Life According to Kiera: Bumps and Bruises

I am a bit of a klutz. Let’s pretend that is not a well-known fact.

Let’s see… I have fallen down stairs three times, only one of those times resulted in an emergency room visit. I have fallen in the bathtub… that resulted in an emergency room visit as well.

I have had a few broken bones over the years, a concussion thanks to a fence post being in my way… knee surgery, and too many bumps, scrapes and bruises to count. I really feel like I try to be careful… but somehow, it still happens to me.

For instance, we have this coffee table. It’s a cute coffee table. It’s functional, durable and matches our living room furniture well. The only downside of this particular piece of furniture is the corners.

No one else hits the corners on this coffee table. Just me. And when I say just me, I mean, I hit the corners on the coffee table at least once a month, if not once a week.

In fact, I have two – three inch scars on my left leg, below my knee, from this beloved piece of furniture. No. Wait. I’m sorry. I have three scars from the coffee table.

My point is, I am a klutz and when Kiera falls, I immediately imagine the worst.

A couple of weeks ago, she went zipping through our kitchen. The only problem was as she turned to maneuver around the freezer, she hit a wet spot causing her to fall. I had just happened to turn around when she fell. My heart immediately went in my throat as I watched her tumble.

She held out her arms to catch herself and then crumpled in an awkward position. I just knew something had to be broken. Especially when she began to cry. I calmly checked her over and helped her to the couch where I cuddled her until she calmed down. After a few minutes of cuddling and an ice pack, she was off again.

I shook my head in amazement as I relayed the accident story to Aaron a few moments later. 

Monday night, Aaron and I were in the kitchen cooking dinner. Kiera had decided to take her scooter for a ride on the back sidewalk.

“Mom! Look at this!” She yelled as she turned sharply on the porch.

Aaron and I complimented her on her scooter abilities, watching her off and on for a few minutes. Suddenly, there was a crash and a cry of pain.

I dropped the spoon I was holding and ran out back with Aaron following close behind.

“Ow! Ow! Ow!” Kiera cried. “It hurts!”

Kiera’s scooter was lying on its’ side and she was lying in a tangle beside it. Immediately, I began to look for broken bones.

I lifted her foot to examine it and noticed a bruise already forming along the ankle where the scooter had hit. Glancing across at her other leg, I noticed three bruises popping up.

“Can you wiggle your toes?” I asked.

“No!” She whimpered. I watched as she flexed her toes back and forth, contrary to her response.

“Do you think you can make it in the house?” Aaron asked her.

She sucked in a whimper and put on the bravest face she could muster at that moment. “I think so.” She answered.

I gently helped her stand. She began to limp towards the house. I still wasn’t 100 percent certain that she hadn’t cracked a bone.

Aaron set her up on the couch, propping her legs up on a pillow while I retrieved the ice pack. “Show me how strong you are. Let’s see if you can push your toes against my hand.”

I watched as Aaron checked her over and then followed him into the kitchen to finish preparing dinner. “She’s good.” He stated. “Just a little bruised.”

Twenty minutes later, she was dragging a jump rope into the living room and practicing for Jump Rope for Heart.

She’s a tough one. I hope these are minor bumps and bruises that go along with an active child growing up and not the tell tale signs of a klutz like me. In the meantime, I might pick up an extra ice pack.