I take back what I said yesterday. See what bragging gets me?
Milestone rescinded
August 24th, 2011Mini milestone: quirkiness
August 24th, 2011We’re a quirky family, humor-wise (not bodies-in-the-basement-wise). Jason and I have a flow of verbal and physical humor that is near-constant.
Stemming from a witnessed moment of this*, we’ve maintained that I stick my nose in Jason’s ear as a way to both
a) prove I’m me, an not a robot facsimile (though that particular jig is up, now that I’m writing this)
b) say that everything is all right
Today, while playing “This Little Piggie”, 80 stuck my toe in her ear. She truly is a Wadsgreen, through and through.
Mini-milestone: less mouthing
August 22nd, 2011We’ve been saying things like “not in your mouth” and “that’s not food” for so long, I was incredulous today when 80 held up a seed pod at the park and I said “that’s not for 80′s mouth”, and she put it down. Seriously, I’ve been waiting for a part in the clouds for months.
Early birds get the diner seats
August 14th, 2011
80 and I are having an early breakfast out. I love breakfast, and one tiny upside to an early rising toddler is getting a prized seat at the Deluxe Town Diner.
Mini milestone: shoes
August 10th, 2011
There comes a point when your baby becomes more interested in trying on your shoes, rather than mouthing them. Today is that day. It’s a small victory.
Today was generally above average. Usually, 80 and I muddle our way through a day that revolves around eating and naps. The rest of the time is fill-in playing at home or out (the park, library, the rare playdate). By right around 5 pm, I start having the same vague thoughts of wishing J was home from work, wishing I lived near family, and dreading making dinner (I am not much of a cook, what do I make that’s 80-friendly, how do I make it while she’s underfoot?)
This morning I took 80 on a bike ride. We got home, and she refused to get out of the bike seat. She held the crossbar down and shook her head vehemently (well, it looked vehement with her bike helmet on). So I went out for another ride.
While biking, I tried to tell her if we were going to hit a bump, so she wouldn’t be startled. She started signing [more] after a bump, and I started looking for rough patches in the road.
We went down a hill, fast enough to pick up some breeze. 80 lifted her hands from the bike seat crossbar and put them above her head in the typical “rollercoaster” fashion. It was spontaneous on her part, so I wonder if it’s innate (also, why). It made me giddy to see her do it, knowing she was experiencing a flying feeling, and probably some baby euphoria.
Again, when we got home, she wasn’t happy. An hour and a half after we initially left the house, I finally got her to agree to go inside with the lure of snacks and hand-washing. (That sounds OCD, but remember she’s a toddler, and it’s like a mini pool party.)
That long set of rides readjusted my view on our lives. We went out and did something we were both happy to do. If we can have more experiences like this, I can continue to handle this stay-at-home thing.
Out to breakfast
August 1st, 2011, originally uploaded by .
You know you’re a toddler’s mom when you have to wash your hands (and arms) before going to the bathroom at a restaurant.
80 likes to clutch my arm with her crumby, sticky hands to get my attention so I can get her more food.
DFW word game
July 24th, 2011David Foster Wallace’s shorter works, like found in “A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again” is to an olive as “Infinite Jest” is to:
a. a concrete block
b. a hot air balloon
c. a muffuletta sandwich
The answer is c, a .
Where is it the coolest?
July 22nd, 2011, originally uploaded by .
Tempcat: It’s like having a bloodhound or truffle pig.
New blog goal: mini milestones
July 8th, 2011
I asked 80 to smile for the picture. My aunt Sharon politely dubbed this her “chipmunk face”.
It seems there are these very consistent benchmarks for babies of the same age, and other milestones that can be very different (new teeth, walking). I make a lot of parenting decisions based on other’s experiences, taking the same/different factor into consideration. I’ve decided to try and blog more of these small observations. On a personal level, they’re really only fun for 80′s family, but this data could be interesting to other new parents.
An observation for today: while playing on the front steps of C+A’s house, 80 discovered hauling both herself and her water bottle up an down. She’d be on one step, and put the bottle on the step above or below. It’s a small thing, but it’s related to manipulating both herself and another object on a multi-level surface.
Midwest milestone
July 5th, 2011
80 had her first sweetcorn on Sunday. We attended a heavy metal pool party that featured lots of great food. The corn was buttered and grilled, thus making it the best first sweetcorn a baby could have. It’s a great toddler food, since you really only need the front teeth to eat it, and the cob can be gnawed on to no I’ll effect. She also liked the spicy garbanzo bean salad, the pool, and the metal music.