Forest of the Plains

We have gone to Papa’s Pumpkin Patch, three times this month, and Jacob really wants to go again! Luckily it’s close, friendly, and free! The first time we went, we actually went out to the patch and picked a bunch of pumpkins. The second time we went to do Jacob’s two-year-old pictures. The third time was for the neighborhood block party.

The patch has all kinds of fun activities. Of course there’s picking the pumpkins. They also have a hay bale fort, a corn maze, a giant slide, a stock tank with seed corn & sand toys, and lots of room to run. Jacob is now brave enough to go down the slide by himself, though we still need to go up with him to put him on the slide. He also loves playing with the seed corn.

On our last visit Jacob brought some seed corn home in his shoes. He was so happy to find that corn! He carried two kernels around with him for two days. Then, Monday evening he was quietly repeating something over and over. It was like he wanted me to know, but didn’t really want to speak loud enough for me to hear. Finally Jacob spilled the beans:

“Cone. Een. Nose.”

“You have corn in your nose?!?”

John and I used everything we could think of to get that hard seed corn out of Jacob’s nose, but to no avail. Finally we called the doctor to see if we should go to the ER or if we could wait it out. The doctor said he couldn’t think of anything else for us to do at home and that if Jacob can sleep then wait until the morning and come into the office. If he’s in too much pain to sleep, go to the ER. Luckily we all got a good nights sleep.

The next morning I called to make the doctor appointment and the receptionist tried really hard to not laugh at our presenting problem. “My son has corn stuck in his nose.” While we waited for the appointment, Jacob intermittently played happily and cried from his nose pain. Finally we got to see the doctor who used a wire to snake up Jacob’s nose, loop around the corn, and yank the kernel out. As fast as Jacob had gotten the corn stuck, the doctor had removed it. Yea!

Then the doctor decided to share. I think maybe he was trying to affirm my parenting skills. “When I think back to all the things I played inappropriately, or all the equipment I climbed on and did stunts with, and I have the scars to prove it. I only have pins in one arm. These things just happen.” Thanks for the reassurance, Doctor. Now excuse me while I put my child into a giant bubble for the rest of his life.

That night we had green beans for supper and Jacob started stuffing them up his nose. Luckily one reminder of the pain that corn can cause got him to stop that. Later he put part of a toy up his nose. Sigh. Hopefully Jacob understands now since this morning he told me, “Not in nose. Mouth okay.”

I wonder what non-edible object he’ll swallow first?

Despite all that, we still really like the pumpkin patch!