Jonathan tries to add more fiber to his diet.

Chris was working yesterday so Jonathan and I were home alone. Upstairs, we have managed to babyproof the nursery and the hallway. I had some laundry to sort (Jonathan's, of course. He's got more clothes than both Chris and I combined, and since we don't routinely pee or drool on ours, he generates most of the laundry) so I closed off the non-babyproofed rooms and let Jonathan roam. His separation anxiety seems to be intensifying a little, so I like to let him crawl away from me, then come back to check in. It's good for him to develop this independence.

Well, Jonathan hightailed it for the hallway immediately. He likes to bang on the plastic sheeting that covers the railing. I was getting the last of the clothes put away when he came crawling back into the nursery, chewing on something. I figured it was carpet fuzz, and thought about letting him finish it, but decided just on general prinicples that I should remove fuzz when I can. So I picked him up, put him in his crib, and started trying to get a look in his mouth.

He was having none of it! He started to cry and shake his head back and forth, all the while clearly chewing on something. Finally, I pinched his little nostrils shut. His mouth opened and I could see something white in there. I stuck my finger in, dodging the teeth, and pulled out - an industrial staple a half inch long! I looked in the hallway, and saw that Jonathan had managed to rip up the phone line that was tacked along the baseboards. There were three or four more staples scattered on the ground.

Jonathan was indignant and wailing and I was looking at the baseboard to see if the number of holes was equal to the number of staples I had in my hand. It was too hard to see, however, so I picked him up and checked his mouth for bleeding. He didn't seem to have any cuts inside, but all the fingers being poked in his mouth made him cough and gurgle a little. That was enough for me! I packed him up and had him in the UVA ER within fifteen minutes.

Everything turned out fine. They recognized me as a housestaff member and got me in right away. The doctor thought he probably wouldn't have swallowed such a big item but agreed that an X-ray would tell us for sure. I held Jonathan down while they shot the films and watched them come up on the computer almost instantly - no staples. We were back home in under ninety minutes. Chris came back late in the afternoon and we all went out for a late lunch/ early supper. Jonathan chewed on some bread - a much better source of fiber, I think.