Vaseline...

You know, this stuff:

Well when I was a kid I would always get nosebleeds in winter. The dry cold air of the Northwest resulted in some pretty nasty nosebleeds and embarrassing memories. I can remember one time waking up in the middle of the night and rushing to the bathroom, only to bleed into the sink and have it splatter on the cool puffy wallpaper we had in PA. It was pretty gross, so naturally my Mom asked the Dr what could be done. His answer lubricate the nostrils to keep the area moist, and help prevent bleeding. So since I was about eight years old, every night before I go to bed, I apply a slight amount of Vaseline to the edges of my nostrils. There is a personal tidbit I never thought I'd share!

Last week when we were staying at my parent's house, I brought my trusty Vaseline, and left it on a side table tucked behind some items in the room where Wayne and I were sleeping. I thought nothing of it. One afternoon I put Zach down in that room since his brother was just going to take his nap in the room they were sharing and I didn't want them to keep each other awake. I checked on the boys 20 minutes later, without entering their rooms, all was quiet therefore all was well. Or so I thought...

An hour later, I went up to check on the sleeping boys, and decided to open the door. I was expecting to see Zach's blond hair poking out from the blanket. Instead I found Zach sitting at the foot of the bed. At first I noticed his pants and socks were off. Then I realized that he was shiny, and a moment later I saw the Vaseline container, tucked into the sheets of the bed. I looked at my son, Vaseline was spread into his hair, It was all over his face, it was smeared across his shirt, it was a mess. I asked, "What did you do?" and was told "It was an accident." I then shrieked, "Why would you do this?" He calmly responded, "I wanted to put some on my nose." It was semi comical, and somewhat infuriating at the time. You see, I knew he had gotten that Vaseline on the sheets, the silk comforter that my mother had in the room, and I knew those things were ruined forever. And yet, I left them behind, because I could buy new ones, although my Mom wouldn't let me, I just knew I had to get him clean. Into the shower he went, and the whole event seemed to pass for him without inconvenience. I explained he shouldn't touch anything like lotions, or chemicals and how they could harm him, but it wasn't until later that night, when Wayne and I read the label of the Vaseline bottle that panic set it. I read about how if you got Vaseline in your eyes, you needed to flush it out, had I done a good enough job? I wasn't sure what had happened in that room, and Z wasn't talking. I read that if you ingested Vaseline you were to call poison control. Scary stuff. I couldn't help but hear my Mom in the back of my head saying, "It's not his fault, you shouldn't have left it there." And my lame excuse, "He knows better." and her response, "Amy he's two." Damn it she was right again...I guess being a Mom for 35 years trumps my 3 years every time.

So what am I taking away from the Vaseline incident of 2011. I am taking the hilarious memory of Zach covered in Vaseline, looking like I'd caught him with his hand in the cookie jar, my Mom's advise that I should be more cautious about where I leave some items, I am taking away a feeling of relief that nothing poisonous or devastating happened, I am still sorry about the bedding, even though my Mom already replaced it saying she never liked it anyways, and I am heeding the warning that some things need to be left OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN...even when you think they know better!