Ten Seconds

She's alright.

Smoochy Girl is alright. She's sleeping in her cot, full of lasagne and high on life.

(Just so that we're clear.)

I've been out of the loop for the last few days, visiting both my family and Hubs' family as part of my decision to keep visiting family despite the laundry pile. Both kids were quite sick, but it was nice to be out and about instead of being cooped up at home.

On Sunday morning, we were at a tiny country church (and had a wonderful morning!) Smoochy hadn't slept by midday, even though she usually has a nap at about 9:30 or 10:00am. She was exhausted and hot, and very upset to be strapped into her car seat. She was even more upset to be taken out (as a 'second thought') so I could get her jumper off, and strapped back in.

She cried hard. You know when little kids cry so hard that they keep breathing out and out and ouuuuttt... and they can't breath in? She did that. I looked up at her face as I strapped her in and said, "Breathe!" but she didn't. She breathed out and out and out ... her lips went blue, she closed her eyes and went floppy.

I screamed her name and patted her cold pale cheek. Then I tore her seat belt off and grabbed her out of the car, still calling her name and stroking her face. The longest ten seconds of my life.

She opened her eyes and started breathing very quietly. Her colour was no longer blue, but she was pale and her face was still cold, especially her lips. It was a full five minutes before I felt she was stable enough to put her back in the car. I only had a few tears when I realised that there was no mobile phone reception and we couldn't have called out in an emergency.

I sat with her as we drove to the emergency department of the hospital, Smoochy sleeping peacefully as her colour improved and her skin became warmer.

Ten seconds - much shorter than the length of time some parents have seen their children blue and unresponsive.

A happy healthy Smoochy Girl - a much better outcome than the outcome some people are forced to accept.

Every time my mind turns to the 'what-ifs' of yesterday morning, I force myself to be thankful and pray for people who have had it much worse than we did in those awful ten seconds.

Eating a chocolate-chip muffin