Today at dinnertime Billy waited patiently in his high chair for the mysterious food cooking in the pot on the stove. I had given him a plastic cup, cheerios, milk and a BeepBeep to keep him occupied. He gladly filled the cup with cheerios and then dumped it. Then repeated, remembering to shove a few in his mouth along the way.
Finally, the food was ready and boy, was it worth the wait. Out came a steaming, tasty bowl of...spaghetti!
Ooh, yum!
I sat it down in front of him with a fork and a spoon. He immediately dug right in. First with the spoon, then with his hand.
"Hot!" he cautioned. Nope. Not hot. Warm.
He went back to the spaghetti, studying it carefully. It's not so easy to eat. It won't stick to plastic and it's squirmy in your hands. He tried several methods to get the spaghetti into his mouth.
"Momma," he said, handing me the fork. Meaning, "Mommy, you do it."
I fed him a few spoonfuls and then handed the fork back to him. He tried a few more times, gave up and went back to eating with his hands. Now, I'm sure you're saying to yourself, "toddlers love to eat with their hands." True. He loves his edible finger paint (aka yogurt). Anything fried is awesome. But spaghetti is slippery, slimy and ooey-gooey red. He didn't want it on his hands.
"Momma," he asked, handing the fork back to me. So I fed him the rest of his bowl.
I suppose you could ask him why he wanted my help, when he normally refuses my help with feeding. Maybe it's the texture. Maybe he was so hungry that he didn't want to work for it. Maybe Mommy does it best. I'd like to think that my little boy wanted Mommy's help just because. But if I actually asked him, I imagine the only thing he would say is, "hot." And you guess is as good as mine as to what that means over a bowl of tepid spaghetti.
Friday, March 30, 2012
March 29 ~ One More Hug
I dropped off Billy today at daycare, and just like every morning he didn't want to get down out of my arms. But then one of his friends had a toy he wanted and he hopped down to go get it. It was a little dog that belonged to another girl in the class. Suddenly, one of the kids started screaming for Billy to return it to its owner.
On a side note I have to say how weird it is for Billy to be in this class. All of the other students are vocal and can speak in full sentences. Some are fully potty trained. Billy is very talkative but we're still at "cackcack" for any bird and "beepbeep" for anything that has wheels. It's not like, "hey, Miss X, can I have some milk?" The best Billy could do is point and say "moo."
Anyways, now there's a kid screaming at Billy. So I lean down and I ask him, calmly, if he would return it to its owner. Mind you, the screaming kid was not the owner. The owner was preoccupied with a tea cup and couldn't care less. But Billy dutifully walked over to her and handed her the little dog and went to find another toy. The screaming stopped and everyone was happy. I didn't have to ask Billy twice and he didn't look to the adults for direction. He got it.
Then it was time for me to leave.
I tried to duck out the door, but he started crying (as usual) and ran to me. So I picked him up to give him his One More Hug. Head on my shoulder, arms wrapped tightly around my neck, and knees death-gripping my waist. He didn't want Mommy to go. But he knew it was his One More Hug, so when I put him down he didn't complain. Instead, he grabbed a toy and was off to the races.
When I was putting him to bed tonight he started screaming in his crib. That's actually unusual for him. So, I went back in to give him One More Hug. That's all he wanted. I held him for a few moments and then put him back to bed. He laid down without a sound and went straight to sleep.
Thank God for the One More Hug. It makes Billy a happy little boy.
On a side note I have to say how weird it is for Billy to be in this class. All of the other students are vocal and can speak in full sentences. Some are fully potty trained. Billy is very talkative but we're still at "cackcack" for any bird and "beepbeep" for anything that has wheels. It's not like, "hey, Miss X, can I have some milk?" The best Billy could do is point and say "moo."
Anyways, now there's a kid screaming at Billy. So I lean down and I ask him, calmly, if he would return it to its owner. Mind you, the screaming kid was not the owner. The owner was preoccupied with a tea cup and couldn't care less. But Billy dutifully walked over to her and handed her the little dog and went to find another toy. The screaming stopped and everyone was happy. I didn't have to ask Billy twice and he didn't look to the adults for direction. He got it.
Then it was time for me to leave.
