Look Out Below

Today was a good day right up until 3:30pm when Luke "fell" off one of our bar stools leaving him with a bum foot. His reaction was quite dramatic, but I couldn't help but wonder if the pain was that bad, or the time of day was bad. Around our house things usually fall apart around the four o'clock hour and go downhill until someone, anyone falls asleep.

On closer inspection I could see some swelling and bruising, so I deferred to someone with a little more education and phoned his pediatrician. She said to ice it and put a walking boot on him. We happened to have one handy because Luke fractured his foot a year or so ago. However, when I came at him with boot in hand, he expressed that he would have no part in it. He quickly hobbled over to his tricycle and pedaled away with one foot. The smart bad guys always have a getaway car handy. He was so fast it was hard to feel sorry for him.

I later told my friend about our afternoon and she reminded me of what happened in our home a couple of weeks ago. I hadn't forgotten about poor Baxter because I'm still medicating him twice a day, but I certainly hadn't considered there had been treachery afoot when the stool hit the floor.

You see, it was early-ish morning- the time of day that I like to parent from my bed. Luke was awake, had already created a path of destruction, and had accidentally let Baxter (our Yorkie) up the stairs. I asked Luke to make him go back downstairs and he complied. However, instead of shooing him down the way I do, he grabbed his collar and "helped" him down the stairs resulting in my first born (Baxter) tearing his ACL.

Now I can't help but remember this afternoon when I was on one side of the counter, Luke and Baxter on the other, and wonder if Baxter gave that stool a nice shake with his good leg. It hasn't been proven in a court of law and I hope it never has to be. I have no idea who I would side with.

After Luke and Baxter had limped off to bed I began plunging the toilet that Luke had earlier stopped up with hand towels. I couldn't help wondering if I would be next. I feel a little bit like I have one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel. How will it happen? I'm guessing I'll fall down the stairs and shatter my hip, although none of it matters as long as we keep Brantley healthy. He's the reluctant leader of our motley crew. Very, very reluctant.

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