Blue Bead Up Nose...

Yesterday was Scott's first day with students. Although teachers returned to work over a week ago, in many Virginia schools students do not traditionally return to school until the Tuesday after Labor Day. I knew that he was going to be tired when he got home from work. Robby and I set out to make Daddy feel appreciated when his long day was over.

Robby was up bright and early. He was extremely helpful as we put the ribs into the crock pot to cook all day. He is an expert "seasoner," enthusiastically yelling "Bam" as he throws salt onto the food.

By 11:30, we had finished several loads of laundry and cleaned the house. The macaroni and cheese was ready to go into the oven when Scott got home from work. Robby was starting to get antsy because he wanted to play outside and it was raining. I packed him up and we headed to McDonald's.

Thankfully, many other parents had a similar notion because the play area was packed. Robby quickly lost interest in his chicken nuggets and began playing with the other children. He was having a great time. Finally, after two hours of running around and playing, I was able to cajole my sweaty and dirty little boy into going home.

I was confident that Robby would take a nap. After all, he was up at six and we have been busy all day. He ran around and played non-stop for two hours. Surely he would need to rest! If he didn't nap, he would certainly want to relax quietly and stay out of trouble for awhile, right?

Wrong!

We came home from playing and I put cartoons on the television. I returned to the kitchen to finish up the dishes before Scott got home from work. I briefly contemplated baking a cake but quickly concluded that I was just too tired. Robby came out to the kitchen, rubbing his nose and mumbling something.

At first I thought he was telling me that he had "boogies in nose." I tried to wipe his nose for him, but he continued rub his nose and he started to cry. I told him to try to blow his nose, which made him cry even more. Nothing I was doing was making him happy, and he was becoming increasingly upset. Tired and frustrated, I asked Robby to please tell me what he wanted.

He looked at me and very clearly said, "blue bead in Robby nose." I asked him if he put a bead up his nose, and he immediately said yes. He was adamant that it was a blue bead, a point I found irrelevant at the time but he obviously thought was important.

I looked up his nose and quickly realized that the bead was not only in his nose, but stuffed far up the nostril. I knew I wasn't going to be able to get it out. I packed him up and we headed to the doctor's office.

Robby chatted about the blue bead up his nose during the drive to the doctor. Unfortunately, after a brief examination it was determined that we needed to go to the emergency room. By this time, Scott had received my messages and was going to meet us at the hospital.

Thankfully the bead was removed without too much trauma. We were assured that removing objects from the nostrils and/or ears of toddlers is a common occurrence. That being said, it is not a common occurrence for us! All in all, I think we handled it well. The nurse held Robby's head and arms still. I held onto Robby's feet. Scott held onto the examination table to keep from fainting.

I have been warned that children often stick objects in orifices. Hopefully, Robby has learned his lesson and will no longer put anything up his nose. This was Robby's first trip to the emergency room. He came through the experience relatively unscathed and overall had a positive experience. After all, he left the hospital minus one blue bead but with both arms full of gifts provided by the volunteer auxiliary group. Scott and I are a little worried that he may enjoy going to the hospital because of the toys, stickers, lollipops and attention that he received.

So we survived our first emergency room visit. Dinner was a little late tonight, and the evening wasn't nearly as relaxing as we had hoped. Despite the trauma of the day, Robby is still full of energy. So much for tuckering out the toddler! I can hardly wait to see what adventures await me tomorrow...