I tried to duck out the door, but he started crying (as usual) and ran to me. So I picked him up to give him his One More Hug. Head on my shoulder, arms wrapped tightly around my neck, and knees death-gripping my waist. He didn't want Mommy to go. But he knew it was his One More Hug, so when I put him down he didn't complain. Instead, he grabbed a toy and was off to the races.
When I was putting him to bed tonight he started screaming in his crib. That's actually unusual for him. So, I went back in to give him One More Hug. That's all he wanted. I held him for a few moments and then put him back to bed. He laid down without a sound and went straight to sleep.
Thank God for the One More Hug. It makes Billy a happy little boy.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Drawn In Thursdays: Hygiene Enforcer #6
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Been wondering about Drawn In Thursdays? I draw all of the cartoons myself and every one is based on something Billy has done in real life. Enjoy!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
March 27, 2012 ~ The Magic Healing Strip Returns
This morning Billy was very upset. He was rambling on about something that was bothering him. Only, I'm not fluent in Toddler, so I had no idea what he was saying. It could have been the meaning to life and I wouldn't know. That's ok... I don't think he can count to 42. (Don't get the reference? click here)
He started pulling up his pants legs. Oh, I get it! His booboos on his knees are bothering him. He's noticed that his Magic Healing Strips (band-aids) are missing. Of course, they've been gone for more than a day. I guess observant might not make the list of personality traits...
Ok. Back to Mommy General (that medical center in my kitchen). I plunk him down and give his knees a good look. The one knee is completely healed. There's no sign of the Big Bonk from a few days ago. Must be nice to be young and heal so fast, huh? The other one still has a big, old, ugly scab on it. If you're a boy it's a big, old, awesome, gorgeous scab.
Honestly, the scab is looking good and doesn't need any more treatment. But if something will make Billy feel better, then ok. I applied special Magic Healing Strips that look like crayons. He got a red crayon one. Ooooh. All better.
That's all he wanted. Can't get better without a Magic Healing Strip. :)
He started pulling up his pants legs. Oh, I get it! His booboos on his knees are bothering him. He's noticed that his Magic Healing Strips (band-aids) are missing. Of course, they've been gone for more than a day. I guess observant might not make the list of personality traits...
Ok. Back to Mommy General (that medical center in my kitchen). I plunk him down and give his knees a good look. The one knee is completely healed. There's no sign of the Big Bonk from a few days ago. Must be nice to be young and heal so fast, huh? The other one still has a big, old, ugly scab on it. If you're a boy it's a big, old, awesome, gorgeous scab.
Honestly, the scab is looking good and doesn't need any more treatment. But if something will make Billy feel better, then ok. I applied special Magic Healing Strips that look like crayons. He got a red crayon one. Ooooh. All better.
That's all he wanted. Can't get better without a Magic Healing Strip. :)
Monday, March 26, 2012
March 26, 2012 ~ You Know That Mom in the Grocery Store?
You know that mom in the grocery store?
You know the one. The one with the screeching child who refuses to behave? The one that everyone stares at and asks themselves, "can't she just control her kid?" The one with the look on her face that says she'd rather be having a triple root canal instead of taming toddler tantrums?
Yeah. That was me today.
Every other week I take Billy to the grocery store. So, it's not like this is a new thing. But his behavior today was brand new. Let's go through my quick trip that ended up taking an hour...
Would he sit in the cart? No. Bellowing at the top of his lungs- yep. Ok, so I carry him. We walk into the store and he starts patting his belly, meaning "I'm hungry." Awe. Some. The grocery store is kind of like "water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink."
Of course, first stop: veggies. He sees tomatoes. "Mommy, apple!" and reaches to get them. Then there's avocados. "Mommy, apple!" and reaches for those. Of course, I'm holding him and he's squirming to get down and get the "apple!" Onions, potatoes, artichokes, peaches and lettuce were also all renamed "apple." He tried to eat the grapes and strawberries when I put them in the cart. And, of course, he wanted the actual apples that I picked up, because he kept saying that he wanted apples. If fruit weren't priced by the pound I probably would have given him one. So then he decided that we needed romaine. Ok, not actually, but it was a good price so I let it stay in the cart. Then he decided that he wanted fresh green beans. He doesn't like green beans. Except today. In the store. Can't have them? Screaming, kicking, wailing on the sticky floor. Oh, yeah. Oh, and the potatoes? He actually tried to eat one raw. Yum!
