The Accident

About two weeks ago I was wallowing in boredom, wondering why no one at Turner Elementary seemed to need a substitute. I really needed a break from the stay-at-home monotony that is especially tough in the cold weather. As I was letting these grumpy thoughts run through my mind I got an answer to my self-pity party when Piper decided to spice things up a bit. She climbed on the chair to the computer desk and was slowly leaning forward attempting to grab things that have intentionally been put out of her reach. She started to stand on the bar below the seat and leaned until all of her weight was supported by the desk. When she went to sit back down she didn't have the leverage to get herself back on the chair and started a mild panic (whining if you will). My thoughts did a slight curve from, "Why am I stuck here?" to, "She's soooo going to fall. Maybe that will teach her not to climb on the chair!" Just then she ever-so-slowly began to slide down off the chair. However, then her slide leaned to the left and before I knew it she hit the window head first! My thoughts at that moment? "Stupid, stupid, mother! Idiot! You knew she was going to fall and you sat on your big pregnant butt while your child went head-first into a window!" Then the broken glass registered. Thoughts now: "Emergency room. Blood. Cuts. Emergency room. Ambulance. Glass." I grabbed Piper, crying hysterically about how sorry and dumb I was. She moaned for two seconds and looked at me like I was a complete stranger. I pulled myself together and examined her head for cuts...blood...glass. There was one tiny shard of glass and a small cut on her head. No bruises and no bumps. How on earth I was so fortunate, I have no idea.

I finally calmed down and proceeded to call Peter (who turns out I couldn't get a hold of all day until he came home early and walked into Piper's room as I was muttering, "Why won't Daddy answer his phone???") only to get voicemail then and the next twenty times I called. Then I called the expert on toddler concussions: my friend, Rosemary, who has twin boys who are six weeks older than Piper. She just told me to make sure her pupils could dilate and that she wasn't acting abnormal. Abnormal? Heck, no! All Piper wanted me to do was turn on Elmo and leave her alone...oh, and get that bag of frozen corn OFF of my head! I couldn't say the same for the window, though. It looked anything but normal as you can see. She managed to bust two panes of glass with that noggin! Needless to say I am so relieved she is alright and after about two days I was able to forgive myself and stop wondering why I thought it was okay to bring another child into this world with my careless mothering. It could happen to anyone, right?