Falling objects

Raising children can be terrifying.  The number of safety precautions you're expected to maintain is countless.  Put your baby on his back when he sleeps and do not think about putting a blanket it his crib until he's seven.  Buckle your kids in their car seats and make sure the buckle is high on their chest.  If its below 32 degrees, you must put a heavy coat on your child or she will get the chill but your child must remove her coat before getting in the car seat to ensure optimal safety.  Tether furniture to the wall.  Cut grapes in half. Cover electrical outlets.  Lock all doors and cupboards.  Its exhausting.  After having children, I'm so thankful that I am not a worrier by nature.

Tonight's experience at dinner proved that catastrophes can come in forms you would never anticipate.  First, a picture of a sign that hangs near our kitchen table.  This is not a new Happy Hoot Creation...in fact, I made this long ago and its probably been hanging at least a year and a half.  It is large and heavy, probably close to 10 lbs, and much heavier than the wood I currently use. 

We're eating a family dinner, four of us around the table and Avery in her executive chair underneath the sign.  And then it falls.  On Avery's head.  The sign, which has been hanging uneventfully for over a year, decides to fall at the particular moment when a baby is underneath it.  There are 1,440 minutes in a day and Avery is in that highchair for maybe 30 minutes of those.  Nobody touched the wall.  What are the chances?  The weirdest thing is that the nail was still perfectly in tact...it didn't give way.

It was a scary few minutes as we watched the heavy board hit Avery's little head and listened to Avery's screams.  Thankfully, it became clear to me fairly quickly that she was fine.  Loud screams are good in this type of situation and she actually stopped crying after about two minutes, was smiling after about five.  She did not walk away unscathed, however, and has a nice bump on her head.

I had to reassure Eric about 12 times that I didn't think we needed to go to the doctor.  For the 100th time, I thank God that He is looking down on our family.  I feel like each of my children have accidently died at least three times and He's the reason they're still kicking. 

We will keep an eye on Avery tonight.  If she sleeps for more than three hours, I will start to worry.