Severe Choke-alosis

I have some superb news. Joseph had yet another check up at the eye center on Friday and his weak eye now has full vision again. When we started this process a few months back his vision was 20/50. Through months of patching and six weeks of eyedrops his vision is back to 20/25. I think as a parent you worry if your making the right choices. I wondered if putting Joseph through all of this was going to have the outcome that was worth the process. It really did weigh heavily on me, but on Friday my weight lifted and I feel a huge relief that we did the right thing. On top of it all I can not express how great Joseph was through it all, we had a few rough patches but he persevered. I mean it probably isn't "over" per-say since taking care of your eyes is a life long task. But I feel we are on the right path now.

I swelled with pride today too. We paid Joseph .25 cents for each day we had an eyedrop without a fight. He decided to save his quarters to buy a DVD he wanted. So, Big Daddy and I got to teach a money lesson in the process. Today Joseph and I went off to Wal-Mart with his ziploc baggy of his money and he bought the DVD. I realize that financial reward may not have been the optimum choice. But you choose your battles.

Trent on the other hand..... I love him dearly. But honestly I think his middle name is trouble. He isn't even two years old yet and has had 3 stitches (run-in with a coffee table), a chipped tooth (Trent and God only really know what happened there), passed a wheel from a hot-wheels car (good thing it was small and round). Now, I think he swallowed large round item. Ok, I know. You are all thinking "does this lady even watch this kid"? Whether you believe me or not, I do, I honestly do. He is a quick little bugger and I watch him do it all.
Yesterday he had this thing in his mouth while I was changing his diaper and I quickly sat him up to dig it out...and it's gone. I swear it went down. Big Daddy is quite sure the toy came with 5 discs, we have found 4... but the fifth has been awol for quite some time.
I could so easily be one of those mothers that runs to the ER for everything. Big Daddy talks me down. My lid is continually flipped. What do you do, if it doesn't pass in a day or two do we go get x-rays?

The difficult thing is that when you have your first baby you child proof everything and there are no small pieces anywhere. But when you have another child, the older one has moved on to toys with small pieces. How do you all of a sudden halt their life and make them go back to large bulky toys. Is that fair? For the most part the small parts from the Ninja Turtles are in a box in Joseph's room high on a shelf. He plays with them when he has a friend over. But somehow these discs were being played with all the time.

Why can't I be the perfect parent I always thought I would be? *gasp* my child won't ever do that.... right... then I had my children and reality bit me in the ass.