Charlotte's Shiner

This happened back in April but most of the pictures were from my phone.  Probably one of my best super mom moments- where you think how did this happen to my kid?  I remember the story perfectly because Charlotte asks me to tell it over and over- for her and everyone else.  

Here's how it goes- we were on a walk on Monday morning.  I was pushing Olly and Abby in the stroller and Charlotte was walking behind us.  We passed our water retention area- known as the big green field.  There are these concrete water drainage ditches with bars around them so the water from the street can drain into the grass.  I may have occasionally let her play on the bars when I was able to be right next to her.  So she asks to play on the bars and I tell her we don't have time today and keep on walking.  The next thing I hear is the loudest thud I've ever heard from a human head hitting concrete.  I felt my heart plummet to my stomach.  It did not sound good.  I turn around and run back to where she had landed on the concrete right under the bars.  She barely even cried- she looked and acted okay but I knew she hit hard and she had two small cuts on her face.  It was pretty weak on the Charlotte-drama-o-meter.  We walked the rest of the way home and I'm thinking maybe I overreacted- but I look up the symptoms for a concussion anyway.  She seemed okay but she cried again when she realized there was blood.   When I asked her what happened she said she climbed on the bottom bar and then she made a flipping motion with her hand and said, "and then I did this." I think she probably flipped over the bar and landed on the concrete ditch below with a good amount of momentum behind her.

4/16/12 Right after it happened

4/16/12 A few hours later after nap the goose egg and black eye start to appear.

4/17/12 Tuesday was the worst.  It was almost swollen shut.  She insisted she was okay to go to our usual park date- despite being able to see out of only one eye. The moms audibly gasped when they saw her.  I felt so bad all week.  Everywhere I took her I felt like I needed to explain what happened.  I also felt like I shouldn't wear sunglasses or people would get the wrong idea!

4/19 looking much better

4/20 The greenish/yellow stage.  It lasted almost exactly a week but I felt so awful that whole week.  She was really good about it and only really noticed it when she looked in the mirror, but she just looked too pathetic.  Let's hope her first shiner was also her last.  I've never had one. She still tells every one we meet at the green field why they shouldn't play on the "monkey bars".  Sorry Olly and Abby you'll never get to play on them- Charlotte gets to be the guinea pig kid that teaches me all the hard lessons.

Charlotte with the last of her black eye and Auntie Marti with the beautiful eyes.