Bumps and Bruises

are what this boy is made of.

I have never met a child who is more observant than this one. Now, to add to that, he does everything and anything his brothers are doing...age does not matter. We don't have stairs in our home, so he learned by climbing up his brothers bunkbed ladder...before he was one. He climbs up onto the table and jumps around like it's no big deal. He spins around the family room and then runs down the hallway full speed. He gets so excited and forgets about any object in his pathway. Can you tell this is a bad, bad combination. It is.

When we were in St. George a couple of weeks ago, the very first night we were there he was up on the top bunkbed with his brothers and cousin Hunter. I don't know what they were doing...they were probably just so excited to be together! We then heard Levi screaming so we run in to get him and comfort him. The boys said that he tripped and bunked his head on the edge (I'm so thankful he didn't fall off). When we looked at his face, it had swollen up right under his eye (now, I'm thankful he didn't bang one inch more towards his eye). After a minute or two of needing to be cuddled, he was back and running around like nothing had happened. So it just looked really bad, but he seemed great and happy. A few days later he banged his chin on the picnic table...another bruise...a few days after that another bruise appears on his cheek, I have absolutely no idea where that one came from. And the list goes on...still.

Two weeks after the black eye, Levi has a doctors appointment. I told the Doctor about all the bruises and then we were onto the rest of the appointment. (Stats at 21 months are: 33.5 inches tall - 55%, 25.4 lbs. - 30%. 19.1 inches circumference - 50%.) After examing Levi, the doctor pulls up a chair across from me and says, "well..." Oh no, that can not be good. You never want to hear well.... from the doctor. First thing that comes to my mind is...he thinks I'm an abusive mother, he's going to turn me in, they are going to take our children away....I feel sick! He goes on to tell me that he found blood in Levi's ear and the two reasons that would be the case is from either an ear infection (which, he didn't have) or head trauma. I think the Dr. noticed my face color go from pink to white. I felt like the world's worst mother on the planet. How could I not notice my child having head trauma....really? Doctor said, in most head trauma cases you take the child to the ER and often they need to have a procedure done by a neurosurgeon. WHAT? Have I ruined our child? Luckily, the Doctor didn't seem too concerned and said that Levi must be one tough kid, because if anything would have happened it would have been within the first 24 hours. I guess I felt a little better. He still wants to see Levi in a week and a half just to follow up on it. I should have put this child in a helmet that whole time. Since then...
Daddy came home from work and was in the kitchen. Levi had been in his bedroom and when he noticed Justin was home he booked it full speed to him yelling, "Daddy!!!" in the cutest voice you will ever hear and then ..smack.. right into the corner of our bookshelf, knocking him down. It was devistating. And now, yes, another bruise on his face, right down his cheek.
On Saturday, we were over at my sisters house and I was telling my parents all about Levi and that I was probably going to be turned in for child abuse, and what do you know... Levi, running full speed again, smacked right into the kitchen table. Oh child, please no more! You have got to stay bruise free...at least until next week, please....