Close Call...

This is how we spent our Christmas morning...let me explain!

First, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas yesterday. Ours was a little abnormal and I thought I would share our very special Christmas miracle.
Christmas Eve the kids went to bed a little later than normal and then Ricky and I set up Christmas and went to bed kinda late ourselves. It would have been very easy for all of us to sleep in Christmas morning. Boy am I glad we didn't!! Kassi came in our room about 7:15 so we got up. The first thing I said to Ricky was..."do you smell that?" there was a strange smell when the heat kicked on. I figured I was crazy so I went into the kids' bedroom to change diapers before we started opening presents. I changed Tyler's first and by the time I was done Kassi had been out to the tree and didn't want her diaper changed. So I didn't worry too much about it, and we headed to the living room. Tyler started acting really weird. He started walking and just fell down in the middle of the hallway and sat there with his blanket. I figured he was just a little tired and had stood up too fast or something. I noticed that I was starting to get a headache, but it was CHRISTMAS MORNING!! so again...thought nothing of it and was enjoying Kassi's excitement of all the neat presents. Ricky was going around the house trying to figure out what smelled and where it was coming from. He went downstairs and when he came back up he said his head was starting to feel weird. About that time, Kassi asked for a tissue. She and I came into the kitchen to get one and she completely fell over into the cabinets while she was walking. I asked if she was ok and she turned to walk back into the living room. When she did, she fell into the piano and completely over onto the floor. By this time Ty had made it to the piano, and tried standing up but completely fell over too. They both started crying and I have to say that I have never felt more scared in my entire life. I started screaming to Ricky and asking him what I should do. He told me to get the kids out of the house! I grabbed my shoes and a coat and wrapped Kassi up with me. He grabbed Tyler and we headed out into the Christmas morning blizzard.
When we got the kids out to the car, we were all in our pj's so I put my coat over Kassi and the blanket over Tyler and Ricky called 911. Within 5 min a cop car showed up to our house and we explained the symptoms and we thought we might have a carbon monoxide problem. He phoned for a medic and the fire dept, and within another 5-10 min (it's hard to tell when you're mind isn't thinking clearly) we had two ambulances and a fire truck with all of their lights going show up in front of our house. We told them what happened and they took us into the ambulance to get us hooked up to oxygen. Kassi and I were in one, Ricky and Tyler in the other. We were in there a few minutes when the fireman came and said that as soon as he walked in the house he could smell it because it was so potent, and that the reading downstairs was 220. (this is how much carbon monoxide per square foot or something...) Both the medics in the ambulance sighed and told me that was a pretty high number. A few min later the fireman came back and said the upstairs (where we had been sleeping and where we live) was 350. Without hesitation the medic called to the driver and said "ok we're taking them to the hospital".
We got to the hospital and I could feel the lightheadedness and my headache increase as I stood up and carried Kassi into the ER. Ricky and Tyler came a few min later, and all 4 of us spent the next 2 hours hooked up to oxygen. When talking to people later, I realized how close we all were to not making it. They said that the upstairs was at 350 and if it had reached 500...we would all be dead. Ricky had called his parents and they were with us the whole time. Our Relief Society President lives down the street from us so she had seen all the lights, so she called the Bishop...and everyone knew! They were able to go in the house once it was cleared by the fireman (they had to completely shut our gas off) and got underwear, clothes, diapers, coats, etc...everything we would need. They even loaded up all of the unopened Christmas presents and we took everything over to my in laws. What great people we are surrounded by!
About noon they released us and we had driven about 5 min from the hospital when Ricky started feeling nauseated again. So we turned around and I dropped him back off. He spent another hour and a half in the ER with oxygen. The kids and I went to my in laws, got some food, and when Ricky got there we opened presents! (about 2:00) We stayed the night over there (no heat) and came home this morning. The heating guy is here now and they are looking at our furnace.
I am so incredibly thankful for our lives this Christmas. It makes me sick to think that if we had slept in for another half hour, or just stayed in the house another 10-15 min...that we may not have ever been able to get out. I am glad that you are able to read this from my own account, and not from last night's news....ya know..."Family of 4 all dies in carbon monoxide leak..."
The HVAC guy is here checking out our furnace right now, and then we will have the gas company make sure we are safe again.
What a Christmas miracle! We are sure counting our blessings. This really was the best Christmas ever.