30 day tag- November 22, 2010

When I got the “Baby Jeep” in 2005 it was the first new car I had ever owned. I kept the thing pristine and wouldn’t let anyone eat or drink in it. (Needless to say things have changed after 5 years, hundreds of latte runs, and thousands of dog hairs.) I remember being sad when I got my license plate in the mail. I no longer needed my 30 day tags. Yeah, it looks weird. It’s a piece of cardboard. But, nothing says “I have a brand new car” like rolling with 30 day tags.

carscoop.blogspot.com
I’m thinking of getting this permanent vanity plate. J/K!

When I was feeding Charlotte Friday morning and I lifted her up to burp her I had the same sad feeling. Well, I had a range of emotions within seconds…

Horror at the sight of blood from my child.

Panic as I yelled for Greyson.

Disgust at the pus on her belly.

Sadness when I saw her little umbilical cord had fallen off.

I called the pediatrician and they had me bring her in to take a look at it because it was still draining and looked icky. The doctor put some silver nitrate on it to dry it up and keep it from getting infected. She had a Band-Aid on her belly most of the weekend. Charlotte was 2 1/2 weeks and the doctor said it was fine for it to fall off then. She said it was completely normal and it didn’t look infected. I felt relief at that point. She told me to just keep an eye on it and keep cleaning it.

I was a little sad. My mama brain said, “My baby is growing up so fast!” My logical brain said, “Good, that thing was gross and now we can give her a real bath. Too bad I didn’t wait until next week for her newborn photo shoot.” (There are some shots the photographer got last week where she may have to Photoshop out the cord. I’ll have pics later this week!) As silly as it is, I was a little sad. I wake up in the morning and she looks bigger than she did the night before. Everyday she looks a little different. It’s amazing and thrilling and I look forward to every phase. But, I’m just trying to soak up every moment in this newborn phase.

That little stump was kind of her 30 day tag. Yeah, it looked weird. It was purple and crusty. But, nothing says “I have a newborn” like a scabby belly button.

I put the cord stump in a Ziploc baggie to show the doctor just in case. She asked me if I wanted to keep it. I said, “For what?” She proceeded to tell me parents keep it for sentimental value. Eeeewwww! What!? I told her we could just toss it. Come to think of it, I threw out the 30 day tag too. I guess it didn’t really mean that much after all.

6 Responses to “30 day tag- November 22, 2010”

Jamie says:

November 22, 2010 at 12:37 pm

Back in the day (2000 when I had my first) they told us to alcohol her stump so it would dry up and fall off quickly. I did.

When I had Littlebit in 2006, they said to clean it with water and skip the alcohol.

When I had Baby Bee in 2009 they told us to leave it alone. Then it got goopy and gross and we had to revert back to the alcohol.

I never saved any of my kids' stumps either. Why would I? Yuck!

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Kerry McCullough says:

November 22, 2010 at 10:10 pm

Haha! We tossed it, too. Nothin too sentimental there

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vanita says:

November 23, 2010 at 12:19 am

i never did get why parents kept the cord. it's so bloody gross. Charlotte's on the move mama! Sucks, doesn't it? Why can't they all just fit lying across our laps forever. Treasure the moments. My youngest is one and walking and talking and they days have just flown by.

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Elle The Heiress says:

November 23, 2010 at 7:51 am

I hated the cord! Sebastian's didn't fall off for around a month. I couldn't handle it, I made my husband clean it all the time.

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Nessa says:

November 23, 2010 at 9:45 pm

eeeeww i couldn't keep dead skin just for baby love sake! Hooray for a real bath!

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Katie Hennenlotter says:

November 26, 2010 at 4:33 am

With little boys, you not only have the wait for the cord to fall out, but for the little circumcision cap to fall out too. I remember being glad to see both of those things go.

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