9-1-1...What's Your Emergency?

My two year old daughter spilled hot wax on herself. It's all over her face.

Would you like me to send help?

Well, yes, I guess we need it.

What is the address?

(I gave her my mother's address, phone number, etc...) In the meantime, can you please advise me as to what I can do while we wait for help to arrive? Should I put an ice pack on it?

I'm sorry ma'am, I can't tell you that.

OK, well is there someone I can speak to, or call, to get advice. While we're waiting for help to arrive, I need to do something to help soothe her. Is a cold pack okay to use?

I'm sorry ma'am, I can't give you any of that information. I don't want to tell you the wrong thing. My advice is to wait until help arrives.

OK, thank you...good bye.

So, I had to work today and as I walked into my mother's house at 5pm, Carly was sitting on the counter near the sink, crying, and my mother was holding her saying, "You need to call the doctor." I searched for the telephone and as I dialed the phone number (mind you, it was 5:00), I asked her what I was calling for. She told me the story of how Carly reached up onto the counter and somehow tipped the small dish of melted candle wax (from a tart burner) onto herself. It had completely covered the left side of her face (her eye was completely closed and her eyelid and lashes covered in wax, her left cheek was covered in wax, and she had spots of wax all through her hair and on her shirt. The doctor's office was closed, so I called 9-1-1. Running through my mind was the face of my beautiful daughter scarred and burned.

While we were waiting for help to arrive, Connor began crying and saying "She's going to die, she's going to die." I was trying to comfort him insisting that she was not going to die. Soon, Carly says, through her tears, "I'm going to die." UGH! Where do they learn this stuff? My mom and I had to chuckle a little at that. The firetrucks arrived and three firemen entered my mother's kitchen. They spoke to Carly, and carefully inspected her and washed her face and eye. They didn't think there was any burn, but encouraged me to take her to the hospital to be checked to be sure. I, of course, agreed. We all continued to try to comfort Carly, who was not crying anymore. Within a few minutes, the door opened and in walked not one, not two, not three, but four rescue squad members. My mom's house is not large, and it was filling up quickly with all of the emergency personnel. One of the firemen asked if I'd like to take Carly in my car, or in the ambulance. I asked what the difference would be, and he said there really wasn't any. He said the ambulance was here, ready, and free (and I was thinking that maybe she'd be seen quicker if we arrived in an ambulance) so we went with them.

All the way to the hospital, Carly was talking with the rescue squad (volunteer) members and quite pleasant. If it weren't for the burnt orange, pumpkin smelling wax all over her hair and clothes, you wouldn't think anything was wrong with her. They all got a kick out of her and kept her quite happy and occupied.

Once at the hospital, we were seen fairly quickly and the doctor was happy to report that she came out of this one unharmed! Thank the Lord! Now, the question was, "How are we going to get this orange wax out of her hair?"

The internet will surely have some suggestions. Someone must've done this before...surely! Uh, nope! As soon as we got home, I ran upstairs and Googled "wax in hair" and other similar phrases and only one recommendation came up. Some kind of glue remover from the hardware store, and possibly vegetable oil. So I got the vegetable oil ready and put Carly in the bath tub. Matt decided to drench her hair with detangler and try combing it out. It worked like a charm! Within minutes, the burnt orange wax was gone and no trace to be found.

No burns, no bumps, no orange hair...or short hair cut!

These pictures were taken once we got home...

What a night!