Last week while we were at the beach, I took great care to sunscreen the kids frequently and carefully. I, however, failed to do so with myself. I came home crispy like Waffle House bacon!
Yesterday I started the peeling process, which grossed Peyton out to no end. I don’t judge her….when she was bald, when she was swollen, when SHE was peeling sheets of skin off her head from radiation…I was loving and gentle and comforting. She mocks me. She pokes me. She says things like, “You’re GROSS, mama!” while wrinkling her nose in disgust.
Yet, nothing quite matches the way I woke up this morning.
Screeching. No, I would say it was an actual scream. A long continual scream, broken only for gasps of terrified breath.
I jerked up and went into full battle mode…because no one would make that particular noise unless the hounds of hell themselves were about to attack. Perhaps we’d been attacked by aliens…a large chunk of ceiling had broken off and was crushing her to a sure death…it had to be THAT bad for those sounds to be coming out of her.
“What!!!!!!”
“Your. Yucky. Skin. Is. On. Me! ON ME! Get it off off off off off off! I. Hate. Your. Yucky. Skin!”
A little piece of my peeling skin had apparently floated over and landed on her arm in the night. Did you know that dead skin has the same effect as battery acid? It will literally eat through YOUR skin and muscle, straight to the bone! Right? Because that’s the ONLY possible cause for screaming like a banshee because a tiny piece lands on you.
I picked it off with a roll of my eyes and she leaned back on the pillow, breathing heavily, obviously having survived yet another horrifically tragic turn in the tale of her life.
“Get over it, Peyton, you’re going to make it.”
“I don’t know, that was REALLY yucky. Can you keep your skin away from me please?”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you, mommy.”
f.r.o.G.
-Anissa
on Jun 6th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
OK I am sitting here ready to die in laughter!! OMG I think this is one of the best stories yet. I am a serious lurker. I have kept an eye every day on your sweet Peyton for MONTHS now….. I just had to comment that is just to cute and so funny!!! I can SO see my daughter doing the exact thing!!! Just too cute!
As always praying so hard for all of you! (Even though you didn't know that!)
on Jun 6th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
I'm with you Peyton, ewwwwwwwwwww yucky sunburn skin groooossssss!!!
I love that this child endures leukemia, chemo and radiation with the bravery of a warrior – but dentist visits and peeling skin reduce her to hysteria.