Tough kid.

Today Annie tried a swan dive off her diaper changer-table and hit the floor. There was a great amount of crying and consoling, followed by much examining of body parts. There were hurried phone calls and a fast trip to the ER. Annie was in a bit of shock immediately after the main event and was acting sluggishly but once in the hospital for a while she got her game back. After being scrutinized all afternoon she is officially just fine.

Liz had turned away only for a second when Annie stood up and instantly went over the side. She is convinced her flash of inattention makes her the worst mother ever, obviously having forgotten about Octo-Mom and perhaps Joan Crawford. But Liz has taken two antsy boys through their diaper part of life somehow managed to prevent either of them from leaping off the tall furniture. The little creatures will do unfortunate things very much on their own and that is why God makes them tough. Yes, there are conditions for which they are simply not a match. But maybe God stuck his hand out there and cushioned her fall a bit.

No mother in the world can cover every possible situation. What will Liz do when Annie is in high school playing basketball and runs into a wall at sub-warp speed, clocking herself? Liz did that to us, and all we could do is watch helplessly from the bleachers while the coaches and officials made sure she was OK. In high school, Liz's mother hurt her back cheerleading at a football game. That time, no one was there to watch and worry about her but God made them all durable for most things just the same. Mothering is a partnership with the Almighty and sometimes He picks up the slack when mom hits a rough spotl That will have to be good enough for us.