August 29, 2011

Open wide

In the past week or so, Lulu has discovered her mouth. If she's holding something--a rattle, a stuffed bear--it goes straight to her lips. If she's not holding anything, she crams her hands in there as far back as they will go. At night, I hear her in her crib, slobbering away, and in the morning, the arms of her sleeper are wet to the elbow.

This makes me incredibly anxious. I had thought I could put off babyproofing for a few more months. I have spent a lot of time and money on therapy so that I don't walk into a room and immediately focus on all the things in it that can kill me or a loved one. Babyproofing requires me to do just that, only times a thousand million, since the loved one in peril is my tiny, perfect, helpless, defenseless only child. I have been consoling myself with the fact that Lulu hasn't yet mastered the pincer grip--the only things she can pick up and steer toward her tender esophagus are things that are far too big to go down it.

But it appears I can't put it off too much longer. Today during tummy time, I noticed Lulu fussing and straining forward toward something on the floor just off the edge of her playmat. Upon closer inspection, I saw it was a penny. My genius child had found a way around those pincer-grip skills she's so sorely lacking: since she couldn't pick the penny up, she was trying to LAUNCH HERSELF FORWARD onto it, mouth first. In order to swallow it, I guess, and commit baby hari-kari.


Why, WHY, despite this new oral fascination, will my child still refuse to take a pacifier? It is one of the great mysteries of the world.

2 comments:

  1. We had it SO EASY with Joy, and we never even knew it - all we had to do was tell her "no" once or twice, and she would listen. She also wasn't terribly keen on putting anything dirty or "yucky" in her mouth (my little Baby Prim!). So I didn't do anywhere near the baby-proofing that I should have with Grace, and oh boy, was she ever different from her sister. "LOOK SHARP OBJECTS MUST EAT NOW." And "no" just bounced off of her. Crazy times!

    At least you can reassure yourself that Lulu has some MAD problem-solving skillz. Way to think outside the box, Lulu!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That is my one consolation, Louise! She is obviously a genius and will cure cancer someday...if she doesn't choke to death on a misplaced bottle cap first.

    ReplyDelete