A night we will not forget...

So, I missed this weeks "Say What Wednesday" for a reason. It's been a tough couple of days for the family. Daddy Brown's Uncle is in town. He has kidney, bone and lung cancer and is not doing well. He was diagnosed as Stage 4 back 7 months ago or so. He came into town last week to see all of the family, likely for the last time. It has been a difficult week for Gran Gran and Pops and for Daddy Brown, Aunt Fudge and Uncle Spice. Big Brownie loves Uncle T. We pray for him every night. When Big Brownie found out Uncle T was in town, he wanted to know when he was going to see him. Big Brownie was sure that Uncle T wanted to see him. Uncle T has 4 grown children Daddy Brown's age. They all came up for Thanksgiving this past year and the youngest son wore a derby hat. Big Brownie calls him "Cowboy".

Last night, we went to Gran Gran and Pops house to see Uncle T. He was so excited to see Uncle T and Cowboy when we got there. Uncle T is very frail and so we talked to Big Brownie before we got there about being gentle and careful. He gave Uncle T a hug and then I said, "Look, there is Cowboy." He looked and looked, but Cowboy was wearing a ball cap, so he wasn't sure it was really him. He gave him a hug and then it was play time. We had a great time eating wonderful food and enjoying great conversation with everyone. Under the beautiful sky of a clear night and cool breeze, it will be a night we will not forget.

I'll share one more thing from last night that scared me too death. We got home late last night from Gran Gran and Pops house. The boys were too excited to eat at the cookout, so I fixed a quick supper for them and we started to get everyone ready for bed. I took Big and Little Brownie upstairs. Little Brownie is cutting a molar and 1 front bottom tooth and has been just flat out ORNERY the last couple of days. Last night, I decided to give him a dose of Ibuprofen Concentrated Infant drops before bedtime. Little Brownie didn't want to take it, so I put the medicine in the syringe, placed the bottle on the dresser and turn around to catch Little Brownie to dispense. Success. I turned around and Big Brownie had the bottle turned up in his mouth and had gulped the medicine down in one failed swoop.

I knew there was not a lot in the bottle because I had to put the syringe to the side to get a dose, but I didn't know exactly how much was in it. I yelled down to Daddy Brown that we had a situation. He came up and I told him what happened. I rushed downstairs and called our doctors office. Of course, I forgot I don't get to talk to a nurse right away, but the answering service. I explained what my emergency was and I could tell her voice was nervous...which made me more nervous. She said if I hadn't heard from a nurse in 30 minutes to call back. 30 MINUTES...WHAT? Daddy Brown came downstairs and got on the Internet. He found the number for poison control. I dialed quickly as I'm trying to keep it together and not panic. As the lady came on the line, she said, "Thank you for calling Poison Control, please hold." OH MY GOODNESS...my child could be dying from an overdose of medication and I'm on hold.

I couldn't hold it in, when she came back on the phone, I began to cry as I explained to her what happened. She asked me questions like, "what size bottle, how much does he weigh, how old is he and approximately how much do I think he ingested?" I said, "1 oz bottle, about 30-35 pounds, 34 months and 1/4 of the bottle or less". By this time, I'm almost hysterically crying. She told me, "Stay calm...Ibuprofen is one of the safest medications and that he would have had to ingest more than a full bottle for there to be concern. He would likely have an upset belly and to give him a snack or some milk to help settle his stomach." As I was on the phone with her, the nurse called back and Daddy Brown talked to her. Her advise was to call the poison control and that they always defer to them as the experts in situations like this. So thankful we had a favorable outcome. After I got off the phone, I just broke down. I cried and cried and could still cry at this moment. My carelessness could have had a serious affect on my baby. Big Brownie won a golden ticket to sleep with us last night. I have never been more happy to hear him snore. Every time he slept quietly, I woke up and watched him sleep.

I never in a million years would have thought to tell Big Brownie to leave the bottle alone on the dresser. That one statement that was missed, could have kept the whole situation from happening. I forget that he is only 2, almost 3 years old and that he is a growing, inquisitive little munchkin. I forget the pharmaceutical companies flavor medication for a reason, so that kids will enjoy the taste. I forget that I used to sneak out of my bed when I was a little kid and eat baby Bayer aspirin by the handfuls because it tasted so good. In doing so, not realizing that it could have done harm to myself. The reason I share this is...don't let your guard down. Be diligent with your babies and learn from my mistake. Oh yes...it was a night we will not forget!