{Vol II}
Y'all, I tried really hard to think of a story that didn't involve bodily fluids. I promise I did! But...I failed. So, I leave you with this.... Sorry! #parentlife
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| Not from that night...he's eating a plum in this one. But you can see the determination in his eyes... |
Beans? Beans!
Dinner time is often a struggle. Toddlers are notoriously finicky eaters. They are also inconsistent. A favorite food one day will be thrown across the room another. We literally never know what to expect. I generally keep a back-up plan of black beans because 99% of the time, Grayson will eat these when he'll eat nothing else (though this past week he has refused them three times! What is happening?!?!).
This was a black bean night, perhaps already the second of the week, and it was falling under the 99%. Grayson happily scooped a few spoonfuls of beans into his mouth. Then, out of no where, he started throwing up! He leaned over the side of his high chair and vomited a stream of black beans and milk (sorry guys!). Shocked because he seemed fine moments before, I held a tiny napkin out in a useless attempt at catching some of the mess. Scott was in the other room on the phone, talking to someone who might be interested in buying his trumpet. (PS -- anyone want to buy a trumpet??) I felt helpless as Grayson continued to cough and throw up and I just repeated, "It's okay! You're okay." Scott walked in, phone to his ear, mid-sentence, to see this surprising scene.
"He's sick!" I say, "The stomach bug!"
You see, I had the stomach bug just days before. This was what I was most afraid of--having a toddler with the stomach bug. Not only would it be scary and gross and sad, but we had just gotten over three weeks of awful sickness between his ear infection with dangerously high fevers and his severe allergic reaction to the antibiotics. This would mean more missed work, more sorrow, more sleepless nights...certainly more laundry and mopping, it would seem.
Grayson finally stopped throwing up and whimpered a little. Feeling defeated, I grabbed a wash cloth and ran to the sink to wet it. "You're okay! I'm going to get you cleaned up!" I promised.
As I held the washcloth under the water, I heard Grayson, in his innocent little voice say, "Uh-oh!" I turned to see him looking down at the mess on the floor and appearing quite concerned.
"It's okay, buddy! Mommy will clean it up; don't worry."
He looked up at me and replied, "Beans?"
I wasn't expecting that.
"Yeah, buddy. Beans. Let's get this stuff out of the way so I can clean you up."
I started to move the high chair tray with his bowl of black beans and he started crying, reaching out for the beans.
"Beans! Beans!" He cried.
"You...want more beans?" I asked, shocked.
He reached out in confirmation. I hesitated for a moment, considering whether giving him the beans after he had just puked up a considerable amount was a bad parenting move. He was persistent, so I decided to put the tray back to see what he would do. He immediately scooped up a giant spoonful of beans and shoved them in his mouth.
"MMM!" He exclaimed.
Seriously? I sat back down at the table and watched in confusion, concern, and disgust as my little boy shoveled beans into his mouth while sitting in his vomit-drenched clothes.
Scott came back in the room, after getting off the phone.
"What is going on?" He asked.
"Well," I replied, "Grayson is basically acting like a college student who drinks so much he pukes and then continues drinking! Should I not let him eat anymore?"
He didn't know. Neither of us knew what the right move was. Ultimately we just decided that Grayson knows how he feels better than we do. If he felt like he could eat more beans, then I guess it was okay.
He finished the bowl of black beans, we stripped him of his acrid smelling clothing, and carried him straight to the bathtub. We watched him carefully during his bath and the bedtime routine. He seemed totally normal. He wasn't anymore fussy than usual and went right to sleep. I was expecting to wake up at some point in the night to a bed full of puke, but that didn't happen either. Turns out, he really wasn't sick at all.
I guess maybe he just got choked and puked as a result. I really have no idea. All I know is that he definitely did not have the stomach bug that I coincidentally had earlier that week, and that boy LOVES some black beans! He doesn't let anything stand in his way!
Sorry for another gross story, but that pretty much sums up life with a toddler! If you like this one, I have another good one where Grayson is throwing up (from coughing too much) and when I ask Scott for a bucket, he brings me a trashcan that is basically made of metal mesh. In other words, something that did absolutely nothing to catch vomit, but rather let it spill out onto my lap. Good times.
Okay that's enough puke for one day! Until next time...
Happy parenting!
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