diff --git a/block.go b/block.go
index c189d0d..4cbee0c 100644
--- a/block.go
+++ b/block.go
@@ -459,7 +459,7 @@ func (p *parser) isEmpty(data []byte) int {
 
 	var i int
 	for i = 0; data[i] != '\n'; i++ {
-		if data[i] != ' ' {
+		if data[i] != ' ' || data[i] != '\t' {
 			return 0
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/html.go b/html.go
index 36efeb1..59d1e32 100644
--- a/html.go
+++ b/html.go
@@ -322,20 +322,24 @@ func (options *Html) TableCell(out *bytes.Buffer, text []byte, align int) {
 	out.WriteString("</td>")
 }
 
-func (options *Html) Footnotes(out *bytes.Buffer, p *parser) {
+func (options *Html) Footnotes(out *bytes.Buffer, text func() bool) {
 	out.WriteString("<div class=\"footnotes\">\n")
 	options.HRule(out)
-	options.List(out, func() bool {
-		for _, ref := range p.notes {
-			out.WriteString("<li>\n")
-			out.Write(ref.title)
-			out.WriteString("</li>\n")
-		}
-		return true
-	}, LIST_TYPE_ORDERED)
+	options.List(out, text, LIST_TYPE_ORDERED)
 	out.WriteString("</div>\n")
 }
 
+func (options *Html) FootnoteItem(out *bytes.Buffer, name, text []byte, flags int) {
+	if flags&LIST_ITEM_CONTAINS_BLOCK != 0 || flags&LIST_ITEM_BEGINNING_OF_LIST != 0 {
+		doubleSpace(out)
+	}
+	out.WriteString(`<li class="`)
+	out.Write(slugify(name))
+	out.WriteString(`">`)
+	out.Write(text)
+	out.WriteString("</li>\n")
+}
+
 func (options *Html) List(out *bytes.Buffer, text func() bool, flags int) {
 	marker := out.Len()
 	doubleSpace(out)
diff --git a/inline.go b/inline.go
index c7d771a..56d38bd 100644
--- a/inline.go
+++ b/inline.go
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ func link(p *parser, out *bytes.Buffer, data []byte, offset int) int {
 	if offset > 0 && data[offset-1] == '!' {
 		t = linkImg
 	} else if p.flags&EXTENSION_FOOTNOTES != 0 {
-		if len(data) > offset && data[offset+1] == '^' {
+		if len(data)-1 > offset && data[offset+1] == '^' {
 			t = linkDeferredFootnote
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/inline_test.go b/inline_test.go
index 31e415d..d2f0bab 100644
--- a/inline_test.go
+++ b/inline_test.go
@@ -35,12 +35,13 @@ func doTestsInline(t *testing.T, tests []string) {
 func doTestsInlineParam(t *testing.T, tests []string, extensions, htmlFlags int) {
 	// catch and report panics
 	var candidate string
-	defer func() {
-		if err := recover(); err != nil {
-			panic(err)
-			t.Errorf("\npanic while processing [%#v] (%v)\n", candidate, err)
-		}
-	}()
+	/*
+		defer func() {
+			if err := recover(); err != nil {
+				t.Errorf("\npanic while processing [%#v] (%v)\n", candidate, err)
+			}
+		}()
+	*/
 
 	for i := 0; i+1 < len(tests); i += 2 {
 		input := tests[i]
@@ -506,25 +507,55 @@ func TestAutoLink(t *testing.T) {
 func TestFootnotes(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []string{
 		"testing footnotes.[^a]\n\n[^a]: This is the note\n",
-		"",
+		`<p>testing footnotes.<sup class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:a"><a rel="footnote" href="#fn:a">1</a></sup></p>
+<div class="footnotes">
+
+<hr />
+
+<ol>
+<li class="a">This is the note
+</li>
+</ol>
+</div>
+`,
 
 		`testing long[^b] notes.
 
 [^b]: Paragraph 1
 
 	Paragraph 2
-
+	
 	` + "```\n\tsome code\n\t```" + `
 	
 	Paragraph 3
 
 No longer in the footnote
 `,
-		"",
+		`<p>testing long<sup class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:b"><a rel="footnote" href="#fn:b">1</a></sup> notes.</p>
+
+<p>No longer in the footnote</p>
+<div class="footnotes">
+
+<hr />
+
+<ol>
+<li class="b"><p>Paragraph 1</p>
+
+<p>Paragraph 2</p>
+
+<p><code>
+some code
+</code></p>
+
+<p>Paragraph 3</p>
+</li>
+</ol>
+</div>
+`,
 
 		`testing[^c] multiple[^d] notes.
 
