I think this may have been the worst day of Jonah's life to date.
It started with his 1-year checkup, when he was surprised with the sudden pain of a shot. His arm was achy all day, but at least he finished the Prevnar series. (Jonah: 20 lb, 29 inches; Isaac: 35 lb, 39 inches)
At home, he was playing on the platform at the top of the slide when he fell off the back of it, and his neck landed directly on the plastic bar, with the back of his head on the wood floor. He's learned to climb up the slide barefoot, and apparently he's gotten really fast at it because I just left the room for half a minute to drop off something in the kitchen. And then I heard him screaming - hurting and terrified.
Later that day, we were playing in the living room, where Jonah likes to cruise around Isaac's firehouse and play with the pieces inside. Suddenly, he pitched forward, and his head hit the hard plywood edge of the flat roof. Again, angry tears and difficulty calming down.
That evening, I made us a picnic dinner, and we set off for Lily Lake, just outside of Rocky Mountain National Park. We'd heard it was a beautiful spot, and though it would be a good distance to drive just for dinner, we knew the leaves were changing, and we wanted to let the boys play in a beautiful place.
The drive was more than an hour, but it was spectacular - up I-25 and then west through Longmont and Lyons, the golden light hitting the waves of wheat-colored prairie grasses and the snow-capped mountains beyond. When we finally reached the lake, the sun was about to set. And it was really cold. So we bundled up as best we could and found a nearby picnic table.
Jonah was excited to get out of the car, but then, sadly, he had his third fall of the day. This is not normal for him; I don't know how these things happen all at once sometimes. You can see in the picture below that he was happy - arms out for balance, practicing his standing, proud of his developing abilities - but I cringe when I see this shot now. Right after I pushed the shutter, he took a step back, lost his balance, and fell straight back. From where I stood, it looked like he'd hit the back of his head again. And once again, he was hysterical, sobbing in my arms like he'd never stop.
When Isaac gets hurt, he gets sad; when Jonah gets hurt, he is mad at the world. He sometimes won't even let me comfort him until he calms down a little, though he's slowly getting better about that as he learns the great power of hugs and snuggles.
Isaac was happy to be there at least.
Jonah was too upset to eat, and he was loud, so Adam eventually took Isaac off for a walk while I tried to calm down our little guy. Finally, I got him to laugh, and he decided to eat some dinner. But by then, the cold was really setting in, and our hands were turning pink. Luckily, we keep hats and jackets in the car, but I need to find gloves for the boys somewhere...
Isaac came back with cold, rosy cheeks, warm enough from running but still ready for snuggles.
After he ate, it was time to run some more. Jonah was still wavering between sniffling and crying, and Adam realized that he was getting too cold. So he took him back to the car while Isaac and I enjoyed the beautiful setting for a little longer.
We came back to a warm, cozy car and a happy baby. Adam had wrapped him up in a thick blanket and turned the heat up high, and that made all the difference.
Time to head home for bed. Another beautiful drive down highway 7 from Lyons to Boulder - the valley stretching out to the east, dotted with twinkling lights, under a sea of stars - then through Boulder, which was beautiful and full of crowds and lights and activity. We made a stop at Bova's - possibly our last of the season - for a treat for the drive home. No matter how cold it is, frozen custard still tastes great.
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