An angel around the bend

I was struck yesterday with how much time that parents of young children commit to teaching safety: Don't go near the pool without Mommy or Daddy, Don't put small objects into your mouth, Walk on the edge of the road and not the middle, And so forth. In fact, just prior to Bria's stairwell mishap she and I were walking across the parking lot and I was reminding her that she needs to hold an adult's hand when she is near a car because people in cars can easily see adults but not children. With that said, there is still no way to possibly dream or imagine every way your child could be hurt, which is just one of the many many reasons Ryan and I pray for our children.

Tuesday's routine is as follows: 10:30 story time followed by lunch at Taylor around noon. Ryan teaches a class that gets out at 11:50, so since we were a bit early I parked the car and Bria and I walked to the gym to wait in Ryan's office. His office sits on the third floor, and the stairwell that leads up to his office doubles back every half of a flight. When we first moved here, Bria liked to walk along the middle of the stairwell because the second rail on the double railing was her height, and the wall railing was too high for her to reach. Ryan and I have never seen a problem with this and are always careful to walk behind her in case she slips and falls back. Yesterday, however, as we started up the stairs and rounded the second flight I heard the door open and Ryan's voice. As I peered around the edge to catch Ryan as he came into view, Bria must have also heard his voice and went to do the same thing. Unfortunately, as she leaned over to see Ryan, she slipped between the bottom railing and the stairs. The events happened so fast that I still do not know how I caught her. When I caught her by her legs, her feet were pointed toward the ceiling and she was in a nose dive for the bottom stairwell. I was so shaken I could not speak, when Ryan and the man he was talking to, Gerald, rounded the corner. I managed to pull Bria up parallel to the ground, and Gerald reached up to hold her until I could reach through the railing and pull her back through. Bria truly did not seem any worse for wear, but Ryan and I were quite shaken. I've never been so thankful for the help of a man I had never met before and his role in keeping our precious daughter safe. It turns out he is the spouse of one of the athletic department secretaries and was stopping to visit her. I think we owe them a trip to Ivanhoe's, Upland's infamous ice cream stop.

With all that said, always start your day with a prayer for protection of those you love, you never know when you'll need an angel around the bend! While you are at it, if you don't mind, say a prayers of thanks for Gerald's role in protecting Bria.

My sister in law pointed out that if I would have had an infant's car seat in tow I probably would have not been able to react as quickly as I did when Bria started to fall. For that reason, I'm thankful that the baby has not arrived, but if that's all we were waiting for I'm ready now! Two days until D-day! Pending a delivery, I work tonight, tomorrow and head back to the doctor on Friday. Ryan's parents and sister, Susan, will be here Sunday evening for the week. We are hoping the baby will make an appearance at least before they have to head back to New York! Stay tuned for the news of our little one's arrival!