'Making Change'

We've had an interesting month here at the Pfeffer house. Darcy swallowed what we thought was a quarter about three weeks ago. She was sitting with me watching a movie, and all of a sudden, coughed and said "Oh, I swallowed it." After an intense interrogation I found out it was money, and one of the "big silver ones." I had seen a quarter in the living room earlier and hadn't thought anything about it (since she's never offered to put money in her mouth before) and we assumed that's what she had swallowed. After an ER visit, we saw that it was in her stomach and were told it would pass in 5 days and to keep a lookout for it. Those 5 days went by and we had another x-ray that showed it was still in her stomach, and we were referred to a pediatric surgeon in San Antonio. A week later, another x-ray showed it was still in the same place, and the surgeon scheduled us for an endoscopy to remove the coin for the next week.

So this Thursday, we went in to retrieve the quarter.... and we got a nickel. Turns out it was the other "big silver one." Darcy came through the procedure great (probably better than we did) and we have a black nickel to show for it. Somehow we kind of feel like we got cheated... we lost 20 cents. (Maybe two dimes will still come out, eh?) The coin was embedded in her stomach lining a bit and that's why it wasn't moving. We'll be framing this expensive nickel, the x-ray, and hospital bill, and give it to Darcy when she asks if she can go to college. Our answer will be something like, "Well, we were going to send you to college, but then you swallowed this nickel when you were three."

Daxton, on the other hand, is very carefree and happy as long as someone gives him a bottle at the appropriate time. Hopefully he won't repeat his sister's mistakes!