Ouch

Today's training was supposed to be 15 minutes of cross training. I think pushing a heavy stroller around the zoo for about 3 hours (in temperatures hovering around 110 degrees, no less) should count. Aside from the heat, it was a nice morning out with friends. The kids had a good time, especially in the new splash pad they recently built. And that's where the Ouch comes in.

We were sitting in the shade watching the kids play. All except Matthew. He doesn't care much for crowds, and there were a lot of kids in the splash pad. The lady next to me suggested I walk through the misty cave with him. I wanted him to get cooled off a bit, so I picked him up and held him at my hip. I walked up the four or five step entrance to the cave and walked in. After a few steps, the path started going downhill. Then I realized I was walking on a smooth, concrete waterslide. Betch know where this is going, don't you? I took a few more steps, ever so gingerly, and tried holding onto the cave walls, but it sure was slippery. After I took my last step, I slid and both feet went out from under me. As I was suspended in mid-air, I braced myself for the impact and whipped Matthew to my front so he wouldn't hit anything against the concrete. Hey, at least that worked. Initially I thought he had hit his head, but I think he was just scared. As for me, six Advils later I'm still sitting here with a heating pad around my neck.

So, the moral of the story is this. If you go to this new splashpad, know that there are two entrances. One is a slide, and the other entrance is just around the corner. You can just walk into the cave. Imagine!

The one good thing about the incident is that the only people who saw it were Elizabeth and a whole bunch of kids. I know Elizabeth was right behind me because immediately after I fell, I heard her say, "That's what happens, Mommy." And if I hadn't been in such shock and pain, I might have gotten up and said, "That's right, kids. Let that be a lesson to us all."