Sunday, November 18, 2012

Building Up Her Immune System

You know how everyone has that one baby in their family who puts EVERYTHING in her mouth?  For us that baby was Georgia.  She was constantly crawling around the floor as a baby and putting everything from cat food, to play dough, to bouncy balls, to lint in her mouth.  We would go to the beach during the summer and she would poop out sand for two days because she ate so much.  I don't know why she would keep eating it after the first handful, but I guess it was tasty to her.  Come to think of it, she is always asking for extra salt on her food.  Perhaps there could be some deficiency there.  Eh-it'll work itself out.

Anyway, turns out, even at four, she still puts things in her mouth, but it's not as bad as it used to be.  We can take her to the beach worry free now.  I have caught her chewing a toy a time or two, and she has no reservations about eating something that has dropped on the floor.  Most of the time this is okay, as long as it was JUST dropped on the floor and it's something like a goldfish cracker.  Eating pasta off the floor is never okay, but crackers, whatever.  We do the obligatory "blow off the germs" and I will allow her to eat it, if it was JUST dropped.   My van, however, if full of crackers, popcorn, etc on the floor that was not JUST dropped but there for God knows how long.  Yes, I vacuum and wash it from time to time, but I do have three kids who like to bring snacks in the car on a regular basis.  I'm sure you can see where this is going.

About two weeks ago, Georgia and I were rushing out the door to go pick up Lana from school.  I told her to go out and get buckled in the car while I locked up.  As I was walking up to the car, she was standing in front of her car seat munching on something.  I hadn't given her a snack.

"Georgia," I said.  "What are you eating?"

"Goldfish!" she told me.

"Ummm....where did you get the goldfish?" I asked.

She gave me a sheepish grin and said, "Fwom da floow."

"Georgia!" I yelled.  "That's gross!  We don't eat things we found on the floor of this car!"

"But Mommy!  Is okay!" she assured me.  "I bwew it off fwist."

Sure, a goldfish cracker sitting on the floor of a car for weeks can become germ free simply by a four year old blowing it off.  Good call Georgia.  


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