So, my mom, Danielle & Dante, Tiffany & Teagan, and I went to the Country Village today for lunch & to walk around & have fun. We had lunch at a little Italian restaurant. The kids had a fun time running around looking at things (like ducks & roosters & windmills & lots of interesting shop things).
See??? Fun Times!!!!
Then we made the mistake of going back to the little park so the kids could go on the little push-around merry-go-round. In the past, the cute little horse-go-round really didn't spin--you had to seriously put in a hard-core work out to get it to move at all.
This is a picture from a couple years ago when Ava was here with us &
Teagan was only 1 & we had to push & shove to move that sucker at all!
But someone has apparently fixed it and, boy, does it work! With the merest of pushes, it spins & even gains momentum when you aren't pushing it at all.
This guy was there with his daughter who was much older than our kids (8 or 9 maybe?)--we all got the feeling it was maybe his "visitation day" as he just didn't strike us as a father who was just out for the day with his child...I don't know how to explain it. Frankly he came off as a guy who couldn't handle raising a kid full time. Not really the point though. The point was, he had her spinning so fast on that thing that she was but a blur. However she loved it!
But then we came along and another mother with younger kids came at the same time & the guy finally got the clue that the toy wasn't for his daughter's exclusive use...I think when his daughter said something about giving the other kids turns! So she got off & the two of them actually wandered off.
So I was on it with Teagan & Dante & a couple other kids and we were just kind of spinning slowly, nice time. I was half-standing/half-sitting on that middle section holding on to Dante making sure he didn't just decide to get down while it was moving. He was loving it and everyone was having a great time. But guess who comes back? The father/daughter duo. His kid gets on, yells to go faster and the guy just sends us spinning. Didn't ask. Didn't notice that there was an 18 month old...or a couple of 3 or 4 year olds on there!
I could barely keep my balance & was trying to hold on to Dante for dear life and was worried about Teagan but I couldn't really catch my breath to tell him to stop. Just as I was able to yell out for him to stop, my mom started yelling at him to stop the whole ride & then Dante sort of slumped from dizziness & let his grip on the horse go & I had this grip on him that was like a straight jacket. The thing stopped & mom ran over and Dante slid down & stumbled off with this look on his face like "what the hell just happened??" Teagan slid off too & grabbed my hand as I staggered off unsteady & sick. I gave the guy a dirty look and commented to loudly on "what the hell did that jerk think he was doing?" When my head cleared & I turned around and told him afterwards that he shouldn't do that with other people's kids...but he did it anyway, again, later... In the meantime, Dante actually peed his pants (or filled his diaper) he was so shocked! He was dry when I set him on that horse!!
The crappy thing is that what happened with Dante wasn't even the worst thing...that was still coming. The guy & kid slunk away after I snapped at him. Teagan & other kids recovered & happily get back on. Then the other kids left. Man & kid come back. Now it's just Teagan & his kid who once again screams to go fast. Teagan laughs & says something like, "yeah, go fast!" Teagan is THREE!!! So the idiot freakin' sends them spinning like crazy. Danielle was walking away to go change Dante's diaper & I was following her to give him his trusty car & we both heard this shriek & turned to see Teagan flying through the air. My sister & mom were screaming & running towards her. I turned & started running towards her from the opposite direction. Danielle started running after me, holding Dante. (My chest is getting tight just typing this!)
Teagan had become dizzy, lost her grip, & flew off!!! She landed head/face first in the cement & grass next to the spinning thing & the asshole was still kinda laughing!!
Teagan bit through her lip, scratched her chin & face + her knees were all scratched up through her pants. She was screaming & bleeding all over & the jerk didn't even apologize.
The guys kid said something like, "Wow! Dad, are you in trouble?!" And he laughed and said, "Yeah, I guess so!" and kept pushing her around in circles!!! (But she kept saying, "Stop, that little girl's hurt!")
Teag was able to shakily stand & my sister just grabbed her up, threw her purse at me & ran asking where a bathroom or first aid station was. My mom gave the guy a dirty look (& word) & followed. Danielle followed them & I quickly gathered up my sister's purse & the items that had fallen out.
Frankly, I didn't know whether to beat the crap out of that jerk or run with the others to the bathroom with Teag. My love for Teag won out. And I ran with the rest of the group towards the far off bathroom. When I glanced over my shoulder, though, that guy was still crazily spinning his kid around on that damned merry-go-round! (Though I chose Teagan then, I did go back looking for the him soon after & I think if Danielle hadn't had Dante, she might have gone after him too! Instead she wisely took Dante to change his very wet pants.)
Teagan screamed & cried the whole way to the bathroom (at far end of village while the not-so-merry-go-round is at front) and kept saying, "No go faster, no go faster!!!" Her mouth was bleeding & her whole lower face was swelling rapidly. We ran in the bathroom & I went into the restaurant next door & got ice. People were asking what had happened & a couple had seen what happened & followed us. People offered first aid kits from cars or stores & were very kind.
The sweetest offer though was from the woman from the awesome toy store, Toys That Teach: she brought us in, settled Teagan in a sunny corner where they had books & a cozy chair & a baby doll & a rocking horse and brought us their 1st aid kit while Teagan was distracted by all the awesome things around her. The woman didn't even mind that we brought a screaming, bloody child in--in fact she ushered us in. Very, very sweet!!! Teagan slowly calmed down & stuck her tongue back out at me so we could see if it was bit through & let mommy feel her teeth. Teag quieted & asked to sit on (of all things!) the rocking horse! When a horse bucks you, you have get right back one, you know!
