I never talk on the phone. If you call and I don't answer, there is a good reason. My kids are that reason... either they climb and talk and cry in my ear while I'm on the phone or they sneak off and get into trouble.
Yesterday I was returning a call... even I forget my rule sometimes... they lure me into a sense of security, those kids, being all sweet and playing nicely together. I was on the phone about 5 maybe 10 minutes when I hear Violet scream at the top of her lungs... like from old horror film. I ZOom to Liam's room where the door has been suspiciously shut closed and quickly open the door to a still shrieking Violet.
She is shaking as she looks up at me through squinty, pain filled eyes, her hair wet and matted down. It doesn't take me long to realize something has been poured on her head and that it's burning her. I lean in to smell but I didn't need to lean in I just needed to breathe in because it smells very strongly and my first thought is nail polish remover.
I pick her up, realizing the phone is still in my hand I shout "I got to go" click. I start panicking and crying quite hystercially "Violet! Are you okay! Oh my baby!! Are you okay!" while I rinse of her hair and eyes. She was having trouble taking in breathes amid the fumes but finally she calms down and the stinging lessens and the smell subsides. I jet back to Liam's room to see if I can find the substance. I see a half empty (guess that means I'm a pessimist?) bottle of hand sanitizer on the ground and Liam hiding under his blankets. I give him a quick lecture that what he did was wrong and a swat on the butt and tell him he's in his room for the rest of the night (it was 5 o'clock).
I go back in the bathroom where I left Violet and start a bath for her so I can rinse her more properly. I call David with panic still in my voice. I had seen a news story a few years ago about a toddler who died from alcohol poisoning because her mother put too much hand sanitizer (true story). I keep it in my purse for especially gross/germy situations like after the grocery store or chuck-e-cheese's...and only use a tiny bit. Liam saw my purse and got it out... and thinking it was shampoo, dumped in on Violet's head.
I asked David to call poison control for me and do some research online if I need to take her to the doctors. I get Violet in the bath and rinse off her hair more throughly. I decide David will never call poison control and I have the number on my phone so I just call.
Do you notice with all these Poison Control stories they start with me panicking, then Poison Control acting all calm and collective like it's no big deal... It almost makes me think everytime I have a situation "oh I don't need to call them, they'll tell me it's okay" but then I think "No, I don't want to be that parent, it's so easy to call and know what to do".
The lady told me in this case I do have to rinse her eyes for ten to fifteen minutes. She said to wrap her tightly in a towel to keep her hands down and lay her back and pour water at the bridge of her nose so it falls into her eyes... do it for at least ten minutes. Then read her a book and let her sleep so her eyes can rest.
OKAY. Yeah. Sounds like something Violet will go for... I tried people, I tried. I would have succeeded if David was there to help me hold her while I poured the water. Finally I just grabbed her tight, and dumped water over her face *with breaks in between so she could breathe of course* she screamed and cried and hit and kicked and I got soaking wet from head to toe. I told her I was sooo sorry but that we HAD to rinse out her eyes. I said that over and over. I think I made it to 8 minutes. I could see her eyes were no longer red and she no longer had to rub them. I asked if she was okay, she said "I'm okay mommy".
I went to get another dry towel, and I popped in to see Liam...he was sound asleep.
Now time to get Violet to sleep. Nope, no way. She got super hyper... a side effect perhaps? And we played with her little house, then she grabbed Liam's snake and chased me with it. Finally David came home and he was able to put her to bed. Phew. What a day. BY THE WAY: I didn't properly hang up the phone, so my poor friend heard me freaking out and panicking. ALSO David did NOT call poison control, but he did do research, he wants me to throw out the hand sanitizer because as little as three squirts ingested can cause fatal alcohol poisoning in toddlers.
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