They say bad things come in threes. That was certainly true for our family last week. I wrote last week about how our oldest had gotten hurt at Boy Scout camp and needed five stitches in his leg. The next night saw me in the ER again with our middle child.

Ethan was climbing a neighbor’s garden fence and fell. He split the back of his head open on a wood pile. He needed a staple. The only good thing about that was that I didn’t have to go through the numbing shots again. The Avon ER had a numbing jelly they put on so shots of Lidocaine weren’t needed. He got one staple.

That same night our daughter got her first bee sting. You’d think she’d split her head open what with the amount of crying she did. Ethan didn’t cry at all until he was on the way to the hospital and got scared about needing stitches.

Still, I know better than most how much a bee sting hurts so I don’t hold the copious tears against her. I probably would have cried even more than she did.

So after stitches Monday night and a staple in the head Tuesday night, we’re hoping and praying that Keira’s bee sting is the third incident and our set of three is done. I don’t know if I can handle another ER visit right now.

I think the hardest thing for the kids has been the ban on the swimming pool. With the heat we had this past week, we would have been there every day but we couldn’t until the stitches came out.

I think the kids were as anxious about the removal process as they were about getting them in the first place. Ryan’s stab wound was on his inner thigh and it’s a sensitive area. His injury was complicated by the realization that he’s allergic to the adhesive on medical tape. We have to either wrap the whole thigh and tape the wrap or get some paper tape. Either way, the whole area is bruised and raw.

Their stitches came out yesterday and it was a (relatively) pain-free process for them. Poor Ethan’s staple was in so tight the nurse’s two attempts left him in tears but I guess she loosened it enough that the doctor was able to then pop it right out without hurting him any further.

A couple of Ryan’s stitches had starting growing into the skin and tugging them loose hurt a bit but removing them was painless so overall it wasn’t a bad experience. Freezes from the fountain at Speedway made for a nice reward for good behavior and was a really nice surprise for the kids.

So it’s been something of a busy week for us with injuries. They aren’t the first and they certainly won’t be the last but three in one week is a bit much.

Still, if bad things do come in threes I guess I’d rather get it all over with at once rather than drag it out. Now for a nap…