Yesterday Eliana told me, "Mommy, you're brown like the color of poop."
I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
A new best friend
Okay, this blog is actually kind of a continuation of the one I posted about Eliana's new-found independence a couple of entries ago. If you haven't read it yet, you may want to scroll down so you can get caught up to speed. So there we were getting ready to brush her teeth, and she wanted to put the toothpaste on by herself. I handed her the toothbrush and tube of toothpaste and watched her squeeze a huge blob of toothpaste onto the bristles, trying to hide my look of disgust. She brushed her teeth fairly thoroughly, spit, and rinsed her mouth.
"I want bubblegum rinse!" she exclaimed.
(Miller bought a bottle of pink, bubblegum flavored anti-cavity mouthwash for kids. It wasn't until after she had used it a couple of times that I noticed that the label said it was recommended for kids ages 6 and over. I didn't think it would be so bad, since she always used it under our supervision, and I always put just a couple drops in the cap and diluted it with water.)
"Okay, but you have to wait just a minute. I have to go check on Addie," I said. "WAIT FOR ME!" I called as I ran into the next room. It's a good thing it has a childproof cap, I thought. I found Addie happily playing with toys on the floor, and I hurried back towards the bathroom. Eliana met me halfway back with an unmistakable look of guilt on her face.
"Mommy?" she said very softly.
I waited.
"I drank bubblegum rinse," she said, barely audible now.
My mind raced. Okay, don't freak out. She'll never tell me the truth again if I immediately punish her.
"Thank you for telling me the truth, sweetie, but I told you to wait for me, didn't I?" I said in my most calm voice.
I went into the bathroom to survey the scene. I found splashes of pink mouthwash spilled on the counter and in the sink. The practically empty bottle of mouthwash was sitting on top of the counter with the cap loosely placed back on top.
So much for childproof caps! I thought.
I picked up the bottle, turned it over and scanned the label until my eye caught what I was looking for. WARNING: In case more than is intended for use is accidentally ingested, call Poison Control immediately.
My heart sank. I knelt on the floor so that I could be eye level with Eliana. I put my hand on her shoulder.
"Eliana, how much mouthwash did you drink?" I asked.
She just stared blankly at me.
How could she possibly answer this question? I thought. She has no concept of volume.
I picked up the phone, ready to dial the number for Poison Control, and then I hesitated.
How many times can you call Poison Control before they call CPS on you? I thought.
Let me backtrack. About one week prior to this incident, my parents were in town visiting. I had opened up the other side of our house that we reserve for guests, and where we store a lot of the girls' larger toys, like Eliana's tricycle. The girls, my mom, and I were over on that side of the house hanging out. I told my mom I was going to run upstairs to change my clothes and asked if she would keep an eye on the kids. She agreed and I headed up the stairs, but just before I left, I noticed Addie lifting up the seat to Eliana's tricycle where there is a secret storage compartment underneath. I took about five minutes upstairs, and then headed back down. Addie had a sippy cup in her hand, and my mom said, "What is Addie chewing? She keeps chewing on something."
I looked at the cup and screamed, "She's eating mold!" There was a layer of mold about an inch thick lying on top of the old juice in the sippy cup that someone had apparently stored away as a hidden treasure under the tricycle seat. I know- I was completely horrified and disgusted. I picked Addie up, grabbed the cup from her, threw it in the trash, and ran over to the sink with her and began trying to rinse her mouth out with hot water. I had no idea what I was doing. After a few seconds of this, I gave her a fresh cup of water as I dialed the number for Poison Control. I explained to the lady what had happened.
"Your daughter drank mold?" she asked.
Okay, I already feel bad enough. I thought. "Well, I'm not really sure because it was in a sippy cup, but I just want to know what I should do."
"Well, there's not really anything you can do. Just watch her for the next 72 hours and if she starts vomiting or having diarrhea, just treat her for those symptoms."
Thankfully, she was fine. This was incident number two.
Let me backtrack several months. One night Eliana had an upset stomach, so I gave her a children's Tums. I left it on my nightstand, and the next day, Miller and I noticed she was just hanging out in the middle of the stairs, being very sneaky.
"Eliana, what are you doing up there?" we asked. I went up to find her with a half empty bottle of tums. (This one didn't have a childproof cap). I called Poison Control only for them to tell me that there was nothing we could do, and at the worst she might get constipated because of all the calcium she had ingested. This was incident number one.
So, the lady at Poison Control and I are practically on a first-name basis. I talk to her almost as often as my best friend. It's pretty bad when you have to enter Poison Control as one of your speed dial contacts on your cell phone. Although, I guess anyone with small children should have the number for Poison Control handy at all times. By God's grace, none of these incidences were life-threatening, and the kids ended up being perfectly fine with no symptoms. The ironic thing is that it's my oldest child who gets into more trouble putting stuff in her mouth that she's not supposed to. Don't worry, I'm more cautious now, and for the most part, I always keep hazardous things locked up or out of their reach. These were just some freak accidents, and I'm sure not the last.
