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7.01.05
�I have a pig in my booger,� Claire tells me this afternoon.
�You what?� I ask distractedly.
�A pig in my booger.�
�Do you need to blow your nose? Come here.�
(She is fanciful, but not weirdly so. What is she trying to say? And who taught her the word �booger�?)
�It hurts.�
�It hurts?� I panic.
�The pig,� she says matter-of-factly. She brings me into the living room, and points to the bowl of Lite-Brite pegs (PEGS! Ah ha.) that we had been playing with before I left to answer the phone. I look up her nostril.
She has a Lite-Brite peg up her nose.
We've had several fun days playing with the Lite-Brite. She loves the color and light, just like I did when I was a kid. I bought it after she fell in love with her cousin Jonathan's, and figured we could enjoy it together even though it is for bigger kids. I knew she wouldn't put the pegs in her mouth, because she's far past that stage. And I was right. She is in a new stage.
We go into the bathroom, and I try to blow it out, but it won�t. I can see it (it's right there, practically sticking out, but not quite), and she is calm, but I am not feeling calm. I call her dad.
�Claire has a Lite-Brite peg up her nose.�
�Do you know where the hospital is?�
�Yes. But I�m going to keep trying to get it out myself.�
�Okay. Good luck. Call me back.�
I realize I am calling for moral support, and getting it. This is a crucial part of marriage during the parenting years, I am discovering.
Just then, it blows out and falls onto the floor.
�My pig!� Claire exclaims happily.
I get down on the floor and look up her nose. I don't want her to tilt her head back, in case another peg is up there. But it's all clear.
�Claire,� I say firmly. I stand up and this time tilt her head so she has to look at my face. �Listen carefully. Look at my eyes. You must never, ever, ever EVER put anything in your nose.�
�I be a good girl,� she says quickly, and tries to wiggle away. Claire is not a fan of serious-earnest mom.
�Is your nose okay?�
�Yes.�
�We�re going to put this game away for awhile, until you�re older.�
�I don�t put pigs in my nose. I be a good girl.�
�I know, but we�re going to put this away, and when you�re older, we�ll get it down again.�
�I older now. I older now, mama. I older now.�
So am I, Claire. So am I.
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