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Sunday, October 10, 2010

Things That Go Bump in the Night...

...or "Why You Should Always Clean Up All Toys After the Toddler Goes to Bed!"

We had a bit of a scare in the middle of the night last night.  Michael tripped on a toy, while holding Charlie, and fell.  I had just fallen asleep and was at the beginning of a dream when I heard my husband screaming (and swearing, though I'll leave that part up to your imagination) along with a lot of loud bumps/bangs and some seriously intense baby crying.  I jumped out of bed and was in the hallway before my brain could even comprehend what was happening.  My heart was racing so fast I could feel it banging in my chest.  When I saw my husband lying there, Charlie standing, in tact, beside him, I wanted to scream too.  His legs were in Charlie's room and his head was in the corner of our hall closet, where the door meets the wall.  I picked Charlie up and checked that he was OK.  Thankfully he was, even though he was still crying a lot.  His little heart was pounding too.  At the same time, I was asking Michael if he was OK and what had happened.  He was responding to me, which I knew was good.  I offered him my hand and tried to pull him up but he said no.  I stood there for a minute or two watching him.  I didn't quite know what to do.  I was really scared that he might have seriously injured (as in broken) his back or neck.  I went and sat down on the toilet so I could try to think calmly and assess the situation.  We were talking the whole time but I'm not sure what exactly was being said.  I finally got Charlie to calm down enough to stop crying and we just sat there, a little shocked.  Michael managed to get up and limp back into our bedroom.  I followed him and asked, again, if he was OK.  He asked me if his foot was bleeding and I looked at it and saw that it was.  He cut the bottom of it pretty badly, though we're still not sure exactly how.  I cleaned and bandaged his foot, making sure that the bleeding had stopped.  He said his elbow, head, neck and back were also hurting.  I asked him a few questions to make sure he was thinking clearly.  His elbow was grazed pretty badly with a red friction burn on it.  There were no other visible injuries so my main concern at that point was whether or not he had a concussion.  We waited a few more minutes and I asked him if he thought we should go to the ER.  He said no, that he just needed some Tylenol and water.  I got those for him and also cleaned up the blood from the floor.  We all tried to lie back down but after that adrenaline rush, none of us could truly relax again for quite some time.  We finally did manage to fall back asleep, though I'm not sure how long it took.

Things seem to be almost back to normal today but Michael is definitely bruised and sore.  He said that when he fell, the only thing he could think of was not falling on top of Charlie.  He basically did a complete turn and landed flat on his back in order to protect the boy.  I can't even begin to tell you how relieved I am that this incident wasn't so much worse.  It certainly could have been, on many levels.  We usually do a reasonable job of picking up all the toys after Charlie goes to bed but once in a while there is a toy here or there.  Hard to imagine that one erstwhile plastic truck can create such distress.  I'm feeling pretty relieved and thankful for my little family today, I just hope Michael feels better soon.

8 comments:

P said...

Yikes! You poor things! Glad it all worked out. It is almost impossible not to have at least 1 stray toddler toy on the ground. I cleaned my living room less than an hour ago, and right now I can look around a see a sword, a football, and a nerf gun on the floor.

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness, poor Michael! It's amazing what we do as parents, instinctively, to protect our little ones. I heard a story from one of Josh's cousins about getting a concussion from stepping on one of those telephones on wheels that every kid seems to have, and falling on his head as a result (the analog phone in a world where real phones are all digital).

Wendy said...

I'm so sorry your husband got hurt! I hope he's feeling better soon. Steve makes fun of me for "scanning" the living room before we go to bed, but I have a fear of falling while holding Zoe, too.

Glad he wasn't hurt worse and glad that Charlie is okay.

Kel said...

Poor man! I hope he heals quickly! I remember how scared I felt when I fell on the sidewalk with Jack, it was a slow motion nightmare, and Michael and I had the same thought: DON'T LAND ON THE BABY! Let him know he isn't the only one! and the feeling stupid wears off after the pain. :D

Jamie said...

oh wow ~ so glad everyone is okay but i'm sure that scared everyone pretty well! it's amazing how much damage random little toys can do to a body ;)hope he feels better soon!

Richele said...

Oh, Melba - your poor boys! I know you're relieved all is well after that scare. I think we can all relate to that fear of falling with a little in our arms.

Meeghan said...

So glad they are okay...How are you managing your schedule? Teaching is so rewarding, but that tug of wanting to be home never goes away. Hope all is well.

Deb said...

Oh my goodness. I'm so glad he is okay. And thank goodness he was able to turn while falling to not injure Charlie. Wow what night.