He got lost and she bled like a stuck pig.

Holiday drama. We all experience it. 

Parents or not. Something happens. And we all hope that when it does, whatever it is, it's minor.

Our holiday in Paros was mostly wonderful. Beautiful. Magical, with my brother and his wife's wedding.

Delicious food: runny, sticky, sweet baklava. Greek salads. Olive oil.

Beach. Sea. Sun. More beach. And more sun. Very hot sun.

There was an all-day amazing boat ride, touring the small islands and coves around Paros. An abundance of fun and adventure, swimming, snorkeling, and having a blast with super happy people.

... and lots more.

And then there was the drama.

On the third day of our holiday, after a long active day at the beach, we were walking back to the hotel and everyone was very tired. We all get back to the hotel, and my husband (who was waiting for us at the hotel) asks, "Where's Max?"

"Um, he was right behind us. Maybe he's on the hammock."

Nope. Nowhere to be found.

All hell breaks lose and mayhem ensues. Ten people immediately start looking all over the place for him. Finally, after about 15-minutes, but felt like forever, I see him. I was back where I suspected he lost his way, near the port at the center of the town, and there he was crying, being escorted by two policemen. 

Phew! 

My heart just soared and I rushed to hug him and give him deep loving mummy hugs. 

"It's ok, you're ok. Mummy's here and I knew I would find you, my brave boy."

We all got over it by the next day, and things were back to normal. All was good. (Deep breath!)

The next drama was with my youngest. Ana. She had her long summer dress on and was showing off climbing a little olive tree. She was only about 4 feet high up on it and decided that she wanted to be a super girl.

"Daddy, Mummy, look! I can jump down from here!"

Then everything instantly went into slo'-mo', and strangely, I just couldn't act fast enough. Within milliseconds I noticed that the back of her long dress was caught on a branch as she jumped off. You can imagine how it caused her body to do a face plant into the ground below. What was there was a ring of rocks, and her face just went SMACK! right on those rocks. 

My mummy brain screamed (inside) with terror.

My chiropractic brain thought please no, not her forehead or her nose or her eyes. Please no.

I had no idea what was hit.

Well, we were lucky. It could have been ten times worse.

I swiftly picked her up and immediately saw gushing blood, to the point that she was literally spitting it out from her mouth. Actually, that made me instantly realise that the damage was on her mouth. That was good.

No head, nose or eye injuries.

She was cut quite badly, with a busted bottom lip, and sure enough as I suspected, a lost tooth. She ended up not needing stitches as I assessed, and we also got a doctor's opinion to confirm the situation.

That accident happened about ten days ago. And you know what? If you saw her now, you would have no idea that she had any crazy fall from an olive tree. Or any fall from anywhere. I mean, the day after the accident, she looked like a "Who" from the Grinch movie. Her whole mouth was totally swollen.

She's heals like The Wolverine from the X-Men. How did she do that? Well, first things first, of course I adjusted her every day. Can you imagine the impact that had on her jaw and head and neck? So yeah, a few adjustments would help a lot, not to mention how it would help her body heal well.

Surely, the UV rays from the sun, and the sea water with all the salt and iodine content helped with antiseptic properties. And for added measure, I actually had my sister, who is still breastfeeding her 13-month-old, donate some of her breastmilk so I could put it on Ana's cuts. Did you know how amazing breastmilk is for healing? Check it out! (It's also Breastfeeding Awareness Week, so read all about it!)

It did wonders for Ana's lip!

So yeah, she's totally great now. She's been great since she realised how brave she is and how well her lip and mouth heals. 

I think she feels empowered by the whole experience. Taking away the drama and the fear about it helped her understand that she made it through, accidents happen, and that with proper care and attention, her body can recover and heal from almost anything.

That's the way I see it. 

As for my son, well, we empowered him too by showing him the way home and with a plan implemented just in case, he was armed with the tools and knowledge that he's capable if he lost his way again. (Thankfully, he didn't)

Holiday drama. And how am I through all of it?

I'm good! I'm coping, and I'm strong. Fulfilled, rested, and ready to be back to enjoy the rest of our summer here in London.

See you at your next adjustment!

— Dr MaryAnne