The Earring Ordeal

Yesterday Lauren and I went to put earrings in her ears after not having them in for 2 days. We would start to slide them in through the front, but they wouldn't come out through the back holes. What?? Are you seriously telling me that after 2 days of no earrings her holes closed up?

We worked and worked on trying to get those earrings through a few times during the day. Finally after hearing her scream that it was hurting we stopped. Okay, now maybe it was a little pokey, but I'm not so sure it was really hurting her that bad. My daughter is the kind of person who will be screaming her earrings are hurting as you put them in, and you haven't even started trying yet; you haven't even touched her! It's the thought of it hurting is what sets her off.

When Dad got home we told him what was happening and he said he wanted to try to get the earrings in. We really did not want to have to pay more money for her to get her ears repierced. I went to take a shower and when I was done while still in the bathroom I hear screaming at the top of her lungs like I have NEVER heard my daughter do before. As I came out to see how things were going, she was covering her ears and screaming, and Dad was really frustrated. After talking to her and finally calming her down, we got her to put her head on Dad's lap and face the TV and I grabbed her hands so she couldn't try to cover her ears up. Well, as Dad starts trying, she starts screaming, "Help me mom, help me mom!" Sorry to say this, but it was one of those times when you want to cry, yet laugh. How can you make her understand she is okay and Daddy will not hurt her. We told her that if she could be calm I would let go of her hands, and once the earrings were in we were going to leave them in for several days before changing them to ensure the holes stayed open. She was good with that idea, and even blurted out right after that if when we were done if she could have a snack. Well, heck yes, if the promise that she could have a snack even though it was almost bedtime was what it was going to take to get through this, than she could most definitely have a snack.

Dad gently got the earring through. Then he moved to the other side of the couch so Lauren could lay down on his lap still facing the TV to try to take her mind off what was going on while he tried to get the other earring through. I held her hands and we talked about the show on the TV, and other subjects while Dad gently started twisting the earring in. Well, as gets to the back of the hole, this one is more closed. He quietly tells me he's going to have to break through the thin layer of skin. We tell her that Dad is almost done and to remember that once it's done, we're going to leave them in for several days. She is very quick to remind us that she also gets a snack LOL. There were times when she wanted to scream, but she didn't. Instead she just kept saying, "Ow," with the widest eyes I have ever seen, and there were a couple of times she started breathing like a woman in labor experiencing a contraction to calm herself down. Again, I'm trying not to laugh at her as I watch her breathing technique, but if that's what it's going to take to help her stay calm then Go Lauren. Dad gets the earring through. Finally, after an entire day of many tries, and about 30 minutes of the most intense drama I've ever gone through, we all succeeded!

I have to give a shout out to Evan. He is such a good big brother at times like these. There were some times when he had to hold a flashlight to the ears so Dad could make sure he was seeing the holes correctly--this was another time I wanted to chuckle because it was like watching a doctor perform some kind of surgery procedure. But, the times Evan didn't have to hold the flashlight, he would stand in front of Lauren and try to make her laugh to help calm her down. Lauren loves it when her big brother does this.

Oh, I almost forgot. At one point earlier in this day Lauren was standing in front of the bathroom mirror trying to put in her earring herself. I told her to stand to the side in case she dropped it so it wouldn't go down the drain. Later that day she was trying again, forgot what I said and you guessed it, she dropped it and it went down the drain. Poor Lauren! I was not mad, and told her that maybe we'd be able to find it. As Lauren was going to bed, Roger opened up the pipes and found the earring. Lauren was so happy because the earring that dropped was one of the pretty blue flowers they pierced her ears with. Hip, Hip Hooray for Daddy!!!