For the rest of the day, she took that balloon everywhere. Everywhere. She ate dinner with it next to her, she carried it downstairs, upstairs, took it with her to brush her teeth. . . everywhere.
I can't let her sleep with it. It's a balloon, so it's basically a floating baby hazard. If it breaks it will scare her as well as shower her with little latex pieces that she can choke on. There's the ribbon-string that it's on to contend with. To boot, the nice and patient hairstylist who gave it to her tied some blue and red beads to the bottom of the string (to keep the balloon from flying away.) So balloon pieces, hangman string, and beads. I can't let her sleep with the thing.
Of course, sleep with the balloon is exactly what she wants to do. While rocking her at bedtime, she clutched the balloon in her hand the entire time. I kept telling her that she couldn't take the balloon into her bed, and that her giraffe would hold the balloon. She nodded, but it took a long, long time to get her to hand over the balloon willingly. When I finally put her into her bed, she asked for the balloon and I had to say no, that Giraffe (who is on the opposite side of her room) would hold it and she could play with it in the morning. She cried. And cried.
For the past half hour I have been hearing her on the monitor. She is quiet for a bit, then starts to cry, says, "my balloon. I need balloon. Okay? Oh, yeah. Okay?" (I think she's trying to negotiate with Giraffe.) Then more crying. Then she's quiet again for a few minutes. . . and then starts to cry again. "My ballooooooon. . . "
I simultaneously feel awful for her being so sad, because she doesn't really understand why she can't have it, and I'm also slightly amused. Maybe amused isn't the right word. I know that she can't have it in bed with her so it's not like I feel like I've done anything wrong, but I do feel sorry for her feeling so sad. I probably should have taken it with me when I left the room.
Wait until tomorrow, when the balloon's helium is spent and it's just lying on the floor. Oy.
Edit:
This is from this morning. The joyful reunion. Fortunately, the balloon still has some of its helium and is still floating. Barely.
11 comments:
Frodis you should go remove the baloons she might not remember it!
I have the same problem all the time. What I try to do is separate them a bit before bedtime. Distract them with something else then do the whole bedtime ritual.
Another good idea for a helium baloon in the future is those snack clips to keep snacks fresh? Tie the string around that and then clip it to their shirt. It usually is enough of a weight and they are still attached to it and love running around with trailing behind them.
It's soooo hard not to give in. I had the same problem when my boys were in the hospital. I finally learned to get the mylar balloons--they hold up much better.
Now that they are old enough to try, they like to get deflated balloons to blow up and I am a paranoid freak about it. They can only try when I'm with them, I have to be paying attention, etc.
Take a picture of the balloon, too. Sometimes pictures can be enough of a tangible to distract them, too.
That. is the cutest picture ever. Glad Balloon survived the night. :)
Sometimes there is just nothing in life more important than a floaty red balloon. I am so glad it was still floaty this morning!
*snort* I love her negotiations with the giraffe. Now, go play some Nenah (or however you spell her name) for Lauren.
Oh, and did anyone else have a Bishop's reastaurant by them when they were younger? They had a big bin of balloons and you could pick one when you left.
OMG! I love that picture. So adorable.
And congrats on the boy! Yay!
Hey that picture was not here before! How adorable! She looks so excited!
Love those feeties! Meggie won't wear feeties *pout*
I love reading these stories from someone else's perspective. I totally freak out about them as well. And, I have actually either locked them in a closet or another room that will allow me to completely shut the door because I don't want the balloon to make any nighttime trips.
1. I would be terrified if I woke up to a floating head.
2. I always fear it will make its way to Conner. And that's too much like the whole kitty on the chest stealing your breath thing. *glares at Kim*
I went through a phase where I had to buy a darn balloon every time I went to the grocery store, which for me can be every single day. Why? Because the store used balloons to decorate. And I always had to get a yellow one. God forbid the one time it did fly through the open window on teh road. Yes, yes, I did have to go back to the store for another.
And then there are the times I have to buy the cupcake mylar at Party City even if it's only Easter. Because you see, it's a cupcake and a balloon.
Right now his big thing is to secure the pink balloon at birthday parties.
*sings* up up and away in my beautiful balloonnnnnnn*
I love the giraffe negotiations, too.
This is Jan 22; is the balloon still around?
Ok, that is like the cutest story ever.
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