Toddler Traumas

This morning as I was carrying draped over my shoulder a lightly snoozing Limelet down the stairs to gently wake him in the armchair, my socks slipped on the carpet and I fell.  Slid on my behind, really, which hurt in several places but not so much as what happened to poor little Limelet, who was woken by having his head bang against at least two stairs as we fell.  Horrible, horrible, horrible!  I can't tell you how awful it was to see his little shocked face, mouth wide open in a soundless cry as he tried to react to whatever the hell terrifying inexplicable thing had just happened.  I had to give him words for it, tell him that Mama and Limelet fell down and bonked his head, and his head hurt, all phrases he can understand. Without an explanation those things are more traumatizing.

Luckily the stairs are carpeted (I can't bear to  think of what it would have been like if they'd been uncarpeted wood) and I don't think there was any serious damage, but it wouldn't be out of the question for him to have a concussion or whiplash.  I think I'm getting a little whiplash from it myself.  I watched him for about an hour afterwards, and I left him at daycare with a note explaining to keep an eye on his eyes and so forth.  

He's also still on antibiotics for his ear infection (we've all been sick for over three weeks now) and he still has a very low appetite and has been pretty touchy, so he's just a wreck overall, poor little thing.  He had to go home early on Halloween since he wasn't feeling well enough to join in the snacks.  (He did, however, greatly enjoy the handful of trick-or-treaters we had at the house.)  

He's still occasionally mentioning--apparently out of the blue--how he had throwup and Daddy wiped it (it was last week.)  So it helps to have a verbal explanation when you're trying to process a trauma.  I'm so glad I get that, for his sake.