Why I Hate Froot Loops

Warning:  The next few posts are slightly gross.  Read at your own risk.

For most of November, Babykins was sick.  I mean multiple doctor visits, a trip to the ER, and enough medication to heal a small country, sick.  We were frantically trying to get her healthy, not just because healthy is better than sick, but also because we had a deadline looming in the form of a 10 hour flight to Pennsylvania.

Three days before the flight, Babykins was off her medicine and causing general mischief, which I typically take as a sign that the germs have been defeated.  I breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.  We still had a long flight to survive (without Daddykins!), but Auntie MO was coming with us and I was armed with a portable DVD player and multiple Elmo videos.  I had stared down potential disaster and lived to laugh at it.

An hour before we had to leave for the airport, Auntie MO and I were gathering the bags and feeding Babykins a quick snack.  Our flight was scheduled to leave on time, everything was ready to go out the door, and I was feeling good.  I sat down on the sofa with Babykins to put on her shoes, when she gave a little cough.  Which was immediately followed by projectile vomiting.  And just like that, our rented beige carpet was covered in throw up.  Bright orange throw-up, because for the first time ever I'd let Babykins eat Froot Loops.

Panic ensued.  Babykins was crying.  I was trying to get the stain out of the carpet before it set.  And then I heard another cough.  I grabbed Babykins and made a dash for the kitchen.  We got there just in time for her to throw up in the sink.

At this point, we have 10 minutes until we need to leave for the airport.  Babykins and I are covered in throw up.  The carpet is covered in throw up.  And I'm starting to get a veeeery bad feeling about this flight.

Throw up count: 2

To Be Continued...

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Our 17 month-er has become quite the mimic lately.  Like all parents, we've learned to watch what we say.  No word is too difficult for Babykins, and you never know when it'll pop out of her mouth.  From bathing suit to motorcycle to crayons, Babykins is constantly displaying her new verbal prowess.

What's really cute, though, is watching her imitate our actions.  The other weekend I decided I would take advantage of a few minutes when Babykins was playing independently to work out.  I started with a few wall push-ups.  Around push-up number 10, I looked down to find Babykins standing directly underneath me, hands on the wall, bending her little elbows! 

I decided to do a little experiment.  After finishing up my push-ups, I moved to the floor to do sit-ups.  Sure enough, Babykins followed along and laid down beside me.  She couldn't quite manage the sit-ups, but she put her hands behind her head and pumped her little legs in the air with vigor. 

Next, it was on to yoga.  As I went through the Sun Salute, Babykins faced me, reached for the ground, and did a fabulous Down Dog!  The smile and excitement on her face was priceless.

Since then, Babykins has continued to imitate Hubbykins and me as we go about our days.  Whether it's dancing to a favorite song, talking on the phone, or blowing on hot food, she's right there, ready to put the toddler twist on everything we do.

Now, if she would just imitate me eating some veggies...

Self Discipline

Outside of the door leading to our parking garage is a wooden door stop.  Babykins is obsessed with it.  Every time we walk out of the door, Babykins makes a beeline for the door stop.  We don't let her take it with us, and she refuses to put it down, which leads to an extremely long stand off every time we try to walk to the car.

To help nip the problem in the bud, Hubbykins and I started going out the door first, putting a foot on the door stop, and saying, "Leave it.  No touch."  Babykins would come over, look at the door stop under our feet, then turn and walk toward the garage.

Last week, as Babykins and I were walking back to the apartment to the car, I saw Babykins spot the door stop.  She stopped and stared for a minute, then changed direction and walked toward it.  I held my breath, waiting to see what she would do.

Babykins walked right up to the door stop, looked down at it, pointed her little finger, and gave a stern, "No."  She said, "No" twice more, placed her foot firmly on the door stop for a minute, then turned and walked to the door.

Since then, she's glanced at the door stop ocassionally as we walk by, but has never again picked it up.  That's what I call self discipline.

Another First: Swim Lessons!

We live on an island.  There's a lot of water.  Which is why we recently decided to start Babykins in swim lessons.

Every Sunday Hubbykins takes Babykins to the local YMCA where they have a 1/2 hour less in (get this, East Coast-ers!) an outdoor pool!  There's no cold water, no shivering as you stand in line outside the pool, and very few tears.

The toddler class is a series of fun water games.  They play "Clean up the Ocean" where the kiddies gather up plastic fish and throw them out of the pool.  This is followed by "The Wheels on the Boat" and "Ring Around the Dolphin."  Babykins' favorite game is Humpty Dumpty.  The kids stand next to the pool holding a toy.  They throw the toy in the pool, then jump in after it, into their parents arms.  Babykins could happily play this game all day.  Class finishes up with practice splashing, kicking, and blowing bubbles. 

After 3 classes, Babykins can't swim on her own, but she's started moving her arms and kicking her legs.  Who knows what she'll be able to do after another 3!

First Things First

Babykins has been a busy girl, lately.  Here, a few of her recent "firsts":

Hair Cut
We love Babykins' hair.  She inherited shiny gold ringlets from Hubbykins that bounce when she runs and look good even after a nap.  For months we avoided her first hair cut, opting instead for a steady stream of barrettes and palm trees.  Finally, though, we had to admit - when the baby's hair is flopping over her nose, it's time for a trim.

