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You are visiting: Home » Real Life with Lindsay » In the Blink of an Eye

In the Blink of an Eye

by Lindsay Ballard on February 27, 2009 21 Comments

On Wednesday morning, my 3-year old son’s life flashed before my eyes. I know I generally have a flair for the dramatic, but this time I’m not kidding.

We were having a usual morning that day. I was cleaning the master bath and he was alternatively “helping” me clean and playing with some toys he had brought into the master bedroom. I could hear that he was opening some drawers in my room, but I assumed they belonged to the small, 2-drawer nightstand on my husband’s side of the bed (Zack loves playing with the flashlight that we keep in the bottom of the drawer). I didn’t want him getting into the drawers and making a mess, but I only had the mirrors to clean and the bathroom would be finished. I decided to ignore his mess for a few more minutes so I could have this chore completed for the day.

I realized that I had left my bottle of Windex on the bedroom floor and needed to grab it. As I walked across the threshold between the bathroom and bedroom, my heart stopped at what I witnessed. At that very second, Zack opened the last of five drawers in my dresser, the top one, and the entire dresser was tipping forward on top of him.

I have never moved so fast in my life as I lunged forward and grabbed the heavy piece of furniture falling on top of my baby. Everything on top of it – picture frames, a glass of water, the baby video monitor – came crashing to the ground. But, my baby was okay. We both started bawling and I scooped him up and started running frantically around the house. My adrenaline was pumping full force, because I knew that I had probably just saved his life.

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I’m positive that a guardian angel was watching over Zack that day. It could have been my grandmother, who lost her battle with cancer years before I even met my husband. It could have been my great-grandmother who passed away a few months ago at the incredible age of 99. Or, it could have been Corey, the 2-year old little boy I heard about last year who died in the same type of accident that we just avoided. Regardless of who it was, I am eternally thankful for their presence.

I tried to go on with the rest of my day, but I was shaken to the core. All I could do is think about the ‘What Ifs?’. What if I had been taking a shower? What if I had been doing laundry? What if I had been watching TV or sitting in front of my computer? You and I both know that the outcome would quite possibly have been tragic. I have spent the days since hugging him and kissing him and generally not letting him out of my sight.

We have every other large piece of furniture in our house strapped to the wall. Apparently, in our haste to strap everything we somehow forgot to do that dresser when we moved into the house. As luck may have it, that dresser is literally inches away from the bathroom door, so I was able to reach it just in the nick of time.

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My husband stopped by the hardware store on his way home from work, bought another strap, and strapped that dresser to the wall before he even changed out of his dress shirt. He was just as scared as I was when he received my frantic call that morning.

This whole incident has been a lesson to me in more ways than just making sure my home is safe for my child. Our lives can change in the blink of an eye, and we need to make sure that we are living every moment to the fullest. I think that I have the most wonderful, beautiful, perfect life in the world, and it’s up to me to make sure that I remember it every single day.

After what happened on Wednesday, you better believe that it will be a long time before I forget.

Thank you to Melissa for hosting her Beautiful Life series at The Inspired Room. It’s been a great way to stop and remember what truly makes life beautiful.

About Lindsay Ballard

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.

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Comments

  1. Jodi says

    February 27, 2009 at 8:08 am

    so glad to hear that this story didn’t turn out differently! it’s a great reminder for all of us with little ones in the house!

    Reply
  2. southerninspiration says

    February 27, 2009 at 8:09 am

    I have never even thought of strapping/bolting furniture to the wall….oh my lands. Bless ya’ll’s hearts; I can only imagine how frightening that must have been. Thank God he was ok, and a lesson learned. take care of that little precious man. He is adorable.

    Suzanne

    Reply
  3. the BLAH BLAH BLAHger says

    February 27, 2009 at 9:05 am

    Poor lil monkey…bet that scared the poop out of both of you! XOXO

    Reply
  4. Julia @ Hooked on Houses says

    February 27, 2009 at 7:32 am

    Oh, wow. That’s sobering, isn’t it? Something similar happened to my son when he was 2–he tried to climb a dresser to get something off the hutch shelves above it and pulled the hutch over on top of himself. I heard the crash–didn’t see it–but when I got in there he was lying next to it on the floor, not under it. Still not sure how he avoided being crushed. Those are definitely heart-stopping kinds of moments! (And that hutch has been bolted to the wall ever since!)

    I hadn’t thought of that in years. He’s turning 14 next week! 🙂

    Reply
  5. Miss Sandy says

    February 27, 2009 at 1:54 pm

    I am so thankful that your darling boy was not harmed and that you were just steps away, able to come to his rescue. What sobering reminder to savory every second of life. I hope your post alerts other parents to this danger.

