With presents to buy, cards to send, cookies to bake and decorations to hang it is easy to get lost in everything that is commercially Christmas. I'm not going to lie I've been guilty of it myself. Consumed with what has to be done before the big day as if the world might stop if it doesn't. Ultimately none of these things really matter. The only thing that truly does matter during this time of the year as well as every other day of the year is that your loved ones are happy and HEALTHY.
This reality check hit me last night while we were out to dinner. My parents, Justin the girls and I all went to one of our favorite little Italian restaurants. There was no booth large enough to accomodate all of us so one of the restaurant employees turned a high chair upside down and a placed Stella (who was sound asleep) and her carseat on top. No big deal. I've done it dozens of times before and have seen hundreds of other parents do the same thing. We all munched on bread, ate salad and were waited for our entrees when CRASH! A waiter knocked into the high chair holding Stella and her car seat. the chair fell over and the car seat fell floward, upside down with her in it. Before it was even settled on the ground Justin and I had it picked up and were checking out our little girl. She was slowly waking up with a look on her face like what the heck happened and why is everyone in my face? Not a single tear. Thankfully everything seemed to be fine but we wanted her checked out just in case. After all she did fall to the floor upside down in her car seat!
We took her to the hospital where we were quickly greeted by a rather gruff doctor. He diagnosed her as fine even before looking at her because she had been strapped securely in her car seat. He examined her quicklky (I think just to appease me) and we were released. In and out of the ER in under 1/2 and hour. She seems completely fine, not even a scratch but I'm taking her to the pediatrician tomorrow to put my own mind at ease. (Yes Danielle for the first time ever I am overreacting. Probably).
Although I beleive in God I don't tend to be very religious, I'm not the best at getting up and going to church every Sunday or even remembering to say my prayers. I know though that God was looking down on us and kept our baby safe from harm. This situation could have had such a tragically different ending. If her seat had hit the table or if she hadn't been strapped in I can honestly say I don't know if she would be with is right now. I'm sure that we are not the only family that this has happened to but it is not something that is ever really discussed or addressed. I know that there are car seat slings that can be used at restaurants but they could have been knocked over just as easily. There has got to be a better, safer way to hold car seats and as parents it is up to us to demand something. If you could please share my story with other mothers or maybe even link this post to your site I would really appreciate it. People need to be made aware so that this does not happen to them!
