An Upsetting Incident, and A Funny Ancedote

First... the UI:

A few weekends ago, Dave set the smoke detector in our apartment off while making brunch~ it's very sensitive, and very loud. JD was rightfully upset by the earsplitting noise. I grabbed a towel and fanned it to make it stop.

Tonight, I was heating the oven to make dinner and soon I could smell something burning in the bottom of it (reheated pizza cheese or something). Trying to prevent the smoke detector from going off, I grabbed a towel and started fanning it. JD freaked out. I have never seen anything like it. He was making this terrified crying, and clawing at my legs to be picked up. It freaked me out to see it. Then, of course, the f-cking thing starts actually going off. I am barely exaggerating when I say I thought JD was going to hyperventilate with his fear and panic. It was awful.

I have never seen my child so scared and panicked. I got it off and comforted JD as best as I could, but he remained upset for the rest of the night. He cried for his pacifier and his lambie and clung to them and to me for dear life; he would barely let go even to eat, and I knew he was hungry. It just broke my heart to see it. Ugh.

It's one of those things I just can't stop going over in my head, which I know is totally ridiculous, since he of course is fine, I am fine, we're all fine... But man oh man.

And now... for the Funny:

Sunday morning, JD was playing w/ the Washington Post magazine while I was getting him dressed. I had him down to his diaper when he got up and grabbed the magazine, holding it up in front of his face, like as if he was reading it.

Then, I don't know what possessed him, but he broke into a flat-out run, still holding the magazine in front of his face. It was like a little cartoon, all toddler belly and legs scrambling... and he ran smack into the wall and fell flat backwards before I could stop him. It wouldn't have been funny if he had been hurt, but he bounced up and kept right going like nothing had happened.

I was rolling. And JD now laughs whenever he hears somebody else laugh; it's like this little "Ha HA", the kind of laugh you make when you don't want to be left out of an inside joke. It cracks me up. The laughter spiralled until we were both laying on the floor, JD on top of me, laughing.

I love that child so much it hurts.