6 Hours

That is the amount of time that you need to watch for side effects from head trauma.

Yep, you guessed it: Jack took his first fall.

Taylor was getting Jack ready for bed last night and she turned for just one second (isn't that the way it always is?) and Jack leaned a little too far and did a somersault onto the floor from the changing table. He landed flat on his back and she said he did not cry at first. She, of course, screamed, which sent Jack into hysterics. It took a long time for him to calm down and he fell asleep.

I was in the kitchen and ran to see what happened. While Taylor calmed him to sleep, I called our doctor and asked if we should do anything. She told me the same information I read in the Mayo Clinic Book and the What To Expect The First Year book. She said if we did not see any swelling, bumps, or discoloration, there was a much smaller chance of head trauma. But, we did need to wake him up every 2 hours for 6 hours and make sure he would get up. Any vomiting, lethargy, or general strange behavior were other warning signs. The kid really did not have a scratch on him; not even a bump or a bruise.

He slept like a baby.

This morning he awoke and was happy as could be, and more than likely already memory free of the fall.

Taylor was (and still is) very upset. She blames herself and feels horrible that this happened. I kept telling her that even if she was standing right there and turned to close the diaper bin or grab some powder, Jack still would have fallen and she wouldn't have been able to react. It was not like she left the room, she just moved a foot away from him.

I can tell you that we will both be extra careful with Jack from now on. I guarantee Taylor will be in OVERPROTECT mode for at least the next week or two.

On top of everything, when I checked in on him this morning, he was asleep on his stomach. He flipped himself over in his sleep for the first time. That was definitely a cool sight. He was also rolling around like crazy before bed. This kid is going to be trouble.

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Taylor's side note: I had a dream over the weekend that Jack fell. I couldn't remember how or from where, but he fell and I'd just casually mentioned it to Alex. Weird.