Bee Sting

It was one of those nights...I know I should have stayed home...gone to bed early. But as you can see by the date and time of this post...I'm up past midnight.

Tonight (or last night) was the Walhalla Relay for Life. Sara Beth was on a team from her school and had planned to be there all night. The kids wanted to go to the playground and Joseph wanted to go to the Relay because friends from his school would most likely be there. I decided to take them to the Relay and let them go crazy there, eat at the Relay and then head home.

I got the boys packed up in the car and we headed to Walhalla. We got to the Relay and Joseph found friends right away and Kallsen and Parker discovered a large sand box (one used for track and field events.) Everyone played until the boys got hungry. We got them sloppy joes (watching Parker eat a sloppy joe sitting on the ground is a site to see) and we enjoyed dinner.

After getting the boys cleaned up...Kallsen ran toward the bounce house. Parker and I walked together. When we got to the bounce house Kallsen had run off somewhere else. The search was on...it took probable 10 to 15 minutes to locate him...it doesn't take the panic long to set in when there is a ton of people and your three year old has disappeared.

We finally spot Kallsen running across the field. I yell. He stops. I walk up to him with Parker in tow and kneel down and explain as nicely as I can that he just can't run off like that and that Daddy worries about him. Kallsen calmly tells me he was okay and I shouldn't worry so much. I tell him that Daddy always worries about his boys...that's daddy's job.

Anyways...it is getting late and I have promised the boys they could bounce. I tell Kallsen and Parker that we will go and bounce and after that we will go home, let mommy be out with her friends and the boys can all get good sleep. They agree.

I tell Kallsen he can go ahead to the bounce house but that he needs to wait until Daddy and Parker get there so I can buy tickets and they can bounce together.

We get to the bounce and I pay the lady for the tickets and she is getting my change when Kallsen's shoes are off and he jumps into the bounce. I tell him to hang on for his brother when all of a sudden Parker starts screaming. I mean really screaming. The kind of scream that everyone knows something is not right.

I look down at Parker and he is holding his left wrist with his right hand and his left hand is balled up. I get down on my knees and gingerly pull open Parker's hand. He has a bee in his hand. I try to brush the bee away and blow the bee off of his hand. The bee would not move. All the while Parker is screaming. I grab the bee by it's wings and pull it off of Parker. Sitting in Parker's hand is the abdomen of the bee. I pick Parker up and yell toward Kallsen to come with daddy now. Kallsen can tell by the tone of my voice that this is no time to not listen to Daddy. We carry Parker over to Mommy and she removes the stinger and I carry Parker up stadium steps, across a big parking lot to my car (with Joseph and Kallsen with me) and I take Parker home.

We get home and Parker's ring finger on his left hand has swollen to triple its normal size and he is not quite with us all the way. I call my Mom and Dad and they get online and start getting remedies for me to use. I made a baking soda paste and used ice to get the swelling down and then called the on call doctor from the boy's doctors office and was advised to give Parker Benadryl every four hours.

I now have Kallsen in bed and asleep, Joseph is asleep and Parker is asleep in my bed, right behind where our computer sits, and I am checking on him every few minutes to make sure his breathing is consistent...which is what the doctor told me to do. I'm worried enough with my wife out tonight and everything else that I'm almost afraid to go to sleep. I have my alarm on my cell phone set to go off every couple of hours to make sure that Parker is fine.

I don't believe I've ever been stung and I don't remember ever having to deal with a bee sting. So tonight was a scary situation for me and for Parker. As is every situation where your child is hurting and you don't always trust yourself to do or know the right way or the best way to handle the situation.

I'm sure Parker will be alright...I still know that while Parker, Kallsen and Joseph will sleep well tonight, I will not.