I'm Still Recovering!

My third son might be well known for saying things when he shouldn't, but my second son has another specialty - terrifying his mother.

This morning started off like most. I woke up to noises telling me my second was up moving. He is a morning person in a family of night owls. I got up and found he had filled the tub with hot bubbly water and wanted to take a soak in the tub. No problem.

I wandered downstairs to sit by the fireplace and try to orient myself to the fact that the sun was thinking about coming up. I must have drifted back off, and woke later to find that 45 minutes had passed. I wondered, "What has happened to that kid? He ought to be done by now." A tiny cold worry started in the back of my mind... he often drifts back to sleep when he wakes to lie by the fire and warm up... what if he fell asleep in the tub?

I quickly walked up to the bathroom, and opened the door. No response.

I stuck my head in and said, "hey, are you alive in there?" No response.

Then, I took two quick steps across, pulled the shower curtain back, and there he was - floating face down in a full tub. I screamed, "God, no!" and reached to grab him and turn him over. He was cold. The water was cold. My heart dropped, and I flipped him over.

And he shook his head, looked up at me and asked, "What mom? I'm rinsing the front of my hair!"

Ah... I sank back against the counter trying to breathe...

Then he looked up and said, "Mom? Are you going to be alright?"

No more baths! Only showers. I can't go through this again! (He is almost 11, so he is old enough to take a bath without me standing there, but not again!)

He did this once before. I had three in the tub, and came to take one out, and was dressing him in the bedroom next to the bathroom while chattering with the two in the tub, telling them to say "turtle" (a favorite word at the time). My second was two and a half, and the other one was four, so I figured they won't drown while I throw a diaper on the baby - not while I'm talking to them.

But on one round of "turtle, turtle", there was no "turtle" from number two. I poked my head around the corner, and there was no head over the top of the tub, so I called his name as I covered the short distance of the bathroom. No response. Then I saw him - floating face up in the tub, face out of the water, but eyes open. I screamed him name again, and not a flicker of response in those wide open eyes. Then I grabbed him, and it was the same thing - he shook his head, yawned, and wanted to know why I woke him up. He falls asleep in seconds when he is tired! And he sleeps with his eyes wide open.

But, I would have thought, at almost eleven, I could let him take a bath... nope. No more baths. I can't live through it again.