Bad Mommy!

So, I have 2 stories to tell about my poor parenting skills. Just take them as proof that no parent is perfect and that I am not trying to pretend otherwise.
First, I warmed some mac and cheese for Anne the other night. She was fussing in her chair and I wanted her to zip it, so I put her food down before it was cool enough. She picked up a cheesy shell and it burned her hand. She let out a howl I've never heard before! She kept her hand closed around it, and held it up at me as if to say "Mom, this is hot! Why did you give me this?!?" There were tears for both of us as I held a cold washcloth on her hand. She's fine; no damage done, except to our psyches.

Second, I had to take Anne to the emergency room because I thought she might have eaten a thumbtack-like object. I had a small container of special pins that are supposed to hold fabric on furniture. They have a large plastic head and then a corkscrew of metal that you twist into the couch to hold the slipcover on. I was using them while Anne was playing on the floor. I needed to leave the room for a moment, so I put the little box out of her reach. Or so I thought. I forget sometimes that we have our own Nastia Liukin who can bend and reach in superhuman ways. Somehow she was able to reach this little box, because when I came back in the room they were spilled all over. I had no idea how many were in there, so I didn't know if she had maybe swallowed one. It isn't like her to immediately stuff a foreign object in her mouth; she likes to ponder them with her eyes first before tasting. Regardless, I didn't know what had happened, and I didn't want that tiny metal twist working its way through her digestive tract, so off to Urgent Care we went. Anne was happy the whole time, even as we stripped her down and X-rayed her abdomen. (I got to wear the sexy lead vest!) She charmed the nurses with her smiles and chatting, and both doctors on call that night confirmed there was nothing weird in her belly. We went home reassured that all was well.

So as you can see, we are not textbook-perfect parents. No one is. However, I do promise not to feed my baby scalding food or sharp objects anytime soon.

Here are some pictures of her cuteness, which will help you forget my poor parenting and remember how adorable my kid is.


When we took these pictures, she was so happy to get to stand on the couch. It was such a thrill!