"Good morning, Poison Control, how may I help you?"

...is what I heard from the other end of the line at 6:30 a.m. last Thursday. Astonished that my day could go south so early, I politely explained to nice woman what had transpired in our household so far that day...

I had roused Camryn at 6:15 to get her dressed for school. Aubrey was still snoozing, so I left her alone, hoping I could get Camryn completely ready before the little one woke (a rare occurrence.) As Camryn slipped on her shoes, I prepped her toothbrush with her Pooh Bear berry-blue toothpaste and set it on the counter next to the sink.

By then, Princess Aubrey was awake and insisting that I come hither at once to fetch her from the confines of her royal crib. I became distracted, getting her royal highness ready for the day. So much so, that I forgot about the toothbrush. As I moved to the next room, to put the finishing touches on Camryn's hairdo, I heard a strange slurping sound. When I stopped to listen carefully, I noticed that the rest of the house was unnaturally quiet and still. Definitely not a good sign.

I ran into the bathroom, just as Aubrey was sucking the last bit of fluoridated toothpaste from her sister's brush. Great. Knowing it was not meant to be swallowed, I checked the toothpaste tube. Sure enough. "Keep out of reach of children under 6 years. If swallowed, contact a Poison Control Center immediately." Awesome.

Luckily, the woman on the line that morning was very a polite and understanding. She assured me that Aubrey would be fine, but noted that I should give her lots of milk, which inhibits the absorption of the fluoride, and also to call back if she refused food or drink, or if she started vomiting. Super! Just the message I wanted to pass along to my daycare provider when I dropped the girls off...

But that's just what I did. The girls and I went about the rest of our morning routine (albeit one sippy cup of milk richer), and trudged off to school and work like any other day. Knowing Aubrey was fine, my coworkers got a laugh out of my unfortunate morning, and thanks to our family, that nice Poison Control lady now has job security. Just doing our part to boost morale and the economy, you know?