Gold Star For You

So I went to the gym this morning. Dropped the kids off at "Kids Club" (the childcare they have there) and went about my morning workout business. an hour later I go to get the kids and one of the THREE women who were in there watching only FIVE children (you put the ratio together!) said to me that Audrey had thrown up earlier. She hasn't been acting sick and she has gotten the flu shot so I wasn't overly concerned, but I did carefully consider what in the world would have made her do that. But, at the time, she seemed fine to me. So, I bundle the kids up. Do the whole jacket/hats/mits routine and make the trek two blocks away to the car. I'm buckling Audrey in and she is gasping for breath. She was gagging and crying and trying to breathe. I sat her forward so that if she was preparing to throw up it would project forward and not go back down her throat. Anyway... she got over that little spell and then was crying like something was the matter. Like a fussy cry. And she was moving her tongue around in her mouth. So I decided to see if maybe something was in her mouth. Sat her back in her seat, opened her mouth and looked in while doing the finger sweep thing to feel for stuff. Sure enough... stuck to the roof of her mouth was one of those little gold star stickers. So I put my finger at the back of the roof of her mouth so that I could sweep it forward instead of push it back. This, of course, gagged Audrey and she pitched and the sticker slid further down her throat. At this point I could still SEE the stupid thing, but she was choking on it again. so I hooked my finger in sideways this time to do the tongue sweep thing and clear that airway. This got the sticker over by her cheek and I was able to pry it out from there. But oh.my.goodness!!! what a stinking ordeal!! So, I called Gold's Gym and asked to speak with the woman who had been in Kids Club and I told her that Audrey had probably thrown up earlier because I had found a sticker in her mouth. and you know what the woman said? She goes "oh my. well, the older kids get art supplies out and I guess she got into it." *BLINKS*. I wanted to say to the woman at this point "do you, as a certified child care worker, think that it was such a wise idea to let THREE year olds get out art supplies while there are crawlers in the room? Babies... who are at the sensory stage where EV-ERY-THING goes in their mouth? and... if there were THREE of you workers tending to only FIVE kids... why in the world was my daughter not looked after better?!?" But... I didn't say any of that. I listened to her apology and just said "well, I just thought that it needed to be brought to your attention." and then I politely hung up.

*sigh*

I'm hesitant to take them back there. and that sucks. But seriously...

what's a mom to do?

I don't want to be "that mom" who makes a formal complaint...

but my 9 month old daughter was SERIOUSLY gagging and choking on a gold star sticker.

but... to lighten the mood...

I guess Audrey can technically say she got a gold star today at the gym?

*sigh again*