fearless

Elaine's post today was very timely for me. A few hours ago, Eliza swallowed a half vial of tiny crafting beads, which she had nabbed from the craft tower in the garage while I was loading the car. They're so tiny that they weren't a choking hazard, and a friend was amused to point out I should expect a glittering potty tomorrow. (Like when Eliza was a baby and I was able to read words in her diaper - I found out C had let her chew on a magazine page.)

Benign mishaps may be amusing, but I've always found it very troubling to have a kid who has never met a safety device she couldn't beat. She has even foiled multiple layers of security (e.g. getting past the lock on my bedroom door then past the lock on my master bathroom medicine cabinet and finally past the "child-resistant" top on ibuprofen). Ever since then, I stay in my bedroom upstairs until she wakes up from her nap.

I use all-natural homemade cleaners (think baking soda and vinegar), but there are still things in the house that could seriously harm Eliza if she ingested them, including my stash of organic essential oils.

She's just 2 years old, so there's only so much she understands. She has made great progress in the common sense department since she was the daredevil 1-year-old who injured herself so often that she dripped blood (not just scrapes) at least once a week and required a couple emergency room visits. She's still a daredevil, but that wild spirit is now infused with an understanding that some things are not safe. She no longer tries to go head-first off the back of the sofa, but she still doesn't get (or doesn't want to get) that swallowing anything other than food can be dangerous regardless of how many times we tell her.