luckily she slept on her nanny's shoulder most of the way after crying for a while. there is nothing more horrifying than seeing your baby hurt especially when we feel so helpless to ease the pain.

at the emergency ward, baby was looked at properly and it was agreed that the plastic surgeon would fix the damage which included 3 deep punctures (two on forehead, 1 on chin) and other teeth scratch marks all over her face. if u look carefully one of them was about 1 mm away from her left eye. thank goodness the doc said her sight was unaffected. i dont know how i would have dealt with that. thank god for little miracles.

day one in hosp we had to wait 6 hours before they could sedate her cos she ate at 9am. it happened at about half 10am. by 3pm martin accompanied her to the op room and they cleaned the wounds. we expected them to give her stitches but they said they wouldnt until they were sure there was no infection from the dog saliva. she came out with patches on her face with some kind of clear surgical cellotape.

i have to say i have the bravest baby alive. sighs.. in the emergency ward, she sat quietly on my lap watching me cry then took her face towel and wiped my tears. god that made me cry even more. she didnt cry or touch her open wounds at all, instead she laughed and played and ran around as if nothing happened. god, i hope she never remembers any of it because trauma is one thing she can definitely live without. and in the following days she did exactly the same, laugh, play and ran around as if she owned the hospital and the nurses were her audience. she is truly amazing.

day 2 was for observation and injections while on day 3 doc said she was ok enough to have stitches. 36 in total. damn that's alot. 36 fine stitches which hopefully will fade over time. just listening to baby laugh out loud now while watching tv with daddy is amazing. makes you really appreciate the little joys in life.

for everyone who visited and send well wishes, gave baby presents, kisses & hugs, we are touched and thankful. who could have expected such a turn in events. as for poor cindy, she just lost it in a moment of madness. we could spend ages pinpointing where the fault lies but i guess there is no point. it happened. shit happens and in the words of shelley blew, build a bridge and get over it. cindy was taken to the vet and put peacefully to sleep. it will be some time before we are used to the new routine, but we are all concentrating on baby getting better soon. next monday she needs another session at the hosp to remove the stitches.. and that will be another trying time. just glad that it will be alright soon. fingers crossed.