The scariest moment of my life.

My heart stopped beating today. My body went completely numb and for a few seconds the world around me went into slow motion and I was terrified.

Mallory was in the pool for swimming lessons. She was instructed to get out of the pool using the ledge and her arms...she slipped and fell back into the pool and went under. She bobbed up and down. Struggled to get above the water but she was too short, the water was too deep. The instructor was swimming with another student and had her back to my struggling and sinking daughter. As I watched it all happen, as quickly as it did, I started to yell "SHE'S UNDER! SHE'S UNDER!" But the pool area was too big and too busy and my voice went unheard. My daughter continued to struggle and was under. All the way under. I ran over to side of the pool continuing to yell. Two other moms saw what was going on and they were each on their way over as well. By the time I reached the side of the pool the instructor had either heard our yells or saw Mallory and grabbed her and pulled her up. She was probably struggling and under for at least 20 seconds. The longest 20 seconds of my life. She put her on the side of the pool and she coughed, cried, and barfed and then through her tears said "Why did I sink?" My immediate reaction was to say "She's done." I wanted to pick her up, hold her and never put her down... But as soon as the words left my mouth I knew she needed to stay by the pool with her class and get back in. If I didn't do this she may have had a fear of water her entire life. She sat down and I sat next to her and told her she was going to be ok and that Mandee was going to be right there with her. I told I would be watching... With the resilience God only gives to children, she climbed back in the water and finished class. I walked back to the bench and completely lost it. A few moms came over and asked if I was ok. Honestly, if I wouldn't have had Mikayla to go back and sit by, I would have ran into the locker room to throw up.

I was shaking. I was crying. I was terrified.

These are the moments that you want to be forgotten, not forever etched in your memory. These are the moments that become memories that sit next to the memories of first words, first steps and first hugs that all together make a woman into a mom. A mom who, each time she retells this story, her knees will go weak and her eyes will fill with tears.