An Anniversary of Another Kind

A year ago today my Mom arrived from Ottawa.  She had flown down with a day's notice because I needed her.  We had just experienced one of the most frightening nights of our lives and my Mom knew it.  I didn't have to ask her for help.  She just offered to come, and I accepted.

On the 4th of July, 2009, I walked into the little guy's room to find an oscillating fan on fire, a room filled with noxious smoke, and my screaming 6 month old baby boy stuck in his crib.  It is an image I will never forget.  I can not believe a year has gone by since that day. I really tried my best not to dwell on it over this past weekend, but a one year anniversary of something so disturbing can not be forgotten.

My husband said we should take the opportunity to be thankful on the 4th because the little guy made it out of that room OK and the fire didn't spread to the rest of our house.  I agree that we should celebrate our good fortune, but I also find myself asking, "what if."  I try not to go there in my head, but sometimes I can't help it.

I wanted to share a few photos with you.  It's not that I think you aren't following proper safety protocol in your home, it's that I want everyone to remember that bad things can happen and we need to be as aware and alert as possible when it comes to our kids and their safety.

I've said it before, and I'm going to say it again:

Please install a smoke detector IN your child's bedroom.

Do not fully close your young child's bedroom door.

Have a working fire extinguisher on EVERY floor of your home.

As parents we do our best.  But it helps to learn from other's mistakes, and this is a mistake I don't want anyone else to make.