-[^c]: this is note c
+[^c]: this is [note] c
 
 
 omg
@@ -532,15 +563,28 @@ omg
 [^d]: this is note d
 
 what happens here
+
+[note]: /link/c
+
+`,
+		`<p>testing<sup class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:c"><a rel="footnote" href="#fn:c">1</a></sup> multiple<sup class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:d"><a rel="footnote" href="#fn:d">2</a></sup> notes.</p>
+
+<p>omg</p>
+
+<p>what happens here</p>
+<div class="footnotes">
+
+<hr />
+
+<ol>
+<li class="c">this is <a href="/link/c">note</a> c
+</li>
+<li class="d">this is note d
+</li>
+</ol>
+</div>
 `,
-		"",
 	}
 
-	for _, test := range tests {
-		if len(test) > 0 {
-			t.Errorf("Output:\n%s\n", runMarkdownInline(test, EXTENSION_FOOTNOTES, 0))
-		}
-	}
-
-	//doTestsInlineParam(t, tests, EXTENSION_FOOTNOTES, 0)
+	doTestsInlineParam(t, tests, EXTENSION_FOOTNOTES, 0)
 }
diff --git a/latex.go b/latex.go
index 169757d..1a8fa0a 100644
--- a/latex.go
+++ b/latex.go
@@ -159,7 +159,11 @@ func (options *Latex) TableCell(out *bytes.Buffer, text []byte, align int) {
 }
 
 // TODO: this
-func (options *Latex) Footnotes(out *bytes.Buffer, p *parser) {
+func (options *Latex) Footnotes(out *bytes.Buffer, text func() bool) {
+
+}
+
+func (options *Latex) FootnoteItem(out *bytes.Buffer, name, text []byte, flags int) {
 
 }
 
diff --git a/markdown.go b/markdown.go
index 034dabb..7d17433 100644
--- a/markdown.go
+++ b/markdown.go
@@ -140,7 +140,8 @@ type Renderer interface {
 	Table(out *bytes.Buffer, header []byte, body []byte, columnData []int)
 	TableRow(out *bytes.Buffer, text []byte)
 	TableCell(out *bytes.Buffer, text []byte, flags int)
-	Footnotes(out *bytes.Buffer, p *parser)
+	Footnotes(out *bytes.Buffer, text func() bool)
+	FootnoteItem(out *bytes.Buffer, name, text []byte, flags int)
 
 	// Span-level callbacks
 	AutoLink(out *bytes.Buffer, link []byte, kind int)
@@ -344,10 +345,23 @@ func secondPass(p *parser, input []byte) []byte {
 	p.r.DocumentHeader(&output)
 	p.block(&output, input)
 
-	// NOTE: this is a big hack because we need the parser again for the
-	// footnotes, so this can't really go in the public interface
 	if p.flags&EXTENSION_FOOTNOTES != 0 && len(p.notes) > 0 {
-		p.r.Footnotes(&output, p)
+		p.r.Footnotes(&output, func() bool {
+			flags := LIST_ITEM_BEGINNING_OF_LIST
+			for _, ref := range p.notes {
+				var buf bytes.Buffer
+				if ref.hasBlock {
+					flags |= LIST_ITEM_CONTAINS_BLOCK
+					p.block(&buf, ref.title)
+				} else {
+					p.inline(&buf, ref.title)
+				}
+				p.r.FootnoteItem(&output, ref.link, buf.Bytes(), flags)
+				flags &^= LIST_ITEM_BEGINNING_OF_LIST | LIST_ITEM_CONTAINS_BLOCK
+			}
+
+			return true
+		})
 	}
 
 	p.r.DocumentFooter(&output)
@@ -390,9 +404,10 @@ func secondPass(p *parser, input []byte) []byte {
 
 // References are parsed and stored in this struct.
 type reference struct {
-	link   []byte
-	title  []byte
-	noteId int // 0 if not a footnote ref
+	link     []byte
+	title    []byte
+	noteId   int // 0 if not a footnote ref
+	hasBlock bool
 }
 
