I did what everyone warned me against - Carol, Grandma, the baby books, etc. I left Garcon- my most mobile Garcon- on the couch, unattended, while I finished getting ready to head out the door. And he fell.
For the first three times I walked by, he was fine. Smiling, looking at Matt Lauer on the Today show, brightening each time I walked by. I grabbed the bottle cooler, my pump, my breakfast and put it in the car. Started the car, cranked the heat and came back in. As I bounced down the stairs to put Bruno in his room, a flicker of thought crossed my mind - he's still up there, he's still ok. Or is he? Should have paid more attention to that intuition.
I grabbed a biscuit, refilled the water, fumbled with the gate. And then I heard THE SOUND: a huge thud (even for 16 lbs) and the loudest, most pained cry yet. I scrambled upstairs and around the couch. There he was, face down, crying his heart out...why, Mommy?
I held him, looked at him - was that a little abrasion on his face? He cried hard, and fought me a little...so I held him closer.
I ran to the bookshelf and grabbed Baby 411, the plain-spoken book authored by a pediatrician that has become my health bible.
I flipped through, holding Garcon, raising my thigh to balance him...and as I followed the book's checklist (fell onto padded carpet, fell less than his height, cried immediately), I realized that he was probably fine. Because by now, he was trying to grab the photos on the kitchen island. Oh, and he blew a raspberry. Baby fine now. My little bible advised icing with a bag of vegetables, but that it wouldn't make a difference - he'd still get a goose-egg, in all likelihood. So I scooped him into his carseat, where he looked as cute as ever, and gave me a little smile.
I'm okay, Mommy, really.
I told the ladies at the daycare about his fall, and they laughed at me. Won't be the last time he falls, they said. And then they asked, "You put him where?"
Yes, I know. My busy, mobile baby was left on the couch, where I know he'll move eventually. I just forgot. Dumb Mommy. And though I thought I would be on time to work today, I wasn't. Because I was careless. Let the self-flagellating continue.
