Pool drama

After Avery's second day of "school" today at Crieve Hall, I took her to the pool at the Y. It's her favorite place now. She's thrilled with being soaked to the bone.

Avery showed off her jumping off the side moves. Another mom with a daughter a little older than Avery struck up a conversation with me about their comfort level in the pool. It was an ever-so-brief chat, but a few minutes later, I noticed her across the pool with something all over her cheek.

She started trying to get the attention of her older daughter and I heard her give instructions to get out of the pool. After a closer look, I realized that she was holding the back of her baby's head and the 'something' all over her cheek was blood. She rushed over to the first aid station and the lifeguards were helping her stop the bleeding and trying to get her husband on the phone. They were pretty sure the baby would need stitches. She had slipped and hit her head in the shallow sloping end of the kiddie pool.

What do you do in a situation like that??? I would flip out if I were that mom. She couldn't drive to the hospital because she needed to keep pressure on the back of her baby's head. I tried to get her to let me drive them to the hospital, but she was nervous about driving without the baby in a carseat (and she'd just met me 20 minutes earlier.)

I felt compelled to help, so Avery and I gathered up her stroller, shoes, towels, pool floats and other belongings and kept her other daughter Joanna (probably age 5) occupied while she and the lifeguards waited for her husband to arrive.

In the mean time, Joanna said her stomach hurt because she was hungry. We went to my pool chair to get fruit snacks and cash and I got her and Avery each an ice cream sandwich. They were a mess, but stayed out of everyone's hair. We decided to play on the playground, but Joanna changed her mind on the way over because she needed to go to the bathroom. She informed me that she needed help and that she was sorry because it was "really messy." I wasn't prepared for that, but we survived.

Joanna was so polite and sweet, so it was an absolute pleasure to be able to help however I could. Once her daddy arrived, the whole family rushed off to take care of business and get the baby's head checked out. I certainly hope I see them again in better circumstances.