Drama Queen Returns

This has been a rough week. On Monday I babysat a friend's two younger sons, aged 2 years and 5 months. The 5 month old was easy -- until he got hungry -- but the two year old bit Sabine twice, once on the nose and once on the hand. He's bitten Sabine before, I guess she tastes good.

Monday night Arabella had a fever, and she felt poorly all day Tuesday. Tuesday night she and Sabine both had fevers, and I had little sleep, but Wednesday Arabella said she felt well enough for school and ballet, and indeed was quite well-behaved throughout. But Sabine was super-crabby, and by the end of the day I was worn thin. I was looking forward to my Wednesday night knitting get-together.

When I returned home I wasn't too surprised to hear crying, but was surprised when I realized the sobbing was Arabella, wailing in her room. I asked Michael what was the matter and he said she had some kind of a boo-boo on her back, but wouldn't let him see it.

I went in and asked Arabella what was the matter. After much crying and protestations, and solemn swearing on my part that I would look and NOT TOUCH, she raised her shirt and showed me, in the center of her lower back, right on her spine, a little lump. It was small, roundish, and brownish-gray. Like a sudden mole ... or a blood blister ... or a tick. Each time I tried to tough it she would twist away screaming about the PAIN!

I ran a bath, since it was bath time, and tried to get a better look at the mystery bump. I told her she could have a band-aid after bath, and each time I "accidentally" poured water down her back she howled about her boo-boo. But I noticed the boo-boo seemed to change color to beige, and stick out further with each cup of warm water. After bath I took out the hydrogen peroxide and a q-tip, claiming I must put on medicine before the band-aid. I dabbed on the hydrogen peroxide and rubbed the boo-boo. It did seem looser, so as quickly and gently as I could I pried it off with a nail, to a chorus of howling. I put the band-aid on the now boo-boo free spot.

While Arabella got into her pj's I inspected the "boo-boo". It was a sticky, stretchy glob of something, like old bubble gum, about the size of a sesame seed. Stuck to her back, probably from when she rolled around on the floor.

At least it wasn't a tick.