That Day Came

So this day was bound to come... especially with the amount of climbing, walking, falling and "jumping" that Lauren does these days. I take complete responsibility because I should have known better. Sure, Lauren has had several bruises and a couple scratches. She even skinned her knee the first time at the splash pad. But this was different...

Here is the scene...Friends from Fort Worth, Melanie and her 15 month old son Cael come over to play. The outside toy wagon gets brought in the house. As you can see it is clearly not intended for kids to ride or sit in- and it even has that warning printed on it! Lauren loves to climb on and in everything (bowls, dogs, slides, bookshelves...) so this is not the first time she has tried this. I have even given her a ride in it while holding the wheels on and trying to balance her weight...a really BAD idea in hindsight.

So the wagon is in the house. We have company over. I see Lauren looking at the wagon and approaching it. I am trying to get Loudoun outside and as I shut the door and look over I see Lauren in the wagon. So cute. And then her weight shifts and the wagon falls forward. She falls onto the handle with her face first. And there is blood. Lots of blood. I admit, I freaked out. I am telling Melanie I am going to have to take her to the hospital. All I see is blood and a really split lip. I am still freaking out. I tell her to call Jason and before she can do that I am asking for ice and towels... oh my goodness. I am glad Melanie was there and that she has a little boy who has already had a few bumps and bruises. Melanie helps calm me down and tells me that if the bleeding stops she will probably not need an ER trip. Okay... a few minutes pass and the bleeding slows. She is knawing on an ice pack. After she stops crying I give her a popsicle and the bleeding has stopped. She is fine. She wants another popsicle, but I distract her by getting her ready for the splash pad... and off we go. The crisis is over almost as fast as it happened. I think the whole thing was worse for me than for her. I felt so responsible. I knew what she was doing- I just didn't stop it before it happened...bad mom.

When we get to the park I notice how red her nose and lip are in addition to her lip being split open and swollen. I worry her nose is broken or something else is wrong. I feel terrible. But she had fun playing. She laughed when I put her under the water and she ate watermelon. and more watermelon. and more watermelon. and then I knew my little monkey was going to be just fine! and it is time to buy this poor girl a real wagon!