There has been a moratorium on stickers in the Shoup House. Not because they get everywhere, but because the plan is to use them as rewards when we start potty training in earnest. When will that be? I have no idea, but we're prepared!
Anyway, this morning, Kaitlyn found a sheet of stickers and went on a sticker binge! When she came upstairs, as I was getting ready, she said to me "I findit stickers, Mommy!" I looked at her, and indeed she had. She had happy face stickers from her thigh to her toes, but only on one leg. Interestingly enough, there was a "puddle" of happy face stickers right at the top of her foot where her foot meets her leg. She also arranged them in such a way that the colors went from brightest (yellow) to darkest (purple). It was very pretty and very well executed.
While I was in the shower, I heard "Oh NO, Mommy, I droppit stickers!" So I did what many parents do and I parroted back what she said and phrased it as a question: "Oh NO, baby, you dropped the sticker?" To which she replied "I KNOW, Mommy, I DROPPIT sticker!" We all have our lot in life, and clearly bebe child's lot in life is to be saddled with a mom who isn't the brightest bulb in the box. Poor poor baby child. Thankfully, she didn't hear me giggle, as I was in the shower, but honestly, if the attitude is starting this early, I might consider medication for the teen years...for me.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Survival mode
Things have been kind of crazy for the Shoups lately. With my new job, long commute and Kaitlyn's new school, our world has been kind of pushed, crammed and squeezed like never before. I've mostly been in survival mode, moving from one activity to the next. It's hard to stay coherent some days, much less upbeat and positive.
I celebrated my 34th birthday a couple of weeks ago. Not a big milestone birthday and the day passed as an ordinary day. I kind of had an odd feeling going into it, so I wasn't surprised by the slight vanilla feel to the day. Next year is the big 3-5! That's the year I plan to become an adult! I heard it's important to have goals so that is mine for next year.
The animal population continues to shrink gradually. We're no longer having the fire sale we once were and are slowly introducing the kittens into the general population. They get the run of the house once we are home and have the run of the basement during the day. I keep saying this will be the last batch of kitten fosters for awhile, for reasons too great to number, but who knows what the future holds? I have a dog foster waiting in the wings that I will bring in once some of the kitten population has dwindled, but for now, we just have our three dogs and that's good enough for me.
Brent continues to be the glue that holds the household together. While I worked long hours last week and played host for a couple of days to an out of town friend, he kept the household running smoothly. He continues to excel at work to the point that he is being given additional opportunities, so that's been really exciting for him. He found out that the big race he wanted to do this year sold out very quickly, so he won't be doing his 50 mile marathon this year. Instead, he'll focus on more centrally located marathons to build his speed and stamina.
Kaitlyn is growing in leaps and bounds. We are still struggling with potty training, but she's just not showing that much interest. The poor thing is currently dealing with her first bout of pink eye ever (after I was JUST bragging to my friend Emily about the lack of presence pink eye has had in her short life) and is super cranky as a result. She loves her new school, is excited about her friends at school and the waterworks are turned down low for the most part. This is good news as your child's heartbreaking sobs can render you useless for the rest of the day, despite the fact the web cam says she's forgotten all about you. She loves to give hugs and kisses, and is generally pretty mild mannered. She will stare at you like she doesn't know what language you're speaking when you tell her to do something she doesn't want to do, but otherwise, is a very well behaved child. It's good to know that SOMEONE can stay grounded amongst all this craziness!
If you have kids and you're reading this blog, give them an extra hug and kiss tonight, no matter their age. A friend of a friend recently lost her little girl, very very suddenly. We always say that life is precious and we should cherish every moment of it. Life with your kids is precious beyond measure. If you don't take this time to appreciate everything your child has to offer (yes, I mean the good and the bad) now, you'll truly miss out on so much. Be thankful that your child is a pain in the butt and can tell you no. Some parents will never hear their child speak. As your child runs away from you in the department store, take a moment (while in pursuit, of course) to rejoice in the fact that both of their legs are fully functioning. And when they throw their food back at you, be thankful that they have food to throw at you. There are so many things in this world that just don't reward you the way being a parent rewards you. Appreciate your family and love them with all your might. Who knows how long you'll have that privilege.
I celebrated my 34th birthday a couple of weeks ago. Not a big milestone birthday and the day passed as an ordinary day. I kind of had an odd feeling going into it, so I wasn't surprised by the slight vanilla feel to the day. Next year is the big 3-5! That's the year I plan to become an adult! I heard it's important to have goals so that is mine for next year.
