Hawkeye Pierce Saves Lucy's Life!

Last night, my husband, two daughters and I were in our living room having a snack of Tostito's Gold tortilla chips. If you haven't had these chips, they are just like regular tortilla chips, except a bit thicker. When we are having snacks together, Shawn and I like to keep a close eye on Lucy. She is only 13 months old and while she has front teeth and is good at biting, she doesn't have any back teeth for grinding food. So, she was seated in between the two of us. Riley, being three years old, has a full set of choppers (pretty much) and we are past worrying that she has any trouble eating.

Anyway, at one point, Lucy begins coughing, her face turns red, and her eyes tear up. I realized at once that she had a chip lodged in her throat. In a panic, I picked her up and then laid her face down across my lap and gave her stomach a quick squeeze. When nothing happened, I recalled way back to when I had just given birth to Riley and they made us watch a first aid video that explained what to do when an infant begins to choke. A little "ding" sounded in my head when I remembered that I must clear her mouth first.

While she was on her stomach, I reached into her mouth with my left index finger, which very quickly not only touched the menacing chip, but also very quickly brushed the back of her throat. I realized that Lucy was not choking as she was still coughing and crying, but she couldn't dislodge the chip either and I told myself that I had one more chance to get it out.

I felt instant calm as I channeled Captain Hawkeye Pierce, whom I have seen work wonders under pressure. All of a sudden, Lucy became an anatomy chart and working model. And I felt the CSI TMICam lurch me right into Lucy's mouth and throat; I saw, up close, her tongue, tonsils, the roof of her mouth, the back of her throat, her uvula, the saliva, and that dastardly chip. I summoned all of the cool and know-how Hawkeye had to offer, reached my left index finger in her mouth again, placed my finger on the offending foodstuff and pressed it down on her tongue, using all the friction my fingerprints had to offer so that I could snag it and drag it to the front of her mouth. Once I had it close enough, I pinched it with my thumb and forefinger and removed it completely.

I was instantly transported back to the couch and Hawkeye gave me a little departing wave as he returned control of my hands back to me. I was left shaken by what had happened and amazed by the fact that, when push came to shove, I was able to function calmly under the pressure of knowing Lucy's life was in my hands. I looked down at Lucy, who was surprised to have a suddenly cleared breathing passage. She stopped crying, looked around, located the bag of chips, and dove in for another one.