Thank You to Toys That Teach!!!
I took this lull to take the camera & hunt down the arse who had done this to our baby...he had left the area (and I think the whole shopping village), so I was spared being arrested for killing him. Truth be told, right before she flew off, all 4 of us felt like we should get her off that thing and away from that jerk, and Tiff was moving forward to do so... Should have followed our instincts sooner!
Anyway...when I got back to the toy store, Teag was curled up on mommy's lap reading a book. She couldn't really talk as her mouth was so swollen, but she did agree to go look at their train set. But when she tried to walk, it hurt too much, so mommy carried her. Then we found this fun section with all these themed sticker books--kind of part story book, part paper dolls, & part stickers. Mommy told her she could have one so she sat on my lap & slowly narrowed it down from 1 of each, to just the Ballerina sticker book & was able to carry it to the counter. The lady told her how brave she was & asked if she likes puppy dogs (think she saw Teagan admiring the $25 purse that looked like a puppy that mommy said she couldn't get!) and then gave her a whole roll of different puppy stickers for being such a brave girl! Score!!!!
She was able to walk all the way back to the front of the Village to the fabric/quilting store is where Gramma, Auntie Danielle, and Dante were waiting for us. She carefully carried a doggie sticker for Dante the whole way. When we got there she couldn't really talk clearly, but said something like, *sniff* "Heya Dante, thith thitker th for you!" *snuffle* [Here Dante, this sticker is for you!] (This was followed by what was supposed to be a smile).
Dante loves his cousin and looked confused by several things: her beat up face, her speech, and lastly, by her offering.
(Later Gramma told me that he did not know what to do with that sticker! First it got stuck on one finger so he tried to pull it off, but then it was stuck on the finger of the the other hand...hmmm, pull it off...wait! Stuck back on the 1st finger. Ugh! Pull it off...back on 2nd hand/finger. Confusion mounts. This went on for a minute or so with confusion coating his face til a light bulb went off! His face brightened. He smiled. He bent down. And carefully stuck that darn sticker to the floor of the store. Sigh. Relief! ROFL)
Joyous Boy...he looked VERY serious when his cousin got hurt!
By this time Teagan had had it--she was done with this day & wanted to go back to Gramma's. It didn't matter that Gramma was staying with Auntie Danielle & Dante at the store...she cried at the suggestion of going home. So Auntie M & Mommy agreed to take her back to Gramma's (why it is Gramma's house & not mine is beyond me--but all the kids call it Gramma's house: they must think I'm the most horrible freeloader!)
We walked back to our car, carefully skirting the area with the dangerous toy (and I made fun of parks for removing those things! Now I see why they did!!!) & settled Teagan in. Out came Purple (her special blankie) and The Pluggie Fairy even made one of her pluggies magically appear (the Pluggie Fairy takes Teagan's pluggies to babies during the day and brings her one at bed time)...but poor little girl couldn't even suck on it. But she was happy to let it rest in her mouth! Then she snuggled with Auntie M's new doll, Branwen. (Yes, I have a new baby doll~another story I'll share another time!)
She fell asleep about 5 minutes into our drive. About 10 minutes into our drive she cried out in her sleep:
"No go fast! No go fast!"
And then snuggled Purple & Branwen closer. Her mommy & I looked at each other & teared up. I crept quietly out of the car when we reached my house, gently removing Branwen & replacing her with one of Teagan's stuffed animals that I had also been carrying. [Teagan had wanted them all to come with us today--who am I to argue? ;-) ]
This was last night but it's a close approximation to how
Teagan & Branwen looked in the backseat today
Emergencies involving our precious children bring out some strange behaviour in people. For instance, Teagan's typically mild-mannered, non-swearing daddy wanted to kill the effer when he found out. Her usually foul-mouthed Auntie M didn't swear once during the whole episode, nor did she kill the effer when she had the chance (though it definitely crossed her mind--his kid being there stopped me). Her mommy was cool & calm under pressure but her Gramma who handled all sorts of boo-boos over the years was shaking. Auntie D surprised me in also wanting to smack the guy! And Dante who had been wriggling around wanting to get back on the spinning monster saw what happened to his beloved cousin & fell quiet and didn't ask to go back there again. And while one stranger hurt, many others reached out in kindness.
We have much to be grateful for. Dante could have slipped off and been injured today too. And Teagan's injuries could have been much, much worse: she could have lost teeth, broken an arm, or worse, her neck.
So while she "bounced" back this evening at home (meaning her mood bounced back to its usual cheerfulness--she couldn't eat & talking is difficult), we are grateful that our precious girl is not hurt any worse than she was. Her parents are keeping an eye on her in case of concussion. And we know God had His hand on her today--despite all of us not listening to our instincts or His nudges more quickly.
Last week when I took apart one of Teagan's roses to dry it's petals,
I discovered all of them to be heart-shaped!
Updated 10/01/12:
Today Teagan is bruised & banged up but her spirit is bright! She is playing & dancing, but still wants lots of cuddles...and talked Mommy, Gramma, & Auntie M into letting her spend the night here again. Milk it girl!
