Fear At The Wheel - Day 122

Happy 4M Day Grayson,

You are officially next level big fella. You're putting on weight like an offensive linemen, though you actually just started grabbing your feet. Quite the conundrum, I know. I worry socks will soon be lost at an unsustainable pace. Mommy was doing a good enough job without your help. Shout-out to her though, she's killing it at literally everything else.

So we got home from dinner not long ago, where your father witnessed one of his baby nightmares up close and personal. In my bad dreams, I drop the baby carrier...with you in it. As you and your Graco apparatus hurl towards the ground at 1000 miles per hour, I jump from my sleep before you hit the ground within the seemingly endless abyss a foot and a half below. Something similar has just happened in real life and it has me a bit traumatized. First thought, we're not eating in a restaurant until you're 6.

To set the scene, we’re at a restaurant for the oldest Bowman brother’s birthday. There's obviously a baby in a carrier. She's a bit older and sturdier than you, maybe 8Ms. Disclaimer: That's likely an incorrect estimate; I'm about 2 of 10 on my baby age guesses. You are all different shapes and sizes. Moving along, baby in carrier, carrier on upside down child seat. I was actually unaware until a few weeks after meeting you that the bottom of the child seat in restaurants is well suited for holding a car seat (or baby carrier). That is with exception to the fact that when flipped, the base to holder surface area comparison is awful. To illustrate, it's similar to removing the stem from a pear and standing it on it's head. Doable, yes. Structurally sound, not at all.

So remember, the baby is in the carrier, and the carrier is on the upside down child seat. Mom stands up (not your mom, this baby's mom) to give her salutations before departing. There's an expression that says “blink and you'll miss it.” Well, I must've blinked because I missed what caused what happened next. The child seat is on a gangsta lean, falling with no obstruction around to stop the topple. Carrier goes down like Frazier. Hysteria ensues. Yelps, OMGs, and the baby crying fill the patio area of the restaurant. There's a mad scramble to grab the baby, who is still within the confines of the carrier, but fully under the table at this point.

The baby was strapped in, Thank God. And thank Him again for this baby's mom for securing that strap and leaping to action as quickly as she did. Though terrifying to watch, the topple was more of a first roller-coaster ride, not a pre-hospital nightmare. Obviously, the baby was startled, but who wouldn't be. What I learned was that babies in general are really resilient. You are to be handled with the utmost care, but you're not a piece of fine china. Rational fear of you being hurt SHOULD/WILL be considered prior to my actions, but it shouldn't paralyze me.

Avoiding restaurants for fear of child seat topples is like removing all the beds in the house for fear you'll roll onto the floor from one. The way our life is setup, that just won't work. Daddy has a super secure carrying technique. Your head and back are fully supported, and I have my primary hand available to thwart catastrophe. But full disclosure, your head has made contact with the wall in the stairwell. Should I no longer take the stairs? Not an option. Your head isn't getting any smaller and the technique has prevented numerous other injuries. You learn, adjust, and move forward.

I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe from harm!! I'll wrestle a grizzly bear again if we're in a situation that calls for it. I'll punch a goat or swat a bee to protect you, whatever is necessary. But we have so many amazing adventures ahead. We will not, I say we WILL NOT be handicapped by fear. I love you kid, now let's go skydiving.

Love,

Daddy

You’re starting to talk trash now….

on the DAILY.