Traumatized

There is one universal fear among new parents...cutting their sweet little baby's fingernails.  Why is there such a fear?  Well, likely because their fingernails are so small and paper thin.  But it has to be done.

I knew that I had to face this task because my little one was using her face as a scratching post.  Not cool.  We had gone to the pediatrician for one of her early visits and we still had those little mitts on her hands.  I asked the pediatrician if this was bad and she remarked that it would probably be good to get them off her hands.  I think I said something like "well, then what do we do about her fingernails?" I think she heard the disdain in my voice, but answered with a knowing smile, "you're going to have to cut them." I immediately got a little sick to my stomach and half jokingly asked the pediatrician if she could do it? No dice.

So, we went home and both the husband and I had a go at it.  I would say we were somewhat successful, getting at least 2 or 3 of them cut before surrendering.  Now that the husband is back to work, the challenge of cutting our bundle's fingernails has been left up to me.  Oh joy.  It seems her fingernails grow at increasingly fast pace.  Seriously...I have to cut them at least twice a week.  But maybe this is good because I have gotten less fearful of it.

However, yesterday I had noticed that her little thumbnail was getting scraggly and likely to blame for the big scratch I found on top of her head. Drat! I was going to have to cut it! (Drat because I find the thumbnail the hardest to cut.) So, I grabbed the baby nail clippers and lovingly talked to my little one as I grasped her thumb. So far so good. She stopped squirming and in I went in with the clippers.  I pushed back her little thumb pad to get a better angle at the nail, and went in for the cut.....except....I somehow managed to get some skin.  Next thing I know she was wailing and I am crying because I had just injured my precious little baby.  I was and am still traumatized by this event.  I rocked her and kissed her and apologized profusely...her tears dried up and all of the sudden she was smiling and giggling like nothing ever happened.  God bless her little heart.

So, I made it through my little one's first injury, but I am not looking forward to the next nail clipping.  I just wonder how I am going to react when she gets her first bruise or scraped knee?