"I want bubblegum rinse!" she exclaimed.
(Miller bought a bottle of pink, bubblegum flavored anti-cavity mouthwash for kids. It wasn't until after she had used it a couple of times that I noticed that the label said it was recommended for kids ages 6 and over. I didn't think it would be so bad, since she always used it under our supervision, and I always put just a couple drops in the cap and diluted it with water.)
"Okay, but you have to wait just a minute. I have to go check on Addie," I said. "WAIT FOR ME!" I called as I ran into the next room. It's a good thing it has a childproof cap, I thought. I found Addie happily playing with toys on the floor, and I hurried back towards the bathroom. Eliana met me halfway back with an unmistakable look of guilt on her face.
"Mommy?" she said very softly.
I waited.
"I drank bubblegum rinse," she said, barely audible now.
My mind raced. Okay, don't freak out. She'll never tell me the truth again if I immediately punish her.
"Thank you for telling me the truth, sweetie, but I told you to wait for me, didn't I?" I said in my most calm voice.
I went into the bathroom to survey the scene. I found splashes of pink mouthwash spilled on the counter and in the sink. The practically empty bottle of mouthwash was sitting on top of the counter with the cap loosely placed back on top.
So much for childproof caps! I thought.
I picked up the bottle, turned it over and scanned the label until my eye caught what I was looking for. WARNING: In case more than is intended for use is accidentally ingested, call Poison Control immediately.
My heart sank. I knelt on the floor so that I could be eye level with Eliana. I put my hand on her shoulder.
"Eliana, how much mouthwash did you drink?" I asked.
She just stared blankly at me.
How could she possibly answer this question? I thought. She has no concept of volume.
I picked up the phone, ready to dial the number for Poison Control, and then I hesitated.
How many times can you call Poison Control before they call CPS on you? I thought.
Let me backtrack. About one week prior to this incident, my parents were in town visiting. I had opened up the other side of our house that we reserve for guests, and where we store a lot of the girls' larger toys, like Eliana's tricycle. The girls, my mom, and I were over on that side of the house hanging out. I told my mom I was going to run upstairs to change my clothes and asked if she would keep an eye on the kids. She agreed and I headed up the stairs, but just before I left, I noticed Addie lifting up the seat to Eliana's tricycle where there is a secret storage compartment underneath. I took about five minutes upstairs, and then headed back down. Addie had a sippy cup in her hand, and my mom said, "What is Addie chewing? She keeps chewing on something."
I looked at the cup and screamed, "She's eating mold!" There was a layer of mold about an inch thick lying on top of the old juice in the sippy cup that someone had apparently stored away as a hidden treasure under the tricycle seat. I know- I was completely horrified and disgusted. I picked Addie up, grabbed the cup from her, threw it in the trash, and ran over to the sink with her and began trying to rinse her mouth out with hot water. I had no idea what I was doing. After a few seconds of this, I gave her a fresh cup of water as I dialed the number for Poison Control. I explained to the lady what had happened.
"Your daughter drank mold?" she asked.
Okay, I already feel bad enough. I thought. "Well, I'm not really sure because it was in a sippy cup, but I just want to know what I should do."
"Well, there's not really anything you can do. Just watch her for the next 72 hours and if she starts vomiting or having diarrhea, just treat her for those symptoms."
Thankfully, she was fine. This was incident number two.
Let me backtrack several months. One night Eliana had an upset stomach, so I gave her a children's Tums. I left it on my nightstand, and the next day, Miller and I noticed she was just hanging out in the middle of the stairs, being very sneaky.
"Eliana, what are you doing up there?" we asked. I went up to find her with a half empty bottle of tums. (This one didn't have a childproof cap). I called Poison Control only for them to tell me that there was nothing we could do, and at the worst she might get constipated because of all the calcium she had ingested. This was incident number one.
So, the lady at Poison Control and I are practically on a first-name basis. I talk to her almost as often as my best friend. It's pretty bad when you have to enter Poison Control as one of your speed dial contacts on your cell phone. Although, I guess anyone with small children should have the number for Poison Control handy at all times. By God's grace, none of these incidences were life-threatening, and the kids ended up being perfectly fine with no symptoms. The ironic thing is that it's my oldest child who gets into more trouble putting stuff in her mouth that she's not supposed to. Don't worry, I'm more cautious now, and for the most part, I always keep hazardous things locked up or out of their reach. These were just some freak accidents, and I'm sure not the last.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Elementary Addition
Now that the new year is here, I was just reflecting back on how much my life has changed in just the past 5 years. Five years ago today, I was single. It was just me. One. Miller and I were dating, but not even engaged yet. Then by the end of the 2004, we were married, so then we were two. (Here's where it gets tricky). By God's definition, two became one. Then shortly after our first wedding anniversary, we were blessed with little Eliana Grace, and by the end of 2005, we were three. Not too long after Eliana's arrival (only 19 months to be exact), Addie made her grand entrance. Then we were four. Lately we've been doing a lot of talking, thinking, and praying about whether or not we should add to the family. Do we want any more kids? How many more do we want? How close together should we have them? Should Addie and the next one be as close in age as she and Eliana are? Should we space the next one out a little longer?...
