Day 149: T'was the day before J's homecoming...

(alternatively titled: "When it rains in our family, it pours")

Twas the day before JAM’s homecoming, where all through the house

All his siblings were stirring. They woke up the mouse.

The stockings were hung on the wall over there

Jonathan soon would be home and at them would stare

The children were searching all over their beds

For old lost stockings that were on their heads

And I in my robe and pa with his tea

Were also wondering where the girls’ socks could be

When in the girls room there arose a thunk and a clatter

I sprang from the basement to see what was the matter

Away to their bedroom I flew like a flash

Tore open the door to see what’d made the crash.

And there on the floor with eyes wild with tears

Lay Mimi and her monkey and absolutely no sneers

The scream she emitted had me to fear

For broken bones on my little dear

She’d climbed down her bed stair so lively and quick

Mimi and monkey and that’s how she slipped.

More rapid that eagles I scooped up my child

And threw on some clothes, and left my hair wild.

We sprang to our car and to the hospital we drove

Faster than if we'd been burned by a stove

Being brave

To Children’s we’d go, not the nearest this time

We knew that there they’d spare not a dime.

To make Mimi happy and make her forget

They’d have her watch Dora and stickers she’d get

Into an CT machine to see her small head

And then there she lay on a hospital bed

Three floors under where baby brother was

We found out that screaming was all because

Of a necklace she’d left on the rung of the ladder

On that she had slipped. That was the matter.

But, we thought, a silver lining there might be

A trip to the NICU –her brother to see.

Arm newly slung and clavicle set

We went up four floors and in the NICU we met

Her darling baby brother, snug but alone

In his hospital bed, but soon he’d be home

Mimi smiled at the sight of her dear baby brother

Home soon for first Christmas along with the others.

We drove now away and toward the hospital we cried

Soon in our home, dear brother you’ll abide

There your sister will be careful to keep her things off the stairs

Because I think we’ve had enough of holiday scares.

The next day -- all was set right!
Baby brother was home
and Mimi's sling was set tight.
Two healing children in my home did lay
And I was so happy that this time they'd all stay.

**Two rules I had for my girls and bunk beds. Just two. 1) Don't put anything on the rungs of the ladder 2) Don't climb down the ladder with anything in your arms.  Mimi managed to break both - and her arm - at the same time.  The monkey she held was a GIANT plush monkey, about half her size. If things had gone better, the monkey might have broken her fall... alas, he did not. So sad for us all!