Holy Mackerel

Tonight, as I was making the boys dinner Lila was playing in the living room. She likes to be on the floor scooting around whenever she can.

Suddenly she start choking on something--I mean really choking turning blue, not able to breathe choking. So I ran in there, swooped her up, flipped her upside down and started whacking on her back, doing the best I could to remember the baby Heimlich we learned in Infant CPR. Mason's looking at me like I'm possessed and asks, "Why are you spanking her?"

The thing popped out after the first couple of whacks, and she starts coughing. I go to flip her over and almost freakin' drop her. I see the offending object is still in her mouth so I'm hurrying to fish it out before she chokes on it again.

It was a tiny tree branch, about 3/4 of an inch long. The dang dog and his shaggy fur, leaves and twigs are always hitchhiking in on him. She's always scooting after leaves he drops and I'm constantly picking them up.

Never before in over four years of being a mother have I had to eject an object from my child's trachea. This is a first I hope I never have to repeat. That Lila is a mischevious little thing.

So I nearly had a heart attack today. But Thank You God, she's okay. And Thank you Mr. Heimlich for your maneuver.