Random Things

Why does my daughter have a belly button obsession? It used to be my belly button that she would dig in incessantly while nursing. While weaning I was often able to trade nursing for tummies to help her fall asleep. Then I got very sensitive when pregnant and couldn’t stand anything touching my stomach, especially not little girl nails and not very gentle rubbing. We quickly traded for her lying next to me or back rubs while I sing “Her Song” a made up tune I randomly hummed one day and now remember. I didn’t realize that she was fondling her own belly button while I rubbed her back, until it got cooler and I started dressing her in layers for the night. Now I have to unsnap the onesie under her jammies so that she can feel it until I’m done humming, and then she wants it snapped back up again.

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What is this weird rash that she has all over her? It’s been going on for two weeks now. All I know for certain is that it’s not one of the 5 most common viral rashes of childhood, because it doesn’t look anything like the pictures on the internet of Chickenpox, measles, rosia, and whatever else they can get. It starts like rough little bumps all over her back and then the areas where she has creases get larger and red and then dry out and look like hundreds of little white scars, which freaked me out, but they stop looking that way with skin cream. They won’t go away. Oatmeal has kept them subdued though. It drives me crazy not knowing what is wrong. My best guess is that it’s a really bad teething rash since she is growing molars and everything. Only it’s not on her butt. It looks closest to the rash the Boy would get when he had strawberries when he was little but I have racked my brain for any new additions to her diet, clothing, detergents, foods, and I’m coming up empty. Any ideas?

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Today the Boy had trouble with his math work for the first time. He couldn’t understand the concept of grids to represent numbers and insisted that his way of looking at it, while valid, was the only way. After an unexpected daytime visit from his dad who was able to explain it to him, he sat down to finish today’s lesson. Here is a conversation I never thought I’d have with my four year old.
“OK buddy, good job. We’re done now put the book away.”

“But I want to do more can you show me how to do this page?”

“No, the girl is waiting to go to the playground and then I have to get dinner ready.”

“But I want to do my school work, Can you PLEASE SHOW ME HOW TO DO THIS!”

“No honey, that’s another lesson we’ll do it tomorrow when I have time to explain it to you properly.”

“But I want to do it now.”

“No, tomorrow.”

‘Please mom.”

“Put the book away lets get ready to go outside.”

I busy myself with preparations. When I come back I see that he is making random marks on new pages, desperate to keep doing school.

“What are you doing? I told you to put that book away, stop doing school and get ready to go to the playground now.”

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Updated to add

Why do my kids like the one, two, buckle my shoe song so very much? Since introducing it in a math lesson yeterday morning I have been asked to sing it at least 100 times. They think it’s hysterical. I’m heartily sick of big fat hens.

all content © Carrien Blue

4 thoughts on “Random Things

  1. Did the girl have a small fever with the rash? It sounds like 5th disease (or did you rule that out?)

    My son, 9, had head-to-toe poison ivy two weeks ago. Oatmeal baths and benedryl made him only slightly less itchy. It was not pleasant.

    Thanks for stopping by Beauty Dish! I will be sure to continue visiting your site. I lived in Carlsbad until last summer when I moved to rural New Mexico. I miss the ocean. Is it still so beautiful it steals your heartbeat?

  2. Oh, math homework…it was the bane of my existence. I shed so many tears over long division…

    Did you figure out what the rash was from? My son’s got a rash too that I’m pretty sure is from teething, but I was wondering yesterday if it could be due to the climate change (it’s going up and down here…one minute it’s mild, the next it’s *freezing*).

  3. Your belly button story reminds me of my little boy’s obsession with my armpits. He would play with them while nursing and similar to you, I offered them to him while weaning. It worked a charm. He still likes to wriggle his little fat fingers in there, wearing a massive grin and sometimes smelling too. Strange, but whatever helps! 🙂

  4. Everything you write sounds like poetry. Just found my way here from Journey mama

    sounds like your babe might have excema? My littlest one has it, it was a pain when she was a babe too, outgrowing it a bit. I never have figured out what all sets it off but for my girl definately any dairy made it bad fast. If you think this might be it and need more ideas or info, let me know glad to share about it.

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