Injuries and Imagination

Tonight, Hannah and I were having some snuggle time before bedtime. Admittedly, snuggle time has been lacking a little lately since we've both been having a hard time sticking to the schedule. So by the time she's getting into bed, I'm nearing cranky time and we're lucky to get everyone to bed without any tears... At any rate, tonight I had warned Hannah that she had about 2 minutes before I came in to attack her and kiss her face. So she was already in her jammies and ready for snuggles when I got there.

However, instead of just scooting over like normal, she rolled onto her left side and curled up with her body pillow. I started to sit by her anyway when she said, "My whole side hurts.. It might be from the cartwheel (which must have been amazing, since she also managed to jam a finger when she fell doing it). Or it might be from getting slammed in the car door." Another fun injury from playing with her new friends up the street... a friendship that I'm beginning to question...

Being the concerned mother that I am, I asked her where her side hurt and to let me see it. She pulled up the side of her shirt to reveal a thoroughly normal abdomen. So I said, "Where does it hurt?"

H: Right here. (circling most of her left side)
M: (still not seeing anything) Where?
H: Right here... Where it's preparing for a bruise.
M: It's what?
H: Preparing for a bruise. I can feel it.
H: (now pointing at a higher point on her rib) See... it's really pink here.
M: (slight pause) That's because you're alive.

Snuggle time continued as normal... In recounting her day, she told me all about her genius but failed plan to swing in the baby swing on the playground in the backyard. She explained that she does this all the time. From the way she described it, she seems to almost perch on the swing as her legs don't quite fit in the holes anymore... I really wish I had a picture of this pose. (Note to self: See if Hannah will pose for a picture in the baby swing.)

Not Hannah, but this is how the swing SHOULD be used...

It would have gone just fine, but I had the audacity to call her while she was swinging, so she had to stand up in the swing - Don't worry, Mom, I was holding on to the chains - and then jump off the back of the swing. It was a total surprise that she subsequently fell on her face and may or may not have eaten dirt and wood chips.

M: You were eating wood chips???
H: Only the ones that got in my mouth.

Clearly, this was all my fault. So we went on to discuss the rest of her day and how she'll always be sure to check in with me so I don't have to call her and make her fall out of baby swings.

And then she showed me how she'd drawn her name in block letters which she was planning on coloring for an unknown purpose. This reminded me that a friend of mine, Ryan (but she goes by Girl just to keep things obvious), has an interesting favorite color.


M: Girl's favorite color is rainbow.
H: Huh?
M: Rainbow.
H: Oh. She like all the colors.
M: No, her favorite color is rainbow.
H: So it's all the colors...
M: ...but put into a rainbow. So all the rainbow colors. At the same time.
H: (subtly irritated silence)
M: She might have made that color up.
H: Maybe you made HER up.

Touche.