This is not the promised "Magical Ponies" post. Apologies. Instead, this is the "You Negligent Monster" post.
Because Kiddo is in a Japanese daycare, parents are asked to remove their shoes before coming in. No problem. I have a pair of loafers that I hate that I wear on pickup days so I can get in and out more quickly. Most days while I'm putting my shoes on, Yuki will run away from me and I will make noisy protestations and she will giggle and come back. Today, however, there was the running and the noisy protestations and the giggling and a splat. I guess she tripped ("running away" involves going around a corner where I can't see her) because she was crying and pulling herself up off the floor when I got to her.
"No big deal" as she likes to say (she does, really, it's friggin' adorable). She had a little red line across the bridge of her nose but there was no blood. She asked for a Band Aid and I told her we'd get her one in the car. (Mimi thought to put first aid kits in each of our cars. Smart one, she.) When we got to the car I told her to get in her seat and I would get her a Band Aid. I dug around for the first aid kit while Kiddo waited patiently. I finally located the appropriate Band Aid (okay, "generic adhesive strip") and put it across her nose. She had stopped crying and now just looked like she'd been in a fight. I gave her some milk and we headed home.
It's about a 12-mile trip from her daycare to home. Around mile 4, as I was flying down the carpool lane at 70 mph, laughing at all the suckers who didn't have a passenger to allow them this luxury and hoping none of those suckers decided to dive in front of me without warning, I glanced in the rear-view mirror and noticed that the kid wasn't strapped into her car seat.
Excuse me.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA(inhales)
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
Just sitting there. Like she was waiting for lunch or watching TV. At 70 miles per hour. Totally not strapped in. Not even a little bit. Guess I forgot that bit in the whole "bandage on the nose" kerfuffle.
Somehow thinking it would help, I put my hand on her stomach to hold her in place. She grabbed my finger and said, "Hold your hand." I replied. "Yes, do. Do hold my hand" as I picked my way across three lanes of rush hour traffic (excuse me, Enormous Tractor Trailer, pardon me, SUV, coming through, Great Big Passenger Van) and got off the highway.
I pulled over at the first safe-ish spot and strapped her in so tight her eyes bulged and her tongue popped out. Then I drove home the remaining 8 miles feeling like I was going to throw up.
We made it. I will leave myself a note on the dashboard to check that she's strapped in next time. Seriously. Some days I leave myself a note to remember to pick her up. What's one more note?
I am more than a little happy to report that the bandage on the nose was the worst of it.
And now, more wine.
Because Kiddo is in a Japanese daycare, parents are asked to remove their shoes before coming in. No problem. I have a pair of loafers that I hate that I wear on pickup days so I can get in and out more quickly. Most days while I'm putting my shoes on, Yuki will run away from me and I will make noisy protestations and she will giggle and come back. Today, however, there was the running and the noisy protestations and the giggling and a splat. I guess she tripped ("running away" involves going around a corner where I can't see her) because she was crying and pulling herself up off the floor when I got to her.
"No big deal" as she likes to say (she does, really, it's friggin' adorable). She had a little red line across the bridge of her nose but there was no blood. She asked for a Band Aid and I told her we'd get her one in the car. (Mimi thought to put first aid kits in each of our cars. Smart one, she.) When we got to the car I told her to get in her seat and I would get her a Band Aid. I dug around for the first aid kit while Kiddo waited patiently. I finally located the appropriate Band Aid (okay, "generic adhesive strip") and put it across her nose. She had stopped crying and now just looked like she'd been in a fight. I gave her some milk and we headed home.
It's about a 12-mile trip from her daycare to home. Around mile 4, as I was flying down the carpool lane at 70 mph, laughing at all the suckers who didn't have a passenger to allow them this luxury and hoping none of those suckers decided to dive in front of me without warning, I glanced in the rear-view mirror and noticed that the kid wasn't strapped into her car seat.
Excuse me.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA(inhales)
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
Just sitting there. Like she was waiting for lunch or watching TV. At 70 miles per hour. Totally not strapped in. Not even a little bit. Guess I forgot that bit in the whole "bandage on the nose" kerfuffle.
Somehow thinking it would help, I put my hand on her stomach to hold her in place. She grabbed my finger and said, "Hold your hand." I replied. "Yes, do. Do hold my hand" as I picked my way across three lanes of rush hour traffic (excuse me, Enormous Tractor Trailer, pardon me, SUV, coming through, Great Big Passenger Van) and got off the highway.
I pulled over at the first safe-ish spot and strapped her in so tight her eyes bulged and her tongue popped out. Then I drove home the remaining 8 miles feeling like I was going to throw up.
We made it. I will leave myself a note on the dashboard to check that she's strapped in next time. Seriously. Some days I leave myself a note to remember to pick her up. What's one more note?
I am more than a little happy to report that the bandage on the nose was the worst of it.
And now, more wine.
Comments
Good job getting across that traffic and having a kid who stayed put.
Eep.
(And some calming fresh breaths of oxygen for whenever you need them.)
xo
gibs
ps she even wears bandiads well..
Thank you, God, for these gentle reminders.
Judy
Thank god it all worked out.
xo
la
xo
la