Worst. Weekend. Ever.

Last weekend was our 6th anniversary. That has nothing to do with it being a bad weekend. I love you, Ry. Happy anniversary! The bad part happened when my fearless and adventurous daughter went exploring and found a bottle of prescription pills and somehow got the lid off. We found her playing on the kitchen floor with pills scattered all around- and something in her mouth. After a pannicked call to poison control, we raced off to pick up Christian from pre-school and head to the ER. Ashley seemed ok after the first hour and a half. She willingly ate the charcoal mixed with chocolate syrup to help absorb the medication already in her stomach. Then, while the social worker was questioning my parental skills in the exam room, Ashley started doing this weird tick. She rubbed her nose with the stuffed leopard the nurse had given her and pulled at the skin on her chest. The doctor came in and let us know that she would be admitted to the Pediatric ICU immediately. I was terrified, to say the least. We were wheeled upstairs to the ICU where Ashley got her IV and monitor leads attached. It was a very sad and scary sight, and she wasn't the least bit happy. Her heart was racing (over 200 bpm for over 24 hours,) and her blood pressure was sky high.

The meds she took wouldn't let her little body rest and even though she was VERY tired, she just couldn't fall asleep. She stayed awake for the next 36 hours with only 90 min of sleep. Still, we were hopeful we could take her home that evening. It soon became obvious that she would have to be there for awhile. We called some friends in the bishopric and Ryan gave her a beautiful Priesthood blessing. On the evening of day #3, things started to look up. Ashley was sleeping better, she started jabbering again, and even had a few bites to eat. I quickly called in the nurse to see if we could go. After a check with the doctor, we got the all clear. Ashley was still woozy for the next two days from all of the medication she was given. It was a lot- at least a dozen adult doses of morphine, atavan, and vallium to counteract the meds she ingested. She was happy to be home and free from all of the leads attached to her. I admit it was kind of funny to watch her try to walk around the 2 days after she got home (only beacause I knew she was safe by then.) The doctor has assured us there will be no long term effects on her little body. I think she is right because Ashley is just as happy, talkative, and hungry as she normally is. I hope this experience will always remind me what a blessing my children are. Sometimes on long, challenging days, you can forget how much you truly love them. This was a cruel reminder, and one I hope to never experience again. I'm just grateful she is ok.