As I write this, I feel like what I imagine people go through after they’ve experienced some catastrophe. Only, on a much smaller scale.

No, our house didn’t burn down and don’t worry, Isabella is safe and sound. CJ is fully in tact and nothing has happened to me either. I can hear Samson outside jumping up and down so he’s a-ok as well. Nothing crazy or cosmic happened here tonight. It was just a series of small events that added together created this snowball of chaos.

It started just after bath time.

I had finished drying off Isabella and putting her in her pajamas. I set her down and off to go play. She immediately ran out to CJ who was in the living room watching TV. As I cleaned up in her room, I heard him say something to her about the remote control and good job changing the channels. After a minute or so he took the remote away from her and she burst in to tears. And screams. And more tears.

I came out then and was able to distract her with a “purse” that she has. I put a few toys in it and she came over to see what I was doing. She started playing with it too only it wasn’t zipped up and when she grabbed it the toys fell out. Like a good girl, she picked them up and put them back in. I was showing her how to zip it up and you’d have thought I was showing her how to murder the little stuffed turtle because she started screaming again.

This time I was able to distract her with some blocks that stack on to little pillars. She was playing with them and telling us the shapes and colors. Only she said “octagon” instead of “pentagon” for the red one (I know, right?) so CJ was tickling her and saying “P-p-p-PENT-a-gon!” which she thought was hysterical.

That started the tickle wars which was a lot of fun until she lost her balance and fell backward. Right on to the wooden pillar thing.

Cue the tears.

At first we thought she was just crying from shock or fear until we saw the blood running out of her mouth. I carried her in to the kitchen so that we could see better. Her mouth was full of blood. She wouldn’t open wide enough for us to see inside though so all I could do was blot it up from her lips and chin. I gave her some water to drink, which she did. That seemed to stop the bleeding but she was still crying hard.

In the middle of all that, Samson saw someone outside walking by and thought it was important to alert us of this and let out a huge “RUFF!!”

We all jumped. Isabella cried harder.

CJ escorted Samson to his kennel for a time out.

We finally got Munchkin calmed down and fixed up. We sat on the living room floor to read some books and get ready for bed. She usually wants to sit in my lap and have me read to her (because CJ reads to her all day). Not tonight. She only wanted daddy. I was slightly hurt but reminded myself that she’s a toddler and fickle sometimes. CJ kept trying to include me by handing over the book or saying, “Let’s have mommy read!” Only to have Isabella grab the book back and give it to CJ. After doing this a couple times, she’d had enough and, you guessed it, more tears.

OK, bed time! We brushed her teeth, got her hooked up with woobies and off to bed she went.

And scene.

I am still on edge. I think I’ll have flashbacks the next few times she cries. It’s PTSD that only parents can understand.  

 

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