Our Little Piggy Bank

\\ A tiny shiny UFO moving through Emerson's intestines //

Emerson is at the age where he is putting everything in his mouth. Initially I was proud of him for having such a wide palate - "he even eats spinach without even blinking" I'd brag - but then I realized that he'll chew on a mouthful of sand with the same enthusiasm that he devours the real food I give him, and I stopped feeling quite as proud.

Last week, he thought he'd show off his hand-to-mouth skills, and he put a penny in his mouth. After a little struggle (as I panicked and he choked) he swallowed it. And looked pretty proud of himself.

I immediately called our pediatrician, and spoke with a nurse who told us the worry with swallowing a penny was that it might get stuck in the esophagus or in the lungs. She recommended that we take Em to an emergency room and get an x-ray to make sure that the penny was in the safety zone (the stomach or intestines). Sure enough, an x-ray showed a big ol penny making its way through our tiny baby.

We have been on the lookout for the penny on, ahem, the other side of things, but haven't seen any sign of it. Until we do, Derek calls him our little piggy bank...and I keep grabbing things out of his mouth before he swallows them.