Duck pond trauma

It all started out fine. My sister was in town so her, her husband, my niece, my girls, and I all went to the duck pond and fed the ducks. Then the girls wanted to play in the water for a little while. They had a grand old time.

But then as we were getting ready to leave I was standing by the stroller that my baby Rose was in and I had turned my back to it for a second. Suddenly I hear Erin yell, “The stroller!” And I turn to see it rolling away from me- straight for the pond. I knew it was too far to get to in time but I bolted and saw as it hit the big rocks and flipped right into the water with my baby inside! 

A million things went through my head. “Run!” “This can't really be happening, can it?!” “CRAP! It is happening!” “My baby!” “JUMP!” I jumped in right as the stroller was flipping back from the weight of the water, “She's fine, she's fine, it was only two seconds, you are right here, she's fine.” And then I see my sweet little baby face down in the water, “No no NO, this canNOT happen to my baby, not my baby Rose!” I grabbed her as fast as I could and as soon as she was out of the water she started screaming! The MOST beautiful sound I have ever heard in all my life. Those lungs of hers filling with air, crying, mad as anything. ALIVE. 

I was shaking and bouncing her, hugging her tight. I looked around as I felt the sand settle at my feet. The stroller and carseat were drenched in duck poop water. My sister's bag and all her stuff. I watched as my protein shake spilled into the water, creating a chocolate little cloud around it. “She's cold,” I think. But no, the blanket was soaked. But what about that towel I brilliantly thought to bring? Oh, nope, also in the stroller and now in the pond.

I realized my very pregnant sister had also jumped into the water and was trying to keep the stroller tipped up. My brother in law realized what happened (he had been down the path) and got in and got all the stuff out. Thankfully my niece had a little towel dress on that Erin took off of her and let me wrap Rose in and she started to calm down. Oddly, nobody else around even attempted to help us. Way to go Utah?

I ended up just holding Rose in the car and Erin drove my car home. I didn't want to put her in that gross carseat. When we got home I just held my baby as she slept. Buck made a waffle dinner for everyone. I decided I wanted to take her in to insta care to make sure there wasn't any secondary drowning going on. I didn't care how much money it would be. I wanted to pay it to hear them tell me that she was okay.

But by the time we made it out, it was late and we had to go to the ER. Erin and Dan thankfully stayed back at the house so Buck and I could go together. Rose was so tired but sweet. She got checked and we discovered that she did have a little water in her lungs, which was probably the cause for the cough. But it wasn't a lot and as long as she didn't get worse it would be okay. So we just had to stay up all night and keep an eye on her.

Buck held her most of the night and hardly slept. I also hardy slept because I kept having flash backs. But despite all the hard emotions it was all trumped by gratitude- how could I really feel anything else when my baby was alive and okay?

And the irony? Erin and I had just been talking THAT DAY about the news and all the stories of people and kids drowning lately, and one story in particular about a mom who's baby's stroller rolled into a canal. So when we got to the duck pond I even made mention and showed them how easily my strolled could lock. FOOL.Why do I always jinx things?!

And anyway- All's well that ends well, right? 

I truly am filled with relief and gratitude, but also added empathy for the trauma people have been through in seeing awful accidents happen to those they love, especially with less favorable outcomes. Ugh, it breaks my heart! 

I am grateful, above all else, for the knowledge that this life is not the end- that we go on forever and can be with our families for all of it. If anything worse were to happen to Rose that day, I know that I would see her again. I feel so much peace when I think about this. 

But while I'm still on this earth, I vow to lock the stroller every time I stop anywhere!

The end.