often I am in awe of the little people I take care of....

the most amazing thing happened today when I was outside in the backyard with the "Littles".  That's what I call my little group of preschool kids ranging between two and four years old.  It's been so warm lately that I've started bringing the tub of sandbox toys out of the shed so children can scoop, push and mix the snow.  Four children, Everett, Joe, Blake and Harper were sledding and three children needed to get busy with an activity, so out came the sandbox tub of dump trucks, tea party supplies, scoops and shovels.  Winston and Sam pounced on the tub and emptied it pretty quickly, looking for the prized dump trucks and shovels that always fall to the bottom of the tub.  In their haste they took our outside baby doll and flung it into the snow.  The doll landed facedown away from the tub on the hillside.  It was partially buried in the snow...  Everett and Harper were sledding together, and working hard at carrying the sled back up the hill.  They hadn't seen me take the tub out of the shed, hadn't seen me place it in the snow, hadn't seen Sam and Winston empty the tub and certainly hadn't seen our poor baby doll abandoned and forgotten half buried face down in the snow.  Everett was in the lead, carrying the front part of their sled with Harper bringing up the rear.  When they crested the sledding hill "upside" and brought the sled across into the "downside" starting position Everett spied the baby, facedown and buried in the snow.  Immediately he dropped the sled and ran over to the doll.  Gingerly he picked her up in his arm, turned her over and wiped the snow from her face.  And then, this amazing thing happened.  He performed CPR on the baby.  perfectly.  intently. calmly and clearly.   He positioned the baby exactly how you are supposed to hold babies while you perform CPR on them.  He covered the baby's nose and mouth with his and gave a few quick breaths.  He turned his head and listened, with his ear pressed against her chest.  He repositioned the baby and gave a few more breaths, covering her nose and mouth with his mouth and taking big breaths to breath into her.  After a few breaths he turned his head again and listened.  He put his mittened hand on the baby's chest and pushed down a few times and then repositioned the baby and gave more breaths.  After performing more CPR for a few more minutes, with both chest compressions and breathing, apparently the baby recovered because Everett visibly relaxed, smiled, wiped the rest of the snow from the baby's face and body, gave her a hug and carried her back to sled, which, during this time, Harper had positioned and was sitting in it patiently waiting for him.  Without saying a word, he handed the baby to Harper, climbed in behind her and off they slid down the hill.  Nothing was said during this time, Everett didn't talk and I didn't interrupt him, filling his space with my words.  I just watched, from the background.  And in awe.  And, yes, Everett's parents are in the paramedic field and he is exposed to CPR and other lifesaving/healthcare techniques.  But, really, it was the most impressive display of correct CPR procedure on an infant that I have ever seen.  WOW.