Sunday, August 26, 2012

Of Mouse and Mess

I continually underestimate how messy children can be. I'm 99.9% okay with the mess, generally speaking, but what I find utterly shocking is how *thoroughly* messy Genevieve can get.

[Genevieve: Good for you. If you're going to do anything, it's good to be thorough.]

DangerMouse has FOUR - count 'em, FOUR - teeth coming in. She's cheerful and pleasant as she can be, but teething is a heartless beast. I picked up teething biscuits for her in hopes that they would (a) be fun to chew on and (b) offer some variety as far as chew-things are concerned.

(As a matter of form, they are teething "biscuits" instead of "cookies" or "chewies" because the "c" words bring the dogs running. While neither Niki nor Elphie care for these, they are extremely disappointed when they hear either word and they don't get one.)

In any case, I popped Genevieve into her Bumbo**, put down a mat under her (preparing for some mess), and handed her a biscuit.

This is what followed:
Untitled
Teething biscuits: functional and a fashion statement.
Biscuit in her hair. All over her face. Coating her clothes. The Bumbo. Smeared onto the mat under her. EVERYWHERE.

"I just don't understand how she could get SO messy!" I kept repeating to Mom, as I tried to figure out how to deal with a messy baby.

Mom, ever the supportive and loving parent, laughed herself silly.

[In case you were curious, the solution was to take a damp washcloth to her face, and let her run around in a diaper and cover until bathtime. It was a warm day. Also, she smelled DELICIOUS.]

Strange as it may sound, I never thought I would be so utterly charmed to be cleaning crumbs out of anyone's bellybutton.



**There's a recall for the Bumbo, which you can read about here. We watch DangerMouse like hawks, so it hasn't been an issue for us. Your usage and mileage may vary.

10 comments:

  1. Babies are amazing in so many ways! I remember the days of baby food in ears and hair and everywhere else. DangerMouse is gorgeous. What a smile!

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  2. I love babies....they are great simple entertainment!!!!
    Enjoy the stages.

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  3. Those teething biscuits are the WORST! Thankfully my DS didn't really care for them.

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  4. I love her cute, funny faces! We let our son eat topless because of the mess, too. When it's nice and we have the kiddie pool out, we just hose him down after lunch.

    If you like making banana or pumpkin bread, you can turn a few slices into biscotti. That's what I used for teething biscuits.

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  5. I remember that those teething biscuits react with saliva and immediately turn to slime. I'd put it on the list of "things I bought for my first child because it seemed like a good idea" and never purchased another package. [Frozen wet washcloths work to help clean up and ease gum pain.] Your photos are beautiful, or maybe it's just your daughter's eyes!

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  6. Try frozen grapes. The cold crunky chewy bits helps ease the achy gums.

    If you're concerned about swallowing whole grapes, cut one up at a time.
    Jio

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  7. When our son was teething, he loved frozen cucumber slices. They were less of a mess and had a different texture than the biscuits. Good luck iwth the mess. It only gets worse

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  8. Oh you just wait!! We usually do dinner and STRAIGHT into the bath! :) breakfast and lunch are tough...usually entailed a change of clothes. :)

    She is too cute!!!

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  9. I remember my brother eating spaghetti. He'd have it in hair, ears and even in his diaper somehow.

    Her expressions are priceless. She's the cutest messy baby.

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  10. Ahhhhh, such a pretty baby! She is so happy!!

    Please tell me what photo program you are using to get such great collages. This one is particularly nice with the frame.

    xo

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