A scary fall

The evening was ending the way it usually does. We got the kids teeth brushed, jamies on, diapers changed, everyone upstairs. The craziness of the routine was no different. We were laughing and playing with the kids. Claire started to do a little dance (while sitting) as the boys ran circles around her. That gave me an idea. I decided to run into Anna's room to get her mp3 player and idog so that we could show Bill how Claire likes to dance to the music.

It took me a minute to gather everything. Anna soon joined me at her bedside as I tried to figure out how to turn the mp3 player on. Suddenly I heard Bill shout "Liz" from the other room. I looked up just as Claire reached the the stairs....Bill was right behind her, but there was nothing that could be done. She was too quick. She tumbled down the entire set of wooden steps. Bill trailed behind her. He tried to grab or catch her, but it wasn't possible. She did about 3 flips before she hit the bottom on her face.

I felt sheer horror in that moment. I was at the bottom in a flash next to Bill as he scooped up a screaming Claire into his arms. All I could get out was a prayer for help, "Oh God, oh God" Anna and Ryan were both screaming because they were scared for Claire, and James just kept saying "What happened?"

Bill and I began to look her over. The fact that she was screaming which was a good sign. I took her in the other room to try and nurse her and calm her down. As I started to nurse I noticed that there was blood coming out of her eye. I quickly unlatched her and motioned for Bill to follow me into the other room (I didn't want to alarm the kids who were standing right there still crying). We immediately decided to rush to the ER. I quickly called Bill's mom as we rushed to get everyone into the car, to tell her they needed to take the kids because we had to get Claire to the ER.

It felt like such a long drive to the hospital. I sat in the back next to Claire crying and praying. It was hard to see her in the dimly lit car. I couldn't tell if she was really okay or not. She fell asleep almost instantly. I spent the whole ride trying to wake her up.

When we got into the ER I literally jumped out of the car with her and ran inside while Bill parked the car. Claire woke up and was looking around, she actually appeared to be alright. I got in line and anxiously waited my turn. As soon as I explained what happened, the lady behind the desk phoned someone and said,"we have an infant with a severe head trauma" My heart jumped at hearing those words. They rushed us back to to a room. We took Claire out of her car seat and a few nurses and Doctor began to look her over. Claire sat there on my lap, content and alert and happy, as if nothing had happened.

They decided to do a few x-rays just to make sure everything looked as good on the inside as it did the outside. Bill went back to the x-ray to help hold Claire. I could hear her screaming all the way down the hall. After all was said and done Bill brought her back to me so that I could comfort her like only a mom can. Then we waited the results.

The Doctor came back and said that everything looked really good. No fractures or brakes. Just a few bruises on her head and face. Turns out the blood in her eye was nothing serious. They think she just bumped her nose and the blood came out her eye. Praise God! On the way to the hospital I was envisioning the worst...loosing her or her having some sort of brain damage. The Doctor told us to wake her and keep an eye on her over the night, just to make sure.

As we packed up and got ready to leave the hospital, we did have a moment of laughter. Bill told me that when he pulled up to the ER door to let us out, in my haste I forgot to close the van door. He called, "Liz....door..." But I never heard him. So he just drove away to the parking lot with the door open and the dome light on. He said people were looking at him strange. You would have to know my husband to understand the way he would tell this story. He has a way of making things funny. I almost wet my pants laughing at the sight of him driving with the door and light open. God is good to give us laughter in the midst of it. :)

We are all so thankful for God's protection! It was a very long scary night, but we got through it. It definitely made me think...made me realize even more how I need to treasure each moment with the little ones that God has given us. You just never know what could happen...not to live in fear, but to embrace the time God has given.