Thursday afternoon I tell Emma if she will come and get her hair done I will give her a sucker. That did it, running footsteps all the way to a skidded halt in the bathroom. I start to work on the elastic infested hair do creation and notice she has a penny in her mouth. I tell her to spit it out before she swallows it. Classic mother answer to all things that go into kids mouths. Except this time, it actually happened. Coughing, more coughing, but is she breathing? Yes, she is breathing. Quick, dial 911, no go to Urgent care, no call the doctor's office, ask for the nurse, leave a message and wait for the nurse to call back. I opt for number three, seeing that she is a normal color and breathing fine. I am late to pick up Will, so the first two are not options right now. The nurse calls back and says that she will pass it in about three days. So for the next three days, I get to look for Mr. Lincoln in Miss Emma's poop. As a side note the nurse mentions I should watch for lots of coughing (in case the penny goes into her lungs), a high fever, throwing up, severe stomach pain, or anything out of the ordinary or unusual, at which time if I want I can take her in for an x-ray. Sounds easy enough.
Friday fine. Saturday fine. Sunday starts out fine. Still no Mr. Lincoln showing his shiny face in my toilet bowl. Sunday evening Emma has a temp. of 101. Hmmm, that is one of the signs to look for. Monday, still high fever, and a little of the squirts. Monday night, no, real early on Tuesday morning, check mark for throwing up. Tuesday, fever reaches 104.6 (thank goodness for Motrin, Emma might remember some of the last couple of days.) Maybe the penny is stuck somewhere and Lincoln is liking the warm insides of Emma and is fighting every step of the removal process like a kid in a toy store, kicking and screaming the whole way out. (Why do we even go into the toy store with kids.) Call to the doctor. She probably just has the flu, bring 'er on in tomorrow. Coincidence? I think not. Oh yeah, she never did get the sucker.
