So Much Water

Water was everywhere.

Pooling on the counter.  Soaking through my clothes.  Dripping down the cabinets.  Puddling on the floor.

Everywhere. 

I just kept thinking about high school chemistry.  About those eye wash stations in the corner of the lab.  About that first day of class when they went over the safety measures.  What we were to do if some chemical was splashed into our eyes. 

I couldn't stand the thought of forcing my eyes open with water flowing directly into them.  I never wanted that to be me.

And now, here I was, spray nozzle in hand, doing it to my own little boy.

Twenty-two month old Little man lay on the counter screaming.  I took turns holding his eyes open to let water flow from the spray nozzle in my hand and wrestling his strong little body into a flat on his back position on the counter.  Then I repeated the process.

The kitchen was a mess.  Dishes, both clean and dirty, were everywhere.  There wasn't room to put him up at first.  Not until after I moved the dish drainer of clean dishes to the floor and shoved everything else to the far corner in one swift move of my arm.  Every second this took was another that his eyes could be burning.

Laundry soap.  The home made variety.  Washing Soda, Borax, Fels Naptha and Oxiclean.  I make mine dry, and I love it.  Saturday morning, home alone with baby Belle, Little Man and I were starting the laundry.  He put in the rest of the towels and I added the soap.

The tiniest bit of soap grainules remained in the spoon as I put it back into the two quart jar I keep it in and as I did, they flew past the top of the jar into the hall.  Right to Little Man.  Right into his eyes.

I froze, stunned.  Then I watched.  Maybe it didn't get those sweet eyes after all.  Then hands went to eyes and the cries began.

I grabbed him and ran through the house for what I would need.  What would be better?  Eye drop solution?  Water?  I wished My Beloved was here.  He's the EMT!  I grabbed the phone on my way by, dialing as I ran.  What should I do?  What was best?

"Water,"  he told me.  "Go to the sink." 

Alone, the process was hardly possible, but I kept at it.  My Beloved was going to try our neighbor to come help me.  He called moments later to say he found a friend, close by.  She was on her way.  I breathed an airy prayer of thank giving.  Extra hands would be nice, but this woman had been a paramedic.  At least someone would know what to do.

She came and held eyes open.  Tilted head.  Wrapped flailing body in a sheet.  Together we held my sweet boy down through wails and screams of "down" and "no" while I did to him the thing I hoped would never happen to me. 

Twenty-five minutes passed.  The time recommended by poison control for those chemicals.  Now it was time to watch.  To see.  Would he rub?  Fuss of pain?  Could he see?

Picking him up I held him close.  Offering comfort.  Then stripping him of soaked clothes, set him down.  Set him free.

We watched and he didn't rub.  His eyes were barely red, even after the washing.  He looked right at us, eye to eye.  He could see.

He was fine.

We would both sleep well that afternoon.

Sweet friend stayed a few minutes to make sure I was okay before I sent her on her way.  Isn't it always us mamas who are still shaken up while our littles run off and play like nothing ever happened.


God spared my little guy's eyes that day!  I prayed and prayed throughout the whole ordeal... Please let him see!  But even in the midst of the seeming chaos, I had to answer the question... Will you praise Him still?

Yes Lord!  No matter what happens in this moment.  Whether sight or blindness.  I will praise You still... for You are good.  All the time!




Any other accidents this past week?  Any close calls?  Have you ever had to do an eye wash on one of your babies???  

Labels: As it happens..., Raising Children

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 2:14 PM