Just before 1 p.m. today, I was at my work desk, writing case notes, when the phone rang. I was surprised to get a call so late in the day (yes, I said late in the day; I started work at 5:30 a.m.). I was even more surprised when the call was from Don. Don usually doesn't call me unless he has something to tell me or has a question to ask. And he doesn't call when he is working. So I knew something was up.
"Ilse called", he stated immediatley (Ilse is our child care provider). "Havana stuck a cherry pit up her nose and she is going to go to Pinole Kaiser." I looked at the clock on my computer, 12:42 p.m. Eighteen minutes till Amara's art camp got out. Ilse was probably on her way to pick up Amara and her own daughter. "Let me call her." and then I added, "I will leave right now and head home."
My cell phone was in the car, so the call had to wait a minute while I shut down the computer and told my colleage what was going on. "Havana stuck a cherry pit up her nose. I have to go," I told him and I raced out the door. Saying the words out loud caused me to burst into laughter. It sounded funny. I was scared. I had flashes of nose probing surgery racing through my mind. But at that moment it also seemed funny. A cherry pit in Havana's nose. Oy vey!
Within minutes I was in my car, cell phone turned on and I called Ilse. She informed me that yes, on the way to pick up the girls, Havana decided to put the cherry pit up her nose. Ilse wanted to take her to Kaiser after she got the girls (which looking at the clock was in eleven minutes). I asked her to wait till I called Kaiser to find out what to do. I knew they were closed for lunch for an hour and I wanted their advice. Before we hung up she told me that Baby Girl was not crying but rather was calm. Ilse has her own kids and she is good mother. She takes good care of my girls and I obviously trust her. But I know Havana. I knew she was scared. And in that moment, I wished I could bewitch myself to be right next to my girl.
I might not be a witch but I am a former New Yorker, which means I drive rather fast (I do fast and safe. Not reckless and fast) and today it served me well. While zooming up 580, I called Kaiser and just my luck today there was a seven minute wait to get a rep on the phone. "You're fucking kidding me?" I asked out loud to no one. Finally, I got a rep on the phone and when I told her what transpired, she immediately passed me over to the advise nurse (who thankfully spared me the normally annoying and stupid questions Kaiser forces their nurses to ask when screening calls.) Instead, this wonderful and patient woman laughed with me when I said, "When this is over, I will laugh that my kid put a cherry pit up her nose. But now, I don't what to do" and gave me some suggestions to try to dislodge the pit once I got home. When she found out I was on the road she encouraged me to drive safely and wished me good luck.
I made it home in record time to I find Havana sitting on the steps looking very sullen. I knew she was afraid. I picked her up, asked her what happened and if she was afraid. She shook her head and held on tight. My baby girl, my sweet love; I hated for her to be so scared.
My friend Danya (our house guest) kindly went with me as I took Havana upstairs to get a better idea of what we were dealing with. Havana told me which side she put the pit in but there was no sign of it. It was time to try trick one. Danya helped me convince Havana to let me press on the unpitted nostril while I blew in her mouth. First try and the pit came down to the opening on her nose. I was afraid to pull it out; clumsy me would probably push it back up again. So I told Havana I would blow one more time. This time, the pit flew out of her nose. Danya and I cheered and Havana burst into tears. Finally, once that cherry pit was out, she was able to let go. Baby girl cried while I held her.
That didn't last long because in burst Amara. When I showed her the pit, she picked up a pillow and started whacking me."Amara, hey, she isn't hurt." But that I may have hurt Havana wasn't her trigger; "I wanted to see. I wanted to see." Thankfully, once again, Danya stepped in and tried to talk some sense into Amara.(which didn't work; but I was so glad to have a witness to the madness!) When I finally tucked Amara in for nap, she finally got it that we had to work alone with Havana, that she was scared and being with just the two of us worked best.
Since Havana was still quite shaken up, I invited her to sleep in my bed for nap time. I think that alone made her consider her decision to stick that pit up her nose a good one. Hum...maybe not but napping together helped her soothe and process what had transpired. We lay in bed, cuddled and talked about what happened. Havana didn't think the cherry pit would stay stuck in her nose and she said she would not put anything up there again. "And not in your ears or mouth either Havana. That's why I always tell you to take things out of your mouth. You can hurt yourself." When I told Havana how I left work right away and drove "really fast" to get to her, she looked at me and kindly reminded me, "You are not supposed to drive fast. The police will stop you." I told her if the police had stopped me I would have told them what happened and that they would let me go.
After a bit more cuddling and kissing, both Havana and I drifted off. I woke up much before her and as I watched her sleeping, her sweet, angelic being, I felt deep gratitude that today's events, while scary, were not serious. And now, that it's over, I can laugh that my not quite 4 year old stuck a cherry pit up her nose.
As parents, we always want to protect our children and today, a little cherry pit reminded me just how precious my little people are and it gave me a reality check to be more grateful and to take things in stride and to let the not so big things remain not so big. Because there will be days with big things and for now I am glad this was a not so big thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment