Letters to Ameline Part Two

Dear Ameline,

You had your first fall today. :(

We were returning home from shopping at a baby fair in Expo and visiting your grandparents. Mummy had bought lots of things for you and I placed them on one of the sofas.

Mummy laid you down on another sofa and wiped you down while I went to warm up the milk because you were hungry. Once Mummy was finished and changed you into your pyjamas, she moved away and started to unpack the shopping bags. By then, I was nearby and was getting ready to feed you.

You were still lying on the sofa but with a blink of an eye, you flipped twice and fell off the sofa. Luckily, there was a carpet so you didn't have a hard landing. You were also lucky to avoid hitting your head against the corner of a nearby wooden coffee table. I couldn't reach you in time so all I could do was just watch. :(

Nonetheless, you cried and wailed immediately. I swopped to pick you up quickly and Mummy exclaimed "Oh my god!" when she turned and found you on the carpet. Grandma came down to investigate the commotion too. We tried to pacify you, by apologising and with sayangs. You calmed down after a few minutes but was still hungry so you continued crying. We fed you and you recovered instantly.

Just to be on the safe side, Mummy boiled a hardboiled egg and roll it over your head to reduce any bumps and bruises for tomorrow.

Both of us feel intensely horrible and guilty about letting you fall. Mummy couldn't even sleep at first. :(

I guess we always picture our parents as perfect and a role model, and therefore we expect ourselves to be perfect when we become parents. But one day, Ameline, you will find out that we, as your parents, are not perfect either. We have made this mistake and will continue to make mistakes in the future. As long as we don't repeat our mistakes, I feel that the lesson is learnt and we can move on in life. We have certainly learnt from this mistake and will never leave you alone again. One of us will always be around with you, to make sure you don't hurt yourself again.

The doctor and our friends have warned us about not leaving you alone. We have always listened but never really took the advice seriously. I guess it's part of human nature to be so: until the incident happens to you, you won't take the advice seriously. Well, it has happened and we will take it seriously from now on.

We are sorry, Ameline, for letting you fall and we promise it won't happen again. :(