Dentist

This may look like successful teeth-brushing.  It's not.  It's Audrey running her toothbrush under the faucet, sucking the water off the brush and repeating that for 5 minutes until I intervene and try to get some teeth brushed.  That involves chasing her around the house, pinning her down, trying to play games like, "1...2...3...open up!" and usually ends with 2 teeth brushed, a tantrum, and me lecturing her about cavities and baby root canals and how they are skyrocketing because kids "these days" are eating and snacking all day long and well, Brian Williams told me so on the Nightly News so it must be true. 

Which is why Audrey has her first dentist appointment next week.  Apparently this is another one of my mom fails and I was supposed to start taking her at 12 months, like the pediatrician said...I didn't listen, primarily because MY dentist told me to wait until she was 3.  But then I saw the Nightly News piece and got all freaked out and so we're going next week. 

We're going to a pediatric dentist that plays cartoons on the ceiling while you get your teeth cleaned, does manicures for the little girls and all kinds of fun distracting stuff.  Unfortunately, we seem to have the worst health and dental insurance on planet Earth, so I'll be paying for all of this out of pocket.  When I called up our insurance plan to have them fax over the necessary forms for the appointment they informed me that they don't cover any pediatric dentistry - at all.  Um, okay.  That's helpful.  Of course the hubs and I got into a little argument over this because he wants me to take her to our adult dentist (for some reason then it's covered) but I'm insisting that for the first visit we go the pediatric route.  Teeth-brushing is enough of a battle, I don't need to make things worse by terrifying her with her first visit, right?  And these people are supposed to teach me how we can actually get more than 2 teeth cleaned, which seems to be some sort of holy grail info that I can't figure out.

And hey, I need a manicure too. 

Kidding! 

(Sort of.)

Nothing beats summertime smiles

In honor of summer’s official kickoff weekend (although Austin is so hot that I’ve been wearing white pants since at least Early April -- oops), I wanted to share why summer is the best season of the year through the eyes of my kiddo.

1. He gets to help dad water the lawn (as beyond help as the lawn may be)
   
   
   


2. Pools are so much more splashable than bathtubs

3. Poolside potato chips pretty much rock.

4. There's no need for clothes

Happy Memorial Day Weekend, Peeps!

Diva-in-training

Yes, the tables have turned and I am officially getting bossed around by a certain 22-month old...This is her in the car on the way to the gym this morning. 

First she demanded her sunglasses, then she demanded that she climb into her carseat from the ground, then she demanded some Flo Rida on the radio and we could finally leave.  Okay, so she didn't actually ask for Flo Rida, she just yelled "dance" until I found something suitable and it happened to be Flo Rida.  I think the paci really adds to her gangsta persona, don't you?

List Time! Favorite Books

My kiddo is obsessed with books. Which is a good thing - because both his parents are too. I don't think I'd want to read our books aloud to him any time soon (No, I'm not reading 50 Shades of Grey like the rest of the world at the moment....but he might not like hearing bedtime stories that involve communist Russia or murders. Just a guess.)

Anyway, I love that he loves books, so I'm always on the hunt for stories that have been sure wins of others. I figured someone might get a kick out of finding out what's floating T's boat these days in the literary world -- and maybe spark my interest in something T hasn't "read" yet!

1. Dog - I've talked about this book before. It's T's most favorite book in the whole wide world (Thanks Amanda!). We read it at least twice every day (which is a lot considering he's at home and awake for all of 2 1/2 hours a day). If the author's other books are half as good, I think I need to invest in them all.
   
   
2. Let's Go - The pages flip out, which makes it loads and loads and fun. Plus, it has a choo choo train. 



3. Playtime Peek-a-boo - Ditto on the pages flipping out entertaining T big time. It also is one of those books that has things for him to touch, which he loves. 



4. I Love Monkey - This book is adorable. The only downfall is that it doesn't have board pages, which means I've had to tape several back together as T has ripped them in his "loving monkey" excitement. 



5. Very Hungry Caterpillar - A classic. T especially likes the part about the food. 



6. Good Night Moon - I know this is an obvious one, but really, what kid doesn't like this book?




7. Quack Quack - Simple, but I love that T recognizes each of the animals in the book, knows the sounds sounds they make - and interacts with the "fur" and "fluff" on the pages. It's short, but basically 5 pages of interactive cuteness. 



8. Elmo's - So Big - Yea, so the kid loves Elmo. No surprise. This book is cute for him because he can "do" everything that Elmo does. He loves it. Plus, it has a pop-out Elmo at the end. Best book ending ever in T's eyes.




