Collision Course

This morning the girls and I were playing in the sunroom while the baby was sleeping. I was sitting on the floor picking up the legos that had been tossed carelessly around the floor yesterday while the girls were playing with TWAPilot's boys. I reached out my arms to the girls asking for a hug. Larien arrived first and settled onto my right side. I wrapped my right arm around her.

Inwe arrived second. She tackled me. I was caught off balance with no arm to reach out to brace for the impact. I landed on my elbow, still holding Larien, on top of a lego. I felt lots of pain from my elbow to my shoulder. For many moments I could not talk. Inwe and Larien kept saying, "It's okay, Mommy. It's not bleeding." Except it was. I have been mauled by my four year old and now have round cut on my elbow. I'm pretty sure I have a torn or strained tricep muscle as well. Straightening my right arm is still painful.

As this happenend, even while it was happening, I was transported to an early morning when I was in high school. I was running late for school. My mom taught at the same high school, and I wasn't driving yet, so I had to arrive early with her. I was running out of the bathroom into the hallway. My mother was walking down the hallway. I ran into my mother at full speed; her body slammed against the hallway door. Her hip caught the door handle. I grabbed her to keep her from falling, but the damage was done. She was sore all day and had a large bruise on her hip.

My mom and I are by no means frail, fragile women. However, she wasn't a very athletic teenager at full run. And, this morning, I wasn't prepared for the attack from a solid, no fat on her, four year old launching herself at me. I will now be better prepared. I'm also going to go take some ibuprofen. The arm still hurts.