Hurt

Well, you wouldn't know it by the smiles in these photos, but there were a LOT of tears shed last night. Very obviously, Bowen put her top teeth through her bottom lip at the playground which began a stressful 2 hours for all of us. She was playing calmly in the sandbox, stood up, started to walk to the side, tripped and went face first into the wooden structure that surrounds the sand. Both Stewart and I were right there, but powerless to prevent it. Just awful. Poor thing - there was blood everywhere. We first tried to hold some pressure on it and then quickly gathered our things and ran home. Literally ran. At this point, it was unclear if she would need to go to the A&E. So as not to drag the story out, the bleeding stopped 10 mins after we got home and B returned to semi-normal as we spent about 30 mins on the phone with NHS direct- an over the phone assessment service. In the end it was determined that we did not need to take her in, but just clean the wounds and keep some antiseptic cream applied. Her poor little lip. Just completely purple and swollen today, but already you can see it's starting to heal and thank goodness!

I feel like she's been constantly hurt lately. The past 3 weeks or so, it's seemed like one thing right after the other. First she fell into the steps of the little slide - on her cheek! The bruise is just now fading and that happened 2 1/2 weeks ago. It was a hard fall. Just adding to the 'beat up' look, she developed a rash on her face that moved down to her arms and torso. That too is just fading. Friday afternoon while we were out at the park, she came down the fireman's poll to me (I had Henry in the pack on my front) and her foot hit H on his head which started him screaming and also sent her over sideways onto her head/neck from about 4/5 feet in the air. Let me just tell you that 2 screaming babies (from being hurt) is not fun at all! It was the end of the week, end of the day and this was just the last straw - I was fried. Oh - I just remembered the other. Bowen fell off the top of the little slide directly onto her back/neck/head. I was right there and saw it happening, but again could do nothing. Other than these 'major' things, she constantly tripping, falling, banging into things lately.

Some will say this is par for the course and I know that some of it is. Doesn't make it any easier. I also think that Bowen likes to play hard and in her own words, likes to go 'very fast'. My child, the adrenaline junkie. On the little slide, for instance, she scrambles up the steps, grabs the bar above the slide and in a split second has flung herself down the slide, only to hop up and do it again, just more quickly this time!! Definitely a bit of a tom boy and dare devil and these 2 things together (although great in lots of ways) have really got me scared. She throws her body around like a rag doll and has fun doing it! No one likes to see their child get hurt and I am NO exception. But I have found where in the past I could curb these events, I have almost zero control now and I find myself saying silent prayers that she'll get through another day without heading to the A&E - especially when here recently, it seems something happens daily!

Either way, there's no denying (in my biased opinion) that even with a huge, swollen, cut lip - she's gorgeous. My sweet and beautiful girl, I'm glad you're on the mend and hopefully it will be a long while before anything like this happens again! xo

ps - can I borrow your eye lashes?! :)