OK, we've been home less than 48 hours and my worst fear has already come to pass: Charlotta went down the stairs by herself. This afternoon I had left Charlotta laying on the sofa in front of the TV, and went to help Ashley with something. A few minutes later, I go back to check on Charlotta and she's gone. Vanished. All that's left is an indentation in the sofa cushion and a cast-aside blanket. I frantically ask the other kids, "Where's Charlotta?" Jack pipes up casually, "Oh, she's downstairs in the mud room waiting for you to help her with her shoes." Downstairs!!! Yikes.
The reason for my stair paranoia is two-fold. The first is that we don't have a handrail on the lower flight of stairs that go down to the rec room and mud room, so there's nothing for Charlotta to grab on to for balance. The other reason is that her balance isn't all that great right now. The physio explained to me that if you or I were to stumble, we'd probably bend forward a bit and catch ourselves but with Charlotta, the rods in her back don't allow her to bend or curve, so if she trips and starts falling forward, her body can't react the same way as it instinctively used to and I'm worried she would fall flat on her face and injure herself.
To be honest, at the moment I would like best just to roll her up in bubble wrap and strap her to the sofa, but I know that's not possible. She wants to play and have fun like the other kids. This afternoon she wanted to play basketball and also asked if she could go on the swing set. She got a big NO from me on both accounts, but I know I won't be able to distract her all the time. And, as this afternoon's stairs incident clearly showed, I can't keep my eyes on her 24/7. Somehow I need to find a balance between keeping her safe and becoming an over-protective, safety-obsessed mother hen.
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