Emergency (Or...how my kids will give me a heart attack before I'm 33)

Before this past Thursday, I'd never dialed 911. My first experience was Thursday at work. Because it was at work, I can't share any details, however, I can say that it was a positive experience since all ended well (I assume).

My second experience dialing 911 was yesterday morning. I was upstairs getting ready to change Owen's diaper. Dan was trying to pack up the garage. Emily was upstairs with me. I have changed what seems to be thousands of diapers, and I've never used the strap on the changing pad. Who does? I don't leave the kids unattended, I usually have at least one hand on them...no issues. So yesterday I stood in front of Owen while I fixed the bag in his Diaper Genie. Owen chose this moment to roll, and my body stopped his feet from going over. Unfortunately, his head and shoulders did, and gravity did its thing, and Owen fell head first onto the floor.

Immediately he began screaming, which I knew was a good sign. I grabbed him and tried to comfort him, and Dan made an appearance asking what happened. Suddenly, Owen stopped crying, and his eyes started closing. I remember yelling at Dan, "What's wrong with him?" Dan grabbed him and tried to talk to him. Owen's body went limp and he began throwing up. This was easily the scariest moment in my life. Dan yelled for me to dial 911, and within minutes the ambulance was there.

Long story short, Owen was taken to trauma where he was checked out. X-rays showed no fractures, and there was no bleeding in his head. Official diagnosis: concussion. We were admitted, and the trauma doctor told us he'd be at the hospital overnight for observation. We were just glad he was going to be okay...he looked so small and helpless sleeping in his little collar. Around 6, though, we were discharged. Owen was happy and playing, and he had done much better than the doctors had anticipated, so they let us come home.

Today, it's like it never even happened...he's back to his old silly self. Even the bruise on his head that seemed like it would be so ugly yesterday isn't very bad. However, we did learn an important safety lesson: no matter how many times you've done something, don't assume that you can lose focus. I figured the many many diapers I'd changed without incident meant that I could be a bit lax when it came to having Owen on the changing table. Not so.