I think the stairs won

(Note: that's a stock photo...not a staircase in any house I've ever been in.) :)
Okay...I have a slight problem. I'm normally not a clumsy person at all, I'd say I have very good balance in fact and am fairly graceful...but...I have issues with stairs. I just...really have trouble with stairs sometimes. I guess it's because I've never lived in a house with stairs. Well, we may have had an upstairs apartment, but I was probably either not walking or an age where I was either being helped up the steps, or at least taking them very slowly, and that's not the same as running up and down them all day.

I know I've always had problems because I remember going up stairs at friends' houses and finding myself putting my hands on the steps in front of me...so, sort of climbing up the stairs like a cat or something. Yes, this is really sad. And anyone who knows me well and knows my fondness for hiking and mountain climbing sort of stuff, and my propensity for scaring my mom and grandma by climbing dangerous things, would probably be surprised to hear this. Except, that is....for my cousins, who have witnessed a few of my stair incidents. :P

So anyway, I've gotten over the climbing up the stairs, I'm quite capable (and have been for several years, thank you) of going up stairs. Going up quite quickly in fact. Unfortunately, I generally forget that I do not have quite the same skill in going down stairs...and I'll usually take them down just as quickly. And that is what has led to problems, and I've had a quite a few spectacular slips. I generally have more trouble on carpeted stairs...in fact I can't remember ever having slipped on hard stairs...I mean, not carpeted. Most of the stairs have been hard, VERY hard, as I've slipped/bumped down them. :p I also sprained my ankle once from jumping down stairs.

And now that I've said all that...guess what happened today? I slid down some stairs? How'd you guess?! :D

Yeah, I was at work today, and while going downstairs (in sock feet...darn it, I need to get some slippers) I slipped...in slow motion it felt like. I had plenty of time to realize I was falling, and that I needed to do something about it, but that most of all, I needed to make sure the baby didn't get hurt. Yes, I was carrying the baby when this happened. *everyone gasps* But don't worry, she's fine! :)

I was able to get her out in front of me so that she didn't bump her head on anything, or end up underneath me when I landed. She started crying of course, because the fall scared her, but then she looked up at me and I probably had some agonized look on my face and that scared her more! :D Thankfully she's a pretty calm baby, so I got her calmed down quickly and checked her over to make sure she wasn't hurt. I'm just really glad nothing happened to her...I didn't fair fare (oops!!) so well, but I'm bigger and I've also done this before....ha.

Somehow in the middle of all that, I managed to move or something so that I didn't hit so hard, and of course right away I had to make sure the baby was okay, and the adrenaline kind of kept me moving...wonderful the way that works! And I've kept moving most of the day, so I thought I was pretty much okay...but as I'm sitting here, I can feel that my spine feels jarred, my shoulder blades ache, my arms ache, my neck's sore, and since it's all along my spine, of course my head hurts. Oh, and I'm also glad this chair I'm sitting in is padded. ;)

So, yeah...stairs and I don't get along...at all.

Oh, and when the dad got home this evening, I was telling him what happened and he pointed out that the stairs I slipped on are all different heights. (!!!!) And he said that if you look underneath they don't look like they're stabilized very well either...ah, that's reassuring. As he said, anyone who watches "This Old House" would know how to install better stairs! lol! So I think they're going to get the stairs redone sometime....in the meantime I'm going to be super-careful going down them, especially when I'm carrying the baby.

In the more present meantime...as in, tonight and tomorrow...I think I'll go take some Tylenol! There was a possibility I might go dancing tonight...I'm thinking maybe it's good that didn't work out. Oww.....