 // Check whether or not data starts with a reference link.
@@ -401,7 +416,8 @@ type reference struct {
 // Returns the number of bytes to skip to move past it,
 // or zero if the first line is not a reference.
 func isReference(p *parser, data []byte, tabSize int) int {
-	println("[", string(data), "]")
+	if len(data) >= 5 {
+	}
 	// up to 3 optional leading spaces
 	if len(data) < 4 {
 		return 0
@@ -434,7 +450,6 @@ func isReference(p *parser, data []byte, tabSize int) int {
 	idEnd := i
 
 	// spacer: colon (space | tab)* newline? (space | tab)*
-	// /:[ \t]*\n?[ \t]*/
 	i++
 	if i >= len(data) || data[i] != ':' {
 		return 0
@@ -461,11 +476,12 @@ func isReference(p *parser, data []byte, tabSize int) int {
 		titleOffset, titleEnd int
 		lineEnd               int
 		raw                   []byte
+		hasBlock              bool
 	)
 
 	if p.flags&EXTENSION_FOOTNOTES != 0 && noteId > 0 {
-		linkOffset, linkEnd, raw = scanFootnote(p, data, i, tabSize)
-		lineEnd = linkEnd + linkOffset
+		linkOffset, linkEnd, raw, hasBlock = scanFootnote(p, data, i, tabSize)
+		lineEnd = linkEnd
 	} else {
 		linkOffset, linkEnd, titleOffset, titleEnd, lineEnd = scanLinkRef(p, data, i)
 	}
@@ -476,11 +492,12 @@ func isReference(p *parser, data []byte, tabSize int) int {
 	// a valid ref has been found
 
 	ref := &reference{
-		noteId: noteId,
+		noteId:   noteId,
+		hasBlock: hasBlock,
 	}
 
 	if noteId > 0 {
-		// reusing the link field for the id since footnotes don't have titles
+		// reusing the link field for the id since footnotes don't have links
 		ref.link = data[idOffset:idEnd]
 		// if footnote, it's not really a title, it's the contained text
 		ref.title = raw
@@ -570,7 +587,7 @@ func scanLinkRef(p *parser, data []byte, i int) (linkOffset, linkEnd, titleOffse
 // blockEnd is the end of the section in the input buffer, and contents is the
 // extracted text that was shifted over one tab. It will need to be rendered at
 // the end of the document.
-func scanFootnote(p *parser, data []byte, i, indentSize int) (blockStart, blockEnd int, contents []byte) {
+func scanFootnote(p *parser, data []byte, i, indentSize int) (blockStart, blockEnd int, contents []byte, hasBlock bool) {
 	if i == 0 {
 		return
 	}
@@ -584,10 +601,7 @@ func scanFootnote(p *parser, data []byte, i, indentSize int) (blockStart, blockE
 
 	// find the end of the line
 	blockEnd = i
-	for data[i-1] != '\n' {
-		if i >= len(data) {
-			return
-		}
+	for i < len(data) && data[i-1] != '\n' {
 		i++
 	}
 
@@ -600,14 +614,13 @@ func scanFootnote(p *parser, data []byte, i, indentSize int) (blockStart, blockE
 
 	// process the following lines
 	containsBlankLine := false
-	hasBlock := false
 
 gatherLines:
 	for blockEnd < len(data) {
 		i++
 
 		// find the end of this line
-		for data[i-1] != '\n' {
+		for i < len(data) && data[i-1] != '\n' {
 			i++
 		}
 
@@ -628,27 +641,22 @@ gatherLines:
 
 		// if there were blank lines before this one, insert a new one now
 		if containsBlankLine {
-			hasBlock = true
 			raw.WriteByte('\n')
 			containsBlankLine = false
 		}
 
 		// get rid of that first tab, write to buffer
 		raw.Write(data[blockEnd+n : i])
+		hasBlock = true
 
 		blockEnd = i
 	}
 
-	rawBytes := raw.Bytes()
-	println("raw: {" + string(raw.Bytes()) + "}")
-	buf := new(bytes.Buffer)
-
-	if hasBlock {
-		p.block(buf, rawBytes)
-	} else {
-		p.inline(buf, rawBytes)
+	if data[blockEnd-1] != '\n' {
+		raw.WriteByte('\n')
 	}
-	contents = buf.Bytes()
+
+	contents = raw.Bytes()
 
 	return
 }