I Boiled my Baby

As if Elle hasn't gone through enough lately. Tonight as Brian was finishing up the dinner dishes I gave the kids a bath. I am not a seasoned mother by any means, but I am not brand new either and I know all about being safe in the bath. I checked the water before I put my kiddies in and it was warm. Nice and warm. In they went and I sat on the toilet and plucked my eyebrows while the bath filled up.

Usually Elle is at the top of the tub, opposite of the faucet, but tonight McKay somehow switched spots with her and she ended up right under the water flow. She was happy just watching McKay play whatever he was playing and grabbing at toys here and there. She's a pretty sturdy girl, so I don't feel like I have to be right there with her at all times. I just let them play.

Well, after about five minutes I looked over at Elle and noticed that her face was kind of red. I then noticed McKay giving her drinks of water from a cup and her coughing every time he did, so I thought that she was red from coughing/choking on the water. I told McKay to stop and went back to my eyebrows. Well, about five minutes after that I decided that she was really red. . .and then it hit me! She was right under the faucet!

I reached over and felt the water and it was HOT. It was the kind of hot that I would use in my shower. One time Brian told me that after I get out of the shower I kind of look like Charlize Theoron in the movie where she plays a lesbian serial killer. I took enormous offense to this because, you see, she is very, very ugly in that movie. I can't remember what it was called- I didn't see it. But I remember those ugly previews. I tell you this because he blamed my extremely hot showers on this comparison. I still feel ugliest right after a shower, but what can I say, I like them very hot!

Anyway, back to my baby. The water was very hot and I looked down at her and the whole side of her back that had been under the faucet was bright red. And her bottom. And her legs. And one of her arms. I picked her up- she was a million degrees- and began pouring cool water on her. When this wasn't doing much I stuck her back under the faucet- cold this time. I then began to feel extremely bad and guilty and started to cry. . .just a little. I don't know, if you boiled your baby you would probably cry too.

Brian came in and I told him what I'd done. . .horrible mother. . .and he told me that she would have been crying if it hurt her and that worst case it would be like a sunburn. He tried to make me feel better, but I still felt awful. At least she wasn't crying. But you know that old story about boiling frogs? How you put them in a pot of cool water and slowly boil them and they never know it's happening until they die. Yeah. I kept thinking of that. Of course she didn't cry. . .

We figured out that when I first turned on the water, Brian also had the sink water running and when he turned it off it changed the temperature of the bath water.

She's okay . . . and sleeping peacefully. By bedtime she wasn't even red anymore. But I will be on the lookout for blisters in the morning. And then if I see some I will crawl in my bed and never come out. . .

My poor girl.