My mom took a really hard fall last week and walked away with a broken rib. Ella was on her hip at the time and they were going to play in Grandma’s room when a cat skirted by, tripped my mom and she used her body to protect Ella from getting slammed into the corner of her dresser. And she broke her own rib in the process. After falling she was unable to catch her breath to call for help for a good five minutes, but struggled to keep up a façade of everything being ok for Ella’s benefit. But no matter how hard my mom tried to cover it up, Ella knew that something had happened and that her Grandma was hurt, and all these days later she still isn’t over it.

We first started seeing changes in Ella with her constant clinging to my mom. She would go play in another room for a few minutes, but keep coming back in to give my mom’s legs a squeeze, then return to her play, but only for another few minutes before returning for another hug. She’s been leading my mom around the house by the hand with no apparent destination in mind. She’s been uncharacteristically waking up during naps and at night trying to tell her dad and me something that we just can’t understand. During these times she seems upset and has asked for her Grandma a few times through her sleepy stupor.

I’m sure that she understands that Grandma got hurt and now she’s just worried. My sweet girl is coming to have quite a sensitive little heart. My mind, of course, wanders back to her days before we became a family. Does she remember anything? Was she too young to have concrete memories? And then I go right into the heart braking thoughts of all children who have witnessed horrors; parents getting hurt, people hurting them, accidents, etc. My heart just breaks for them. Children know; they understand more than many adults give them credit for. Ella knows that her beloved Grandma has a “boo boo” and I believe she’s doing all that she knows how to try and take care of her. Bless her sweet little heart.

Photo © Rebecca Hess 2007

Life With Ella - Testing Limits
Ella's Life Lessons

For information/instructions on how to subscribe FREE to your favorite AdoptionBlogs, please visit this link.