    Reply
  6. jill says

    February 27, 2009 at 9:04 am

    We have dressers strapped and the tv is built into the wall. We had a sobering accident at our house that resulted in brain surgery from a fall. Nothing is more precious than our children. I had to learn the hard way. I am glad you posted this. Everyone-please do this!

    Reply
  7. Mrs. B. says

    February 27, 2009 at 9:07 am

    oh my heavens!!! that’s too scary.
    I need to go strap everything to the wall now.
    Your son is absolutely gorgeous.

    Reply
  8. Tiff says

    February 27, 2009 at 11:15 am

    Reading your post gave me chill bumps. Yup they are still there!! WOW! It is scary the things that can happen in such a flash. Funny thing is until reading this post I guess I never even thought of strapping things to the wall!!! Our daughter is older now but you can bet when we have another little one we will have things strapped down!!!

    Reply
  9. ♥Amber Filkins♥ says

    February 27, 2009 at 1:52 pm

    Oh my goodness, SO glad that turned out the way it did. Thank the Lord! And you’ve truly made me think {and quite honestly scared me to bits} because every morning I lock Saylor into the master bedroom/bath with me while I take my shower, because I figure she’s safe there. But now I will take an extra close look around my room to make sure that she is safe. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  10. Kimm at Reinvented says

    February 27, 2009 at 7:40 pm

    Oh my gosh, so scary. I can imagine how terrified you were. I’m so thankful that your son is okay. Thanks for sharing this story.

    Reply
  11. Gina says

    February 27, 2009 at 2:42 pm

    Just poppin’ in from the inspired room…
    Wow-we had a similar incident with cough medicine last week! I’ve never had to call poison control before…everyone’s fine but I sure appreciated that (and your) reminder to cherish what we’ve got and really live each moment. And to secure the furniture! Glad everyone’s okay.

    Reply
  12. Tamara Jansen says

    February 27, 2009 at 7:10 pm

    Oh so true! Enjoy every precious moment 🙂

    Reply
  13. Jill -Forever and Ever House says

    February 27, 2009 at 10:03 pm

    I am so glad that you and your son are safe. Children are so precious, aren’t they? I have a 5 year old and your article was a reminder to me about how easy it is for her to get into trouble. Thanks for sharing. PS Your son is adorable. :o)

    Reply
  14. Janele says

    February 27, 2009 at 11:49 pm

    Wow, my heart started to skip a a few beats just reading about your scare. That is every mother’s nightmare, but I am so….happy that everything worked out, and that you were quick on your feet. Just keep kissing and hugging on him. He is so….cute!

    Reply
  15. austinfarmtotable says

    February 28, 2009 at 8:17 pm

    Glad Zack and you are both ok. Thank goodness for guardian angels.

    Reply
  16. Mary Beth says

    February 28, 2009 at 9:28 pm

    Thank you for the wonderful, potentially lifesaving tip. I’m am so thankful that your little guy is okay.

    Reply
  17. Shannon says

    March 1, 2009 at 10:39 am

    Thanks so much for posting this. These are definitely hazards that often times we ignore until an accident happens. I am so glad your cutie was not harmed.

    Reply
  18. Angry Julie Monday says

    March 2, 2009 at 4:49 pm

    Bigs Hugs!

    I remember reading about Corey on GymboFriends last year. It really hits home since you know my kid is a climber.

    Everything in our house was secured after that.

    I’m glad everything is ok!

    Reply
  19. Sarah @ Thrifty Decor Chick says

    March 5, 2009 at 12:13 pm

    Lindsay, can you tell me what kind of strap your husband used? I just took one that came with one of our (small) shelves OFF — but now I need to put it back on and maybe do a couple other pieces of furniture. THANKS!!

    Reply
  20. beatlejess says

    June 13, 2009 at 2:20 pm

    Hi Lindsay,
    I've just started reading your blog (am actually reading all your posts). As I was reading this entry, I am reminded of my boyfriend telling me a similar story. When he was your son's age, he did the exact same thing with an armoire and it DID land on him and he was pinned under it. His mom heard the crash and lifted the armoire from him. He was fine fortunately enough and just jumped up and was playing again moments later.
    It could have been worse.
    My sister has a little girl who is approaching the age where they get these weird ideas and I will let her know that she needs to strap the furniture to the walls. I never made the connection because my boyfriend's story is just a funny little anecdote he told me before my sister had her baby and I don't have kids. Now I realize you can never be too careful.
    Thank you for sharing your story.

    Reply
  21. Kelsey says

    November 24, 2009 at 4:07 pm

    Wow your story freaked me out because my 1 year old is in that stage of trying to climb up everything. My armoir in my bedroom is so big and bulky that I think I could climb on the front and it wouldn't tip over but I am gonna secure it just to be safe. I have another one on the way and it would be better to get it over with now. Thanks for the reminder that we can never be too careful with our kids. 🙂

    Reply

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About Makely

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.


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