Hailey, "The Speck Harvester"....

...that is what we have labeled her & she is taking FULL ownership of it as well. You see, I never had to worry about Kyle putting things in his mouth because he NEVER DID. One day, when he was about 9 months old, he got into my purse, dug into my wallet & spilled all the change onto the floor. Instead of immediately picking up a fistfull & shoving it into his mouth; instead he examined each penny with utmost curiosity. Hailey, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. Every waking moment I am pulling something new out of her mouth. She has a full out-right fit! Arched back, screaming, big ol' crocodile tears, as if I've just ended her world. The funny part about it is what I am getting out of her mouth.

Let's list a few of the finer choices: old dried up macaroni noodle, grass, threads from the carpet, a chopped up piece of onion (at my in-laws), crumbs from the inner cracks of the kitchen floor, stem from a grape(just this morning), cardboard, ....the list could go on & on, but I think you get my drift. This girl is un-stoppable! I am constantly watching her, waiting to see what she will find next. Somedays, she comes crawling down the hall, with that mouth moving & I say "ok, Hailey, what is it this time!" I wonder where in the world she find these things! I keep all the doors closed (except for Kyle's room), so she can't get into too much. She's quick! What I just can't help but laugh about, is the tantrum she has when I take it out of her mouth. You'd think she'd get upset if the speck I was prying from her mouth was of some delight, like a chocolate chip or piece of a cookie, but a small chop of onion! Kyle's even helping out in our latest adventure of Hailey. He will come to me & say" Mommy, Hailey has a speck in her mouth!" What a riot. I am just thankful it hasn't been of any danger, the things she finds are the smallest speck, I can barely see it. She will be on the prowl & her eye catches just the tinest of specks & she is on a mission. Get speck ,put in hand, put in mouth, enjoy for a short moment, Mommy prys open my mouth, removes speck, I crawl on to find the next perfect speck.

Well, I hear my list speck harvester beckoning from her crib. She will be upset to find that Mommy swept the floor, but I am sure her little hands will find just the perfect speck. She always does. :)