Painful Parenting Lesson

THUD!

Never has a sound been so sickening to my ears. It took a few milliseconds to process the noise and the crying that immediately followed. In those micromoments I experienced confusion followed by sheer horror and realization as I ran to my baby girl lying on the wood floor, next to the extra tall bed where she’d been playing on only seconds before.

As a parent, I have been warned that accidents will happen, that I can’t protect my child from everything, that one of the hardest parts of being a parent is realizing how little control you have over certain things, and that everyone ends up with a horror story of an accident or near-tragic incident.

My first of these occurred last night. Unfortunately, it is one instance where I can’t say “there’s nothing I could have done differently,” because this was an easily preventable situation. She’s been so squirmy lately, but I convinced myself she’d be fine for just a quick moment on the bed while I ran across the hall (where I could still see her on the bed) to dump her diaper. That’s all it took for her to somehow find the edge of the bed and then the floor.

I was probably crying harder (or at least longer) than she was. Another common piece of advice is to not freak out, to remain calm so that the child stays calm. That was a fleeting thought as I screamed and scooped her up into my arms, suddenly hysterical. I held her tight, patting her, hugging her, consoling her, apologizing repeatedly...”I’m so sorry, my girl. I’m so, so sorry.”

She settled down, I nursed her, and she was soon playing and laughing and scooting all over the floor. A slight bump and bruise were the only evidence of the horrible fall. I called my pediatrician’s office just to talk it through. “99% of the time babies fall off the bed and are fine,” she said. Of course, she had to mention a few things to look for, and of course with each word I found myself imagining the worst scenario taking place: blood, hemorrhaging, internal bleeding, swelling, vomiting, lethargic, unresponsive...She could have landed on her face, broken a nose or ear, or who knows what else, but she didn’t.

This morning, she’s been happy and playful and back to herself. The slight red bump is barely even noticeable. The only scar from this whole experience is on this momma. I keep hearing that thud, playing the reel on repeat in my mind, and thanking God constantly for protecting my baby. It’s humbling to realize that I will continue to make mistakes as a mother, yet encouraging to know that God is watching her and protecting her, and I have to trust her to Him every single day.

Family Time

Over Spring Break Michael's parents came to visit from Idaho. They haven't seen Ellie since the week she was born, so it was fun for them to have some high-quality grandparent/grandchild time.

We went to the coast and stayed for a few days. We relaxed, slept, read, and ate at Bubba Gumps.





Happy Easter!