the other morning I managed to have my first panic-stricken moment with Fynn. in the morning rush of getting douglas ready for school, breakfast, and so on I'd left fynn on the bed. he was just waking up and getting restless, and I scooted for the bathroom, knowing I'd have to get him up and feed him. as i left the room i made a vague mental note that he was at a 45 degree angle to the edge of the bed, and if he reached his left arm full length he could just touch the edge of the bed. he's shown no signs of rolling over yet, so i wasn't worried, though he's skooched a few inches here/there when he's mad.
i was halfway across the kitchen on the way back to get him when i heard the thump. i shrieked 'michael!' and ran to the bed, knowing fynn had fallen off. he was wedged in the crack between the bed and my desk, all 12 inches of it, head first on top of my coaching binders that have a semi-permanent home there. he started to scream of course, and i gingerly got my hands under his arms and lifted him up, checking for cuts. he had 3 parallel marks across the top of his head, which promptly got arnica lotion applied and he was grinning within 2 minutes so i figured he was fine. his scalp looked 'lightly grilled' for a couple days, and it's down to one small scratch that follows his almost non-existent hairline.
in a way it's a relief, getting past that first scare. and less of a scare than with the first one. i remember douglas flipping out of my hands after being taken out of the bath, and landing face-first on a towel on the floor. feeling horrible, but realizing that babies are incredibly bendable, flexible, and prone to speedy recoveries. they surprise you with how quickly they move from one milestone to the next, I'd assumed fynn couldn't move that far on his own. now i know. my cousin who's been thru this drama 4 times with her own helpfully observed that by the 4th one i'd be "wait a minute while I finish this and *then* I'll come get you." probably not far off the mark.
yesterday it was my turn. we were cleaning off the storage shelves in douglas' room, so m could take them to the studio. the stuff was moving to his old art shelves in our room, and we were both moving things as fast as possible so douglas could get down for his sorely-needed nap. as i was bending to get something off a lower shelf, m was getting the wood scraps from the top shelf that had been puzzle-pieced together to take up the least amt of space. something unbalanced and a domino effect pushed off one of our old bed legs that were cut to lower the bed so I could get in/out while pregnant. (it was almost 7 feet off the ground). so a 4x4 piece of pine about 3' long fell down and conked me on the head, right in the middle of my skull. needless to say m felt terrible, and i crouched down holding my head and crying for a bit. arnica once again (amazing stuff for reducing bruising and swelling, the faster it gets on the better it works), slimed into my hair, extra strength tylenol, and a nap for me. my neck is a bit sore and if i raise my eyebrows it pulls the skin on my head and makes it really hurt, but surprisingly very little swelling. only a small cut thankfully.
last night, fynn was extra fussy and we finally twigged to why he kept sucking on his fingers, all of them at once if he could. sharp objects on the way ... yes he seems to be cutting teeth. oh joy. that's what signaled the end of nursing for douglas, he bit me a couple times and my yelps scared him out of the last couple feedings he was getting a day. and we could hardly tell he was cutting teeth, it didn't seem to bother him. fynn is happy to announce it loud and long, so i'm hoping it goes quickly. i can see them thru the gums on both top and bottom, but he hasn't cut the tops open yet.
i'm ready for a nice soft bed with a small warm not-quite-a-newborn-anymore in it. i can't believe he's 3 months already.