Saturday, October 30, 2010

Someone's been sitting in my cart!

Alexandra has always been very safety conscious. She holds the railing on the steps, points out bikers and skateboarders wearing helmets, and insists on being buckled into her highchair.

So when we went to the grocery store the other day, and I told her that if she wanted to eat a snack she had to sit in the seat. It was no surprise that while I was looking for her granola bar, she was looking for the seatbelt. Unfortunately, only one side of it was still attached to the cart. The other half was nowhere to be found.

"What happened to it, Mama?" she asked.
"I don't know, baby." I replied. "I guess someone broke it."
To which she asked, wide eyed and serious, "Was it Goldilocks?"

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Milestone miracle

Today we went to a birthday party. At a bowling alley.
My 2.5 year old is not much of a bowler, but this was her first real kids party other than cake and ice cream at someone's house.

In short, she behaved beautifully. She took turns bowling, didn't try to blow out the candles herself, didn't go rummaging through the gift bags and said please and thank you.
She also told me she needed to make pee pee.
Great! Oh God...a public restroom. Great.
OK, babygirl. Come on.

Well, she did great there too. Didn't touch anything she wasn't supposed to. Let me hold her so she didn't fall into the big girl potty. Washed her hands nicely.
As we were leaving the restroom, I squatted down to her eyelevel and said, "I want you to know that Mama is VERY proud of you. You told me before you had to go potty. You used a big girl bathroom. That is a very good girl."
And you know what she said?
"You're a great Mama." And gave me a hug.
I almost cried.

Who says bowling alley bathrooms are awful?

Friday, October 22, 2010

A kangaroo with no toes

Allie and I are riding in the car the other day and she tells me that when she woke up that morning she saw a baby kangaroo in her room.
OK, wierd. But not that wierd for a kid with a ridiculous collection of stuffed animals.
So I asked what she did with the kangaroo. And she says, "I put it on my bicycle."
"Really?" I say, half listening.
"Yes, Mama," she says. "But I had to pedal because the baby kangaroo doesn’t have toes."

OK, now I am listening. No toes. Where does she come up with this stuff?
"Where did you and the baby kangaroo go?" I ask her.
"Switzerland."
"SWITZERLAND?!" Really, not the answer I was expecting.
"Yeah."
"What did you do there?"
"It was cold so we left." Maybe a lucky guess...?
"Where did you go next?"
"Seasons Pizza."
Now there's an answer I would expect. My in-laws take her to Seasons Pizza at least once a week. I think they would take her there every day if I would let them...but I digress.

"Oh yeah?"
"Yes, and then we went to Mexico."
"Mexico?"
"Yeah."
"You and a baby kangaroo on a bike?" This story is getting better and better. In fact, it even seems familiar. Like maybe something that happened to me in college...or at a concert...but I digress again.

"Yes, Mama," she continued patiently. Like she had to remind me of something she just told me. (Now THAT is a familiar feeling!) "I was carrying the baby kangaroo because he didn’t have toes."
Seriously…I didn’t know what to do when I heard this story. My mouth hung open. I half suspected my in-laws accidentally bought the wrong mushrooms. Where did she hear about Switzerland and know it was cold there?

And then she ends the story by saying, "Mama?"
"Yes, sweetie."
"A baby kangaroo is a joey."

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Love stinks!

Alexandra has two new habits that, well, stink.

#1
When she gets bored, or sometimes in the middle of playing, sometimes she will take off her shoes and socks, toddle up to the nearest adult, and say, "You want to smell my feet?"

#2
Potty training is going well...for weewee. Poopoo is a different story. She still insists on going in her diaper, but immediately tells me she needs to be changed. As soon as I get her onto the table, she always says, "You want to look at my poopy now?"

Sigh...not really, but at this point there's no way to avoid it.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Meet Flopsy...

My daughter has started making things up.
Not bad things. Nothing dramatic, or mean, or to save her butt from trouble. So I wouldn't call it lying...

"Did you meet Flopsy?" she asked me the other day, holding out her hand, palm facing up toward me.
"No, baby," I said, trying to take her hand, thinking that she was reaching out for me to hold it.
"NO! You're hurting Flopsy!" she howled.

As it turns out, Flopsy is an imaginary boy bunny that she carries in the palm of her hand.

I am sort of embarrassed, but I have now been using Flopsy to entertain guests and family members. As in, "Oh, have you met Flopsy? No? Allie, can you show Flopsy to Mama's friend?" At which she will immediately respond by holding out her empty hand, palm up, a huge smile on her face.  "He's very soft," she will say.

My amazed friend will giggle, not sure if it's ok to laugh, until she sees the grin on my face and breaks down to laughing herself.

So maybe I am not making fun of my daughter's wild imagination after all. I like to think I am just sharing a few smiles.

Monday, October 4, 2010

I can't hear you...

Scene: the bathroom.
Time: to get out of the tub.

Mama: Allie...
Allie (puts fingers in ears): Gagagagaga!
Mama: Hee hee...Allie...
Allie (puts fingers in ears): Gagagagaga!
Mama: Hee hee hee...It's time to get out of the funbath, baby.
Allie (puts fingers in ears): Gagagagaga!
Mama (trying to regain composure and speak sternly): Alexandra.
Allie (puts fingers in ears): Gagagagaga!
Mama (laughing hysterically now): Allie, where did you learn that?
Allie (puts fingers in ears): Gagagagaga!
Mama (hugging squirmy toddler and still giggling): I love you, sweet pea.
Allie: I love you too mama.

Ok, seriously...where did she learn that?!

A final observation: Strawberry-banana bubble bath - organic and all natural though it may be - was not meant to be smelled by people who have spent the afternoon at a wine gulping tasting.