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21
Yeah, the little plus sign on the pregnancy test tells us that it's already time to add one more. That makes five!
It's still really early, but I was so excited I just had to share the news. :)
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21
Yeah, the little plus sign on the pregnancy test tells us that it's already time to add one more. That makes five!
It's still really early, but I was so excited I just had to share the news. :)
Monday, January 5, 2009
Independence Day
I started potty training Eliana at 18 months, and it was a long, grueling process. She was pretty much fully potty trained by 2 and 1/2, but I was too chicken to let her sleep without a diaper. Finally when she turned 3, I let her start sleeping in her underwear. Well, now she has decided that she is big enough to do everything on her own. This actually started a few weeks ago, but I'm slow to blog. She decided that she wants to get on the potty by herself, without a step stool. She also wants to wipe herself, and put her clothes back on by herself. While this is a huge step for her, and a lot less of her needing me, sometimes it's a bit annoying. Like if I'm trying to get us out the door quickly and she wants to put her shoes and jacket on by herself, it can take a long time, making us late. Now she wants to do everything else by herself, and if I start to do something for her, she protests and wants to start over from scratch. The other day she asked for an orange, so I got one for her and started to peel it for her. She told me that she wanted to peel it herself. "Okay," I said, and handed her the orange. "Nooooo," she wailed, "You already poked it!" and she demanded another orange. There was a tiny puncture in the rind where I had just begun to peel....
Lord, help me to have patience.
Then yesterday I told her that it was time to brush her teeth. I put the toothpaste on her toothbrush as I always do, and her face scrunched up. "I want to put the toothpaste on by myself." Then she insisted that I wash it off and let her do it herself.... I took a deep breath. "Okaaay,"
This is not exactly what I had pictured when I envisioned the kids doing things themselves. Hopefully, like many of those other unpleasant times that come with childhood, that this is just a phase.
Lord, help me to have patience.
Then yesterday I told her that it was time to brush her teeth. I put the toothpaste on her toothbrush as I always do, and her face scrunched up. "I want to put the toothpaste on by myself." Then she insisted that I wash it off and let her do it herself.... I took a deep breath. "Okaaay,"
This is not exactly what I had pictured when I envisioned the kids doing things themselves. Hopefully, like many of those other unpleasant times that come with childhood, that this is just a phase.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Daddy-Daughter Time
Soon after Addie was born, Miller began a special daddy-daughter time just with Eliana. Every Saturday morning, the two of them make biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Each and every Saturday. Just the two of them- I'm not allowed to help. It's a really sweet tradition that I hope they continue as she grows older. Now that Addie's getting older, she might be joining them on Saturday mornings as well (that would be lovely for me, so that I could sleep in), or Miller might decide to do something special just with Addie. Either way, I think it's so awesome that he makes the effort to spend quality time with our girls, and realizes how important and special their bond is. I'm so glad he doesn't feel like he needs to have a little boy to hang out with. He's a wonderful daddy and our girls are truly blessed.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The Greatest Gift
I'd like to ask you to take a moment this Christmas season to think about what we are celebrating. Can you imagine that the awesome God of our universe, the One who spoke the world into existence, the God who breathed life into the first man, the King of Kings humbled himself to become a tiny, helpless baby, born in a filthy manger among animals, all for one purpose: to die. Consider the lyrics to the Christmas hymn, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,"
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
We have a merciful, gracious God who loves us so much that he would come to suffer for you and for me.
Thank you, Lord, for your sacrifice, that we may one day be in your presence, among the angels singing praises to you.
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
We have a merciful, gracious God who loves us so much that he would come to suffer for you and for me.
Thank you, Lord, for your sacrifice, that we may one day be in your presence, among the angels singing praises to you.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
School Carnival
Miller's school had a carnival last week, and he took Eliana with him. I decided to stay home with Addie, but I just had to put up these pictures of Eliana. This one makes me a little sad, because it reminds me that pretty soon she'll be old enough to go to school herself, and I can just picture her walking into her classroom with her little backpack on. *sniff, sniff* Here she is painting a Christmas ornament.
This next one is pretty hilarious because she was really excited about getting to ride a horse, but Miller said once she got on, she couldn't believe how stinky horses are!
This next one is pretty hilarious because she was really excited about getting to ride a horse, but Miller said once she got on, she couldn't believe how stinky horses are!
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