10.22.2012

Mothering Fail: Tommy vs. the Booger Sucker

So today when I put Tommy down for his last nap, he didn't think he wanted to sleep yet. He's had to cry himself to sleep a couple times during the day (it takes, like, 20 minutes max- average 10) so I figured that was about to happen again.

I listened to him talk to himself, wondering how long till he got annoyed and started to cry. He coughed a couple times, but that's not unusual because he tends to choke on his drool a lot since he's teething. I wondered if I should peek at him, but that tends to backfire when you want him to sleep and he isn't. So I just kept listening.

Then I heard another cough- this one a bit (sorry) mucus-y sounding. 

That got my attention, so I decided to go see what was up. I've felt like I've been fighting a cold for a couple days, so I wondered if maybe he was coming down with something too.

The first thing I saw when I got to Tommy was a massive puddle of spit-up. Enough to be considered vomit. Pretty sure I gasped, since he's never done that before. Then, still just thinking he must definitely be sick while also distractedly registering the fact that he could now reach the items on the changing table that's against the back of the crib, I moved and wiped off the booger sucker from within the giant puddle.

I had already taken him out of the crib and stripped off the sheet and wiped off gak-splatters before it finally dawned on me.

The booger sucker. 

Tommy wasn't sick!
He gagged himself on the booger sucker and made himself throw up!

...

Holy crap.

How did I let that happen? How did I not hear him getting into things? Why didn't it occur to me that a baby who is pulling himself up on everything could probably reach that stuff by now? Why didn't I go in sooner? He could've been really hurt! 
GAH. 

Poor baby. At least he's ok.

Needless to say, the changing table was pulled away from the crib and is awaiting a new destination in Tommy's room.

Gotta love those awesome moments of motherhood!

3 comments:

Yara said...

That is awesome. At least he didn't swallow it. :)

Anonymous said...

Hey, don't feel too bad! They get into things faster than you realize and hey, David spent a good few months excitedly gagging himself with his FINGERS! Couldn't get him to stop! If it wasn't the snot sucker (my mom's word for it) it totally could've been something else like a blanket, fingers, whatever.
-Kate

April said...

Oh my jeepers, every mom has a horrible "what-if-oh-crap-I-am-a-horrible-mother moment!! Like the time Stephen was two and just wandered out the front door... Into the street... Never occurred to me to lock the door!!! No worries, you're a great mom :)