we have 2 sets of stairs into the basement. there is one leading from the upstairs living room into the family room below. this one has been gated for a while as we spend a lot of time in this room, and i really don’t like the idea of a child going tumbling down them.
the other set leads down off the landing entrance to the garage. our sunroom leads into this landing, and the kitchen and sunroom are adjoined with a step. there is a gate leading blocking the entrance to the sunroom from the kitchen, but there wasn’t one blocking off the garage landing (or the stairs).
do you see where this is going?
moose is rarely in the sunroom, and if he is, it is usually in my arms. this particular day, however, i was printing some school pages for the day and i asked my oldest, tic tac, to keep an eye on moose while i was at the hutch.
needless to say, tic tac got distracted.
the next thing i heard was the scream of my 8 yr old,
“Oh, NO, Moose! No! No! No!”
mind you, i was only 3 feet from the landing.
i heard a sickening thump, followed by the sound of a large object (moose) rolling down the stairs at a progressive rate.
i came around the corner to see him go down the last two steps and land at the bottom.
my heart, i swear it stopped. i swear the moments it took for him to cry were eternity.
but they weren’t. he started to cry immediately and even got himself up.
my ER nursing skills kicked into high gear, and i imagined all sorts of dreadful outcomes. should i call 911? should i put him in c-spine? A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I (trauma nursing assessment) went through my head in a flash and he looked great.
but, mommy mode is way more powerful and that soon overrode my rational thinking.
i also had to keep it together because the 8 yr old was completely beside himself.
and my husband left his cell phone at home and i couldn’t reach him.
i took moose in to the ER where i work and one of the MD’s graciously looked him over for me with lots of compassion. i had to take all of the children with me, and i am so glad they were well behaved.
my adrenaline had worn off by the time i got to the ER, and my tears were flowing freely as i watched moose be examined.
he fell down 12 stairs, all carpet, and didn’t have a scratch on him. no blood behind his eardrums, no obvious signs of concussion or intracranial bleeding. normal level of consciousness and interaction.
i was told i could take him home if i would be the one to watch him, so i had to call off from work.
the rest of the day, i just tried to keep it together. i had many moments of tears that just overcame me as i thought about how bad it could have been.
i had to comfort my eldest son numerous times through the day as we watched moose for signs of brain injury.
it was a scary day, one i really don’t want to repeat.
and, oh, by the way. there is now a gate installed at the landing, too, just in case.
a rough way to finish up your first year of life, to be sure. but we ushered in year number 2 with gusto :)
praise God for His mercy in sparing moose any severe injuries.
