Veggie Tales

Yesterday was Shannon’s 33^rd birthday. We decided to celebrate by torturing our eldest daughter late into the night. Wish you could’ve been there!

Having already done a larger birthday celebration with family and some friends, we decided to have a quiet family dinner at Jason’s Deli, a local restaurant, courtesy of our good friends Lance & Kim (thanks for the gift card!)

As we sometimes do, we forgot to bring some food for Maggie. (Shannon always brings Lilly’s meal with her) I asked the manager if we could get a few things off the salad bar to feed Maggie, and he was happy to oblige. Shannon made several tasty selections, and we were all set for a lovely dining experience. (By the way, here is a random shot of both girls during happier times)

Well, we didn’t watch Maggie as closely as we should have, and before we could stop her, she tried to see if she could chew a bite of cauliflower with her right nostril. (Just in case you’re wondering, she can’t. And neither can you, so don’t try this at home.) Now I don’t know if you’ve ever had anything wedged in your nose before, but the most effective way to dislodge it is not to jam your finger in there, pushing it further in until it can barely be seen. Try telling that to a fifteen-month old, and you’ll get a sense of how our dinner was going.

Not a huge deal, we thought. This particular Jason’s Deli is in a mall that also houses one of Shannon’s favorite stores, Target. We walked over, bought a nasal aspirator and some q-tips, and I took Maggie to the restroom to retrieve aforementioned veggie. (The kitchen called and said Lilly’s meal was ready, so she and her Momma went off on their own)

After a few minutes working with the nose sucker, two things were rather obvious to me. One, the cauliflower solution would be neither quick nor easy, and Two, I’d better get Maggie and leave before some concerned shopper called the cops on the mean man who would make a baby scream like that.

And so we went home. One the way, we called a good friend who is a medical professional; after determining that Maggie was breathing well and comfortable, they suggested loading her up on Benadryl to help her sleep, and then trying again once she was at rest. This seemed like a good strategy to us, so we gave it a try.

Just so you know, Maggie now hates nasal aspirators. After both of us trying for an hour, we gave up, thinking the best solution was to love on Maggie, pray (again) for God to dislodge the cauliflower, and let her sleep. Thankfully, none of our neighbors called the cops on the mean couple who made the baby scream like that, so we all got some rest and got ready for….

The doctor’s appointment this morning. At nine o’clock we walked in and asked to be seen. While we were waiting to be seen, Maggie went and played with other children in the lobby. After a few minutes, she came over to Daddy holding out her hand (she does this when she finds something. It’s a great habit that we’re quite thankful for). I thanked her for bringing it to me and held out my hand. She then gave me…. a 1/4- by 1/8-inch piece of cauliflower. (shown next to a dime for comparison) How about that? We have no idea how it got free, other than an answer to our prayers. Thank You God, for Your tender love and personal interest in even the most trivial parts of life, like veggie wedgies in a toddler’s boogie chute!

So now Maggie is mostly cauliflower-free, although we have a follow-up appointment with another doctor this afternoon as a precaution. I’m not sure what would happen to tiny bits of raw veggie if left in one’s nasal airways over an extended period of time, but I’d rather not use Maggie to find out. It’s like I always say, better safe than sorry. (o.k., I don’t always say that, but I’m not opposed to using that phrase when the situation calls for it.)