The animal population continues to shrink gradually. We're no longer having the fire sale we once were and are slowly introducing the kittens into the general population. They get the run of the house once we are home and have the run of the basement during the day. I keep saying this will be the last batch of kitten fosters for awhile, for reasons too great to number, but who knows what the future holds? I have a dog foster waiting in the wings that I will bring in once some of the kitten population has dwindled, but for now, we just have our three dogs and that's good enough for me.
Brent continues to be the glue that holds the household together. While I worked long hours last week and played host for a couple of days to an out of town friend, he kept the household running smoothly. He continues to excel at work to the point that he is being given additional opportunities, so that's been really exciting for him. He found out that the big race he wanted to do this year sold out very quickly, so he won't be doing his 50 mile marathon this year. Instead, he'll focus on more centrally located marathons to build his speed and stamina.
Kaitlyn is growing in leaps and bounds. We are still struggling with potty training, but she's just not showing that much interest. The poor thing is currently dealing with her first bout of pink eye ever (after I was JUST bragging to my friend Emily about the lack of presence pink eye has had in her short life) and is super cranky as a result. She loves her new school, is excited about her friends at school and the waterworks are turned down low for the most part. This is good news as your child's heartbreaking sobs can render you useless for the rest of the day, despite the fact the web cam says she's forgotten all about you. She loves to give hugs and kisses, and is generally pretty mild mannered. She will stare at you like she doesn't know what language you're speaking when you tell her to do something she doesn't want to do, but otherwise, is a very well behaved child. It's good to know that SOMEONE can stay grounded amongst all this craziness!
If you have kids and you're reading this blog, give them an extra hug and kiss tonight, no matter their age. A friend of a friend recently lost her little girl, very very suddenly. We always say that life is precious and we should cherish every moment of it. Life with your kids is precious beyond measure. If you don't take this time to appreciate everything your child has to offer (yes, I mean the good and the bad) now, you'll truly miss out on so much. Be thankful that your child is a pain in the butt and can tell you no. Some parents will never hear their child speak. As your child runs away from you in the department store, take a moment (while in pursuit, of course) to rejoice in the fact that both of their legs are fully functioning. And when they throw their food back at you, be thankful that they have food to throw at you. There are so many things in this world that just don't reward you the way being a parent rewards you. Appreciate your family and love them with all your might. Who knows how long you'll have that privilege.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Just another weekend in the Shoup House
Last weekend, Brent went to Ohio to attend a surprise celebration for his grandmother's 90th birthday. For various reasons, I was not able to attend and it was determined that it would be too difficult for Brent to take Kaitlyn on a 16 hour round trip car ride all by himself. That meant mommy and me time all weekend! We had a ton of stuff to get accomplished while daddy was gone and Kaitlyn was a trouper through it all. She charmed the pants off the florist, who told me I needed to let her play with more stuff in the store. Very few shopkeepers say that, so while I appreciated the sentiment, there were a LOT of breakables. Like half a year's salary worth of breakables. We did a lot of running around outside to preserve mommy's bank account.
While we were "shopping" at the florist, Valentino was having a spa treatment. Kaitlyn was very upset about leaving 'Tino behind and 'Tino, in turn, was upset about being left behind. After his spa treatment, 'Tino leapt into the truck with all the grace an almost 60 lb beagle can have (he'll tell you it's all muscle, I say he should stop camping out around Kaitlyn's table), Kaitlyn said "BoTino all done shower?" I mean honestly! How smart is she??
After picking up 'Tino, we went to Petsmart to meet a lady who was interested in an elderly cat I rescued last year. It was love at first sight for which I'm eternally grateful because he has waited a long time for his forever home. Kaitlyn was awesome, as usual, so I told her we'd go to the movies and eat cake after her nap. It would be Kaitlyn's first trip to the movies and I was excited! What she remembered though, was the cake. So upon waking up, her first words were "I have cake??" I managed to gloss over that part and get her to eat her dinner with minimal fuss. Once we were done, off we went to the 6:40 showing of Toy Story 3. We got there right as the previews were going on, so the dark theatre and noises scared her. I managed to get her in and get her seated on my lap. I can't begin to describe her excitement and joy when Buzz came on screen. It was like she realized I wasn't showing a complete lack of intelligence taking her to this random dark room, there was a purpose! At one point, the screen went black and she said "NO!" It was cute.
