Bumps and Bruises

I jinxed myself. The day after I wrote my last post, Caitlin went from hesitantly taking an occasional step to quite literally running all by herself. Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled about Caitlin reaching this huge milestone. Watching her walk around the coffee table over and over again provided the most exciting entertainment I've seen in a long, long time-or at least since the series finale of Lost. However, with walking comes falling, with falling comes injury. With injury comes bruising, and that makes this mama really upset.

On Friday, while I sat in my classroom calculating the hours until 2:30, I mean...teaching, I received a phone call from Caitlin's day care teacher. The phone call went something like this:

Daycare: "Hi Becky. It's Kristen from Sprouts."

Me: "Oh no, another fever?" (Anytime Kristen from Sprouts calls my classroom, it is not good news.)

Daycare: "No, no. I just want to let you know that Caitlin is fine, but she did fall down and has a bruise on her face."

Me: "Why wasn't she wearing her protective helmet?!?!"

Just kidding. Me: "Oh poor thing! What happened?"

Daycare: "Well, she was walking around the room, lost her balance, and fell face first into the side of the table. She was upset, but she is fine now."

Me: "Oh God, is she bleeding? Have you applied ice? Have you checked her pupils? Does she have a concussion?"

Again, kidding. That is what I wanted to say, but I actually surprised myself by remaining calm and collected. The real me said: "That is o.k. Now that she is walking, she is going to fall down. She is going to get hurt. It's just what happens when kids learn to walk. Is she o.k. now?"

Daycare: "She is fine. She's playing. She does have a bruise, but it's not swollen. We put ice on her cheek for a few minutes and she is back to her old, happy self."

I am sure this is the first of many injuries for my little toddler. As she learns to negotiate her way in the world, Caitlin will fall, she will get hurt, she will cry. I cannot recall many times I ended up in the emergency room as a child, but I know it was a regular occurrence-my poor mom endured everything from broken arms to a sliced open face. Apart from wearing a helmet and a fully padded bodysuit, there is little I can do to prevent every accident, every injury. I want many things for Caitlin, but above all else, I wish for her to be safe, healthy, and happy. A little bruise along the way is just a part of gaining independence, a part of growing up.