We grownups take for granted just how challenging it is to eat solid food. The chewing, the swallowing; these are tough tasks—especially for a 9-month-old baby who’s just getting the hang of things.

Powergirl and I were reminded of this fact this morning, when, while eating one of those “melt-in-your-mouth” cereal snacks, L, for a brief moment, choked.

Thankfully, the cereal wasn’t lodged too far back in her esophagus, and I could see it when she opened her mouth. Even more thankfully, I had taken one of those CPR classes at the local Red Cross, and knew exactly what to do the moment it became clear the baby had not swallowed the sweet-potato flavored treat successfully.

(As an aside, I cannot recommend these classes strongly enough, even if you don’t have kids.)

All in all, the crisis started, climaxed and concluded uneventfully within ten seconds. Still, to be blunt, it scared the living shit out of us.

It happened so quickly! There was no warning! Perhaps more disturbingly, L was completely silent quiet when it happened—no coughing, no gagging, no noise at all. I had stepped away to wash a few dishes; if Powergirl weren’t watching the baby’s every move, there’s no telling when we would have caught her (and, therefore, no telling what might have happened).

Like I mentioned earlier, it was scary to say the least.

Something tells me this won’t be the only time little L gets food stuck in her little throat. Call me neurotic but I know that as she gets more and more adventuresome with food, the risks of choking increase exponentially.

We weathered the first episode masterfully; let’s hope all subsequent choking dramas conclude in similar fashion.