Ladies and gents, we’ve had a new mom fail. Big time. No getting around this one, so I’ll just blurt it out: LadyP rolled off the bed a few days ago. She’s perfectly fine (luckily), but I am NOT.
The more I hear myself say “I took my hands off her for ONE SECOND,” the more and more I want to punch myself for sounding like such an idiot cliche. But it’s true…. it only takes a moment. How she got from the middle of the bed to edge so quickly, I’ll never know. It’s gonna take a looooooong time for me to get over this one… and possibly for my hubby to trust me like he used to (he wasn’t home and I didn’t tell him until much later, but that’s another story). My first, official I’m-A-Bad-Mom-$hitty-Wife moment/hour/day/year… I suppose it’s only the beginning.
Never before have I felt such a mutant strain of panic and fear rush through my veins (when it happened). I was more freaked out than she was. She cried for about 2 minutes and then started giggling when I started grabbing all her limbs and feeling her head for any bumps. After a call to my pediatrician and figuring out that she was ok, I was just plain embarrassed.
Scene of the crime. I blame that pink bear.
A day before this happened, a friend of mine confessed how impressed she was with my “confidence and ease” considering that I was a first-timer at this baby thing… and my head swelled bigger than it ever has before (which, self-admittedly, challenges Donald Trump’s arrogance… not my best trait). I was such a “fabulous” mom. Even other people thought so. Yay me. Because of my little attitude, I allowed myself to feel way too comfortable in this mommy role and it bit me in the butt (not to mention put LadyP at risk… which is the MOST UNfabulous thing of all). I had flashbacks all weekend about other parents’ overheard conversations in public: The moms in the salon talking about how their kids fell off the couch when they went into the kitchen… The dads who took their kids for a bike ride and returned home with a tiny broken arm…. all those times I’d ignorantly thought “Well, why weren’t you watching them?” This time, it was me. Talk about a wakeup call.
So, I’ve learned. Things happen, and they happen to everybody. Prevent what you can. But, BEWARE NEW MOMS: Don’t forget to FOCUS. Getting too comfy sometimes means letting your guard down. Confidence is good, complacency is not. I f*cked up big time, but was lucky…. this time. Don’t let this happen to you. Always, ALWAYS watch your own nugget as though you’re babysitting someone else’s. Am I getting closer to fabulous again?
Oh Jill…it happens to the best of moms. You’re so right, it only takes a second for disaster to strike. Even though i have two girls already, it’s been 14 years since I had a newborn and will be suffering the same as a newbie. Remember that babies are resilient and you are doing great!