The Human Vacuum

The baby is crawling. I told her there was no rush, but she didn't listen to me. The pull to follow her siblings was far too great.

With crawling comes one of my least favorite phases of babyhood. The Human Vacuum phase. I can barely get the baby to eat solids, so I figured she wouldn't be one that put many things in her mouth. Apparently, paper tastes better than applesauce.

A couple of days ago I went to nurse her. She began gagging, so I sat her up and she smiled at me. So I tried again. Again she started to gag. I swept her mouth with my finger and there was paper stuck to the roof of her mouth. Poor baby. Sweet potatoes don't compare with tidbits off the floor either.

When my older kids were little, it was easier to keep dangerous things off the floor. Now I have to be on the lookout for legos and k'nex. Even if I banish all small objects to the upstairs, they find their way down. Little mice appear in the night and spread them through the house. I'm sure of it.

I am now diligently vacuuming and sweeping. This diligence will last until the baby quits putting absolutely everything in her mouth. Then we'll go back to our usual filth.

For now, we are all on the lookout for the Human Vacuum and what she puts in her mouth.