Then I let him push the cart around to calm him down. He was very upset by the nice lady who had grapes in her cart. She was, apparently, not allowed to buy grapes. At least, according to Billy.
Down, down, down to the dairy aisle. Milk. No problem. Ok, except the twenty-five pound dead weight in my arms. Whatever. On to the yogurt. Can't live without Chobani. It's his must-have. In the words of Billy: uh, oh.
I started adding different flavors to the cart. All of a sudden he grabbed one and clung to it for dear life. "Mine!" I could almost hear him say. He wouldn't let go, but I figured that if it would placate him, who cares if he holds it?
Then it was down the freezer aisle for frozen peas. "Why can't I open the freezer doors?" tantrum. Oh, yeah. On the floor, writhing, wailing. "Gimme, gimme" tantrum right there. So. Friggin. Awesome. Pick up crazy alien monkey baby and haul him off to the mac'n'cheese aisle.
Ooh, the blue box. Oh yeah. He knows that box. "Just behave and I'll make you mac'n'cheese when we get home!" I plead. So, he starts grabbing blue boxes and chucking them into the cart. The more the merrier in his mind, right? He was adding them as fast as I could put them back on the shelves.
And cue the long line at the registers.
I'm back to holding him, which makes unloading the cart and paying a real feat. He still wouldn't let go of the yogurt. Not for his life. That was his. HIS.
So, I somehow get him out of the store, in the car, groceries in the car and the cart to the cart stand. I settle into the driver's seat and breath a sigh of relief. "Phew!" We made it out alive. (Because if the other patrons didn't kill us over the many screaming moments-not all listed here...)
It's then that I hear a weird sucking noise.
Ok. So imagine that you're a toddler. A hungry toddler. And you've been cuddling with a Chobani yogurt for the past half hour. What do you do? Clearly, you sink your teeth into the top of the container, puncturing a hole. And then what? Well, clearly you suck the yogurt out of your new handy, dandy hole in the lid.
And, ok. Have to take that away. OMG. Loss of yogurt brought on a new tirade. I believe I may have heard Billy's entire vocal range in the various screams that propelled us the whole way from the store to home.
So how was your day?
You know the one. The one with the screeching child who refuses to behave? The one that everyone stares at and asks themselves, "can't she just control her kid?" The one with the look on her face that says she'd rather be having a triple root canal instead of taming toddler tantrums?
Yeah. That was me today.
Every other week I take Billy to the grocery store. So, it's not like this is a new thing. But his behavior today was brand new. Let's go through my quick trip that ended up taking an hour...
Would he sit in the cart? No. Bellowing at the top of his lungs- yep. Ok, so I carry him. We walk into the store and he starts patting his belly, meaning "I'm hungry." Awe. Some. The grocery store is kind of like "water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink."
Of course, first stop: veggies. He sees tomatoes. "Mommy, apple!" and reaches to get them. Then there's avocados. "Mommy, apple!" and reaches for those. Of course, I'm holding him and he's squirming to get down and get the "apple!" Onions, potatoes, artichokes, peaches and lettuce were also all renamed "apple." He tried to eat the grapes and strawberries when I put them in the cart. And, of course, he wanted the actual apples that I picked up, because he kept saying that he wanted apples. If fruit weren't priced by the pound I probably would have given him one. So then he decided that we needed romaine. Ok, not actually, but it was a good price so I let it stay in the cart. Then he decided that he wanted fresh green beans. He doesn't like green beans. Except today. In the store. Can't have them? Screaming, kicking, wailing on the sticky floor. Oh, yeah. Oh, and the potatoes? He actually tried to eat one raw. Yum!
Then I let him push the cart around to calm him down. He was very upset by the nice lady who had grapes in her cart. She was, apparently, not allowed to buy grapes. At least, according to Billy.
Down, down, down to the dairy aisle. Milk. No problem. Ok, except the twenty-five pound dead weight in my arms. Whatever. On to the yogurt. Can't live without Chobani. It's his must-have. In the words of Billy: uh, oh.
I started adding different flavors to the cart. All of a sudden he grabbed one and clung to it for dear life. "Mine!" I could almost hear him say. He wouldn't let go, but I figured that if it would placate him, who cares if he holds it?
