Ruthie Grows

That must be a weird subject line for y'all to see, but here's why...

This morning, while playing with crayons and paper in the living room, Ruth got a paper cut on her toe. It bled pretty badly (though she didn't care), so I ran to get some antibacterial ointment, a cotton swab, a band-aid and a pair of socks (so the band-aid would stay on her toe). As I wrestled with her to get the band-aid on and all, she picked up the cotton swab, and proceeded to try to stick it in her ear.

She must have figured out that we use those safety cotton swabs for her ears in the bath, and so that's what they're for! Of course, she has no idea that sticking them in her ear is a bad idea, so no cotton swabs for her anywhere anytime ever!

Is a 14-month old supposed to know all this, or am I legitimately astounded?

Also, we've taken the knobs off the stove, since she can reach and turn them now. I'm in the habit of getting one out of the drawer, turning on the burner, then taking it off again and setting it on the counter so Ruth can't fiddle with the stovetop. Yesterday I knocked one over on the floor, and Ruth proceeded to pick it up and try to put it back on the stove so she could turn it. Luckily she's not coordinated enough to actually get the knob back on.

This girl is dangerous!

Ruth freaked me out yesterday--a high fever, lethargy, rapid breathing... needless to say I made an emergency visit to the pediatrician, who told me to give her ibuprofen and keep an eye on her, calling should complications arise. She perked up in the evening, which put me at ease. Then, she woke in the middle of the night burning up and crying hysterically, which brought me back down into Worry Town.

Today, she's been consistently clingy, moody, whiny, tired, fussy, all that wonderful stuff. She eats, but in a limited amount, and drinks well. I think she'll be on the mend tomorrow, but I'm not sure my sanity can stand another day of velcro baby. I've gotten as near to zero things accomplished as ever, and I have clients waiting for me. Of course, I can't really hire a babysitter for a sick child; why would I want the babysitter to spread germs to all the other kids?

I'm hanging in there; it's nice that Steve comes home and immediately knows I've had a long day. I just wish that Ruth were okay with giving me a break. The sicker she is, the more mommy-centric she gets, which eats at Steve's morale and exhausts me, of course.

But those back rubs sure do help.