On our way out to the parking lot, the theme for the weekend emerged. She looked at me and said "I likea da Buzzzz!" I don't think I've laughed that hard, well, ever! All the way home "I likea da Buuuuuuzzzzz!" When we got home, we called Daddy to tell him "I likea da Buzzzzzzzzz!"
The final cute Kaitlyn story happened on Sunday when we went to the cat adoption event. There was a quite a bit of yowling on our way to the event. It was a little overwhelming in the car. Kaitlyn kept channeling mommy and saying "I know, I know, shhhhhhhhh, I know, I know". You could tell she was over it by the time we got to the event. When we started offloading the kitties, Kaitlyn was FINALLY able to watch "The Backyardigans" with no kitty interference. However, once we got in the store, my usually shy child would tell ANYONE who would listen "Kitty need a HOME." Many people thought this was the most adorable thing they've ever heard, but I truly suspect she had ulterior motives! "Get the cats out of my house so I don't have to be bothered when watching TV...kthxbye!"
I don't know if it's apparent, but I love that little girl!
While we were "shopping" at the florist, Valentino was having a spa treatment. Kaitlyn was very upset about leaving 'Tino behind and 'Tino, in turn, was upset about being left behind. After his spa treatment, 'Tino leapt into the truck with all the grace an almost 60 lb beagle can have (he'll tell you it's all muscle, I say he should stop camping out around Kaitlyn's table), Kaitlyn said "BoTino all done shower?" I mean honestly! How smart is she??
After picking up 'Tino, we went to Petsmart to meet a lady who was interested in an elderly cat I rescued last year. It was love at first sight for which I'm eternally grateful because he has waited a long time for his forever home. Kaitlyn was awesome, as usual, so I told her we'd go to the movies and eat cake after her nap. It would be Kaitlyn's first trip to the movies and I was excited! What she remembered though, was the cake. So upon waking up, her first words were "I have cake??" I managed to gloss over that part and get her to eat her dinner with minimal fuss. Once we were done, off we went to the 6:40 showing of Toy Story 3. We got there right as the previews were going on, so the dark theatre and noises scared her. I managed to get her in and get her seated on my lap. I can't begin to describe her excitement and joy when Buzz came on screen. It was like she realized I wasn't showing a complete lack of intelligence taking her to this random dark room, there was a purpose! At one point, the screen went black and she said "NO!" It was cute.
On our way out to the parking lot, the theme for the weekend emerged. She looked at me and said "I likea da Buzzzz!" I don't think I've laughed that hard, well, ever! All the way home "I likea da Buuuuuuzzzzz!" When we got home, we called Daddy to tell him "I likea da Buzzzzzzzzz!"
The final cute Kaitlyn story happened on Sunday when we went to the cat adoption event. There was a quite a bit of yowling on our way to the event. It was a little overwhelming in the car. Kaitlyn kept channeling mommy and saying "I know, I know, shhhhhhhhh, I know, I know". You could tell she was over it by the time we got to the event. When we started offloading the kitties, Kaitlyn was FINALLY able to watch "The Backyardigans" with no kitty interference. However, once we got in the store, my usually shy child would tell ANYONE who would listen "Kitty need a HOME." Many people thought this was the most adorable thing they've ever heard, but I truly suspect she had ulterior motives! "Get the cats out of my house so I don't have to be bothered when watching TV...kthxbye!"
I don't know if it's apparent, but I love that little girl!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Cracking the toddler code
I often wonder, as Kaitlyn talks toddler to me, if other toddlers understand what she is saying. I mean, beyond the obvious words like "MINE!" and "SHARE!", which are pretty universal, do they know when she says a string of syllables and consonants, what that means? Or do they act like miniature adults and smile and nod? For Kaitlyn's part, it seems like she grasps a new concept or word each day. She is confident in what she is saying and her poor parents can only hope to keep up with it. To wit, here are some of her new words.
"Cuppy" - and no, she's not asking for her cup, she's asking if we want coffee.
"Gurdy" - could she want to engage in a little hurdy gurdy? Nope, her hands are dirty.
"Glah" - maybe if mommy can see better, she can understand toddler requests better! here mommy, have your glasses.
"Poohwup" - Sounds adorable each time she says it, I wish she ALWAYS wanted a pullup.
