First some background... there is a string of jingly bells hanging in the hallway, which Thumper loves to gently touch each time we walk by. She's always a bit nervous at first so I usually jingle a bell or two, then she holds her hand up near, but not actually touching, the bells. Then I hold her hand and help to give the bells a little shake. At this point she grins from ear to ear and then finally has a go herself.
Yesterday BallFiend watched as Thumper did her bell-thing, then of course he wanted a turn. One of his favourite games at the moment is pretending to be 'this baby', where he demands attention by acting like a baby and saying things like 'this baby wants a cuddle', 'this baby wants some milk', 'this baby wants some food' or 'this baby wants to play a game'. So after Thumper had jingled the bells, BallFiend said "this baby wants a turn".
So I lifted (hauled!) him up so he could reach the bells. But whilst Thumper moves the bells with a gentle little wave of her pudgy hand, BallFiend gave the bells a mighty overarm smack. The bells smacked back. Right into his forehead. He screamed and covered his face and there was a very long moment where I thought he might have taken his eye out. Luckily it turned out to be a small, but very bleedy, cut and some swelling. BallFiend started yelling "Is it bleeding, is it bleeding?". Whenever he injures himself, no matter how minor, BallFiend always yells "Is it bleeding?". I think this might be my doing...
About 6 months ago, when BallFiend was washing his hands and standing on a crappy plastic step-stool in order to reach the basin, he was jumping about and so of course fell off, smacking his chin on the edge of the basin as he fell. He bit the inside of his bottom lip with his lower teeth and the outside of the bottom lip with his top teeth. All I saw was blood everywhere and thought that he must have bitten all the way through. Usually I am pretty calm and clear-minded in situations like this, but not that time. I panicked and called triple zero. To be fair, I was home with newborn baby Thumper and rather sleep-deprived. While waiting for the ambulance to come, I calmed down a bit and got an icy-pole out for BallFiend to hold on his mouth. By the time the ambulance arrived, the bleeding had pretty much stopped. The ambos were fine about the call out. They checked BallFiend out and said 'no sign of a head injury'. I spent the next few hours feeling like a bit of a dill. But still, better safe than sorry I suppose. Anyway, I think my initial panicked reaction has conditioned BallFiend to believe that any bleeding = serious injury. We get his 'is it bleeding?' panicky over-reaction at the slightest little scrape or bump. Sorry about that kid - you can get some therapy when you're older.
So, back to the bells... the application of an ice-pack with some pressure stopped the bleeding and minimised the bruising. (We probably could have prevented a bruise entirely except that BallFiend kept insisting on removing the ice-pack so he could see if his head was still bleeding.) BallFiend was back to his usual self within the hour.
So today, Thumper obviously saw BallFiend's bruise and decided to match it. We had just returned home after picking up BallFiend from kindergarten. Thumper was in the pram - a Phil & Teds three-wheeler, the kind that rolls really easily if it is on any kind of slope, you know, like at a railway station platform - and stupidly I had forgotten to put the wrist strap on. The pram was next to me on the front verandah while I unlocked the front door. BallFiend kept getting in the way, between me and the pram and the door (makes me think of an a nnoying yappy dog that jumps about everywhere). He had bumped his head(!) whilst walking past our car in the driveway and was whinging about it. I didn't have much sympathy as I had told him to walk around the other side of the car where there was plenty of room, but he insisted on squeezing through between the car and the garden bed. So I was trying to use one leg to nudge him aside whilst holding the pram's handle with one hand, holding the screen door open with an elbow and unlocking the front door with the other hand. (Anyone for a game of Twister?)
Just as I got the door unlocked I heard a thud. I turned around just in time to see the pram finish it's descent off the side of the verandah and onto the concrete driveway. It's only a small step down of about 20 cm, but it was enough. The pram landed on its side with Thumper out of view. I ran over just in time to see Thumper's face screw up and let out a massive scream. Thankfully she was strapped in (I always strap her in even if I do occasionally forget the wrist strap) or I think the injury would have been much worse. I righted the pram and grabbed Thumper. The bruise on her forehead appeared before my eyes. BallFiend kept up his whinging until I yelled and pleaded with him to stop whilst I somehow I got everyone and everything inside the house.
I sat down and examined Thumper properly and she calmed down a bit - the screaming stopped but then she seemed to go a bit floppy and sleepy for a minute or two, which made me more worried... until she started screaming again. I attempted to put an ice-pack on her head but she kept pushing it away. Then I gave her a breastfeed which seemed to work it's magic - she calmed down properly and I even managed to keep the ice-pack on for a little while.
I watched her while I deliberated about calling triple zero again, or nurse-on-call or something... but after about half an hour she was back to her cheery self. I checked the internet for signs of a head injury and she didn't seem to be showing any. So I figured she was OK and was just trying to look like her much-adored big brother.
So now they have matching bruises - although Thumper's is more impressive, the size of a 50 cent coin. And I better watch out or I will be getting a visit from child protection.
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