Monday, January 26, 2009

Scary scary day

I had one of those moments as a mother.  The one when you think in the back of your mind that your child just might not make it.  That this could be the last moment you see them alive or that you have seen them as a healthy active child for the last time.  Thankfully, this is the first time in eight years that I have had one of those moments.  Last Saturday our family went with Grandma Jackson to look at a vacant home.  We took our time touring the home and then started talking in the family room.  Grandma and Quinn were sitting on the fireplace and Dailee jumped up on the fireplace and grabbed hold of the mantel.  The mantel wasn't secure and it fell down right on Quinn's head and rolled down his back.  The next several minutes were sheer panic.  Grandma called 911 while Dave and I hovered over Quinn to try and asses the injury.  I walked over to see how heavy the mantel was and I could barely lift it.  Dave thinks it weighed about 60 lbs.  Quinn never lost consciousness and could move is arms and legs.  We kept him still (well Dave kept him still while I was silently in a panic and trying to comfort the girls).  When the paramedics got there Quinn was showing no signs of a concussion and seemed to be fine.  But knowing how heavy the mantel was they transported him by ambulance to the hospital for a cat-scan.  Quinn left the hospital 3 hours later with just a bump on the head. Wow, what a blessing.  It's in those terrifying moments when you realize how precious life is. It's when you wish you would have taken time to play with your son instead of doing the dishes, folding laundry or any other insignificant chore.  It's when you ask yourself if you hugged your son that day and let him know how much you love him.  How blessed we are to have our little ones.