The Million Dollar Barrette!

Well, a few weeks back, we had quite the ordeal - to say the least.

It was a typical Friday morning - I was rushing to get me and the kids out the door.  Like toddlers sometimes are, my little Addalyn was being a bit "challenging" and not wanting to do what her mommy told her to do.  After asking her a few times to take a barrette out of her hands/mouth and give them to mommy...I had mentally decided to take the "pick and choose your battles approach" and let it go, deciding that I'd get the barrette from her once she was in her carseat.  Blake and I left the room when all of a sudden I heard what I thought was Addy throwing up. 

Unfortunately she wasn't throwing up...she was choking on the barrette.  After hitting her back a few times with no results, the barrette finally slipped down in to her tummy.

I say finally, because for her to continue choking......well, it could've been a lot worse than a barrette slipping into her tummy. 

Anyway, after the initial scare, Addy was acting fairly normal - talking fine, breathing fine, in decent spirits.  But, of course I called the doctor!  We got the first appt. we could to get Addy looked at.  After an x-ray and consults with the pediatric "stomach" doc, they decided to remove the barrette surgically.  Due to it's size, they did not want to risk having her pass the barrette...it was metal and could've puncture a colon wall or something.

They put her under anesthesia and went down with a scope through her mouth into her stomach. 

 Because of my phone, I got to document the day. 

Getting ready for her x-ray to see where the barrette was in that body of hers

 

"I got an x-ray and got fun stickers...life is good!"


  

The barrette.....in my daughters tummy.....seriously!




Daddy with Addalyn in recovery




My Poor Babe



Home & Feeling Good :)



Flowers from her daycare friends Autumn & Kyra...how sweet!



The barrette - the one on the left is what went in, the one on the right is what happens to barrettes after they sit in stomach acid!

Initially after things happened, and through the day, I was just going through the mommy motions and although I was shaking like crazy after the choking incident, I never really thought about the moment all day.  I got choked up when I saw them put on the hospital bracelet and it hit me she was having SURGERY.  Aaron got choked up when he was back in the OR with her and trying to calm her to get her under anesthesia - she was scared and crying, and apparently when people go under anesthesia their breathing and such gets weird ---- that was hard on Aaron. 

That night, after everything had settelled, I COULD NOT SLEEP.  I kept reliving the visualization of her choking and how scared I was.  And, I realize that it could've been so much worse.  And, it may sound silly, but I think I have thought about that almost daily since and thanked God for actually allowing the barrette to go into her tummy.  Choking scares me.  Really scares me. 

I joke that this is quite an expensive barrette - because of health insurance deductibles and such.  But in all honesty, it really is a priceless one -- because to me, my little Addy-babes is worth more than any money could provide - and I'm so thankful that things turned out as good as they did.