9. Let's Help the Earth - Random sounding enough, but this is a great story with lots of little interactive things for T to get involved in. Pop-ups, wheels of bugs, hidden characters...T makes his dad read this to him at bedtime just about every night these days. Maybe it helped spur on his obsession with the garbage can and throwing things out? I swear I don't make these fixations up....



10. Yo Gabba Gabba - It's Okay Try Again - I don't really get the fascination with Yo Gabba Gabba, but before he had ever even seen a TV episode, he loved looking at the bright colored creatures in this book. I think maybe he likes it just because it's an excuse for him to say "gobba-gabba-gobba" over and over again. But it's cute. 





11. Little Critter Where's Kitty - Auntie Erika got this one for T and she obviously knows her stuff. This one is a hit! Lots of flaps to open and peek under with all sorts of references to different animals. T's favorite part is opening the barn door. My favorite part is collecting "Grandma's" snuggle at the end of the book. 





12. Carry-Me Trucks - I've learned more about trucks than anyone would ever want to know by reading this to T over and over again. Yet for some reason, he loves it. Typical boy.



13. That's Not My Truck - I've heard that all of these "That's not my..." books are fun. T likes this one (surprise surprise!) - probably because it has truck in the title and because one of the pages has a shiny "tank" that doubles as a mirror. My kid likes to look at himself. 

What books did I leave off this list that T should be reading, pronto? Help me expand my little bookworm's library!

Best sippy cup ever?

It's called Lollacup.  You probably haven't heard of it.  At least, I hadn't until about 3 weeks ago when I tuned into Shark Tank on ABC.  I have a small obsession with that show, even though I don't think anyone but me watches.  Thankfully the network understands and hasn't canceled it yet.  I think it takes me back to my previous life, the one in which I'm in grad school with real career aspirations and thoughts of starting my own business one day.  Fast forward to my current routine of playdates, tantrums and runny noses and I now live vicariously through reality TV. 

Anyway, a few weeks ago a couple from California was on the show with the idea of creating a better sippy cup.  Like me they had a pantry full of every sippy cup on planet Earth that all leaked, got moldy and were impossible to clean.  Add to that the fact that many of these cups have straw components which toddlers don't completely understand and so tilt the cups up when they drink and therefore get none of the liquid because the straw is now at the top of the cup and the liquid still at the bottom.

Apparently there is a better way people.  This couple created a sippy with a WEIGHTED STRAW that stays in the liquid no matter how the heck your kid tilts, dips, bends the cup.   (I'm mean duh, right?   Why don't I think of these things???!).  The cup also supposedly has minimal parts that are easy to clean, removeable handles so it can go from kid to cup holder and is BPA-free and all of that good stuff.  I know you're probably thinking, "who gives a crap?" and wondering why I'm getting excited over a stupid sippy cup, but if so then you likely aren't the one digging into plastic grooved parts night after night with the bottle brush trying to get the gunk out while your toddler runs around the house naked and refusing to put on her pajamas, mmkay?  So yes, I felt like my sippy cup prayers were answered when I saw this thing.  It's a pricey $18 per cup but I'm giving it a shot and hopefully ridding our pantry of every other sippy cup shortly.  I may have to call the local trash collection for a special pick up.  Stay tuned :)

Nighttime Blues

I think that the hubs might have maybe, just maybe, gotten his feelings hurt tonight by his son. He denies it, but I did catch the phrase "Fine" (yes, uttered exactly as you imagine it) leaving his mouth in response to T's tantrum tonight.

Not that I blame him. When T denies me my much-deserved lovin' (that yes, I feel entitled to because I AM his momma), my feelings get hurt too.

When I got home from Zumba tonight, T was in the best mood. Running around and giggling. Freely giving snuggles and hugs and kisses. Splashing in the bath. Love. Every. Bit. Of. It. And then he randomly switched it off.  Out of nowhere. It became a toddler-terror zone. A friend of mine recently referred to her child as "Jekyll and Hyde" and I got a good giggle out of it with her -- and how quickly I have learned I have one of my own.

Our strict routine, which T loves, he totally threw out the window. T didn't want his dad taking him out of the bath, doing his part of the getting ready for bed, or reading his bedtime story and putting him to sleep. The hubs ALWAYS does these parts. And the bedtime story is his special one-on-one time. Until tonight, when T insisted that I did it all. Now, we both know that this little freakout is probably just a one-time thing. Since I was at class tonight, he probably just needed a little more momma time before bed. That, and pissing his daddy off (to the tune of huffing a "Fine. Whatever, dude. That is not nice.") is a surefire way to declare his independence.

