Vampire Baby Draws Blood

Remind me that boo boos are a childhood rite of passage, okay?

Ryan cracks me up (in general, but more specifically) because anytime E.V. gets a scrape or a bruise or a bug bite, his reaction is always protective, and in his mind, if one of us is nearby, these boo boos wouldn't happen. This makes me laugh because, as a mom who's literally within an arm's reach of Emma Vance at least 90% of the time, I know that these bumps in the road are inevitable. I mean, there have been times when I've even had my hand actually on her little body, and she's still managed to fall. Doomed for klutziness? Possibly...

This time, though, I wasn't within an arm's distance, and thus the boo boo was bigger and badder than ever before. Emma Vance is a proud toddler these days, enjoying practicing her walking skills and occasionally using furniture to cruise around. We've had a few bumps as a result, but nothing scary enough to stop our little lady from getting back up immediately. This time, though, she happened to be cruising around the coffee table happily when she fell FACE-FIRST into it. Cue tears, Dada hugs, a bottle and an ice pack. It was her first bloody lip--the result of four new top teeth chomping down on her tiny little lower lip. Thanks a lot, Vampire Baby fangs. I know vampires like blood and all, but c'mon... :)

Did I mention that this happened a few hours Emma Vance's official one-year-old photo shoot? No? Well, did I mention that earlier in the day I also happened to accidentally thwack her in the forehead (with the Jesus Storybook Bible nonetheless), leaving a huge red mark as well? How about the fact that it rained as if on cue at the exact time our photo shoot was about to begin? How about that the restaurant where we waited the rain out RAN OUT of highchairs? No joke. Or that she pooped herself in the middle of taking pictures? Or that it was so muggy out I'm sure my hair was a frizzy mess in the family shots? Or that our poor, sweet, talented photographer friend ended up with giant mosquito bites all over her legs from standing in a field? Oops. Do Vampire Babies even show up in pictures, or is it like the whole no-reflection-in-the-mirror thing? :)