Been There, Done That

TODDLER screams ‘No!!!’ riding in first car wash

http://www.today.com/moms/toddler-screams-no-riding-first-car-wash-2D79498341

Buggy recently expressed her displeasure with going through the car wash, an opinion she had not previously had. 

How long does an automated car wash take? About two minutes, though with a screaming toddler it can seem like 2 hours.

Bad Day Blues

DAD recently noted that children should come with handles affixed to their back, attached to their spine between their shoulder blades, and their butt.

This is necessary so parents can easily snatch them up and safely carry them kicking and screaming to their room for nap or time out. 

Also it would be useful for snatching them off of the table top after they have climbed up there for the sixth time that day.

Humblebrag

DAD recently converted Buggy's crib into a toddler bed. Her climbing skills are adept, but it is safer for her to stay on the ground. 

Converting the crib involved removing one side and installing a device to prevent the toddler from rolling out during sleep. See photo.

Next to the bed is a down comforter he placed there in case she did roll out. Better to sleep on it than on the hard cold floor.

For a few days post conversion, Dad would wait outside of her door after putting her down ready to throw it open and order her back to bed the moment he heard evidence that she had left the bed. 

Why? Dad doesn't know. A child is supposed to mind her parent right? That is about as far as he got in reasoning it through.

This went on for a week. Dad tired of it. Buggy, strong-willed to begin with, did not like it. She would comply while protesting loudly only to sneak out again at the first opportunity.

Yesterday he put her down for a nap at noon and heard her playing outside of the bed shortly thereafter. Instead of reigning down his wrath upon her, he let her be. He rationalized that it was more important for her to have quiet time than it was for her to try and sleep. He welcomed this since he had chores to do anyway and ignoring the infraction enabled him to complete them. After a half an hour, he noted that the house had been silent for a short period, about ten minutes. He went to investigate. 

She had put herself to bed. 

Dad likes to think himself smarter than the average bear. So that evening he went through her bedtime routine with her and put her down. Sure enough she was up shortly thereafter playing with her toys. He let her be. Not long after there was silence. He went to check on her. She was back in bed fast a sleep.

So of course Dad is self congratulatory and thinks himself a superior parent. He'll report back as soon as she has potty trained herself too. In conversation with other toddler parents, while listening to their travails and anxieties of potty training, he'll stroke his chin and reply contemptuously, "Interesting." Then he'll change the subject and ask a leading question like, "Do you think a two year old can read too much? Should not they get at least an hour's screen time per day?"

Its a comfortable bubble he is in right now that will soon be burst by reality so please don't disturb him.

Feeling Kinda Spring-like Out

WOW a late March day with temperatures approaching 60 F. Let's shed these layers and get naked!

 Retailers are getting in their shipment of tulips. Above Trader Joe's displays its varieties.

And Buggy, a  girl that would live her entire life naked if it were left up to her, is all too happy to shed shoes and socks for flip-flops.

Mom and Son Play

 Not quite lederhosen, but the look is right.

A Book and a Bottle

OH there is nothing like curling up with a good book and a bottle of milk.

Dressed for bed in her sleep sack but not quite ready to go there, Buggy takes a final bottle and reads her alphabet book.

Matching Outfits and the Difficulty of Filming Kids

MOM found a matching striped footy pajama for Buggy in pink so Dad could photograph them. Of course they have made themselves difficult to capture together.

 If one, was still, the other one was fidgety. Above EJ just can't sit where Dad put him long enough to get a picture.

 The one above was at least in focus, but still not the most flattering take of Buggy.

 Heaven forbid the Twins should hold their hug long enough for Dad to capture it on film. Above they seperate and go different ways.

 Dad thinks he will capture them while the eat. They had other ideas.

"All right," Dad thinks, "lets strap them down. Then they can't move." Above, they go for a ride in the car.

 Still not satisfied with the preceding day's images, Dad tried again the next day. Above he shoots through the crack in the door trying not to disturb them. Buggy busted him.

Finally Dad gets a half decent shot, but the light is at a poor angle.

Yes, in case you are wondering, they are standing on chairs. Yes, they regularly fall of chairs and the table too. EJ got a scrape on his chin from standing on a chair and leaning on a table. He was balancing half his weight on both his legs and arms. Buggy came by and swiped the chair out from underneath him. He fell and hit his chin.