It's quite possible that I can see what my toddler sulking is going to look like down the road by looking at my hubs tonight. Poor hubs.

Morning Update

I’ve been a little delinquent on my blogging this past week. Mainly because I thought that I’d see how a week of “new morning rituals” would turn out on my little guy’s new morning hysterics and report on them. Expecting only miracles, right? For the past week I have been:

1. Waking T up 5 minutes earlier. It kind of kills me to wake him up for daycare when he’s still laying down like a peaceful little angel. But I started thinking that maybe I was taking on the role of “my dad” from when I was a kid and rushing a non-morning person to be social and cheery. It had disastrous outcomes every time my dad tried (still does, when the hubs tries it with me) – so maybe me expecting to get T up and out the door in as little time as possible just wasn’t a good way to go.
2. Reading a book to him as he drinks his milk. My thinking here is that he doesn’t have to mentally engage yet – he can slowly adapt to the fact that a new day has arrived, even if the sun isn’t entirely up yet.
3. Telling him everything I’m going to do, before I do it. “Ok, now we’re going to get dressed.” “Ok, it’s shoe time! Which foot do you want to put shoes on first?” “We’re going to walk out to mommy’s car next” “After you get strapped into your car seat, mommy will put on some tunes for you.” My voice just might be several octaves higher for all of these oh-so-encouraging play-by-plays as well.
4. Letting him have his dad’s toy car to “vroom” up and down his leg in the car on the way to daycare. Because it’s just not worth the fight and dad can buy another one if it breaks.
5. Asking him to walk into daycare. Possibly in the form of racing mom. Results vary. Today? Not so much. Legs wrapped around me like a vice. But no tears, which I take as semi-success. Friday? He was into the idea of racing INTO daycare. Just didn’t want to STAY inside. Temper tantrum ensued, but he got over it, so I take that as a semi-success too. Though possibly more in hindsight than at the time -- and after I calmed my nerves with some peanut butter M&Ms as soon as I reached work.

Outcome? Mixed. I do honestly think there is an improvement as we haven’t had any major meltdowns getting dressed or getting into the car for the past few days. Walking into daycare still has its mediocre days and bad days at the moment. But I’m not sure that the improvement is because of the improvement in my parenting style (thanks to advice from friends with kids whose kids get to these stages before mine and the folks who write the articles for us crazy moms at What To Expect) or because this is just one of the many “phases” I’m going to get to experience as we enter the lovely world of Toddlers-Testing-Boundaries and it was just a shorter one for T to initiate me with. I admit that I do miss that last “snooze” on the alarm but if it wards off decimal-level 10 screaming at 7:15 then I think I’ll manage.

Week 2 of “new morning” rituals began today. Wish me luck!

Happy Mother's Day!

Starbucks latte?  Check.
Starbucks bazillion-calorie scone?  Check.
Screwing the low-carb, low-sugar diet?  Um, CHECK.

Oh, and those shoes I've been lusting over at Anthro for the past 3 months?  A little present to myself.  Although damn them for never going on sale.

Happy Mother's Day!

Bathing suit time!

So, I have a little weakness.  Well, several if I'm being honest but this one is in the form of toddler bathing suits.  Especially if they have ruffles.  Or polka-dots.  Or ruffles and polka-dots.  It's way past pool time here (hello 90 degrees with 90% humidity since APRIL - I think I got a 1st degree burn on the playground equipment yesterday) but sadly we are still waiting for the pools to open.  In the meantime I am stocking Audrey's closet with adorable bathing suits.  Since she is still young enough for me to control the outfits (oh, I am going to miss that) I figure it's now or never.  I know there will be epic battles every morning as soon as we hit 2? 3? 4? and she'll be wearing tutus, Halloween costumes, princess crowns and God knows what else out the door every day.  But for now, I am in charge and I say you can never have too many ruffled, polka-dot bathing suits.  Am I right?  I've actually only gotten her one suit so far:

But am pretty sure we'll be adding these two because seriously?  How cute are those?!

I've decided there's an inverse relationship between how [un]cute I look in bathing suits these days and how many I then want to buy Audrey.  Although we both have I-look-4-months-pregnant tummies (Okay, hers is more like 6 months - let's get real.  If it weren't for swing tops she would be in pint-sized mumus) somehow mine doesn't look quite so cute in ruffled, flowered, polka-dot one-pieces.  Hmm, go figure. 

