Last night Charli was taking a shower with me and she slipped and bashed her head on the tile ledge by the shower door. She screamed for a couple of minutes, and then she got over it and played in the water, and then she looked at me and said "bonk". Meanwhile, I was quietly panicking, visions of Natasha Richardson dancing in my head. I checked her head - no blood. I checked her eyes - no dilation. I finished washing her hair while talking myself out of taking her to the emergency room anyway.
Brian put Charli's pajamas on (her) and gave her milk (no vomiting) and read to her while I called the paranoid parents' hotline. The paranoid parents' hotline takes your number and a nurse calls you back, so I got online in the interim, where I found a very nice and reassuring page about head injuries in children that said it was most likely that nothing was wrong. Really I knew that already, but I also remembered reading an article about a little girl who got hit in the head and didn't show her symptoms until 2 days later. I figured the nurse, like the website, would probably tell me that everything was fine, and I should put Charli to bed and stop worrying, in which case, being completely unable to stop worrying, I might take Charli to the emergency room anyway.
The paranoid parents' hotline nurses, however, are very well trained. When she called back, after getting all the details on the incident, the nurse (Clarissa) prescribed a course of action which she probably thought was completely unnecessary, but which made me feel like I was not just sitting idly by while Charli possibly expired during the night: put Charli to bed, but wake her up after 2 hours, 2 hours, and then 4 hours, each time making sure she wakes up normally and recognizes us. If she seems extremely lethargic or hard to wake, or is disoriented, then call 911. Assuming everything is fine each time, then call our pediatrician in the morning and give him an update. Man, those nurses are smart.
Everything WAS fine every time we woke Charli up, and when I called the doctor in the morning, he said that cases like Natasha Richardson (he brought her up, not me) are usually associated with a brief period of unconsciousness at the time of the injury, and since Charli didn't have that and since it had already been 12 hours (and based on all the other details), I probably didn't have to worry about it or even monitor her anymore. Of course, having read that article I mentioned above about the girl who didn't show symptoms for 2 days (and having looked again at all the articles I could find on Natasha Richardson and not finding anything that said she lost consciousness at any time), I am still unable to completely dispel my paranoia, and I will continue to watch Charli very carefully for the next few days, but I really do think she is OK, other than the big knot on the back of her head.
I am also OK, other than the big knot of guilt in my heart for being stupid and letting her try to walk around in the shower while the soap was rinsing off of her. Charli still loves me. *sniff*
Showing posts with label tragedy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tragedy. Show all posts
Monday, June 22, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
fire on the roof
Last night around 11:30 or 11:45, our doorbell rang a few times kind of frenetically - it rang once and then stopped. Then it rang 1 1/2 times and stopped. Then it rang again and stopped. None of those rings were long enough for me to actually reach the doorbell, and you can't see who's at the door or buzz anyone in if they've already hung up, so I just ignored it and kept on doing my thing, whatever that was. A short while later, someone knocked on the door, said there was a fire in the building, and we all needed to get out. At that point, my mind went pretty blank other than "Get Charli." Sam was home too, but Brian was still at work. We got the baby and some stuff together and headed out to the street.
Just as we got down to the lobby, some firefighters broke down the door on the way in. We headed out and they headed in. We had pretty much no idea what was happening, and couldn't see any fire, but there were 3 big fire trucks and couple of smaller fire vehicles right outside, and they were sending the ladder up the side of the building. Turns out there had been a fire on the roof, and a passerby had seen it from the street and was the person ringing all the doorbells, trying to contact someone to tell them there was a fire on the roof. Our neighbor in #2 was the person she actually managed to contact, and he ran up to the roof and tried to put out the fire with the hose up there. He was able to contain the fire, but not actually extinguish it. There had been a party up there early in the evening, and some idiot had put their cigarette in the planter box, where it smoldered for a while before eventually setting it on fire. Fortunately, our deck is made of ironwood, which doesn't really burn so well, so the fire was not able to spread much. The planter was just redwood though, and is now gone.
The damage was not too bad, as it turns out, thank goodness. There was obviously damage to the deck, and a little bit of damage to the roof below it, and some of the siding on the deck wall nearest the planter melted. There was water damage to the unit below the planter, and in our stairwells where there was soot tracked all over as well as water damage from the firehose pipes. But no one was injured, and Charli and I actually got to meet some neighbors from across the street, who saw I was standing outside at midnight with a baby, and asked us to come inside while we were waiting.
Perhaps you are wondering how Charli was throughout this ordeal? Well, she actually slept all through me getting her out of bed and wrapping her in a blanket, the door being bashed in, and all the general chaos out on the street. She didn't actually wake up until I started talking to someone, and then she lifted up her head, and pointed and said excitedly, "Guck! Guck!" Yes, Charli, those are trucks... She stayed awake for maybe the next hour or two, being very cute and happy, and then she went back to sleep without too much of a fuss when we put her back to bed. What a wonderful child.