We took Babykins to Pigtails and Crew Cuts, a kids-only salon where they entice little ones with cheerfully decorated capes and chairs shaped like cars.  When we arrived, Babykins was excited.  She wandered around staring at the other kids in their cars, pointing and ohh-ing.  When it was her turn, she sat right down and began playing with the steering wheel.  Things got even better when the cape went on.  And then, best of all, the hair dresser handed her a cup of Animal Crackers. 

With so much excitement, Babykins barely noticed when the hair dresser first combed her hair, then put it back in a clip.  The first spray of water caught her attention, though, and by the time the scissors took their second snip, Babykins had thrown her head back and was crying and screaming with all of her might.

Luckily, along with fun chairs and cookies, the store also stocks up on hair dressers who aren't phased by screaming babies.  Within seconds, Babykins had a new set of bangs, a lock of shiny hair in a bag, and a (slightly teary) picture of her first hair cut ready to go in her baby book.

Up next: Babykins' first swim lesson

Babykins' Top Three Obsessions

Now a big 16 monther, Babykins has hit the age where she doesn't just like things - she loooooves them.  And so, a list of Babykins' top three obsessions.

Shoes

Recently, US Grandma bought Babykins a pair of pink Crocs.  Not only are they pink, they have a puppy on the left shoe.  They NEVER leave Babykins' feet.  If we didn't make her take them off before bath and bed, Babykins' little tootsies would never have a chance to breath.

We got our carpets cleaned a week ago, and I was very excited to keep the floors looking fresh for awhile.  Hubbykins and I take our shoes off when we get home, and we've always popped off Babykins' shoes, too.  After awhile she'd remember and walk around the house saying, "Shoes!  Shoes!"  To which we would respond, "No shoes now!"  and Babykins would continue on her way.

This week, though, that's all changed.  Not only can Babykins say, "Shoes," she has now figured out how to put her shoes on all by herself!  These days when I hear Babykins little voice calling out "Shoes!" it's not because she needs help putting them on...it's because they're already on her feet.

Goodbye, clean carpet!  Hello, independent Babykins!

Sesame Street

Back in July we took Babykins to see Sesame Street Live!  I swear it's the only time I've ever seen Babykins sit entirely still for 1 1/2 straight hours.  Since then, Babykins' obsession with Sesame Street has steadily grown.

She's allowed to watch one Sesame Street a day, and over the last month Babykins has steadily progressed in her Sesame Street knowledge.  In the beginning, we were amazed to hear her sing, "Lalalala," whenever she saw a picture of Elmo (as in, Lalalala, Lalalala, Elmo's World).  Then this week she surprised us by actually saying Elmo's name!  That was quickly followed by Cookie (accompanied by putting her hands to her mouth in a mime of eating cookies and saying, "Numnumnum") and Ahkar (Oscar).

So much for no TV before 2.

Baby Doll

The book we had on babies said that most babies choose a favorite animal or blanket as their "lovey" somewhere between 8 and 12 months.  The only lovey Babykins wanted was mama and dada.

Then last weekend Hubbykins took Babykins on a walk.  I could hear them in the hallway for a long time, which is usually a sign that any minute they'll be coming back in and Babykins will be handing me my shoes, insisting that I come along.

Sure enough, seconds later I hear the key in the door.  Hubbykins popped his head in, looked at me, and said, "You've been replaced."  Babykins came shooting in after him calling, "Baby, baby, baby!"  She ran into the living room, scooped up baby doll, gave her a big hug, and ran back out into the hallway, ready for her walk.

We don't go anywhere without baby doll anymore, which is why in the last few weeks she gotten very dirty, fallen in a plate of curry at a restaurant, and has developed some mysterious stains on her head.  Hang in there, baby doll, we need you.

Ok, so there were only going to be 3 obsessions, but Babykins has reminded me multiple times already this morning about her newest obsession...

Being Naked

Babykins has never been a big fan of clothes, but last week she discovered how to take off her diaper, which adds a whole new dimension to the being naked obsession.  Two or three times a day now, Babykins will run up to us, throw a diaper at our feet, then run away laughing, stark naked out of the room.

And once the diaper's off, getting a new one on is akin to catching and subduing a greased pig.  We've started bribing Babykins by specially picking out the diapers that have Elmo on them (see obsession #2).  The diapering process is now immediately followed by pants, which Babykins has not figured out how to remove...yet.

Babykins and Mama Discuss Weaning

When Babykins was born, I decided I would follow all of the baby book advice and nurse her for the first year.  By the time Babykins' first birthday rolled around, I was ready to start the weaning process.

Me: Babykins, wouldn't it be fun to start eating more food and nursing less?
Babykins: Vigorously shakes head, "No."

Ok.  So maybe she wasn't ready.  We'd wait awhile and try again.

Over the next two months, perhaps sensing that the end was near, Babykins actually began nursing more.

Me: Babykins, it's time to start weaning.  Why don't we start by not nursining in the middle of the night?
Babykins: How about if I only nurse two times a night?
Me: One time.
Babykins: How about four times?
Me: Two times it is.

I started working full time, and we managed to drop to 3 times a day during the week.  During the weekends, though, it was another story.

Me: Babykins, why don't we try sticking to 3 times a day during the weekend, too.
Babykins: Noooooo!!!!!
Me: I know you can do it.  You're a big, bad 15 month-er!
Babykins:  Waaaaaa!!! (Translation: I love you so much, mommy, and all I want to do is nurse, and why are you being so mean to me, you're stinky!)
Me: Well, if you're that upset about it, maybe...
Babykins: Yea!!!! (Runs squealing into her bedroom, both hands thrown above her head making the nursing sign.)

Maybe we'll try again at 18 months...