Well, I suppose it's a rite of passage. The First Accident. It has to happen sometime, right? That doesn't change the fact that I am a total idiot.
I was enjoying a nice trip to Door County, helping my brother-in-law pack up some stuff in their rented motor home. Henry (my son) was hanging out on the bed - it was one of those tables that transforms into a bed. I had just fininshed changing him. I turned around for a second and then I heard a thud, a moment of silence, and then a scream. Oh, my god. I turned back to him and he was face down on the floor. The thoughts that ran through my head between the time I heard him fall and when I picked him up... I was so scared. I picked him up and turned him around, half expecting to see something out of a horror movie. Nothing. He was crying hysterically, but he seemed to be more scared than anything. I took him outside and distracted him with some pretty leaves and he was done crying. It doesn't change the fact that I am a total idiot.
It's the Number One Rule, isn't it? If your baby is anywhere he could fall - on the bed, on the changing table... Keep A Hand On Him At All Times. It doesn't matter that I was standing right there. Babies usually don't look all that mobile, but they can move faster than The Infected in 28 Days Later. As soon as I picked him up I started crying, too, and my brother-in-law was trying to calm me down. Since my back was to him (because I am a total idiot) I didn't see the fall, but my brother-in-law said that he mainly fell on his side and then hit his head. I kept saying, "But this is the first time this has happened!" and, "I don't even know where there's an Emergency Room in Door County!" And he gently says, "Ang, he only fell a foot and a half" and "They're like little rubber bands at that age." This is a guy whose 4-year-old recently had five staples put in his head, so he's certainly familiar with kid accidents. So overall, I was more upset than the baby was, but I think we both recovered okay.
Milwaukee Moms, if you're out there, I'd love for you to comment and tell me about your own TFA. It would make me feel a lot better. (But of course it wouldn't excuse the fact that I am certainly an idiot.)
