1 Week after Hailey's accident

So it's been a week since the big accident. Hailey is doing great! Me, not so much. I kind of feel like our time at the hospital was all just a blur and now all of the emotions and stress are finally catching up with me. I find myself trying not to cry at least at some point throughout each day. The tears are usually either from all of the "what if" thoughts from the accident, or feelings of guilt from all of the important stuff that is getting overlooked and missed out on because of my crazy busy schedule. Sometimes the tears are from the complete opposite and are feelings of gratitude and of being appreciative for all that my Heavenly Father blesses me with.

Because Hailey needs to slow down, I want to slow down. I just feel like being at home, taking my time with the kids, skipping a few soccer practices and taking it easy. I'm really looking forward to winter when our family's schedule completely clears up of all extra curricular activities.

Lately Hailey has been asking why she can't remember the accident. She doesn't remember the fall, the firemen, the ambulance ride, being at the first hospital, and the helicopter ride is a little fuzzy too.

Here is how I explained all of that to my 6 year old. I told her...

"You have lots of little workers in your brain all in charge of different things." (While pointing to different parts of her head I said) "These over here help you to speak, these over here help you to move, this part of your brain tells your heart to beat, (etc.) and this part helps you to think and remember things.

"When you fell and hit your head all the workers in your brain stopped what they were doing and ran over to help fix your big owie on the back of your head. Your brain stopped doing all of the stuff it didn't need to do like remembering and thinking and went to help where they were needed." She accepted that answer and then said to me...

"I wish I could go see the ambulance and helicopter I went in now that all of my remembering guys are back working again."

So that's what we did! Hailey, Kase and I went to the Fire Station and the Richland airport so she could meet the people who helped her and see the vehicles she traveled in.

This is one of the ladies who took care of Hailey the day of the accident. She was surprised and happy to see Hailey doing so well. She took us on a little tour of the ambulance that Hailey rode in.

She asked Hailey if she had thought of a name for the bear that they had given her during the ambulance ride. This picture is Hailey informing her that she threw up all over the bear in the helicopter and that the hospital gave her a new one in Spokane :)

She showed the kids all of the stuff in the cupboards and explained that an ambulance is like a hospital in a car. She was asking Hailey if she remembered getting an IV started in the ambulance and was showing her the IV bag. Hailey quickly lifted up the sleeve of her shirt to show the bruise and little dot from where her IV had been and explained how in the hospital her machine kept beeping every time she would bend her arm, but she tried to ignore it.

Of course while we were there we had to try out the fire trucks!

Then it was of to Med Star to see her helicopter.

Here is Hailey checking out the pilot's seat and seeing where dad got to sit during the flight.

They showed her how they roll the beds in through the back of the helicopter.

This is Hailey sitting on her bed looking around talking about things she remembers about the flight. She showed us where her medical team (George and Spence) were sitting and taking care of her throughout the flight. She talked about throwing up. (That must have been very memorable for her) She thought that things in the helicopter looked different from how she remembered them.

So that's where we sit one week after her accident. I'm sure over time I'll get my emotions under control. Despite the emotions though, I am truly grateful for the way things turned out and for what I've learned from this experience. At a minimum it has put things into perspective for me.