Rachel doesn't know this, but I am (kind of) waving the white flag.

Rachel doesn't know this, but I am (kind of) waving the white flag.  At the age of 2, she owns me.

On Saturday, Laurel, Rachel and I went to Laurel's soccer practice.  About 15 minutes into the game (which Laurel loves because her friends are there but hates because people crowd her if she is near the ball), Rachel and I are trying to make use of time.  We run around, find sticks and rocks.  Rachel and I will also sing songs and play Little Piggies on her toes.  We,then, find a coin at the bottom of the tote that has everything...Moms you know the tote.  For those who aren't a mother, this bag is one step up from a diaper bag.  No diapers, but everything else.  If we were abandoned on an island for 48 hours, we would be totally fine.

Rachel is very excited about finding the coin.  (Oh yea!  She wants to play the coin game taught to her by her Great Uncle George.  This game is "which hand is the coin hidden?")

Oh no..not the game that Uncle George taught her.  She takes the coin and puts it into her mouth.  Rachel turns to me, opens her mouth, holds out her tongue.."Look you silly woman, look what I have put in my mouth?"  And then she takes off.  (Of course, in front of 50 other Newton mothers..awesome.  Like she knows that I didn't want people to notice that I haven't washed my hair in 4, well, 5 days..)

Oh Christ..she starts running on a field that is bumpy and slippery from the morning rain.  I know her intent is not to swallow the coin but I am so afraid that she is going to fall and choke.  She seems to know this because she is three feet in front of me, stops, turns around, opens her mouth and waits. (Dude..is she gesturing me with fingers?) She knows that I can't pounce because I don't want her to take off.  So I stop too.

Is this the way it's going to be?  Flash forward to a Thanksgiving when Crazy Aunt Brendi's wine is out or Nana's drinky drink of choice is just lying there..tempting her.  Not to drink but just to torment me.  I see her getting close.  She picks up it, looks at me and then gulps.  I imagine she will do this at 16.  Smokes could be the same way...Hey mom, look at me light it..and then take a huge drag.

Because I have monkey like arms, I grab her hard.  She won't open her mouth.  (Why couldn't the coin be a dime..this wouldn't make her choke.  She has swallowed pieces of pork bigger than a dime.)  I have no idea how, but she opens her mouth and I grab that nickle like it was a God damn diamond.  Crisis adverted.

I make note that we have got to change her bedroom very soon.  It had a little landing right outside her window..just like a nickle, my worse nightmare.