Our family has spent the past week passing a cold from one to another.  Snot and phlegm are the main pieces of evidence of our illnesses.  Sick babies are so pathetic; I feel so bad for him.  He feels miserable and he doesn't know why! 

We are on the floor, playing, and then all of a sudden he lets out a chunky, juicy cough/sneeze.  Things are flying all over, but since it is so sticky it mostly lands on his chin, cheeks, and upper lip.  WAAAAaaaahhh!  I comfort him and hold him and tell him he will feel better soon (unfortunately he doesn't really believe me).

Now the strange thing about Eli is that he hates having his face touched.  Wiping the snot, or food or spittle off his face is an epic battle.  If I just grab a towel and do it he bucks like a bronco, arches his back, kicks his legs, and tries to get his face as far away from me as possible.

So I go in for a sneak attack. Distract him with a canning jar lid or one of his wooden rings with one hand and then with my otherhand I go in for a quick swipe.  If I am accurate I can get a lot of it, but sometimes I am too quick and end up just smeering it around.  This makes it worse because now he is mad at me AND the stuff is spread over a larger area of his face.

Maybe in the end it is just best to leave it in place.  A few crusties on the lip or a couple of blobs of chewed up teething biscuit on the cheek never really hurt anyone.