Open to Interpretation

Monday night Allison had a bit of a choking episode at dinnertime which scared Joel and I quite a bit. I was feeding her some baby food as usual when she started to gag. She had a harder time than usual to get over it and actually began to change colors for a few seconds. I tried to stay calm but was starting to panic a bit. Joel came over and I flipped Allison over and began to thump her back pretty good. She finally caught her breath and seemed to be over the choking but no longer was interested in eating. I tried to nurse her but she wouldn't latch on so I figured she was traumatized so I just put her down to sleep.

She slept well through the night and woke up to eat once, as normal. Morning time came and she latched normally and ate well. I took Allison, Sarah, and Emmet running errands around 9 and during the drive Sarah mentioned a few times that Allison had a bandaid in her mouth. I asked her, "Is it a pretend bandaid or a real one?" (We've been working on distinguishing between real and pretend: real people at the door vs pretend, real monsters vs pretend...). Hesitantly she would say it was pretend.

When we reached the bank drive-thru about 9:45 Allison started gagging and choking. I drove thru to the parking lot, parked, pulled Allison out and she started throwing up all over me. She was gagging, barfing, crying, and for a few moments at a time she would gasp helplessly for breath. I was panicked. I didn't know what to do. I called my mom at the hospital who suggested I call 911. I didn't want to call for an ambulance so I waited a few minutes and Allison eventually calmed down enough to put her back in her seat and drive to the urgent care. When we got there she was all smiles and the doctor said maybe she just choked on some spit or something. I was pleased to know she was okay, lungs clear, and nothing lodged in her throat.

We get home and all is well. Cut to Wednesday morning when I change Allison's diaper and I find a small (but huge in relation to a bitty mouth and throat) vinyl sticker perfectly preserved. At first I chuckled but then I realized the utter seriousness of the situation. Let's say that Monday night that sticker was suctioned to the roof of Allison's mouth and/or throat. At any point in the night she could have choked. I'm not sure if it was just coincidence and that Allison just grabbed the sticker off the floor in the morning or if indeed it was in her all night long. However and whenever it happened, I can't express the gratitude I'm feeling about having my sweet, healthy girls in my life. I'm terrified to think of what could have happened, but I know that there is a reason Allison is safe and healthy. Heavenly Father is certainly watching over us and keeping us safe.

An interesting coincidence is the arrival of Sarah's friend, 'Annie'. Yesterday Sarah brought out a picture and declared that this picture was for her friend Annie. 'Who is Annie?' I asked. Sarah explained to me that Annie was her friend and she was very nice. I asked if Annie was her friend in ballet and she replied, "Uhhhhm, yes." Okay, friend from ballet, very cute! Then my mom was asking her about Annie this morning and asked where she was from, Sarah responded, "Annie lives in Heaven with Heavenly Father! She has grey hair like my teacher (her teacher in Primary)." Hmmmm.... Then we asked whether Annie was a little friend or if she was tall and big, and Sarah confirmed that Annie was big and tall. "Annie is really nice and tells me nice things."

So I'm not sure who Annie is yet, but I do know that our sweet children are so close to Heavenly Father that it makes me wonder if there is something she hears and sees that we don't. Annie may just be a figment of her three year old imagination, but I have faith that the last few days we have truly been blessed by our Father in Heaven.