change of plans

i intended to write my next blog post about william's first minnesota twins game that we went to last week with our friends.  i was going to write about our first ride on the light rail, and our first time seeing target field.  i was going to write about how wonderful the boys were -- they all lasted until the 8th inning. 

but plans change.

last friday i planned to take william to swim lessons and then give my sister a ride to the airport.  that evening i planned to go to scrap mania with my sister-in-law.  on saturday aaron and i planned to babysit our twin nieces.

but plans change.

last friday william slept later than usual, so i was a little pressed for time to make it to our 9am swimming lesson.  after i nursed william i put him in his high chair with some dry cereal to munch on while i went back to the bedroom to pack up our swimsuits and towels.  when i returned to the dining room a few minutes later i found william slumped over in his high chair with blue lips.

and our plans changed.

i assumed that he had choked on the cereal, so i pulled his limp body out of the high chair (which was a horrible feeling that i will never, ever forget) and began performing back blows and chest thrusts to dislodge the cereal.  after a couple rounds of this process he began to cry, so i ran to call 911.  the 911 dispatcher was wonderful, and he turned out to be an old friend of aaron's from high school.  he got aaron (who was at work) in on the call, and aaron left work immediately.  the ambulance arrived in a few short minutes, and they transported william and me to minneapolis children's hospital. 

william is thankfully just fine.  i think i am the most affected by everything that happened!  william was admitted to the hospital for about 24 hours for observation, and it is still undetermined whether he choked or had a febrile seizure.  febrile seizures are fairly normal for infants and do not increase his risk for future seizures.

kids are blessed to have minds that live fully in the present and do not dwell on the past.  while i am still emotionally exhausted from our experience, william was back to his old, cheerful self within a few hours of the incident.  he was smiling and waving at the nurses, and his favorite game was to chase his iv pole in circles (much like a dog chasing his tail).  it was pretty funny! 

one lesson of parenting that seems to rear its ugly head on a regular basis is that all plans are subject to change.  as a planner to the core i struggle with this concept sometimes, but it is a good lesson for me to learn.  life shouldn't be scheduled down to every last detail.  what is important is that we take the time today to enjoy the people that we love, even if it makes us a little late for that next event scheduled on the calendar.

we love our dear william so much, and we have been telling him that even more than usual the last couple of days (along with lots of extra hugs and kisses).  make sure you give your kids/grandkids/nieces/nephews/etc an extra hug and kiss today.  we have a lot to learn from them!

william and dad taking a stroll around the hospital

william taking a nap in the emergency room