Life is fragile

Around 5:30pm on Father's day as our friends were leaving, Chloe escaped out the front door and even as I've told her MANY times to not play on the rocks that are right next to the edge of our retaining wall in our front yard, she got too close and took a tumble off the 5-6 foot wall.  I was inside so I did not see her fall but we are guessing she landed either on her shoulder or on her head.  After 20 minutes of incessant screaming (which is NOT like her) and not seeing a bump appearing anywhere, we decided to take her into the ER.  Joe had the first meal and announcements for the beginning of his conference so he stayed home with Nate and I took Chloe to Barton Hospital which is about 25 minutes away in Tahoe.

To make a long story short(er), we waited for over 3 hours before finally getting a CAT scan and the doctor coming in to say that her skull is fractured and there is slight bleeding in the skull and without a neurologist and other head trauma capabilities at Barton, they were going to have to transfer her immediately to Renown in Reno.  After another hour or so of waiting on the helicopter to get there, getting an IV started in her hand and administering meds for pain, nausea and a sedative, they finally got her strapped onto the body board and loaded into the helicopter.  I was unable to go with her on the flight, so I rushed home to pick up Joe which a friend of ours stayed with Nate, and then we drove to Reno not knowing what to expect.

Thankfully Chloe was sleeping when we got there as the doctor had already examined her and said that the bleeding has stopped and as long as there were not any other complications in the next few hours, she should be out of the woods.  Let's just say it was a sleepless night, but we are so thankful for all the prayers of the saints that were pounding the ears of our Heavenly Father.  She was doing great in the morning... even gave us a few smiles.  They continued to monitor her throughout most of the day, but then gave us the OK to go home and just to keep her calm and watch her closely over the next few days.  Easier said than done when it comes to Chloe Marie!

Praise the Lord though that now, a week and a half later, she is fine and dandy and although the fracture in her skull is probably not fully healed, it doesn't keep her from wrestling with her brother.  :)

Every day is a gift and this was a harsh reminder of this.  Take extra moments to kiss and hug your kiddos or loved ones today.  I firmly believe that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him, even when we don't understand.  This was quite a traumatic experience for myself and Chloe and our family to go through, but I could not have desired a better outcome.

Thank you Lord Jesus!