Sorry about your breakup...

People often talk about gender stereotypes.  When you look at Babykins, it seems like she's been swallowed by them.  She dances around the house dressed all in pink, waving her magic wand, and holding her Cinderella doll in her hand.  But there's nothing wrong with a little pink and the belief that you're a princess.

Lately, I've been much more concerned about the stereotypes for boys.  I'm not talking about playing with trucks here.  I'm talking about the disturbing number of sentences that start with the phrase, "Just like a man..."

So far, I've heard, "Just like a man...

• Always fussing
• Never happy with anything
• Always making a mess

The list goes on.  And though it's always said as a jest, it's never a positive statement.  

Seriously?  Babyroo isn't anything like a man.  He's everything like a baby.  And I'm sorry that at some point you had a bad breakup with a wretch of a man, but please don't put that baggage on my 4-month-old.  He's wonderful and sweet, and we plan on raising him so that he stays that way.

Why Did the Cockatoo Get on the Ferry?

With the addition of Babyroo to the family, Hubbykins and I decided that once a month Babykins should get a special day out with mommy or daddy without Babyroo. We were hoping this would help keep some of the jealousy at bay. Much to our surprise, when we told Babykins last month that she could have a special day out with just mommy, she looked at us and said, "Okay, but can daddy and Babyroo come, too?"

Which is how we all ended up on a ferry ride to Cockatoo Island. There aren't any actual cockatoos on the island, but Babykins still had a wonderful time.

Then yesterday, as Babykins and I were leaving the house, we heard a really loud bird squawk. We looked up, and I pointed out to Babykins that it was a cockatoo. Babykins nodded wisely and informed me, "It's probably getting on the ferry, mama, to go to Cockatoo Island."

Can't argue with that logic.

Dreams Really Do Come True

Every once in awhile Babykins comes out with something that takes me completely by surprise. Last month, Babykins was on a Cinderella kick. We watched that movie everyday for two weeks. Babykins had every song and word memorized. We eventually had to take it back to Blockbuster, and I didn't give the movie another thought.

A week later, I was talking to Babykins at breakfast about her dreams. She said she'd had bad dreams the night before and got really upset. I tried to reassure her that they were just dreams and there was no need to be afraid. She wasn't convinced.

We kept talking about dreams, and finally Babykins looked at me and said, "But mommy, Cinderella sings that all of your dreams will come true!"

Ahhh... And I spent the next 5 minutes explaining that Cinderella only meant that your GOOD dreams would come true.

Darn you, Disney, and your ambiguously cheery songs.

And Puppy Dog Tails

Babyroo is going through the hand-chewing phase. He loves nothing more than to shove his entire fist in his mouth and chew until the drool is dripping and his little fingers are red.

Occasionally, though, his hand will get away from him. The other day he was lying on the floor playing with his hands, when I heard him start to growl. I looked over to discover that his hand had decided to stay on the floor and he was desperately trying to turn his head far enough to the side to reach it with his mouth.

I watched for a minute to see if he would realize that he could just move his hand closer. Instead, he gave a frustrated shout and pushed with his feet, lifting his lower body off the floor and allowing his mouth to get closer to his hand, which was still firmly resting on the floor.

At this point, I took pity on my red-faced little boy, walked over, and moved his hand to his mouth. He chewed contentedly for a minute before removing his hand, flinging it back onto the floor, giving a loud growl, and moving his head in a frantic effort to get his mouth closer. He looked for all the world like a puppy chasing its tail. But then, that's what little boys are made of.

Editor's note: Last weekend, Babyroo was so intent on getting his mouth to his hand that he actually rolled from his back to his tummy!

Role Reversal

For most of Babykins' life, my biggest challenge as a stay at home mom has been her short attention span. When she would only focus on an activity for 5 minutes at a time, filling a 10 hour day is a challenge. Even taking out 2 hours for nap, that's still 96 activities required to take us through until daddy gets home.

Recently, though, I've been having the opposite challenge. Babykins got a dollhouse for Christmas, and she has a looooong attention span when it comes to playing with it. We're talking a good hour, at least. Maybe longer. The problem is that Babykins isn't content to play with it on her own. I have to play, too. And my dollhouse attention span is roughly...5 minutes.

In an effort to be a good mommy, I can last for a half hour. But I never thought I'd see the day when my toddler's attention span outlasted mine.