When Catherine was only a couple of months old my mother gave her a small beautiful crucufix brought back from the Holy Land. I hung it, along with a small ceramic plaque of Our Lady of Guadalupe, on the wall next to her changing station (actually its the vanity counter in my bathroom). Its been hanging there since she was tiny and could only stare at it.
My thought process was that she would learn to recognize the Virgin Mary and Jesus on the cross as a little baby. I'd never thought of doing this with the others.
Well, as time has gone on she has definitely become aware of their presence evident by her reaching for them. About 2 months ago she became successful at knocking them off the wall. About a month ago she learned to take them off the wall and into her mouth. I started thinking this was maybe not a good idea. What if she knocked them off the wall and they hit her head?? Should she be putting the crucifix into her mouth? I wasn't being scrupulous, I just didn't know if the metal would hurt her teeth or gums. So last night I took them off the wall and was going to replace them with baby-friendly versions when I could find some.
This morning she rolled over (did I mention they were making diaper changing hard because she would roll onto her side to reach them?) to reach for them and was genuinely surprised. Where had they gone? She kept twisting around (as I tried to change her) and was becoming upset at their absence. Remember, she had seen them since she was 2 months old. So I hung up Mary and Jesus and she smiled as she knocked off Mary and grabbed Jesus and put Him into her mouth.
I'm not sure if this is a dilemma or a blessing. Maybe I can replace them with something but I definitely need the replacements first. Or maybe this isn't a problem. Mary hasn't actually fallen on her head yet. And the crucifix hasn't hurt her gums or teeth either. Hmmmmm.... she is VERY attached to them and wasn't that the goal?
August/September birthday gathering
3 weeks ago
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1 comment:
Hey, I think if she loves them, don't mess with a good thing! Even if you find replacements, she won't like them as much as the originals. We have a bunch of "travelling" crucifixes, saints, and Virgins. Occasionally they need to be glued back together, or fished out from under a bed, or dried off after a sloppy kiss, but that's a small price to pay. (And I personally don't think that Jesus, no matter what he's made of, can make anybody sick.)
Love to you!
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