the crack heard 'round the world...

ok, or just around my upstairs. olivia was HARMED!

this child has been injured twice in her five months and both times to the head. poor bean.

so, we have this wooden sign with olivia's name on it that my friend brought back for her from tanzania. with me so far? do you see where this is going?

i'm rocking her to sleep last night and that fucking sign FELL off the wall somehow and cracked her (and me) on the head. not the flat part, oh no. the edge. the thin, sharp edge. and not, say, on her forehead, but right along the top of her head. you know, the soft spot. we both scream. she starts bawling.

i called the pedi because it was bedtime and i wasn't sure if i should let her fall asleep or WHAT really to do. (fun fact: the other time she was injured, her NICU nurse dropped a CAN of formula on her head. true story.) they asked if swelling was greater than an inch. no. any dents? no. is she acting normal? i guess? is there any fluid coming out of her ears? no. THANK GOD. any fluid coming out of her nose? not any more than usual. can she move both arms and legs freely? yes. any vomiting? no.

they said it sounds like a scalp injury (it bled. WA.) more than a brain injury (holy shit. brain injury. ugh.) and to put her to bed, but wake her in two hours. she needs to be conscious and alert and moving arms and legs. i'm thinking to myself: ok, how the hell am i supposed to get her back to sleep after that? and then wake her again four hours after that.

they said she needed to be close to us, so i slept on the aerobed in her room last night and will tonight, too.

here's the rundown on our night and morning:

she took a bit of effort to wake up at 10:15 and was finally like WTF PEOPLE??? she went right back down in the crib. no rocking even necessary! i've NEVER put her down without rocking. (i don't want to hear any shit about CIO because i'm not doing it. i don't care and have zero opinions on how anyone else gets their own children to sleep so please do me a favor and zip it.)

i woke her again easily at 2:15 by changing her diaper and she gave me the stink eye, so i figured i'd try rocking before i busted out a bottle (she's been sleeping so well, i am terrified of giving her the idea that OOOH i can start waking back up at 2 for a bednight* snack!) and she zonked out on my shoulder in about 5-6 minutes.

the swelling has gone down quite a bit, too. and the cutest thing... when i woke up this morning, she was just staring at me from her crib with the biggest fool smile like, "MAMA! what are YOU doing here?!?!!"

heart. melt.


*that is what hunter used to ask for before going to bed when he was little. not a midnight snack, a bednight snack.