This week...

I have had my blood drawn so many times this week that I feel like a pincushion. The only benefit that I can see is the sweet neon pink armband that I got to wear for awhile. N particularly liked the accessory and insisted on wrapping and re-wrapping my arm with it for hours on end yesterday until it met its demise in the trashcan. The upside of the blood draws? I am now more interested in volunteering at the local children's hospital than ever, because medical stuff is no joke and I can only imagine the trauma of being or having a child going through one or multiple hospital ordeals.

The rational part of my brain knows-- knows!-- that Uggs on a toddler are impractical. I mean, I could buy a big chunk of that upholstered headboard I want with that kind of money. But I die over this version with the satin bows up the back. Don't spoil my dreams with talk of fraying and utter ruin from the muddy wetness that rules the winter! In my head, N is wearing these all winter. In reality, the best we'll end up doing is Fuggs and shiny plastic boots would be a more practical option... but then I want Hunters. But actually, I want to avoid N's love of name brands altogether. It's a sad interest of mine.

Is your toddler going to be a butterfly (or "barfly" in N-speak) for Halloween? Check out pet stores for real! N insisted on wearing a pair all through the store-- yes, of course we take field trips to pet stores! They've got puppies+meows+fishies+tweets all day long!-- and they were actually pretty cute and inexpensive.

This, my breastfeeding friends, is why you should never just yank your baby off your boob without putting your finger in the corner of their mouth and breaking the suction first! N got bitten at daycare on Tuesday, which was bad enough on its own, and when the teachers went to grab the biter, she re-latched and made it worse. Today N is sporting a serious bite mark hickey on her cheek and it kind of makes me want to cry.

And can we talk about biting in daycare just a little bit more, because I'm not really sure what to do. Clearly N's skin wasn't exactly broken in this case, so can I assume that health-wise this is not a big deal? The daycare called my husband after the incident and told him that they did wash it straightaway with soap and water. We also talked with N about her "ouchie" although she was clearly over it by the time we picked her up in the evening.

Also what are the appropriate measures that the daycare should make following a biting incident (there is also a severe bite mark on N's shoulder but in general this was a first offense by a new student), and am I the obnoxious mom if I call to clarify their game plan? It's awesome that as they say, "the student really likes and was excited to see N!" but if she's a biter, I'm not sure that N wants to be her friend and also how can I make sure that she'll be protected from future hits? Yes, it's a common toddler thing and N could even become a biter herself at some point (please not!), but I just want to handle it smoothly.


XO,