can't go to bed before i write this post

it is entirely too late and i really should be in bed but i just must write about the days events because it was just that, an event!

i woke up this morning ready to tackle my long list of to do's. i determined that as soon as malachi finished breakfast we would head out the door for our walk to get the day started off on the right foot, no pun intended. :)

well after i cleaned up the breakfast dishes i proceeded to get malachi changed to leave and that is when it all began.

i just caught a glimpse of the silver coin before malachi put it in his mouth. i actually didn't see him put it in his mouth but the coughing tipped me off. of course looking back on the whole thing i can't figure out why i didn't take it away from him immediately. probably because zoe was crying, i was in the middle of changing his poopy diaper and well, i assumed he wouldn't put it in his mouth let alone choke on it. how things can change in a split second.

i sat him up and my first instinct was to hit him on the back and then i quickly stopped remembering that is not the thing to do when one is choking. he was coughing so i let him do that and tried to remain calm. he did stop coughing but then proceeded to throw up. when that stopped he seemed scared but was breathing and appeared to be okay.

i have heard that is common for kids to swallow objects such as coins and that they typically will just poop them out after a few days so i figured i would just be waiting and sifting until the coin reappeared. but malachi continued to act not himself and then threw up again. so after a call to the doctor we headed on out to the er.

to make a long story a little shorter i prayed all the way to the hospital, for malachi and for safety while driving since i was quite distracted with watching my precious boy (especially when he threw up again as we drove). i felt relieved once we were at the er just knowing i was now surrounded by people that could help.

after throwing up a fourth time and getting an xray we discovered the coin (likely a quarter by the look of it on the xray) was lodged in malachi's esophagus. while waiting for the doctor that was trained to do a retrieval of that kind malachi fell asleep and when he woke up started to act like himself finally. i forgot to mention that this whole time he was acting very clinging, not talking and just kept saying, "hold me." well when he woke he was talking up a storm so i asked for another xray to see if the coin had moved. and yes it was indeed in his stomach!

so now we wait and pray (and ask that you pray for him as well) that he will be able to poop the coin out without any problem. i am so grateful he is okay, god protected us on the road, and that zoe slept the entire time he was not doing well so i was able to give him all my attention.