I can easily spend an hour each day sprawled out on the floor, nose to carpet, examining the pile for lint, leaf bits, and the random fluff that floats around any cat-cluttered house no matter how many times you vacuum. Just step over me. I’ll be there for a while, putting all those specks in my pocket, trying to get to them before Sunshine (formerly The Schnooks) does. At nine months old she’s a crack-up, a mooch, and the household’s chief fleck inspector. She’s also mobile and voracious; I feel like I’m on suicide watch, anticipating the next item she’ll grip in her tiny fist and shove into her mouth.
It doesn’t help that our vacuum bit the dust, so to speak, and now spits out more specks than it sucks up. And I guess I don’t think like a baby, since I’m almost never right about what Sunshine will eat, especially when we’re outside or visiting someone. Or maybe my vision is just off, and I simply can’t see what she sees.
Even at home it’s impossible to always stay ahead, though it’s easier when she inadvertently warns me. She goes still and stares at something, then wiggles her ample booty, wrinkles her nose, and lets out her happy Beavis “heh heh heh”. A moment later she’s off, scooting across the room in adapted military fashion, forearm, hand, toe, toe. At times like those, I swoop in, examining her path for any chokeables or other hazards.
When she quiets, though, her mouth pursed closed, her little jaw working, I know I’ve missed something and am about to fight a baby who’s determined to chew, chew, swallow anything small enough to fit between her teeth. All four of them. Sometimes she wins, downing it before I get to her. If not, I squeeze her cheeks, fish-lipping her, and examine the piece. Let her swallow it? Scoop it out? Depends on if it’s worth the struggle.
Staying ahead of Sunshine is never easy. Still, the scooting’s cute. It may even be worth the constant vigilance.
Meh – a few specks never hurt anyone. Happy chasing! 🙂
That’s what Hubby says! I’m getting better about letting her eat random stuff, but I still have to check to make sure it’s not a safety pin or rubber band or something else she shouldn’t be eating and that shouldn’t even be on the floor but somehow ended up there (probably due to the cats).
Oh boy. LOL! My oldest would scream and clamp his mouth shut when I tried to take things out. Hope you get a vacuum soon!
Yeah. That’s the point Sunshine is at now. She is SO determined to swallow whatever she puts in her mouth. And she’s equally determined to put *everything* in there.
I love the scooting phase! And you describe it all so beautifully.
Thanks! It’s actually really cute how she crawls (though she just started cruising last night, and now I’m getting nervous). I hear we’re really in trouble when she starts walking, though. For now I just think it would be nice not to have to lug her twenty-pound self all over the place when doing errands.
Oh, how I remember these days. And you captured them perfectly!
Thanks, Barrie! Yes, I can see how they’ll be very memorable.
Wow–you deserve a medal for keeping on top of that active little girl! She sounds like a handful! (But dang! Is she a cutie!!!)
Thanks, Pam! Who do you think gives out medals for these things? And do they give cash prizes, too, or just chunks of stainless steel that I would only end up having to dust?
You certainly are busy, but it’s well worth it. Little sunshine has brought many rays into your life. 🙂
As for the vac, oh no. Our vacumn gave up the ghost a while back and I was two weeks without one. I can understand how you feel.
Suzanne, that’s a great way of saying it! It’s very true.
And the vacuum? I think it got tired of being used so often. It was spoiled before Sunshine started crawling. When we got more demanding it decided it couldn’t keep up. We’ve just borrowed a friend’s old vacuum to use in the meantime, but I need to decide what to get to replace it.
Hahaha! Unless it’s likely to get stuck and cause a problem somewhere in her body, I would tend to let her eat it. I’m sure my kids have eaten much more than I’d care to know about. I clearly remember the day when my oldest used my hand to wipe the dirt off his tongue. He found it on the floor of the church nursery and tried it before he decided he didn’t want it.
LOL! I think I’m suffering from first-time-parent syndrome, being overly cautious. Actually, though, before this I wondered if I was being careless because she does manage to eat some things she shouldn’t. It’s impossible to totally protect her, though, I know. Plus they do say that kids are less likely to develop allergies and asthma if they’re exposed to a little dirt. Good thing, since I’m not a stereotypical 50s housewife.
I cannot WAIT to see her! You too of course… 🙂
I know, Jen! I’m excited, too. She’s changed so much since you saw her last.
Ha!! It must be so fun to watch her explore like that, Caryn…everything is new, everything is potentially tasty. 🙂 It’s great to see that adventurous spirit in action!
She’s definitely got a sense of adventure, Marilyn! She’s barely started pulling up, and now she’s trying to cruise and climb furniture. I think we’re in trouble! 😀
My first child was like a human vacuum cleaner. She could always find the pieces of fluff or bits of lint, no matter how small.
Thankfully, my second child was a little bit less so, because with two kids there’s a lot less time for ACTUAL vacuuming.