Quiet at all Costs

The first rule of my household is, Do not disturb a baby or toddler who is quiet. (The second rule is, Fix a fussy toddler or baby if you ignored the first rule.) Many households are probably like this. We love quiet and will keep a baby quiet at all costs. This is why we can navigate a minefield of Legos scattered across a floor in bare feet in the dark without making a sound when a bare foot gets punctured by a Lego corner.

So the other night, I had just gotten Caelan to sleep for the night. I had to carry him from my room to his room -- the top of the house to the bottom, or three half-flights of stairs. I was trying to be very careful and not make a lot of motion while carrying him. But toward the bottom of the last set of stairs (it was dim but not totally dark), I slipped and slid down several stairs. I twisted my foot pretty badly, so I collapsed in a sitting position as I could no longer stand on that foot. I had one instinct to yell, "YOWWW!!" but a greater instinct -- Keep the Baby Quiet -- prevailed. I hobbled the last few feet to the bed and then limped back up all the stairs.