Then it was down the freezer aisle for frozen peas. "Why can't I open the freezer doors?" tantrum. Oh, yeah. On the floor, writhing, wailing. "Gimme, gimme" tantrum right there. So. Friggin. Awesome. Pick up crazy alien monkey baby and haul him off to the mac'n'cheese aisle.
Ooh, the blue box. Oh yeah. He knows that box. "Just behave and I'll make you mac'n'cheese when we get home!" I plead. So, he starts grabbing blue boxes and chucking them into the cart. The more the merrier in his mind, right? He was adding them as fast as I could put them back on the shelves.
And cue the long line at the registers.
I'm back to holding him, which makes unloading the cart and paying a real feat. He still wouldn't let go of the yogurt. Not for his life. That was his. HIS.
So, I somehow get him out of the store, in the car, groceries in the car and the cart to the cart stand. I settle into the driver's seat and breath a sigh of relief. "Phew!" We made it out alive. (Because if the other patrons didn't kill us over the many screaming moments-not all listed here...)
It's then that I hear a weird sucking noise.
Ok. So imagine that you're a toddler. A hungry toddler. And you've been cuddling with a Chobani yogurt for the past half hour. What do you do? Clearly, you sink your teeth into the top of the container, puncturing a hole. And then what? Well, clearly you suck the yogurt out of your new handy, dandy hole in the lid.
And, ok. Have to take that away. OMG. Loss of yogurt brought on a new tirade. I believe I may have heard Billy's entire vocal range in the various screams that propelled us the whole way from the store to home.
So how was your day?
Sunday, March 25, 2012
March 25, 2012 ~ Road Trip!
Today we headed north on a long road trip to meet a new member of the human race. It's about time! I've been waiting to meet the little cutie. I spent all morning packing the car with the Just-In-Case essentials and getting Billy ready for his long car ride. If I've learned anything from driving over the mountains with my little guy or heading to the beach, it's that long car rides equal screaming Billy. But, I came prepared.
We left right at naptime.
Zonk! He slept half of the way there. Unfortunately, Daddy had to take a call from a very close relative. Daddy was speaking very loud so that he could be heard on the speakerphone and that woke Billy up. So, We played Find The Binky the rest of the way there. Oh, you don't know that one? It's where Billy throws his binky in the car and then cries because he wants his "meemee". (Yes, my son came up with his own name for his binky. And yes, I'm pretty sure it's short for "give it to me now...me. Or something like that).
He was curious about this new little person that he got to meet. When the new Mommy held Lil Baby down so Billy could see he walked up and pointed to the little bundle of joy and said, "baby." He was very gentle, almost timid. He offered toys several times to the new Mom (presumably for the baby).
He vacillated between crying and cooing at the moon the whole way home, only falling asleep when we were minutes from our door. I'll have to ask him tomorrow, but I think he had a good day.
Oh, and PS: somebody LOVES Mythbusters. No, seriously, LOVES. "Caar!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Then the car goes boom and Billy laughs. Yep. Here the water goes boom. Guys, you have a new fan. :)
We left right at naptime.
Zonk! He slept half of the way there. Unfortunately, Daddy had to take a call from a very close relative. Daddy was speaking very loud so that he could be heard on the speakerphone and that woke Billy up. So, We played Find The Binky the rest of the way there. Oh, you don't know that one? It's where Billy throws his binky in the car and then cries because he wants his "meemee". (Yes, my son came up with his own name for his binky. And yes, I'm pretty sure it's short for "give it to me now...me. Or something like that).
He was curious about this new little person that he got to meet. When the new Mommy held Lil Baby down so Billy could see he walked up and pointed to the little bundle of joy and said, "baby." He was very gentle, almost timid. He offered toys several times to the new Mom (presumably for the baby).
On the ride home we didn't want to stop for food but Billy was starving. So we did the drive thru. I sat in the back with Billy to feed him one bite at a time. (No choking!) I handed him the cup of french fries, and like any grown American eating in the car, he immediately shoved the cup between his legs to hold it in place and began chowing down. Then I hand fed him his hamburger, my little prince, and his water. He vacillated between crying and cooing at the moon the whole way home, only falling asleep when we were minutes from our door. I'll have to ask him tomorrow, but I think he had a good day.
Oh, and PS: somebody LOVES Mythbusters. No, seriously, LOVES. "Caar!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Then the car goes boom and Billy laughs. Yep. Here the water goes boom. Guys, you have a new fan. :)
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