Thursday, January 21, 2010

Guess What I Did Last Night

I fell down the stairs.

Remember the spiral staircase in my new house that I just love? Yeah. Those. I fell down those stairs. With Grace in my arms.

I have always been super paranoid about going down those stairs because they are wide and each step is a different width because of the spiral turn. I am constantly reminding the boys to be super cautious going down the stairs and each time I go down the stairs I am careful to hit the middle of each step. While holding my precious baby I am even MORE careful.

So, how did this happen?

I was blinded by Grace's beauty. Seriously. I was love-drunk.

Grace woke up from her afternoon nap at about 5 o'clock and I went up to get her. I lifted her out of her crib and as usual she threw her chunky, little arms around my neck and immediately glombed onto my cheek and began kissing and hugging her momma. I started blowing raspberries on her beautiful little neck and we both were laughing and laughing. As we started down the stairs I shifted my concentration from her to the stairs. Halfway down Grace started kissing my cheek again and when I though I had reached the bottom of the stairs I started smooching on her neck and cheekies again. Only I wasn't to the bottom. I had two more stairs to go. Doggone long staircase.

It all happened in an instant and as I was falling I shifted Grace to my side and kept my hands and arms firmly around her, supporting her back and head, as I landed flat on my knees and my right elbow. Um. Pain. I froze in the position I landed in, trying to assess what injury hurt the most. My knees. My knees definitely hurt the most. My left knee in particular. Luckily, Todd was walking in the house at that exact moment and he was able to rush to us and pick up Grace so that I could lie very still on the tile floor while I fought back nauseousness.

Eventually I was able to hobble over to the couch and sit down. The nauseousness faded and now I am just left with two swollen knees and a pulled muscle in my shoulder and back. No big deal. I'm sure I will be fine in a couple of days. However, it did scare me quite a bit.

My biggest comfort is that Grace is completely fine. She was barely even jostled. She was probably wondering what kind of game mommy was playing, whooshing us to the ground like that. It is good to know that I was able to focus on keeping her safe in that split second. I have always wondered how I would fair in a situation like that, and I'm glad it had this outcome. Whew!

I guess I just feel very lucky. I hate to be fatalistic, but I know this could have ended very badly. Just last week Todd's uncle fell coming out of a restaurant, hit his head, got a massive subdural hematoma, and never woke up. We are going to his funeral tonight. As my prior post said, "be grateful for each new day". And I am.

So, ladies and gents, the moral of the story is this: Always love on your children when both of your feet are planted firmly on the ground. Lesson learned.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go ice my knees again.

32 comments:

Not Your Aunt B said...

OK. The comment above is annoying- no one wants spam comments. Glad you both are ok. I can totally see how you were distracted! Feel better soon!

Kat said...

I deleted the comment above yours. It was annoying me too. ;)

Scrappy said...

Ouch! Glad it was only a few stairs you fell down. Hope your knees and back are better soon.

Hattie said...

Poor thing. I know how that feels. I fell out of my brother in-laws jacked up truck straight onto my knees one time. I'm super clumsy and always tripping or falling so I am always trying to pay close attention when I'm carrying the baby and the worst is always in the back of my head! Happy to hear Gracie is okay!

Hattie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rebecca Ramsey said...

Poor knees!
If it's any comfort, I've fallen down the stairs with each of my three children.
Yes, I'm practically a professional klutz!
Now that two are teens and one is a tween, they love to joke with me about it, about the times Mommy tossed them down the stairs. How they love to pull my chain. But all in fun, all in fun.
Hope you feel better soon!

Kat said...

Hattie- I know exactly what you mean. I am always envisioning horrible things happen, so I am usually very careful. And I am not normally a klutzy person. So crazy.

Kat said...

Rebecca- Oh my gosh! Well, that makes me feel a little better. Glad you and your kiddos are all okay too. :)

Doc said...

Oh gosh! I had to scroll down to the end to make sure you were both ok. Having said that I am glad all was a few banged up knees. You are right about falls like that. I am glad ya'll are ok and not seriously injured. I have a family member who took a tumble like that down some stairs with a 4 month old and months later DSS was involved because an old brain bleed was found. Scary situation all the way around...

Cassie said...

Ohhh I'm sorry! I have a phobia of falling with the baby, so when we went house hunting, we got the one without stairs, even though I really LOVED one of the ones we looked at that had an upstairs. Anyway, I hope you feel better soon!

Mom24 said...

So glad Grace was okay. Hope you're feeling better soon. I remember falling once with Julianna--so scary.

Take some Advil with your ice, it might help.

(((hugs)))

Emily said...

