Spend money, don't eat it.

Last night as we were all settling down and getting ready for bed, Don called me in to where he and the boys were sitting. Ethan (age 4) was crying "It hurts, It hurts." He was pointing to his chest. "He swallowed a quarter." Don said. Well, I've been a mom long enough to know that small change, like pennies and dimes, will pass in time. But, a quarter? I've never had a child swallow a quarter before. So, I called the hospital (Saturday evening - not going to get a hold of a doctor). I asked the receptionist if she thought a quarter would pass. She didn't know, but suggested I call Ask-A-Nurse and gave me their number. I called, and the nurse there told me that a quarter is large enough to possibly cause some internal injury, and that I should take him in to get checked out. So, we went in and he got an xray. I am going to call and see if I can get a copy to put in his scrapbook - Goofy Kid! I was surprised to find that almost everyone we ran into at the hospital had a story of thing they swallowed or got stuck up their nose or in their ear or something. I didn't think it was that common. Although, when I arrived home, Don said that he had looked online and found that one in three ER visits have to do with foreign objects in the body. At the ER, talking with Ethan, he explained that he had found the quarter and so it was lucky. He was in his pajamas, which have no pockets, and so he was looking for a place to keep his quarter where it wouldn't get lost. So, he put it in his mouth, then OOPS! Well, the xray showed it in his stomach, and the doctor said it will likely pass, but there are two valves that it might get caught up at. So, we are checking stool until we find the quarter. If we don't find it in a few days, he'll have to go back in and get a new picture taken to try to find it. So, our prayer request is that God guides it through his system with as little pain and discomfort as possible. Our lesson to Ethan is "Spend money, don't eat it."