Those are only a few words out of the Kaitlyn dictionary. I feel smug each time I am able to decipher what Kaitlyn is saying. I feel sure that when I meet other toddlers, I will be able to decipher them too. Except when I do meet them, and they have their own version of "Gurdy" that I don't understand, both the toddler and the parent shoot me a look like I clearly should have picked up on what was just said! I think the toddler code cracking is specific to the individual toddler and cannot be applied globally. Just my experience, but then, it could be that raising a toddler has zapped my last living brain cell, rendering me incapable of coherent thought beyond "MINE!" and "SHARE!".
Beyond just the language, the hijinks in the house are ever entertaining. Or terrifying. Depends on which view you take when raising children. Yesterday, my two and a half year old cut herself shaving. *collective gasp* However, she didn't cut herself shaving the parts mommy shaves (a bandaid on the leg would have been FAR easier to explain away). No, no, she cut herself shaving the way daddy shaves. Imagine my dismay, when Toddler in Chief comes down the stairs, minus the temper tantrum worthy shorts (not a shock in the least) but blood smeared everywhere grinning a maniacal grin. Knowing the tools for animal sacrifice were locked safely away (just kidding....we leave 'em out in the open...no, seriously, we don't have any animal sacrifice tools), the next logical conclusion was that the blood was coming from TIC herself. Closer examination revealed that TIC had performed a classic rite of adolescence and had cut her lip shaving. A Dora bandaid made everything better (not that she was crying anyway!! and she was suspiciously compliant when I put her shorts on) if not an awkward story to tell when we got to day care. Fortunately, the day care is full of moms who have their own razor stories and my "Bad Bad Mommy" burden was lifted.
One of these days someone in our house is going to go certifiably insane and someone else is going to wind up in a straight jacket. Wonder if they make 'em in toddler sizes...
"Cuppy" - and no, she's not asking for her cup, she's asking if we want coffee.
"Gurdy" - could she want to engage in a little hurdy gurdy? Nope, her hands are dirty.
"Glah" - maybe if mommy can see better, she can understand toddler requests better! here mommy, have your glasses.
"Poohwup" - Sounds adorable each time she says it, I wish she ALWAYS wanted a pullup.
Those are only a few words out of the Kaitlyn dictionary. I feel smug each time I am able to decipher what Kaitlyn is saying. I feel sure that when I meet other toddlers, I will be able to decipher them too. Except when I do meet them, and they have their own version of "Gurdy" that I don't understand, both the toddler and the parent shoot me a look like I clearly should have picked up on what was just said! I think the toddler code cracking is specific to the individual toddler and cannot be applied globally. Just my experience, but then, it could be that raising a toddler has zapped my last living brain cell, rendering me incapable of coherent thought beyond "MINE!" and "SHARE!".
Beyond just the language, the hijinks in the house are ever entertaining. Or terrifying. Depends on which view you take when raising children. Yesterday, my two and a half year old cut herself shaving. *collective gasp* However, she didn't cut herself shaving the parts mommy shaves (a bandaid on the leg would have been FAR easier to explain away). No, no, she cut herself shaving the way daddy shaves. Imagine my dismay, when Toddler in Chief comes down the stairs, minus the temper tantrum worthy shorts (not a shock in the least) but blood smeared everywhere grinning a maniacal grin. Knowing the tools for animal sacrifice were locked safely away (just kidding....we leave 'em out in the open...no, seriously, we don't have any animal sacrifice tools), the next logical conclusion was that the blood was coming from TIC herself. Closer examination revealed that TIC had performed a classic rite of adolescence and had cut her lip shaving. A Dora bandaid made everything better (not that she was crying anyway!! and she was suspiciously compliant when I put her shorts on) if not an awkward story to tell when we got to day care. Fortunately, the day care is full of moms who have their own razor stories and my "Bad Bad Mommy" burden was lifted.
One of these days someone in our house is going to go certifiably insane and someone else is going to wind up in a straight jacket. Wonder if they make 'em in toddler sizes...
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Sharing is caring
So, how do you teach a two year old that it's important to share, but then tell her that she should keep her stinky, yucky cold germs to herself? You can't. They aren't old enough to make the distinction. Which is how mommy is a heckuva mess and TIC is off playing happily with her friends. That's right, momma is sick, TIC is fine and daddy is apparently immune. Despite my best efforts to breathe all over daddy, he's been able to skate by without so much as a sniffle! Lucky lucky man.
