So I was gone all of last week, as I was out of town for a work related trade show. My wife was off work due to Martin Luther King, Jr. day so after getting some work done this morning we met for a late lunch. We later got home, and decided to pick up our girls a bit early from daycare, as we were planning to grab dinner somewhere in town to celebrate my 34th birthday.
I was talking to a client on the phone as we pulled into their daycare, so my wife went in to get the kids. Just as soon as she opened the door, she came out running and screaming frantically to come inside, as they had just called 911. Our little one (Isabelle), who turns 2 in 2 months, was having a seizure. I rushed in, and we stood there helpless as our little girl went through the seizure for about 2 minutes. My wife was a total mess, as you can imagine, and I was trying to keep everyone composed as I held onto my baby pleading for the seizure to finish.
As she slowly came back to her senses, we got her in an ambulance and to the hospital. We found out that the seizure was caused by a fever that came on pretty quickly, and that she actually had both the flu and ear infection (which caused the fever, of course). All in all, it was about the absolute best outcome that we could have hoped for. My wife rode in the ambulance with her, as I followed in our car with our 3 year old. As we walked into the hospital room, Isabelle started screaming "Dada", and my heart just melted. For the next hour, she lay on stomach as I sat on the hotel bed. This coming from a girl who rarely snuggles/cuddles with anyone. For that hour, it was as if time stood still, and it's something I will always cherish and remember. Soon after, she was up and then not too long after she was eating, drinking, and her usual energetic self.
As we were waiting, my wife found the basketball game on TV. She loves sports, and kept pointing to the TV saying "ball"--as we watched the final minutes, I've never been more numb to the outcome of a game. It didn't matter what shots went it, who won, etc--we had our baby. I know there are others who have been through much worse with their kids, and I simply don't know how you do it.
I sit here tonight, so grateful to be at home. Just overcome with emotion, and feel like it was a total roller coaster today. Most of all, I'm so thankful to be a father. As tough as it was to watch what happened today, I'm so thankful to have 2 girls that are the absolute best gift someone could ask for. Some of the stuff from today will never be forgotten, and that is what life is all about--the memories.
I was talking to a client on the phone as we pulled into their daycare, so my wife went in to get the kids. Just as soon as she opened the door, she came out running and screaming frantically to come inside, as they had just called 911. Our little one (Isabelle), who turns 2 in 2 months, was having a seizure. I rushed in, and we stood there helpless as our little girl went through the seizure for about 2 minutes. My wife was a total mess, as you can imagine, and I was trying to keep everyone composed as I held onto my baby pleading for the seizure to finish.
As she slowly came back to her senses, we got her in an ambulance and to the hospital. We found out that the seizure was caused by a fever that came on pretty quickly, and that she actually had both the flu and ear infection (which caused the fever, of course). All in all, it was about the absolute best outcome that we could have hoped for. My wife rode in the ambulance with her, as I followed in our car with our 3 year old. As we walked into the hospital room, Isabelle started screaming "Dada", and my heart just melted. For the next hour, she lay on stomach as I sat on the hotel bed. This coming from a girl who rarely snuggles/cuddles with anyone. For that hour, it was as if time stood still, and it's something I will always cherish and remember. Soon after, she was up and then not too long after she was eating, drinking, and her usual energetic self.
As we were waiting, my wife found the basketball game on TV. She loves sports, and kept pointing to the TV saying "ball"--as we watched the final minutes, I've never been more numb to the outcome of a game. It didn't matter what shots went it, who won, etc--we had our baby. I know there are others who have been through much worse with their kids, and I simply don't know how you do it.
I sit here tonight, so grateful to be at home. Just overcome with emotion, and feel like it was a total roller coaster today. Most of all, I'm so thankful to be a father. As tough as it was to watch what happened today, I'm so thankful to have 2 girls that are the absolute best gift someone could ask for. Some of the stuff from today will never be forgotten, and that is what life is all about--the memories.
