C is for Calm and Collected

In an emergency I am your girl. I go into some kind of zen place until things are taken care of and then I get the jitters and shakes when it is over. When my little sister split her chin right open, my mom called me to take her to the ER. I came upon a really bad car accident one winter where one lady had died and another was in shock. I wrapped the second woman up in a blanket and held her still and had the second passerby call 911. I stayed with her until the ambulance came...Total calm. Really. You get the idea.

That is until an incident with my baby Grandson Daniel. I am so in love with all my grandchildren but he was my first. Before he was born I had no idea how I would feel about him. I was so excited but was it going to be like with my own children? That instant amazing love? It was! It was! I lived and breathed this beautiful little baby and I still do. 14 years later.

My daughter Stacie and baby Daniel lived with me and he was about 5 months old. I was moving out of the city into a wonderful log cabin next to a river at the base of Mt Hood. I had decided it was worth the commute into Portland. (it was). She and I were finishing the cleaning of the house I was leaving. We had Daniel in his car seat and he was sleeping. We got to the foyer and I was on my hands and knees wiping the floor down. She was putting the vacuum and broom and assorted cleaning supplies in the car. She then put Daniel in the back of the car and buckled his car seat in. (still sleeping.) The car was maybe 20 steps away in the driveway. I cleaned my way out the door and locked it. I had her help me put things in the trunk of the car. This took at the most maybe ten minutes. It was a nice sunny day and the car door was open so we could see Daniel. When I went to get in the car I looked at him and noticed he had the blanket pulled over his face. I pulled it off of him and he just didnt look right. I took him out of the car and he was limp in my arms. I talked to him and jiggled him and patted his back and he still was limp. I told Stacie to go to the neighbors and call 911. (I had given my cell to my youngest daughter who was at the cabin meeting the movers). Stacie barely moved...She told me later it felt like one of those dreams where you are trying to run with cement feet. With Daniel in my arms I ran to the neighbors door and opened it without knocking. (these people had just moved in and I didnt know them.) A teenage boy was talking on the phone and didnt even quit talking. I said " I need to call 911' and he said " I am on the phone" (like this was a normal everyday occurence. sheesh) I took the phone off his ear and called 911. I am thinking "c'mon little guy, dont make me do cpr." "Please God dont make me do cpr on this little guy." I knew I would break his ribs and I so didnt want to do that. The ambulance took hours. Later I found out it was there in less than three minutes.

It finally got there, the EMT took Daniel from me and they looked him over and started and IV. They told me they were taking him to the University hospital and Stacie was riding with them. A fire truck had also pulled up and one of the men came over to me. I was feeling wobbly. I sat down on the curb and he took my BP. It was sky high. He told me to put my head between my knees and take some deep breaths. After a short time he took it again and it was coming down. He told me to sit about 20 minutes before I drove to the hospital. He assured me that my precious little Daniel bug would be fine. They left. I sat. I prayed and I took deep cleansing breaths. I prayed again. After I felt the time had gone by I drove to the hospital. I beat the ambulance there. I really did. Calm, Cool and Collected... Daniel? he was ok half way thru the ride to the hospital. He had overheated himself in just a few minutes. Scary stuff. So unless it is a grandchild, I am the girl you want in an emergency. Otherwise I am the one hyperventilating on the sidewalk or driving like a bat out of hell down the freeway. Calm, Cool and Collected that's me.