Cute little Kaitlyn-ism. With the school and the interactive singing and playing that they do, Kaitlyn has been singing more nursery rhymes. I guess a fan favorite at school is "The Wheels on the Bus." Stubborn, just like her momma, Kaitlyn won't sing on cue, but if you're listening very carefully and very closely you'll hear:
"mumblemumblemumble
uppydown, uppydown, UPpydown
mumblemumble mumble
all tru da towwwwwwwn"
Our next stop will be on "America's Got Talent" cuz clearly, American ain't seen nothing like my kid!!
Cute little Kaitlyn-ism. With the school and the interactive singing and playing that they do, Kaitlyn has been singing more nursery rhymes. I guess a fan favorite at school is "The Wheels on the Bus." Stubborn, just like her momma, Kaitlyn won't sing on cue, but if you're listening very carefully and very closely you'll hear:
"mumblemumblemumble
uppydown, uppydown, UPpydown
mumblemumble mumble
all tru da towwwwwwwn"
Our next stop will be on "America's Got Talent" cuz clearly, American ain't seen nothing like my kid!!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
2 is the new 12
Well, last week, Kaitlyn started her new daycare. It's been rough for both mommy and baby. Kaitlyn misses Lida and it shows. I think she misses the comfort of Lida and the kids at Lida's. Once I leave, Kaitlyn is fine and settles into the daily routine. How do I know this? It's got webcam!! And my productivity shows it. LOL
Kaitlyn does know when we are going to "'cool" as opposed to Lida's now and will ask to go to Lida's. This is how the conversation went this morning:
"I want Lida's"
"No Lida's baby, okaaay?"
"Okay." sniffle...
"Momma, I want shopping."
"Baby, you want shopping?"
"Yeah" (all pitiful like)
"Okay, we'll go after school, okay?"
"Okay."
Kaitlyn sees we are turning into the school and starts sobbing.
"Kaitlyn!"
"What?"
"What kind of shopping do you want to do? Food or clothes?"
"C'othes"
"Okay, baby, clothes shopping."
By this time, we had arrived at the school and the crying stopped until we reached the classroom. My crying started once I left. If she's this into shopping at 2, what are we going to do when she's 12 and actually has an opinion on what she wears??? Momma is in a whole heap of trouble!
Some exciting news on the Brent front. After this weekend and an obligatory Christmas dinner in December, no more military obligations for him! It's weird to be discussing retirement when you're not yet 40, but there you have it. We're both excited to put military obligations behind us and not have to worry about scheduling around military weekends. Now...about that "honey do" list....;-)
Kaitlyn does know when we are going to "'cool" as opposed to Lida's now and will ask to go to Lida's. This is how the conversation went this morning:
"I want Lida's"
"No Lida's baby, okaaay?"
"Okay." sniffle...
"Momma, I want shopping."
"Baby, you want shopping?"
"Yeah" (all pitiful like)
"Okay, we'll go after school, okay?"
"Okay."
Kaitlyn sees we are turning into the school and starts sobbing.
"Kaitlyn!"
"What?"
"What kind of shopping do you want to do? Food or clothes?"
"C'othes"
"Okay, baby, clothes shopping."
By this time, we had arrived at the school and the crying stopped until we reached the classroom. My crying started once I left. If she's this into shopping at 2, what are we going to do when she's 12 and actually has an opinion on what she wears??? Momma is in a whole heap of trouble!
Some exciting news on the Brent front. After this weekend and an obligatory Christmas dinner in December, no more military obligations for him! It's weird to be discussing retirement when you're not yet 40, but there you have it. We're both excited to put military obligations behind us and not have to worry about scheduling around military weekends. Now...about that "honey do" list....;-)
Friday, May 28, 2010
Mommy's in the Doghouse
Oh, sweet, docile child of mine, where did you go? Are you hiding? Were you switched at daycare? Surely the terrible twos CANNOT be this bad...can they?
We'll start with, mommy got a new job and the commute for mommy has tripled. This means no more lazing about in bed until 8:30 am (7:45 am for Toddler in Chief), no more leisurely mornings as mommy putters around the house and even less time to watch Curious George. Kaitlyn is much like her momma in that she likes her sleep. She doesn't like to go to bed on time, but she likes to make up for the deficit on the backend. With mommy's new job, EVERYBODY has to get up earlier, dogs, babies and mommy alike. This has created some epic meltdowns in the house. Mommy's emotions go from smug patience to exasperation to just being emotionally drained. Toddler in chief's emotions range from "I love you mommy, mwah mwah" to "I don't wanna (insert action, article of clothing, food item, really anything here)!" to meltdown of atomic proportions. Monday, my first day of work, witnessed such a meltdown. I knew the cause, worked on the solution and we sailed along fairly well until today.
Kaitlyn doesn't fully know how to express what has upset her. Instead of "Daddy won't let me have another piece of cake", when daddy takes away the desired item, it becomes "MOMMY! Daddy HIT me!" As the other parent is witness to the non-hitting, the statement is generally shrugged off. This morning, my crime in the TIC justice system, was to force her to get dressed. An earlier than normal wake up time threw TIC off her game just enough that we went from Meltdown City to Meltdown Nation.
This is the hilarity that ensued:
I finally got Kaitlyn's last shoe on. To lighten the mood of "I don't wanna", I tickled her. This was BEYOND unacceptable as she dove into the cushions to get away from me. TIC came up for air, crying hysterically. She spies the nearest dog and says "Tinooooooooooooo....mommy hit me!" 'Tino, who is just trying to get comfy for his morning nap, is completely disinterested in the entire exchange. Kaitlyn, seeking any kind of comfort she can get, wraps her arms around 'Tino and hugs him. By this time, 'Tino is thoroughly confused. He's not really sure what he's supposed to do in this situation. Mommy has dissolved into giggles as this is really the cutest thing she's ever seen. I try to give Kaitlyn the comforting hug she seeks and am shunned. She goes back to clutching 'Tino for dear life, which in turn, causes him to shift away from the drama (I would have too, quite frankly). Finally, I'm able to give her a hug and we make our way out the door with more tears and more hysterics.
All this before 8 am! I'm amazed I was able to stay awake after all that! Talk about an energy zap! Mothers of children under 2 let this be your public service announcement. When you look at your angelic child and think NO WAY will the terrible twos be terrible for you, think again. We're living proof! But, we have lived to see yet another day, and all in all, I consider that a HUGE success.
We'll start with, mommy got a new job and the commute for mommy has tripled. This means no more lazing about in bed until 8:30 am (7:45 am for Toddler in Chief), no more leisurely mornings as mommy putters around the house and even less time to watch Curious George. Kaitlyn is much like her momma in that she likes her sleep. She doesn't like to go to bed on time, but she likes to make up for the deficit on the backend. With mommy's new job, EVERYBODY has to get up earlier, dogs, babies and mommy alike. This has created some epic meltdowns in the house. Mommy's emotions go from smug patience to exasperation to just being emotionally drained. Toddler in chief's emotions range from "I love you mommy, mwah mwah" to "I don't wanna (insert action, article of clothing, food item, really anything here)!" to meltdown of atomic proportions. Monday, my first day of work, witnessed such a meltdown. I knew the cause, worked on the solution and we sailed along fairly well until today.
Kaitlyn doesn't fully know how to express what has upset her. Instead of "Daddy won't let me have another piece of cake", when daddy takes away the desired item, it becomes "MOMMY! Daddy HIT me!" As the other parent is witness to the non-hitting, the statement is generally shrugged off. This morning, my crime in the TIC justice system, was to force her to get dressed. An earlier than normal wake up time threw TIC off her game just enough that we went from Meltdown City to Meltdown Nation.
This is the hilarity that ensued:
I finally got Kaitlyn's last shoe on. To lighten the mood of "I don't wanna", I tickled her. This was BEYOND unacceptable as she dove into the cushions to get away from me. TIC came up for air, crying hysterically. She spies the nearest dog and says "Tinooooooooooooo....mommy hit me!" 'Tino, who is just trying to get comfy for his morning nap, is completely disinterested in the entire exchange. Kaitlyn, seeking any kind of comfort she can get, wraps her arms around 'Tino and hugs him. By this time, 'Tino is thoroughly confused. He's not really sure what he's supposed to do in this situation. Mommy has dissolved into giggles as this is really the cutest thing she's ever seen. I try to give Kaitlyn the comforting hug she seeks and am shunned. She goes back to clutching 'Tino for dear life, which in turn, causes him to shift away from the drama (I would have too, quite frankly). Finally, I'm able to give her a hug and we make our way out the door with more tears and more hysterics.
All this before 8 am! I'm amazed I was able to stay awake after all that! Talk about an energy zap! Mothers of children under 2 let this be your public service announcement. When you look at your angelic child and think NO WAY will the terrible twos be terrible for you, think again. We're living proof! But, we have lived to see yet another day, and all in all, I consider that a HUGE success.
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