You know those newsletters you subscribe to on those parenting websites that they email you every week to let you know how your child may be developping at that particular stage? You know which ones I'm talking about, right? Yeah, well, they usually have a blurb on how to babyproof your home and how to keep your baby safe. I've come across a number of articles that give the percentages of babies who suffer injuries from certain things such as ingesting objects or harmful substances or falling from high places. Those were only legends to me. I thought I was good at keeping a pretty watchful eye but ever since Maddie has started walking, a goose has laid plenty an egg on her little forehead. She's a trooper, though and doesn't usually cry for long.

Yesterday, however, (I am having a hard time writing about it because I can't get the horrific visuals out of my head), yesterday I was changing her into her new outfit and getting ready to visit my family in Hamilton. I placed her on our bed as I usually do and once she was dressed, I proceeded to dress myself. I regretfully turned my back for one second to get my brasiere only to turn back in time to witness her leaping off the bed, perform a summersault in mid-air before hitting her head and landing with a sickening thud on our hardwood floor. Can we say, "Heart attack?" She started crying and I didn't want to move her cause I swore she must have hurt her neck the way she landed so awkwardly. But I needed a phone and as carefully as I could, I picked her up and rushed downstairs, dialed 911, called my husband and then my next door neighbour while my hair was dripping wet and I was dressed only in my underpants. Let me tell you, my life changed in that one instant.

Maddie cried like no tomorrow. It was hard to console her because I was directed to refrain from nursing her and to keep her as still as possible. Once everyone arrived, I began to realize that she was okay. Thank God she only suffered a small bump on her forehead. Her neck was fine but I guess I was more upset over the thought of it being potentially more serious than it was. The EMS attendants even told my husband that "The baby's okay. Your wife, however..." Yes, I was crying uncontrollably as I tried to lullaby my baby to sleep. I may have been overreacting but if you were to witness how she fell, you may have had a heart attack, too. Like I said, thank God she's alright. She must have had a guardian angel watching over her...