Scary Night

I'm trying to get the thoughts in my head clear and sometimes that is best down by writing them out so I'm hoping by the time I get done with this post I might feel alittle better. We had a very eventful night last night....a life changing night. You know there are a few moments in time that forever change you...last night was one of those for David and I.

Lucas had his end of the season party last night. We're still playing but we're in tournament play and we went ahead and did our party this week. We had the party at one of Lucas' teammates house and the kids had access to a pool and running around in their gorgeous yard to play the night away. When I was at the store earlier in the day I bought Jacob a new innertube to float with because he doesn't swim yet..at home when he's in our pool he goes all the way around hanging on to the side. He's terrified to go in the middle. Last year he refused to go to swimming lessons...unforunately for him this year he doesn't have a choice. While I was at the store I also bought Caleb a lifevest..you know one of those that you slip on over a swimmie diaper and has shorts attached to it and the vest built in. Last year in our pool he was in a baby float because he was only a year old so he didn't have anything for the pool this year..I figured we would use it so I'd go ahead and buy it. When we got to the party Caleb said he wanted to get in the water so I put his vest on. He dipped his toes in and went on the first step in the shallow end but never went any further. All night long he kept that vest on...he didn't want to take it off yet didn't want anything to do with the water either. All the while Allie was in a very rare mood and screamed the entire night. David and I were constantly switching off a inconsolable baby while trying to watch all the other kids too. Towards the end of the party most everyone had left..there were only 3 or 4 parents left with their kids and we were standing around talking. Lucas was in the pool swimming still,Jacob was around the pool playing and Caleb was messing around with a ball and going back and forth eating cake.

Next thing I know I look over and Caleb is sitting on the side of the pool with one of the kids parents standing over him and he's crying. I run to him,pick him up and put him beside me. He had fallen in...noone saw him fall in....I have no idea how long he was under there and I feel like I could have a heart attack just writing about it. God put an angel at that party with us that night...one of the parents found him. He said he was walking by the pool and saw something dark completely submerged in the water going around in a circle like a fish. He thought that it didn't look right so he looked again and realized that it was a kid and jerked him out. I sat with Caleb for a minute and realized that he was breathing very heavy and fast and it felt like he had water in his chest when I put my hand on it. I look at his face and his lips were blue and turning paler by the second. I looked at David and about lost it...he immediately told someone to call an ambulance. By the time they got there he was beginning to get some color back in his body but he was still very subdued. His oxygen level was good but his heart rate was alittle high...we agreed that it was best to take him to the hospital but that we would take him there instead of upsetting him by strapping him to the stretcher. The paramedics were comfortable enough that he would be fine but thought that he should be checked out soon in case something else developed later on. We quickly brought the other three kids to my mom and headed to the hospital. They hooked him up to a monitor for his heart and oxygen,took blood and did a chest xray. Everything looked good but they wanted to admit him overnight just to observe him and make sure he didn't develop any other symptoms. We finally got in a room about 1 this morning. I had finally gotte him to sleep when he woke up about 2 gagging and throwing up water. After that he crashed and this morning they let us come home. He's got to go back for a followup this week with our doctor just to make sure he's still doing well. Right now he has a little cold and a wet sounding cough but otherwise is in good spirits and doing remarkably well.

My mind has been running all day and I still find that I can't put everything I am thinking and feeling into words. The scariest thing for me and the one thing that I am finding hard to sit down and actually let myself go there is how close we came to losing him last night. Noone saw him go in...there were 5 parents around the pool and not one person saw him go in..if that parent had not walked by when he did and looked down my precious baby boy would not be in his bed right now. There's not a doubt in my mind that if he hadn't seen him when he did that I wouldn't have him tonight. The man that pulled him out is my hero...I owe everything to him and I will forever be in debt for what he did for Caleb and our entire family. I will never be able to repay him and I honestly don't know how to comprehend what he did. I could do nothing when I saw him today other than to just put my arms around his neck and tell him thank you. What do you say to the person that saved your babys life? I am beating myself up because I allowed it to happen...I can not believe that he went in the water and I didn't even see it. Geez!!!! I tell you one thing...I have not taken one moment for granted today. I do it everyday...take everything I possibly can for granted...today has been totally different. My sweet Caleb is laying in his bed tonight healthy and breathing for a reason and I am forever grateful!

I've had no sleep since Thursday night and still have Allie's birthday cakes to decorate for her party tomorrow night. I'm excited for her though and will eventually get them done. For tonight...I'm cleaning up...going to kiss my sweet boys cheek and going to bed. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend...and walk in your kids bedrooms or wherever they are when you read this and give them a hug! It only takes a split second for something to happen.