Unbelievable Milestone....

Not a post for the weak of stomach...consider yourself warned!

Once upon a time there was a middle aged couple who traveled to a far away country and came home parents. The toddler girl in their arms was a wary and watchful child who most often chose to stand wide eyed and questioning at new events in her life. As she mastered the new language and developed a sense of security in her position in the new family she began to join in  group play....slowly, gradually, ever so carefully. Her cousins enveloped her in their love which allowed her competitive little soul to blossom and by school age she was a dancer and soccer player on par with her peers....except for one little detail...she NEVER fell and scraped ANYTHING....EVER! There was a RARE bump resulting in a bruise and there was the one incident when a tussle between cousins competing over a Pokemon card resulted in four stitches in her eyebrow but NEVER a skinned elbow or knee! She is a hesitant and cautious lady until she masters a situation. Her training wheels stayed on until she had well mastered balancing and pedaling a bike and on the rare occasion when the bike got the best of her she would leap from the bike so as to land on her feet. The new mommy never had to try and wash dirt from road rash nor ration band-aids or even chide a child to stop picking at her scabs!! Of course you know where this post is heading????

My kids used to groan at my Mom's favorite expression of  "Too much laughing leads to crying!" When Mari called the family nurse to report the 'crisis' and get a second opinion [because Mom is not to be trusted??] and the question of just how the injury was incurred was asked she responded with, "Well the too much laughing leading to crying worked!" Oh, and when she goes about skinning her first knee she does it all the way...

The too much laughing??? A water fight between cousins!!! Trying to make an escape she very uncharacteristically tripped over....THE HOSE!!!!

The crying??? Mari in pain, Julia and Deirdre in both sympathy for Mari and fear of Mom's reaction to the drenched clothes, and Mom for the pain of seeing the raw naked flesh which reminds me of how vulnerable a human being she is down under the careful, wary persona. No fear this lady will pick at her scabs but we've gone through a copious amount of Neosporin Plus ointment and band-aids in the few hours since the 'incident'!!! Thank goodness the dance recital is over.....