1-800-222-1222....Hello, this is Poison Control Can I help you?

Seriously, let us hold a competition. Who of you have called Poison Control and how many times? I want to know. I should give a gift away for the winner,but...I'm not.
I'll start back at the beginning. Daxton was having mass ear infections and we had ear numbing drops for him. I gave him some in the middle of the night one night and went back to bed. I forgot to put the drops up high, out of reach. He was roughly 18 months old. The next day he's walking through the hallway and stumbles into the wall, as he does on a daily basis, and out of his chubby little fist rolls the ear numbing drops. The bottle? EMPTY! I quickly call PC as I like to call them. They inform me that this can close up his lungs and cause him to quit breathing. She feels comfortable that I was only a few miles away from the nearest hospital and would be calling me back every few minutes to check on his prognosis. HE LIVED...and we never did have to go to the emergency room...thankfully.
THE NEXT DAY...I walk into the living room to find Daxton eating A & D Ointment...this time I debate...do I call? Will they take my child away from negligent supervision? I read the tube and find that it says, "IF INGESTED seek medical help or call Poison Control right away". AWwww crap... okay... HE LIVED.
It's Christmas time, Daxton is 2 years old now. The stockings are hung, the smell of cinnamon is in the air, the tree has been decorated with bright white lights and ornaments. Wintersong by Sarah McLachlan is playing in the background, all is well...I thought. Daxton finds me with what I assume is food in his mouth and tells me about it. I ask him to show me where the food is and he takes me to the Christmas tree and shows me where he has BITTEN OFF A LIGHT! I freak out and call for Collin. We frantically check his mouth for the glass shards and any blood that might be spewing from the gashes I imagine have taken place. You see, he didn't bite it off at the tip--it was near the end by the plastic and SHREDDED. He said he just bit it off and and chewed it up. We looked and couldn't find anything in his mouth. SO...you guessed it...we called PC. They said that usually it will just come out on its own and won't cut up anything in the process. I won't go into detail on that! She also told us that if we were uncomfortable with the situation that maybe we should call his doctor. We called the pediatricians office and talked to the triage nurse. She spoke with the doctor on call and gave us the same info as PC. We should "watch for it to come out in his poo and it shouldn't harm him in the process." We forgot to look for whatever reason and ...HE LIVED.
Today I go downstairs (at my mothers) to find orange liquid all over the stairs, chairs, carpet, and Daxton's clothes. Then I see them....Paintballs. Broken paint balls, three to be exact. I call Poison Control immediately. In my mind I'm thinking this could be potentially bad, it is paint. The lady takes all of our info, which I didn't know off hand; home phone number, zip code. I don't know, I don't live here. I use a cell phone..it dials for me. She informs me that he should be okay but to give him plenty of liquids and watch for vomiting and diarrhea. SWEET! PC lady will be calling back to check on him. HE LIVED.
Daxton has no fear and no inner voice telling him, "Hey, this might not be a great idea". Somewhere in utero that just didn't happen when his brain was developing...blame it on the nightly blizzards, diet coke and peanut butter sandwiches, if you will. I don't mind. I take full responsibility. Olivia has NEVER been one to get into something. She always comes running to me and telling me what Daxton is about to do. She may be the instigator but never pulls the stunt herself. That is what she has her fearless brother for!
IF you ever have to call PC, never fear, they are very calming and informational! Good luck to you and yours!