Saturday, September 18, 2010

The Story of Two

Thursday night was the first night since going back to work that Eddie and I have been left alone together.

Cort had class, so he left right around 5:00pm and Eddie cried.  He clung to the gate and banged on the front window as he watched his daddy--his majority-of-the-time caretaker leave him.

And then he looked at me.

And cried harder.  nice.

So I thought I would make him dinner. some fruit, a couple raw veggies and a nice grilled pizza sandwich (it's like a grilled cheese, but with pizza stuff.  So like a hobo pie, but not over a fire.  Get it?).

While I am trying to heat the pan and assemble the food, Eddie feels the need to be all underfoot and in the way.  Then he tries to "help" by turning the knobs on the gas stove.  Sigh...

So I reach in the baking tools drawer and hand him one of those rubber spatulas that you use to scrape the last bit of brownie batter out of the bowl to get in your mouth the pan.  He happily toddles away with it feeling oh so important that I entrusted him with a kitchen tool.

I go back to the pizza sandwiches at hand.  I get his going and I cut up the rest of his dinner.  Then I go to flip his and he is right back under my feet again!

So I mumble, "Ok Ed, come on.  Where is your..."

And then I see it.

The Spatula.  Or...the remains of it.

At this point I scoop up the spatula, the boy, and the phone and frantically calmly dial my parents' phone number.

After I get my mom on the phone, this conversation unfolds:

Me: OHMYGOD, MOM!  Eddie just ate ATE a rubber spatula!  What do I do?  Is he going to get sick?  Will he die?  MOM, WHAT DO I DO?!?!

Mom: What?

Me: You know.  those rubber spatulas for baking?  Eddie took BITES...WHOLE BITES...out of one I let him play with!

Mom: I am sure he's fine.  I mean, they're food-safe and all.

Me: MOM!  It's RUBBER!  In his little tummy?  You don't think he's going to get sick?

(meanwhile Eddie is on my hip totally happy to be held and not caring about the spatula or the crazy freak-out his mother has become)

Mom: I am sure it will be just like when aunt Sandy ate a quarter and grandma had to watch her poop.  It will be fine.

(at this point I spot specks on the carpet).

Me: I think I just found some on the floor.  Maybe he didn't swallow it. UGGG.  My first night with him alone and he EATS A SPATULA!  This is why we can't have nice things!  So do you think he didn't swallow it?

Mom:  Well, probably not.  I am sure it didn't taste good, so he spit it out.

Me: Then why did he continue to TAKE BITES?

(now my mom is laughing so hard she can barely speak.  This is our relationship.  I freak out?  She gets her giggles in for the day).

Mom: (in between bouts of riotous laughter) Who knows?  He's a KID!  You ate everything.  Your crib, Little People, THE CAR.

Me: ...

Mom: (is still laughing.  and? I can  hear my dad chuckling in the background too.)

Me: I have to go finish his dinner.  So you think he'll be fine.

Mom:  (starting to laugh all over again) yes.

So I made Eddie's dinner.   He ate like a champ.  I threw away the stupid spatula that was so funny and thought about how Eddie eats everything too.  His crib (my mom had three of us in that crib of hers.  I was the only one to eat it), his little people, the spatula.  I shook my head.

Fast forward to bedtime. 

I have gathered the little guy (who showed no signs of being bothered by the spatula-eating.  Nor did he show remorse.  Hmmm)  and we headed to the rocking chair.

I watched as he curled in against me and took his lamby up close to his face.

He found the lamby's ear and held it between his finger and thumb (while never letting go of the body of the lamby with his other hand).  He started rubbing the ear between his finger and thumb and pulled it right up under his nose.

Just like I used to do.

After about 15 minutes of rocking (5 to get him to sleep and 10 just for me to cuddle him), I set him in his bed.  And I just stood there for a couple minutes.

In his sleep he rolled and pulled his blanket up to his nose and got on his stomach/side and kicked his legs out so that he was sprawled as far out as he could be.

I chuckled at what a little bed hog he is.

Just like me.

I'm told by almost everyone we see how much he LOOKS like his daddy.  He is so similar to what Cort looked like at this age:  blond curly hair, big squishy cheeks, small little kissable mouth.

But it's the small moments when I realize this little Sluiter boy?  Is his momma's boy all the way.

He is loud, demanding, controlling, snuggley, kind, and loving.

And he is my little Eddie Bear.

We are quite the pair.

14 comments:

LCW@Waking Up Williams said...

So cute! And I'm glad he's okay. Hehe.

Julie S. said...

My mom sounds like your mom- finding the humor while I panic about something! :) Glad he is ok!

Maryline said...

This is such a great story! I love reading about little ones, and I think I saw a little bit of my story is yours -- though my son never ate a spatula. He is however blue-eyed like his father (in what seems like a breath-taking way, people comment on his eyes all the time!!! But of course they ask "His father has blue eyes then". Cause mine are so very dark brown) and his face is a complex mix of the two of us where my husband's features take the dominance.

But in the way he is, T is just like me (except the obnoxious loud part!). That makes me so very happy :)

I hear snugly boys remain snugly with their moms forever. We should be so grateful for that!

Are you also like me in that I cannot stop kissing my boy...?

Again, loved that post... Thanks for sharing!

@JessEsco said...

Totally sweet post :)

alicia said...

Great story. And you are just a normal mom. I would have reacted the same way.

Adrienne said...

Awww, my eldest is the same way! He looks exactly like his dad, but he's ME!

Sherri said...

I can't get over the fact that you ATE the Little People! In my day, they were made of wood and pretty skinny. But YOUR Little People were the super-sized variety from the 80's, I would bet!? And plastic!

I love the little teeth marks on the spatula, and what a cute story!

designHER Momma said...

dude - don't underestimate the power of a little chopper. I've learned the hard way. One time, one of my girls ate a little pony. Seriously.

Grace @ Arms Wide Open said...

aww! so sweet! and what a funny story to look back on :)

Kimberly said...

Chunk did the SAME EXACT THING!!! OMG. I totally underestimated how much those chompers can actually chew. He even took nibbles out of a pair of my flip flops. I swear I watch him...sometimes ;)

Don't worry about the rubber..it'll make it's way out. My son also had sparkles in his poop one time. SPARKLES. His poop was like a glitter ball. WTF?!

Lindsey said...

Haha that is so funny and sounds so much like me! My mom would have been laughing at me too! This was a cute story and one I am sure you will always remember LOL Glad he is okay though.

Natalie said...

I would've called my mom the same way you did...and the conversation would've been very similar!

Unknown said...

I was once told that if a child doesn't try to eat anything non-edible, there is something wrong with him/her. You freaked accordingly, thus, you are a mom.

Miranda said...

I love this story! Love it. And the convo with your mom? Sounds like one I would have with Dan. He is the freaker-outer and I am the laugher.

And Joshua? Joshua looks just.like.me but he is his father's child through and through

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