Taking a beating.

I got a bloody nose today from my toddler son. The corners of my eyes are also purpling. We were playing inncoently in the living room. He had pushed me onto my back so he could stack some balls and cushions on top of me. He likes for me to pretend I'm trapped, then to come to my rescue or bounce on me, usually the latter. So, I lay back and he rolled a body ball onto me. I should know better than to forget to protect my head when I'm in a vulnerable position with him.

After stacking the ball on, he walked out of my line of vision to get something else to stack on me. Usually this is a pillow or blanket. Unfortunately, I forgot that he'd been playing with the stainless steel insulated pot we usually put our chapatis in. All of a sudden, I saw my reflection rushing at me, then stars. I let out a strangled scream and shot upright, hands to my nose.

I rarely ever freak out in front of Ragsy. I don't scream and I rarely cry. Even during a two-hour-long temper tantrum, toward the end of which I was considering a call to the doctor, did I get ruffled. Even when he crushed my left breast during a full body slam with a well- or ill-placed elbow and when he ripped a bandage off of my finger when I had cut the tip off, I didn't cry. But this was uncontrollable. Getting hit in the face in the perfect spot will do that to you. I burst into tears and a trickle of blood dribbled out of my nose. Ragsy began to wail. After I had calmed myself to the point of tears merely gushing out of my eyes instead of outright sobs, I pulled him over to me and wiped his tears with my non-bloody hand and explained to him that he needed to be much more careful, we were going to put the pot away and that, if he hurt someone, he needed to stay calm and find out if they were ok.

He eventually calmed down enough to kiss my nose better (God I wish I were a kid still sometimes) and hug me and helped me by finding a tissue. Now my entire head hurts. I think the only thing that doesn't is my chin. I have received more injuries in the two and a half years since this kid was born than I had during my entire life before that. Fortunately, none are quite as serious as slicing open my hand after running headfirst through a doorway, but a bloody nose and the start of a double black eye from a toddler? That shouldn't happen.