3.20.2006

We almost made it a year...

... without a trip to the emergency room at Children's Minneapolis. Well, last night Elsa managed a very loud face-plant onto the hardwood. She has become very adept at walking around, holding onto the furniture. She is also very cautious as she lowers herself back to her knees or butt, and this was her first fall. We're not sure exactly how it happened, Krista was folding laundry in the living room as Elsa cruised around the coffee table, and I was in the basement. I heard a very loud bang, and was already halfway up the stairs before Krista even managed to scream "Oh my God! Aaron!" She didn't see the fall, but did see Elsa's bloody lip. By the time I got upstairs Elsa's silent scream had found the volume knob. Her lip didn't look too bad, only a little blood. Krista passed her to me and was going to get a wet cloth, and then it happened. Elsa's head slumped sideways, and her eyes rolled back. That is not something I ever want to see again. I managed to stay pretty collected despite my heart racing. I held her upright, and patted her cheek while saying her name. She came to after two or three seconds, and promptly resumed her crying. That wail has never sounded so sweet. Krista was on the phone with 911, and I don't think it was more than five minutes before the firefighters arrived, and less than two minutes later the paramedics were at the front door. By then Elsa had stopped crying, and seemed herself, but because she passed out the paramedics recommended having her checked out. So Elsa got a ride in ambulance (looking back, we should have just taken her ourselves), and we spent the better part of two hours in the ER. Bottom line, mild concussion, the cut on her lip is all but invisible, and she has been herself since.