Yesterday was a Mommy Fail...

I did not have a good mommy day yesterday. :-(

I managed to catch an earlier train home. That was good. Since I was getting home earlier than usual, I thought I'd surprise Abby by taking her to the playground by the library so she could play on the swings. That was good, too. I made a quick stop at home to change out of my work clothes and grab a snack and beverage for Abby. That was good, too. Unfortunately, the evening just went downhill from there...

When we got to the playground, it was hot. Not sweltering hot, but hot enough that my little munchkin had a sheen of sweat on her adorable little brow after only a few minutes of running around. She didn't seem super interested in the swings - she pretty much just wanted to walk around. Normally, I wouldn't have minded. But the playground by the library is made of older equipment and covered in sand, unlike the playground closer to our house which has brand new equipment and a rubberized surface to make falls less painful. I was doing a pretty good job of keeping up with Abby, but she got one step ahead of me and BOOM! Mommy fail #1 - Abby fell down. Right where the sand met the sidewalk, so it was super slippery. Thankfully, she didn't cry too much, but when I picked her up, I realized how hot she was and decided it was best to pack it in for the day. This was not a welcome idea to Abby, who proceeded to cry the entire way to the car. Thankfully, once we got into the car with the air conditioning, she calmed down and enjoyed her goldfish crackers until we got home.

And speaking of home, let me tell you about mommy fail #2. I'm getting Abby out of the car at home, and I realize that she has a cut on her elbow from when she fell at the playground, and it's bleeding. (Not profusely or anything, but still, no mommy likes to see her kid bleeding...) We go inside, and I wash the cut, apply ointment, and put on a band aid. (Funny side note: Abby can now say band-aid. Is this a sign that my kid is getting hurt way too often???) She has a slight brush-burn on her knees, but nothing too bad, so I washed and applied ointment to her knees. After she was washed and bandaged, I decided to get dinner ready for Abby. She came into the kitchen and asked for Nemo. We have a little cold pack in the shape of Nemo that Abby knows is in the freezer for when she gets a boo-boo. (Which she can also say. Once again, are too many injuries influencing my child's vocabulary???) She asked for Nemo, which she proceeded to put on her knees as she sat on the couch. The microwave finished heating up her vegetables, so I went into the kitchen to take them out and put them on her booster tray. All of a sudden, I hear "uh oh." Not a good noise. Not a good noise at all... I run back to the living room (all of three steps from the kitchen) to find that Abby has bitten through the ice pack and has blue stuff on both of her hands. I tried to determine if Abby had ingested any of the blue stuff, but I couldn't tell. I didn't see any of it around her mouth, just on her hands and one place on her legs where her hand had touched, but I assumed that if she bit through the ice pack, some of the stuff inside probably went into her mouth.

I went into full panic mode. I ran her into the bathroom and washed her face, hands, arms and legs with soapy water and brushed her teeth. I had no idea what else to do, so I called poison control. I know that they're supposed to be helpful, but that call just made me more crazed. The woman told me that without knowing the contents of the ice pack, she can't tell me specifically what to do. She told me that some cold packs contain nitrates, which can cause respiratory problems and vomiting, so if Abby throws up or turns blue, I should take her to the emergency room. Really?!?! That's all the advice that you can give me?!?! Thanks a heap.

I called the pediatrician's office, knowing that I'll get the after-hours service. Unfortunately, they said much the same thing. Without knowing the contents of the ice pack, they can't tell me for certain what to do. Luckily, I save the wrappings for everything that we buy for Abby, so I go into the office, sort through her file box, and find the wrapping for the ice pack. The container doesn't list the specific ingredients, but it does say that the ice pack is hypo-allergenic and non-toxic. However, I wasn't sure if that meant the outside part or the inside contents. There was a web address for the company listed, so I got on the computer and visited their website. They gave no indication of the contents of their ice packs, but there was a telephone number, so I called and, after about 15 minutes on hold, they were able to connect me to someone who was able to list the contents of the ice pack and confirm that it is non-toxic. Thank God...

When I called back poison control and told them what the company had told me, they said that I should keep a close eye on her, but the best thing to do would be to give her something to drink and something to eat. That way, if she did ingest some of the blue stuff, it would be diluted and less likely to pose an issue for her system. The ice pack was still practically full, so I realized that, if Abby did ingest any of the contents, it was a very small amount. As I kept an extremely close eye on Abby last night, she showed no signs of distress or discomfort. She ate her entire dinner, drank a cup of diluted apple juice and a cup of water, and fell asleep with no problems. I kept getting up last night to check on her - to make sure that her breathing was steady and she wasn't in any distress - but she slept peacefully the entire night. She was still sleeping soundly as I left, looking like a little angel, snuggled up with her blankies and Winnie the Pooh.

I felt like an absolute failure last night. There are days when Abby is happy and playing and reading and eating, and I start to feel a bit like super mom. I'll sit there and think, "Hey, I can do this!" Then, I'll have an evening like last night, when she'll get one step ahead of me and fall down or when I'll turn my back for 5 seconds and she'll bite through an ice pack. At times like those, I wonder why on earth anyone would ever trust me with a child. Definite mommy fail... :-(