I think the selective hearing my toddler engages in is hilarious. I mean, talk about a life skill. Learned at such a young age, my Sweet Girl is bound to move through life on her own terms. In her own chosen reality.
Case in point…say any of the following to her:
“Sweet Girl, time for a bath.”
“Sweet Girl, what do you want for breakfast – cereal or toast?”
“Sweet Girl, it’s time to clean up your toys.”
“Sweet Girl, time for bed.”
Nothing. But. Crickets.
There are all kinds of unexpected joys to being a parent. Being a mom. For example, while I knew I would love my child, I didn’t expect my love for DD to feel so boundless.
It’s just there, filling my heart. Never running out.
In DD’s early months of life, it would sometimes take me by surprise…I mean I love the people in my life. My husband. My family. My friends.
But not like this. Where a gurgle, a coo, first words, first steps, and yes, even sleepless nights would make me say: I love this little human. Yes. Always.
Now I’m not saying DD hasn’t brought me to my wits end. Oh she has. But she is still my favourite person in the whole world. Okay, my husband is a favourite too. They’re my two favourite people.
And while I could keep focusing on declarations of unconditional love and favourite people, what I really want to talk about – in terms of unexpected joy – are the truly hilarious wake-up greetings she gives me. (more…)
When DH and I were on our honeymoon in St. Lucia we took a day tour around the island by boat. We were part of a large group of vacationers on the tour, about 30 of us. It was a lovely day to be out on the water, with the sun shining, music playing. Laughter and chatter all around us.
We stopped at midday in Soufrière, a quaint fishing village, for lunch. The lone hotel in the village served us a delicious meal of fish, chicken, rice and vegetables. Simple, local fair but oh-so-yummy.
After lunch, DH and I clamoured into the van that would take us back to the boat. Some other tourists had made it back to the van before us, and as we settled into our seats, one of them turned to us and said, “Can you believe that meal?”
We were immediately enthusiastic in our reply, thinking she was as blown away as we were by the tasty fair.
Alas, no. (more…)
My daughter desperately wants it to be her birthday.
There’s been a slew of birthday celebrations at her daycare of late and a couple of family and friend birthdays too.
So being a toddler, she obviously wants the attention the birthday boy or girl gets on their special day. Oh, and she wants the cake. And the presents. A balloon or two would also be nice.
Really though, DD wants it to be her birthday for one reason only.
She has her heart set on a dollhouse, and I know exactly how this happened. (more…)
This day went quite differently than planned. It featured an unexpected day home with DD who was on quarantine from daycare.
Overnight she was hit with some crazy stomach bug or “food disagreement”…three times I might add. Fortunately that was it and her spirits were high the whole day.
However, my husband was down for the count from dental surgery which meant it was only me and DD sitting down for dinner.
When I explained the situation to DD, she hopped over to her kitchen immediately, deciding she would be in charge of the evening meal… (more…)
Know when you were a kid and your two best friends crushed your heart by refusing to play with you? Pointedly excluding you from some fun they were having?
Like building Lego robots that would travel to the moon and battle the evil moon overlord or some such thing.
So slinking away sad and crushed, you decide to make your own fun despite how bummed they made you feel.
Then the next hour/day/week you are all besties again – the three of you conquering the land of make believe. Together.
Well, right now my daughter is playing favourites, and Daddy is not the chosen one. (more…)
Yesterday, Maija at Maija’s Mommy Moments wrote about rocking the working mom gig…or not.
Her post definitely brought a commiserating smile to my face because ya…my house is totally on the brink of chaos and mayhem on a daily basis.
Between DD demanding freezies for breakfast (yeah…so not going to happen) and finally settling on frozen bread (her preference not mine) and me constantly running up and down the stairs to grab socks that I keep forgetting to grab (Three times this morning! Hello! It was the whole point of going upstairs in the first place!)…I’m completely exhausted.
And I still have a full day of work ahead.
To top it off, DD is randomly boycotting pants (in the middle of winter). And we’re in week four of a five-week house reno. (more…)
If you are presented the option to sing Jingle Bells or play with a cereal box – which would you choose?
If you’re a toddler, the cereal box. Obviously.
DD just got into singing recently – sometimes it’s a made-up song and other times an actual one. Like Jingle Bells.
If my husband or I join in, she’ll say, “No, Mommy. No Daddy. Just me.”
Hey, when you’ve got talent you obviously want to shine. Who are we to stop her?
I knew when I popped that soother into DD’s mouth way back when I would pay for it some time down the line.
The line has ended and things aren’t looking good.
For about a year now, DD only gets her soother at bedtime. But for some reason, in recent months she has become fixated with it. She knows the rules, but she asks for her soother. All. The. Time.
It’s getting ridiculous. She tries to convince her parents to get the soother in all kinds of creative ways. We’re constantly repeating: You can have your soother at bedtime, not supper time. Dolly doesn’t need your soother to feel better. Actually, Spike (a cat) doesn’t like soothers.
Me with the soother-addict...
Before you ask if there has been a big change in DD’s life – either at home or at daycare – the answer is no. Life is trucking along its regularly scheduled program.
I want DD to ditch her soother, and there’s three methods of intervention I’ve heard/read can work:
I don’t actually see that last approach working. This one knows the value of her soother. So it’s either option A or B. (more…)
My daughter threw her stuffed Guess How Much I Love You bunny rabbit at me this morning. (Yes, I see the irony.)
I sat down on her bed to wake her up. Per the norm, I expected a groggy but somewhat happy morning greeting.
Instead, out of nowhere the bunny came flying at me.
The last thing I remember before being smucked in the face was that she sat up. Seriously, this kid must be developing the reflexes and pitching arm of a Major League baseball player.
I sat there stunned while DD stared at me with doleful eyes.
I don’t know why she threw Rabbit at me. She went to bed happy. No tantrums, no fussing last night. I asked her why but didn’t get a response. Almost like she expected me to know the reason. Hmm…
We did have a super busy weekend though, and I have to wonder if she is reacting to feeling rushed from one activity to the next. It isn’t our norm to have such a jam-packed weekend.
Maybe she didn’t want to wake up. Maybe she was expressing her two-year-oldness in all its glory. I really don’t know.
But wow, can she make that bunny fly.
I present to you, Exhibit A.
