Choking

Today was scary. I know I recently posted about a couple of close calls with Elizabeth. Things that could have turned out so badly but didn't. Today we had another. Tell me that other parents have these, too. We can't be alone in this. Elizabeth and Adelaide were having a snack of strawberries and blueberries at the table today. I was in the kitchen, about to swap a load of laundry, when I heard Patrick ask Elizabeth if she was okay. Her back was to me, but I could tell she wasn't. She was choking. 
The girls have choked before, a little. I have had to remove Elizabeth from her high chair when she was younger, turn her over and pat her back hard. That was always the extent of it. She was fine after that. I actually felt relatively calm about choking, but I had never really experienced full. on. choking. She could not breathe. Patrick and I took turns holding her and banging on her back. I reached in her mouth, but didn't feel anything. I am always afraid of that part though, because I don't want to push anything farther down. Patrick was doing the heimlich on her. Her body was trying to get it out. Little pieces of strawberry were coming out, and she was sort of trying to throw up. She was panicking. I was freaking out. I yelled to Patrick that she was turning blue. I was debating whether or not to call 911. He put his finger down her throat, did a sweep and pulled out a big hunk of strawberry. That did it. He put her down in my lap and went to sit in a chair in the living room. All of this happened in the span of less than a minute. Patrick thinks it was less than 30 seconds, but I think it was a little longer. 
I was shaking and holding her. After a couple of seconds, she sat up and told me, "I thought I was never going to breathe again." I thought the same thing. It was terrifying. A stupid strawberry not fully chewed almost brought down my beautiful 3 year old today. I am so grateful that my husband was there, that he was so in control of the situation. Honestly, if it were just me today, I don't know if our ending would have been as good. What if I hadn't even noticed her choking because of the laundry? What if I couldn't get enough control to get the job done? I don't want to think about the guilt and pain of what could have happened, but it keeps coming back to me. I am so grateful tonight for my two healthy girls and one strong husband. 

What happens when your husband is away.

So my husband went to an Austrian Economics study student conference thingy for a week at the end of July. I missed him, but my mom came and stayed with us (she doesn't live far, but I don't like being without another adult at night... don't judge). If you know my mom, you know that where she is, things get done. Like the hutch that we meant to paint for a long time. Ta-da.

The garden that we had been meaning to plant. Shazam!

We also went to the beach, to Adventure Landing (a water park), and the downtown library. We had so much fun, but by the end... I was ready for my honey to come back, and my mom was definitely ready to be home. She didn't sleep well here, (thanks upstairs neighbors) and she was getting grumpy... but we did have fun!

It happened.

A ponytail. It's amazing.

It didn't last.

Our godson!

Isn't he the sweetest?

Clearly, Elizabeth thinks so. She reminds me of me as a child. I wanted to hold any baby any time, and she is the same way.

She gets a little upset when I try to help, but it's for the safety of whichever little blessing she is gripping/squeezing/holding.

This is our third godson. The first two are the twin sons of my best friend. They became our godchildren the first year we were married and remained our only godchildren until little Maximilian, pictured above. Apparently we make girl ourselves, but only get godsons. I love being asked to be a godparent. It is such a privilege and a hard decision. You are asking these people to be a part of your life for the rest of it. To be there for your child even if only to pray- the most important part. Thanks for asking us, friends.

Date night

Date night. How amazing are those two words? I'll tell you: SO AMAZING! we had our first date night... maybe ever- in July. My in-laws came over to watch the girls, and we went to dinner at Outback and to the movies to see The Amazing Spiderman (which was awesome). 

It is soooooooo nice to go to a restaurant and be able to sit and eat and talk and take as long you want. It's nice to go to a movie and not have to worry about keeping a baby or toddler quiet. It's nice to be able to give my undivided attention to my husband for a little while and talk and joke and laugh. It's nice to help remember why I chose him to be with for the rest of my life. 

More often, I say! More date nights! Luckily, we have no shortage of people willing to watch our little boogers. My mom or my husbands parents or siblings... maybe we should call someone up this weekend...

Friends and godparents

In the middle of July, we had two extra children for a few days. We were asked to be godparents for our close friends' new baby. Oh so much excitement! While they were in the hospital, we watched their older boys, so for a couple of days, I had a 5-year-old, 4-year-old, 3-year-old, and 1-year-old. It was busy, but fun. In some ways, having more is easier because they entertain each other really well. In other ways, like the mess-oh the mess, it's harder. We went to the zoo while they stayed with us because I wanted them to have fun and they really missed their parents. Don't worry, I brought my brother-in-law and sister-in-law to help me. It was good though, and the boys told their parents they had fun with us. They also told them that they were left here too long!