She drew first blood...

Today Maddy fell. And bled.

Maddy was tottering around this afternoon, showing off for guests we had for brunch. Nothing was on the floor but she was having a wobbly day. And she lost her balance and fell. This is not unusual - she falls a lot - but this time she fell forward and to the side. Her chin landed on the coffee table and she bit her lip. Neil saw it and rushed forward and grabbed her. I heard the aftermath - the wail.

That's when it hit me... I am the MOM. I am the one who is supposed to know what to do. Every time something went wrong, my mom would be there to fix it. She always knew what to do. Always. Hell, I still call her when something goes wrong. And now I am the mom. Dammit. What do I DO?

I grabbed a washcloth and cooled it under water. Then held it up to dab the blood and see if she wanted to suck on it. When I pulled it away there were drops of red... and that is when my eyes filled with tears.Maddy then leaned forward and reached for her mama. I held her close, rocking her gently. And she quickly calmed. Very quickly. My eyes were still wet when Maddy was ready to go again. She wandered off, in search of something else to explore, and Neil and I stood there in shock. She was off but we were still shaken.

Maddy bled. She stopped bleeding. She's OK! We made it through this first (minor) injury. And, today for the first time I truly felt like a mom. I somehow knew what to do. And, yes, I called MY mom and asked her what I should have done, just to make sure.