Brush up on your CPR/first aid!

You really never know when you'll need to put that knowledge to use. And it's even more crucial to really understand what to do because, when it's one of your own kids who's choking or otherwise injured, it's even harder to keep a clear head and to remember what to do. I wish I wasn't speaking first-hand here, but today I had quite the scare!

Asher's been doing great with his nighttime potty training, so I asked him this morning what he'd like for a treat. He wanted to get McDonald's for lunch, and I thought that was a great idea. We picked some up and came home to eat. I set Asher and Bri up with their food at the table and then went into the kitchen to get their milk. Derk called to check in (he was in Lewiston at a conference), so I started chatting with him and noticed something wrong out of the corner of my eye.

I looked over and noticed Cambria's face and lips were completely purple. It took a second for it to hit me that she was choking. I screamed and threw the phone down (poor Derk - how scary it must have been to be on the other end of the line and a half hour away at that!). I kept frantically thinking, "I can't remember my first aid! What do I DO?!" I started screaming for help because I just couldn't think straight, but nobody heard me of course. Then I realized that I HAD to pull it together, Bri's life depended on it, so I started praying (screaming) for help and guidance.

I'd taken a CPR/first aid class when I was about 15, so I knew I knew it and had to have it stored in some part of my brain. I kept telling myself, "You KNOW this stuff! Pull it together! You can do it!" I started doing all I could remember to help her dislodge whatever she was choking on. After seriously 1-2 minutes, she was still choking, and I was about hysterical. How could I call 9-1-1 when I had no free hands and when I had nobody around who could make the call?! (Asher will be learning how to dial 9-1-1 immediately after today!) I started praying harder and harder, and she finally threw up everywhere and coughed up a french fry that she'd tried to swallow whole.

She was SO scared afterward and refused to stop hanging on to me for dear life for at least 5 minutes. When I finally had her calmed down, she told me she was still hungry, so I put her back in her seat (talk about not ever wanting your kid to eat ever again! So soon?! Are you KIDDING??!). She thought I was going to walk away again, so she grabbed onto my arm and started whining. There was obviously no way I was leaving her side, so I sat down next to her and tried to keep her calm while she tried to eat. She was way too scared and kept spitting out every single bite and would just whine each time she tried to swallow. Then she was exhausted (it was naptime on top of the trauma she went through, so she was even more tired than normal), and of course I didn't want to let her go for one second, but I managed to put her down after praying yet again for peace and comfort.

I was telling my best friend about this shortly after it happened today, and she gave me a link to a great website that I read over several times today. Please read over it so you don't have to be more panicked than you need to be. And please take the time to teach all your kids how to dial 9-1-1, if they're ever the only ones who are able to, so they know how. I didn't realize before today that even Asher, who's only 3, should know how to call for help, and I sure regretted him not being able to when I was desperate. I also fully intend on teaching Kyrie the basics of first aid and CPR.