Things that go bump

Today has been stressful to a point where I've been flattened onto the sofa with a migraine.

Poor little Captain fell down the stairs this morning, and I saw it in slow motion. She was going down with Hubby and Mr. Buttons, but they went on ahead. I was upstairs folding washing and must have heard a noise, because I turned and saw her tumbling down.

I have never been so scared in my whole life.

I ran down, Hubby ran towards her from downstairs and caught her before she hit the floor. She cried and I held her until she calmed down, while throwing on my clothes with the other hand. Captain wanted porridge fingers and had a little walk around, which helped put my mind at ease a bit, but with a bump like that nothing really makes a mama completely calm. Mr. Buttons of course didn't handle his sister's crying all too well, and getting him to get ready felt like months. I managed to keep my shit together through that, and the wait at the emergency department. Through my little woman being terrified at the nurse and doctor looking at her in the middle of all the weird, beeping machines. Through her getting home and having a nap, through watching her like a hawk to make sure she's still breathing. Then we had to go to town, and that was very nearly the last straw for me. So I went for a coffee, just to sit down. And ended up meeting a mama I have briefly chatted to at different groups. She was by herself, while her son napped, and asked us to join her. Then another mama friend came in and sat with us too. I ended up pouring my heart out to them, and got so much warmth and support I actually cried a bit. And then we chatted and laughed, which I didn't think was going to be possible after the morning we'd had. Captain played with their boys and then we left to pick up Mr. Buttons.

Outside the school we met Hubby, who walked across the road to meet us with a very strange expression. I thought he was still in shock after someone drove into the back of his car after he'd dropped Mr. Buttons to school, until he said: "So, I told them my wife would be in tomorrow to pay the booking deposit, if that suits her... Sale agreed!"

I'm trying very hard not to get excited, seeing as we've done this dance before.
But Hubby's optimistic, superstitious mumblings of "Third time lucky, and two wrongs make a right" are starting to wear down my cynical realism.
So tomorrow we view Potential Home for the second time...
In the meantime, I'm off to prod my sleeping daughter to make sure she responds in her usual manner to being woken up. The doctor's notes referred to clutching a teddy or pulling up a blanket. In our case it'll be milk and snuggles, which are probably the best medicine for both of us after today's adventures...