The Day My Heart Stopped....

It was a beautiful day. We were nearing the end of summer and the pool we had set up in the yard for Boobies party was still filled to the brim with water. I think were hoping for another day of pool time fun before the weather turned.

Princess had taken to wandering off as she pleased and being occupied with the baby, I wasn't as quick to chase after her. I felt a (false) sense of security knowing she would at least wander over to my in laws and they would watch her for me and keep her out of danger. But most times, she didn't even go next door. Sometimes, she would walk up a few yards to my friend, D's house or wander down to the swings behind the house. She had given me a few scares before as we realized she'd gone missing and began our search, panicking when she was nowhere to be found, except she was always somewhere.

One of those days came and I swear my heart stopped beating for those few seconds she was nowhere to be found. I had left her next door with my father in law, the pair of them watching TV. I was home with the baby and after a few minutes, decided to go and get her. Much to my surprise and annoyance, she was no longer next door and father in law had no idea where she had gone.

I began my frantic search, starting in all the familiar places: D's house, my in laws bedrooms, the swings. I yelled for her, and got no response. I panicked, as precious time ticked off and I had no clue if she was hurt or otherwise. Then, thankfully, I found her... all the way down near the end of the yard, by the pool. Thank God she had not tried to climb in, or fallen in (the pool, thankfully, is bigger than her so she would have had to be determined to climb up to get in (not an impossibility when you have a toddler). I was relieved she was ok, then shocked when I saw what she was doing.

At that time, father in law had just bought a brand new puppy... just a few weeks old. Princess decided on that day that the puppy needed a bath and had taken him down to the pool and dumped him in. But she didn't just leave him there, she was holding his head down, as if to drown the poor bastard! I yelled for her to stop and when she let him go , the puppy struggled to swim away and keep his head above water unsuccessfully. I quickly yanked him out and took her and it up to where my father in law stood. The poor puppy was struggling to breathe and shivering uncontrollably. I pumped his stomach to no avail... he looked as if he were about to die, poor thing.

Father in law rushed him to the vet right away for fear the puppy wouldn't survive such an ordeal without medical care. Come to find out the puppy had water in his stomach, his ear and a very low body temperature. He almost died. Who knows just how long Princess had had him in that pool. I have no idea how long she had disappeared from father in laws sight.

I swear that day I vowed to never to lose sight of her again. And to never just trust that my in laws will keep her safe (after all, they are busy with their own lives).

I know just how fortunate that day turned out to be. I could have been on the other side writing about my daughter in the pool instead of a puppy and I thank my lucky stars and count my blessings every day that it wasn't.