OH no!!! I'm so glad you weren't hurt worse and that Grace is OK. I know exactly how terrified you felt...I feel down a flight of stairs while pregnant and then again after I had the baby! I think I need an elevator in my house.
Hope your knees and muscles heal up quickly.

sitting on the mood swing at the playground said...

Hope your knees are better soon. Glad you weren't hurt any worse...what a scary thing to have happen.

Maryeliz said...

Ouch. So glad you are both okay. Hope your knees and elbow feel better soon.

Cynthia said...

OMG...so scary. Isn't crazy how your instincts kicked in in that instant? So glad you are both OK:)

Beck said...

OH MY GOD! That was my total NIGHTMARE when I had small babies!
So I just started wearing them in a baby carrier whenever I went up and downstairs, so I could keep ONE hand firmly on the railing.
But thank GOODNESS that you're both okay. I hope your knee feels better but geeeeez!

Lindsay said...

Ohhhh - I'm so glad you're okay!! I did that only I fell on cement with Jack in my arms...he was about a month old at the most. Amazingly enough I was able to do the same thing and protect him on the way down. I was shaken of for a good couple of hours just thinking about what COULD HAVE BEEN. Ugh. Glad you (and Grace) are okay!!

Unknown said...

Oh honey, that is scary. I'm glad you are both okay and I hope you heal up quickly. Your poor knees.

So sorry about Todd's uncle....

Jessa said...

OUCH!!! I'm so glad you are both okay, but wowsers! Also, sorry for your loss. :(

Karen Deborah said...

I am so sorry, being hurt is a drag. I am also overjoyed that your baby was completely saved by her lovin mom. That would have been unbearable.
Take good care of those boo boos.
And God is good isn't He? He shall send his angels to keep charge over you to keep your foot from slipping.

Momisodes said...

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear about your fall and Todd's uncle. I'm so glad to hear that you and baby are alright. I hope the bumps and bruises heal quickly.

Putting the FUN in DysFUNctional said...

I'm so glad you & Grace are OK!
I did something like that years ago with my baby...I had to get stitches in my knee. =/ But she was fine!
I'm so sorry about Todd's uncle. Injuries like that are more common than most people realize (I work in a Neuro ICU) so you really are very lucky!

Tam said...

Girl I hope YOU are feeling a bit better today! Will be thinking about you!

designHER Momma said...

I have this crazy nightmare of a vision that I'll be holding the baby and wipe out head first, throwing him out of my arms as I go. I'm praying that that never happens to me, and so glad that you all are ok. relatively speaking anyway...

Tammy said...

Glad you both are ok. Hope you heal quickly. :)

Anonymous said...

Oh Kat! Once I fell on the steps when T was a baby--I still remember the fear and the bumps I took protecting him from my clumsiness. Gah!

Tonya said...

Praise the Lord you are both ok. I hope your knees feel better soon. I have done something similar to that with one of my kids while kissing them too.

Anonymous said...

This reminds me of when Jason was only a few weeks old, and Darlene's mom was visiting us. She was sitting in the recliner, cradling him, and she went to get up, and tripped over something, and fell completely sideways- onto the arm she was holding Jason in. She had nothing to catch her fall and all of her weight landed on Jason. I saw the whole thing happen, almost in slow motion. Amazingly, and I don't know how, he didn't even wake up. No crying, not even an opening of his eyes. He was perfectly fine. But I know that feeling of terror you get when something like that happens! I think maybe this would have made you feel better if she laughed or something after you fell :)

Chrissy said...

OH NO! I am so sorry to hear you got hurt, but really thank God it wasn't worse. Hope you're able to stay on the couch and rest this weekend.

I am so sorry for the loss of your loved one. So frightening.

Riahli said...

OMGoodness, that is one of my biggest fears, falling with a baby or any one of my kids in my arms! Yikes! so glad she is more then fine and you are okay.

"love drunk" adorable. :) I often am love drunk...the cuteness is intoxicating.

Hilary said...

Oh dear.. I'm glad it wasn't more serious. Hope you feel better soon.

imbeingheldhostage said...

holy cow, Kat, how did I miss this?

How scary!! Thank goodness it was the last two and not the first two. I did the exact same thing when Miss Ky was a baby-- after being SO paranoid about the stairs, I was the one to fall (with baby in arms). I was hysterical while checking the baby and didn't notice I was hurt until after the adrenaline wore off.
You poor thing-- you didn't need this right now, did you :-(

Words To Live By

Be grateful for each new day.
A new day that you have never lived before.
Twenty-four new, fresh, unexplored hours to use usefully and profitably.
We can squander, neglect, or use them.
Life will be richer or poorer by the way we use today.
Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could;
some blunders and absurdities crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day.
You shall begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be
encumbered with your old nonsense.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson