Holiday Highlights: Part 1- Halloween

It's been a while and so many fun holidays have passed. I've not blogged in a while, so in order to catch up I've decided to share some of the highlights that stand out in my memory. So forgive the flashback but here, for your reading pleasure, is installment 1.

Halloween:
Millie was a bumble bee. She said she wanted to be a witch or a ghost for weeks but then we got to the costume/party store and the clerk pointed out a cute little bumblebee outfit and that was IT. Once that black and yellow tutu was on and she had her antennae firmly in place- it wasn't coming off. She was mesmerized. She gazed at herself in the mirror and was dazzled into a moment of silence... Then she was off- buzzing around the store. Can you tell by the picture how awestruck she is? This is a picture I took in the dressing room. I took the picture because I just had never seen that hypnotized gaze on her before. The blur is the bumble-bee wand she's waving around.



Mommy: Ok, Millie. Time to take it off so we can buy it and take it home.
Millie: Noooooo!
Mommy: C'mon- you can keep it if you take it off. We just have to pay for it.
Millie: Nooooooooo!

I was a bit tired that day and just not ready to pin her down and fight to get it off... so I called her father.

Mommy: Hey we're at the store trying on costumes and she's in love with the bumble bee one.
Daddy: Really? I'd love to see it. I'm on my way home already but I won't be there for 20 minutes.
Mommy: That's ok. She won't let me take it off so we're not going anywhere anytime soon.

And so we hung out until daddy got there. Between her father and myself, we finally were able to convince her to take it off... but not without a few tears.

Millie: (sob) Mommy wants to take my dress away from me. It's so pretteeee.
Daddy: (On the way home) Maybe we ought to get her a couple dresses.
Mommy: Y'think?

Trick or Treating was fun. We went to a house of some friends who have a 12 yr old son who was excited about showing Millie the ropes.

Friend: First we'll go down street A, then we'll turn up street B because there are lots of houses on that street then we'll cut down street C and back around to our house.
Mommy and daddy: Uh..... Millie may not make it to the end of your block but we'll see.

She liked getting candy but she did not like spooky decorations hanging from garage doors or fog machines. Still too much for her imagination. One of the houses had music playing out front and all kinds of major scenes played out on their lawn. She did not like it though-- from now on "Hot Hot Hot" will always be known as the song of "The steamy scary house".

She also didn't quite understand why we were ringing doorbells and not going into people's homes. Nearly every home she went to she strolled into their living room or foyer after the door was opened. She met some dogs and someone's pet gecko in their living room. The gecko was cool. One neighbor asked her if she stung people. She said, "No. I just buzz." After the 4th house, she took a seat on their couch.

Mommy and Daddy: Millie do you want to go home to your house now?
Millie: Yes. (Then, later, in the car on the way home) Can I go home to my hive now? The bumble bee is ti-ud.

Life with a 2 year old

We are in the thick of it-- those "Terrible Twos". Admittedly it could be worse (shudder) but it's a bit trying for everyone... including Millie.

Today I felt a little bad for her after she was being particularly difficult:

Millie: I don't want to wear a hat.
Mommy: Fine then you may be cold.
Millie: I don't want to be cold!
Mommy: Fine then wear a hat.
Millie: I don't WANT to wear a hat!

After her cold walk to the car with no hat on she said pathetically, "I want to be gooood."

It's like they don't know what to do with themselves. It made me think that sometimes she actually wants to cooperate but all the signals are getting jangled in her brain and she can't get the right choice to come out. I know parents have been through this through the millenia, but just like getting used to your newborn, it feels like we're all trying to figure it out a bit from scratch.

Parent Teacher Conference

So many little gems have passed that I don't know where to begin. So I'll just have to start with today.

Today was parent teacher conference at preschool. We lucked out again this year with great teachers in her current room- Miss Geraldine and Miss Sabiha.

The most memorable points were that the teacher says she continues to be astounded by Millie's language (maybe she'll be a writer?). It is entertaining to hear the things she says. Yesterday, as she was trying to think of what she wanted for dinner she tilted her head and said, "Hmm. What will it be she pondered. Fink fink fink." The teacher said that she loves art and science time. She looooves her books. Books have always been a powerful reward for her-- when we first started preschool she would cry at the drop-off... unless the teacher approached with a book. Then she was happy to leave our arms and settle into the teacher's lap for a story.

We did ask about.. eh hem... behavior issues. The teacher said that she really is a pleasure but at circle time she has a hard time sitting still. Unless a story is being read, she likes to hop up and listen with one ear while she checks out something new. Not hard to imagine as I did hear her daddy say to her just the other day, "You know, you don't have to be moving *all* the time." So we're going to try to work on that.

Interestingly, she said she uses the potty well at school without any fuss or having to be asked. It seems to be one of those mysterious things that happens at school that then seems to vanish at our front step... like eating cherry tomatoes or blueberries. Really- she did that? she ate that? After those reports I would rush to the grocery store and purchase said fruits or underpants only to have it hurled across the room with a cute but mocking giggle.

It's not easy dropping your kid off with strangers for a day. She loves it there though. She runs into the classroom most mornings. We debated all types of daycare when she was first born but in the end, if you can find a great preschool- you and your child are really blessed.

Sharing something special

Pound-pound-pound-pound-pound-- the sound of Millie running as fast as she can. Breathless and hair flying, she rushes over to me:

Millie: Mommy! Mommy! Come quick!

Mommy: What is it? (running back to the kitchen with her)

Millie: Look! Look! (throwing the vertical blinds apart) THE MOOOON!

Mommy (delighted with how excited she is to see the moon): Oh wow! Look at that. Millie found the moon!

Millie (thoughtfully): I want to get the moon and bring it for you.

Mommy: (touched and moved) Really? For me?

Millie: Yes. But not now- maybe later.

Mommy: Yes. Let's leave it in the sky for now.

Out of the mouth of my babe

When observing her mother or father getting frustrated with anything...
Millie: Oh Bother, What's to be DONE.


After eating chili...
Millie: Thank you for the delicious dinner mommy.


Sitting in the carseat behind daddy while he was driving her home from a busy afternoon of activities...
Millie: There's a guy behind you who's soooo ti-ud daddy.


At bedtime...
Mommy: Millie you have to go to sleep now. It's bedtime.
Millie: Are you kiddin' me dude?!
Mommy: (Fighting back the laugh- smiles and says) No, I am not kidding you. It's really bedtime.


After sitting for awhile on the potty. Singing, playing games- not much potty happening:
Mommy: Should we get up and wash hands?
Millie: No, I'm going to poop.
Mommy: (After a few more minutes of singing and chatter) Is there any poop happening?
Millie: Mommy?
Mommy: Yes?
Millie: Mommy?
Mommy: Yes?
Millie: (Leaning forward and taking mommy's face into her hands, she whispers) You have to be patient for the poop to come out.
Mommy: (Humbly) You're right. I'm sorry.

Horton Hatches a Nightmare

Millie's imagination these days is on fire. She narrates her life too- She'll say "What is that she muttered?" Acting out the stories during the day time is lots of fun. With that in mind, one must be very careful about what stories you share with a 2 year old.

Recently a well meaning soul gave Millie the book Horton Hatches the Egg. Millie's well meaning parents read her the story. It's about an elephant and it's by Dr. Seuss, sounds innocent enough, right? Well, let me tell ya-- it's actually a pretty grim tale. This mommy bird gets tired of sitting around on her egg so she tricks Horton into sitting on it for her. Then she goes to Palm Beach and never comes back because Palm Beach is so fun. This would be sketchy theme #1- Mommy takes off and never comes back because watching the kid is boring. Ok, moving on- Horton, poor Horton, sits on this egg through rain, sleet and snow waiting for the mommy to return and she never does. Sketchy theme #2- Then these HUNTERS with GUNS spy Horton sitting there. They think- oh great, let's shoot the elephant and point their guns. Horton braces himself to be shot but refuses to leave the egg (this is really all in the story!). The hunters change their mind and decide that the elephant is such a spectacle that they'll kidnap him and take him to the circus and charge tickets to see him. The circus travels to Palm Beach where the mommy bird decides to check out the tent and runs into Horton where a fight over the egg ensues. Eventually the egg hatches and horton and the elephant-bird are free to leave and live happily ever after.

It's hard to stop the story once it's started. Reading it was like being on a runaway truck. There's really no amount of rhyme that makes it ok. After we finished, I thought it wasn't much of a pick me up so I put it away. Unfortunately her daddy found it and read it to her once as well before he came to the same conclusion.

Later that night as everyone was sound asleep...

Millie: The passengers (girl loves her trains) are coming to SHOOT ME! THEY ARE COMING TO SHOOT ME!

I rushed into her bedroom. She sat right up and reached for me. Her cheeks were wet with tears.

Millie: They are coming to shoot me with their guns and I told them, (sob) No I DON'T WANT THAT!

I wiped her tears and hugged her tight. She couldn't settle down. She came back to our bed for the rest of the night. For the next 2 nights she had similar nightmares. And during the day she talked about people pointing guns. It's enough to make your blood run cold. Needless to say that book has been removed from the library. I don't know if it's good at any age- really, at what point is it good to introduce a kid to stories about parental abandonment and guns? No thanks. I feel awful- I can't take that back now. Thanks Dr. Seuss for introducing my kid to guns. What's up with that?

Epilogue: Yesterday she woke up talking about Thumbelina and butterflies "Flapping their flappy wings." Ahh, that's better. Hopefully we're out of the dark for now.

Shoozie-woozie

This morning the alarm did not go off.
I need to be at work by 8am.
In order to get my daughter to daycare just before 8am, we need to leave the house by 7:30am.
In order for us to leave the house by 7:30am, the alarm needs to go off by 6:30am.
This morning the alarm did not go off.


7:15am: I opened my eyes slowly and thought- my, the sun seems brighter than usual for 6:30am. Then I looked at my watch-- I filled with panic and dread and resignation all at once. Nothing to do but give it your best shot, right? Here we go-

I scooped up Millie and got her dressed. I brought her downstairs. I put her lunch together while Daddy gave her breakfast. I ran upstairs and got dressed for work while she ate. When I came back downstairs she was finishing breakfast. I told her we needed to get going to school now. She asked me to carry her. Hooray! I thought- I won't have to coax a dawdling toddler down the stairs. I scooped her up and flew out the front door and strapped her into her carseat.

7:45: Pulling out of the driveway. I raced towards daycare. Daycare is 20 minutes from our home. Fortunately the daycare is 1 mile from my job. Not bad, I think, I would be late but it won't be catastrophic.
8:00: In the home stretch, rounding the corner towards her daycare, a happy singsong voice from the backseat...


Millie: Where are my shoozie-woozies? Where are my shoes? Where are my shoozie-woozies? Where are my shoes?
Mommy: (Gasp followed by groan as she recalls how she scooped up Millie and swooshed out the door without the usual routine of stopping at the front door to let Millie put on her shoes) Your shoozie-woozies?


8:01: At the red light I slowly turn and look at my daughters sweet little sock covered feet. No shoes. Oh I was so close! I almost made it. For a few moments I contemplated whether or not the daycare would mind very much if she had no shoes for a day... no good. I've got to turn around and go home. We round the corner and make a loop and head back home. I call my office and tell them I've got a daycare emergency and won't be there. Hopefully I'll make it in by 9am.

8:25: Home again- run into the house, grab the shoes (and a banana for breakfast- now I've got all the time in the world, may as well eat). I place the shoes on my daughters feet.

8:50: Back at the day care, after her hour long scenic ride to daycare, Millie is dropped off with a smile on her face and shoes on feet.

9:00: Another working mom walks in the door, heart pounding and breathless, and prays for no more adventures for the rest of the day.