Counting Our Blessings

Several days have passed since the water pipe broke in our house and it's given me some time to think about how much worse things could have gone...

1. It could have happened while we weren't home. The amount of damage done (still TBD) was after turning off the water 15-20 minutes after it had started. I can't even imagine the situation we'd be in if it had run significantly longer. Not only that, but the firefighters started sucking water up immediately and the restoration company was on site within two hours of the whole event. Starting clean-up right away helped to avoid any kind of mold/mildew growth or further damage from water sitting inside the ceilings and walls longer.

2. No one was hurt and I didn't go into labor. This is amazing considering the amount of sprinting I was doing. I'm still pretty sore and the day brought on a lot of contractions, but at the end of the day, the baby stayed put and all was well.

3. The water was clean source water. Thankfully this water was from a supply pipe, not a sewage pipe. I can't even imagine the difference in dealing with a backed up sewage pipe instead!

4. Firefighters were present without the presence of fire. I just kept thinking 'thank goodness all the water pouring from the ceiling isn't because the firemen were controlling a much stronger monster.' In the grand scheme of things, what we're dealing with is small potatoes compared to the damage a fire could have done - or a lightening strike, as experienced by our neighbors two houses down.

5. This is the most amazing thing... not a single material possession was affected by water. Nothing! I had just finished vacuuming the house in anticipation of the carpet cleaners who were supposed to come that afternoon so there was nothing on any of the floors. The water came through the ceiling first in the laundry room (missing the appliances and other things stored in there like all the boys' school papers/supplies) then through the playroom, where everything was out of the way already. By the time the water was coming through the ceiling in the guest room, all the furniture was already cleared out to remove the carpet pads. I still can't believe that nothing of sentimental value was damaged!

Hopefully we'll know the scope of the damage within the next couple days!