What fun?!?!

I can now officially report that I have 100 new gray hairs. 'Officially' you ask? Well I've been sitting here for the past two hours waiting for a call from the emergency room and now it has come. But wait......it seems only right that you know the whole story! In a mysterious move, the school decided to make today an early dismissal. Seeing as how I had some looming sewing deadlines I decided to invite the cousins over for a playdate...aka built in entertainment for my two ladies. Play was indeed the order of the day and I blissfully worked away in the salt mine leaving only to make dinner. As I settled back into my work space I heard a herd of flip-flopped feet make their way into the 'big bathroom' and then heard the water running in the hot tub! I called out to find the purpose of their trip to the tub and was assured it was a simple game of pretending to be at the beach. After a short while they called out asking if I would be so kind as to find swim goggles for them to wear. Once I saw them I just had to snap a photo! The goggles were to provide eye protection from the bubbles which are found at all the best beaches you know!

Hey, we don't get the chance to use our bikinis in March very often and it was good 'clean' fun so why not? After taking the pics I headed back down the hall towards the salt mine where the phone was ringing. I had only just said hello to Vanessa when I heard the first cries for help. My stomach sank and I'm sure I owe Vanessa an apology for the abrupt hang up but I sprinted for the bathroom to cries of "hurry, Deirdre has fallen!!" Visions of a child floating face down were followed by ones of pooling blood on the tile floor and I was actually relieved to hit the doorway and see her sitting on the floor crying while clutching her head. It seems the beach was too crowded and she had climbed onto the side of the tub to make room for Julia to 'swim' and had fallen straight back onto the tile floor using her head as a brake. Now up until a couple of days ago I would have given her an ice pack and watched for concussion symptoms but then Natasha Richardson's case hit the news. What to do....she's got a good knot, is complaining of a one-sided headache and then she starts to shake and tremble...hmmmm. Let's see, she cried hard so is she shaking from adrenalin, relief, or brain trauma?!?! As I'm assessing, the older girls have called Auntarie who decided to come and take her to the emergency room in an abundance of caution.

Here she is with her ice stick on the knot and nurse/sister Mairead comforting the 'patient'. My worry queen was near tears the whole time and the bff/cousin dressed in the belief that she would OF COURSE be accompanying the patient to the hospital. In a futile attempt to get them to sleep I indulged the request to pile every blanket and pillow we own on the living room floor to make a giant nest to bed down on. Finally, the call we were all waiting for arrived!!!!!!!! "Um, Auntie Suz is it too late to come back to the sleepover?"

Yep, two hours of my life gone(well her Mom's too!) never to be had again and hundreds of blanched hair follicles later and she doesn't even have a concussion, let alone brain trauma.....Thank you God!