Mornings can be the pits

I am not a morning person.

I am even less of a morning person this week since T has gotten some sort of morning monster running through his veins.

Getting dressed? We’re working on “stepping into” our shorts at daycare. At home, we liked to lay there vegging while watching “Mel-Mo” on Sesame Street while I get him presentable. A little bit of a dichotomy when it comes to dressing, yes. But it was working. Until this week when T decided to assert his independence. Clothes? Who needs ‘em! A battle has ensued…every morning. He doesn’t want to lay there, but doesn’t want to actively participate either. You’d think having a fresh diaper was the end of the world. Shorts? T-shirt? One shoe is all that T thinks is necessary to hit the road for daycare as I chase him around the room with him madly shaking his head “no.” Worth having a fit over? Most definitely, says T.

Car? Last week, I had speed bump issue that left my car pretty much non-driveable (don’t ask) – so T and I rode in the Hubs’ car and Hubs’ drove the dealer’s loaner. This week? Mom’s car is SO not cool anymore. How does a 16-month old show this? Every single morning this week, hysterics, tears, screaming, and back-arching escape tactics, while madly pointing at the Hubs’ car saying “this, this.” I get the point. Daddy’s car is bigger, higher off the ground and you can see the school bus we pass on the way to daycare every morning better from his window. But honey, you are going to be driving in mommy’s car for a super-long time, so you best get re-used to it.

Daycare? The little guy has been a champ and running inside every single day with a big ole grin on his face, waving bye-bye at me and blowing me kisses. He knew how to make his momma feel good. Until this week. I don’t know what the deal is but, he refuses, absolutely refuses to walk in. I don’t know if he’s regressing a few months, if the sports car “vrooming” across the street has royally scarred him for life (little man isn’t a fan of big noises) or if he’s just trying to drive me nuts with his new-found decision-making abilities. Whatever it is, my child alternates between wrapping himself around me like a pretzel or temper tantruming on the ground. At 7am, this is not a pretty sight for anyone involved. He cheers up (usually) once our daycare provider gives him some breakfast, but nothing says ruining your morning commute like the feeling you’re abandoning your child after a morning of traumatic clothing and transportation events.

All I can say is TGIF, people. TGIF.

Mommy brain

Is there such a thing?  Because I've recently self-diagnosed this particular affliction since it's easier to swallow and make fun of than early on-set dementia or Alzheimers.  Here's my proof:

Exhibit A: I went to Target today specifically to buy diapers.  As I was browsing along the diaper aisle I suddenly, for the life of me, could not remember what size diapers Audrey wears.  Despite changing 5 diapers a day apparently I can't remember this basic fact.  Fortunately Pampers has figured idiots like me might have this issue and prints the size on the front of each diaper.  So, by making Audrey remove her pants in the middle of Target I could resolve this little problem.  But seriously?

Exhibit B: At least once or twice a week, I back the car out of the garage on my way to the gym, the grocery store, playgroup, etc. and after driving for a few minutes I suddenly can't remember if I closed the garage door or not.  Panic ensues.  (Someone will steal the Bob!  Someone will break into the house and kill the dog!)  Sometimes this happens around the corner from our house, sometimes about 20 minutes away but every single time I freak myself out enough that we drive allllll the way back home to check.  And of course, I've always closed the garage door.  But the not knowing *for sure* gets me every time.  Needless to say Audrey and I are often late for appointments and I can't very well say, "oh, we were just driving all the way back home to make sure I closed the garage door b/c I'm OCD" so I usually have to blame it on Audrey.  Sorry hon.

Exhibit C: Last week I found myself railing at the TV when I couldn't find my usual Wednesday night 9:00 p.m. show.  (How dare they!)  Until the hubs kindly pointed out that it was, in fact, Tuesday night and therefore my show wasn't on.  Okaaaaay then.

Have I scared you yet?

So what does this mean?  Am I going to forget Audrey's birthday next?  Where I live?  I'm taking my vitamins.  I've never played football.  I drink a lot of wine water.  I wasn't even this spacey when I was pregnant, and at least "pregnancy brain" is a documented phenomenon.  I think a weekend at the spa and a shopping spree would cure me in no time, but for some reason the hubs disagrees.  And so I am stuck being THAT MOM that pulls her kids pants down in Target to figure out what size diapers to buy.  #Sad