Olympic dreams

I don't ever remember watching the Olympics as a kid and thinking, "I'm going to do that someday!" It was always more of a, "Wow, sure wish I could do that!" sort of thing.

Jared and Connor? It's a definite "I'm going to do that someday!"

Jared told me he's going to beat Michael Phelps's swimming records, and everyone is going to know HIS name instead. Connor has big dreams of being an olympic diver. I LOVE that they are so inspired by the Olympics to have dreams of competing someday themselves, that they have an enjoyment of the pool, and that they have such confidence in themselves.

Sometimes, though, that confidence goes a little too far, especially where Connor is concerned!

During a recent stay at a hotel, Connor decided to attempt a dive similar to this one (without the benefit of a spring board, or any training):


Before we had any warning of what he was about to do, he'd put his back to the water, jumped up, and flung himself forward in an attempt at a somersault, landing with a sickening THUD face-first on the concrete pool deck. His body slumped down into the water. He was holding onto the wall, but wasn't making any sound.

Dan got to him first, so I backtracked for the towel, fully expecting to need it to mop up what was left of his face. I was positive there'd be missing teeth and/or a broken nose. If you'd heard the sound of his face on that concrete, you'd have been expecting total gore as well. aughhh!!

I don't know how he did it, but the indestructible little guy "only" ended up with a minor goose-egg at his hairline (more of a brushburn than anything; his nose and lip clearly took the bigger brunt of the fall), a pretty scraped up nose, and a shredded inner lip.


The picture doesn't do justice to his inner lip. There were actual strings of skin where his teeth grated at the inside of his lip. The lip wound went all the down to the base of the gumline, and swelled up pretty good that night.

None of his injuries seemed worthy of medical attention, but we kept a close eye on him for the evening. By the next morning, the swelling was gone in all three areas (head, nose, lip), and as far as he was concerned, it was as if nothing had even happened.

I, on the otherhand, have woken up at least once a night since it happened, hearing the sound of that THUD of his face in my dreams. I'm so thankful it didn't turn out to be worse, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed he's always so lucky, because I have no doubt he'll continue in his little dare-devil ways.