Oral Fixation

Things Recently Taken Out of the Mouth of the Babe (or Stopped from Entering)

1. Murphy's Oil bottle

2. Clump of potting soil

3. Countless wood chips

4. Bar of soap

5. Coffee

6. Dustpan

7. Dust bunny

8. Cat's tail

9. Decision-making dice

10. Toothbrush used for cleaning bathroom fixtures

11. Cell phone

12. Spray bottle

13. Barnes & Noble gift card

14. My red clog

15. Stone

16. Mud*

*Successfully swallowed.

This list probably makes me sound like a terrible mother, like we set our toddler down in the middle of cleaning supplies and let her have at the buffet. But it's more like whenever I'm working, I have her on my back or playing with toys in the same room, and she tries to grab whatever I'm using to wedge it into her mouth. She's pretty good about stopping when told no, but she will keep testing--putting down the wood chip I've just forbidden, picking up another one and looking at me inquisitively, waiting to be told no. After this happened about two dozen times, she would just hold the wood chip up to her lips without even opening her mouth, and grin at me. Saucy.