Since Connor is beginning to walk (well, he takes a few steps and falls down, laughing), I decided the time has come ... time for me to break down and buy Connor a pair of shoes. Although some people think that even little babies need shoes, I don't understand the purpose of putting shoes on babies who can't walk. If it's because their feet get cold, that's what socks are for. If it's because shoes will help them learn to walk, they'll walk when they are ready to walk ... I'm in no hurry. Anyway, Mrs. Yevonne, Connor, Noa Kate and I went shopping at the beach today and yes, I bought Connor some shoes!! Before coming home, we decided to check out the new (to us) Lowes Foods. It was almost time for supper so Connor was getting a little fussy. I grabbed a bag of Graduates Finger Foods from his diaper bag, hoping they would hold him over until I could get back to the car. Thankfully, those Graduates Finger Foods worked their magic once again!! I was able to grab a few more items in peace before heading to the checkout. At the checkout, I had to unload my buggy so I couldn't continuously hand Connor his little snacks. Instead, I grabbed an Eclipse gum container and gave it to him. This gum package was new to me ... instead of the paper that gum usually comes in, this was actually in a plastic container with a pour top. Anyway, I paid for my groceries and headed out to the car where Mrs. Yevonne and Noa Kate were waiting. As I was pushing the buggy, I looked down at Connor and noticed that he was chewing on something. I stuck my finger in his mouth but couldn't feel anything. When I took my finger out, he continued to chew! I grabbed the gum container out of his hands and looked at it closely. I noticed that there was a thin, plastic wrapping around the very top of it and about an inch of it was GONE and I knew exactly where it was!!! I immediately stuck my finger in Connor's mouth again to see if I could get it out, but I still couldn't feel anything!! I picked Connor up out of the buggy and he started gagging and coughing ... his eyes were watery and red ... and he was choking!! I left the buggy in the middle of the parking lot (pocketbook and all) and ran across to the other side of the parking lot to Mrs. Yevonne. On my way, he started vomiting!! He vomited 3 times before he FINALLY, after what seemed like HOURS, let out a loud cry. I have never been so scared in my entire life!! I know that I have just experienced the first of MANY scares involving my child and that really frightens me! It's the most terrible feeling! In the childbirth class Lee and I took, they showed us what to do when a baby is choking, but all I could think about was "This is a piece of a plastic wrapper ... not a piece of a hot dog!! It's not going to come out by doing what they taught us to do and he's going to suffocate!" Thanks to the good Lord above, Connor is okay. I don't know if the piece of plastic came out in his vomit, or if it went on down - right now, I don't even care. I'm just so thankful that he is alright. Looking back, this lesson seems so obvious ... I mean, this is something that I would have sworn I would never do!! But without stopping to think, and without looking closely at what I was giving my baby, I made a mistake that I hope to never make again. I think that sometimes during those chaotic moments in life (like at the grocery store with a hungry, fussy baby with a few more items to get), we loose our ability to reason and make wise choices. Let this be a lesson to all ... please be careful ... even in the most stressful situations, stop and think about what you are doing! Always take the time to make wise decisions ... especially when it involves your baby!!