Firetrucks outside our building
Hanging out outside at midnight
Cleaning up a bit
Damage
Just as we got down to the lobby, some firefighters broke down the door on the way in. We headed out and they headed in. We had pretty much no idea what was happening, and couldn't see any fire, but there were 3 big fire trucks and couple of smaller fire vehicles right outside, and they were sending the ladder up the side of the building. Turns out there had been a fire on the roof, and a passerby had seen it from the street and was the person ringing all the doorbells, trying to contact someone to tell them there was a fire on the roof. Our neighbor in #2 was the person she actually managed to contact, and he ran up to the roof and tried to put out the fire with the hose up there. He was able to contain the fire, but not actually extinguish it. There had been a party up there early in the evening, and some idiot had put their cigarette in the planter box, where it smoldered for a while before eventually setting it on fire. Fortunately, our deck is made of ironwood, which doesn't really burn so well, so the fire was not able to spread much. The planter was just redwood though, and is now gone.
The damage was not too bad, as it turns out, thank goodness. There was obviously damage to the deck, and a little bit of damage to the roof below it, and some of the siding on the deck wall nearest the planter melted. There was water damage to the unit below the planter, and in our stairwells where there was soot tracked all over as well as water damage from the firehose pipes. But no one was injured, and Charli and I actually got to meet some neighbors from across the street, who saw I was standing outside at midnight with a baby, and asked us to come inside while we were waiting.
Perhaps you are wondering how Charli was throughout this ordeal? Well, she actually slept all through me getting her out of bed and wrapping her in a blanket, the door being bashed in, and all the general chaos out on the street. She didn't actually wake up until I started talking to someone, and then she lifted up her head, and pointed and said excitedly, "Guck! Guck!" Yes, Charli, those are trucks... She stayed awake for maybe the next hour or two, being very cute and happy, and then she went back to sleep without too much of a fuss when we put her back to bed. What a wonderful child.
Firetrucks outside our building
Hanging out outside at midnight
Cleaning up a bit
Damage
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
*klang*
WAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!
That's what I woke up to this morning. Of course, if I hadn't been asleep, Charli wouldn't have fallen off the bed...
Yes, it's true. I let Charli fall off the bed this morning. I am a bad mom. Usually she hangs out and pulls my hair and lips and kicks me in the neck and stuff, so I can't fall asleep, but I guess she had long enough to get bored this morning, and eventually went to explore elsewhere. She climbed over Brian's pillow and fell onto the metal feet of the stool by the bed. She recovered quickly, and apparently still loves me, but I still feel terrible. Bad mom! Bad mom!
That's what I woke up to this morning. Of course, if I hadn't been asleep, Charli wouldn't have fallen off the bed...
Yes, it's true. I let Charli fall off the bed this morning. I am a bad mom. Usually she hangs out and pulls my hair and lips and kicks me in the neck and stuff, so I can't fall asleep, but I guess she had long enough to get bored this morning, and eventually went to explore elsewhere. She climbed over Brian's pillow and fell onto the metal feet of the stool by the bed. She recovered quickly, and apparently still loves me, but I still feel terrible. Bad mom! Bad mom!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
meltdown
WowOWee. I just got back from lunch with Michelle and Grandma at Pacific Catch, where Charli had a complete meltdown in the bathroom. She was getting just a little bit fussy, so I took her to change her diaper. I put her down on the changing pad, and she started crying. I got her pants off, and she just lost it. She was SCREAMING. LOUD. Her special high pitched scream. Other people came to use the bathroom - they got to listen to us. I picked her up and she calmed down, but she was still not changed and now only half dressed. I put her down, she screamed bloody murder. I picked her up, she didn't stop, so I fed her a little bit. That quieted her down, but again, still not changed and still only half dressed. Finally I put her down and changed her and put her pants back on, even though she was screaming at the top of her lungs. Another lady came in to use the bathroom and, on her way out, asked me if I wanted her to call 911. She was just joking. I think.
Now we are home, and Charli seems to have recovered. She is sitting in her car seat, making noises and looking comfortable. I am stressed.
As I barely got a chance to mention above, Grandma is here now! That would be Taipo (great grandma) to Charli. How exciting! She arrived yesterday from Honolulu, after a flight change and several delays, but everything ended up ok. It was Charli's first experience of an airport terminal, although she's seen the arrivals lanes a few times. We're acclimating her slowly for the plane ride on Sunday.
And on the subject of travel, we hope Jerry and Donna are having a great time in Hilton Head!
Now we are home, and Charli seems to have recovered. She is sitting in her car seat, making noises and looking comfortable. I am stressed.
As I barely got a chance to mention above, Grandma is here now! That would be Taipo (great grandma) to Charli. How exciting! She arrived yesterday from Honolulu, after a flight change and several delays, but everything ended up ok. It was Charli's first experience of an airport terminal, although she's seen the arrivals lanes a few times. We're acclimating her slowly for the plane ride on Sunday.And on the subject of travel, we hope Jerry and Donna are having a great time in Hilton Head!
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