Max Powers has been having tummy issues since yesterday. Today, I have taken one more trip to the bathroom than I am comfortable with. And we all know what's happening with Moodle's nether-regions.
But we have guests coming this weekend! And fun plans for those guests! And none of those plans involve staying tethered to a bathroom or flaming red diaper rash. In fact, even our backup plans are dependent on not having raw bottoms. These folks are not exactly family, but they are about as close as you can get without DNA, and we're really excited they are coming.
So, Mommy is stepping up the bland food diet for everyone, and trying to catch up on all the stuff I had to do this week to prepare, since Moodle was home for a day and a half nursing her bum bum.
Fingers crossed we do more than have our friends watch us take turns pooping.
Showing posts with label Indianapolis Children's Museum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indianapolis Children's Museum. Show all posts
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Conquering the Giraffe
Moodle finally did it! After 5 visits to the Indianapolis Children's Museum, she finally rode an animal on the carousel.
She had been telling me all week that she was going to ride a giraffe. Yeah, yeah, I thought, I'll believe it when I see it. Every other time we've went, she's been excited by the giraffes, but when I tried to put her on, she would cling to me like a monkey.
We were not planning on heading to the museum this weekend, but it's the first time in a while that Max Powers had actually been home over the weekend. He was caught up on sleep, no one was sick, and I think he was starting to feel a little guilty that mommy had been doing so many activities with Moodle by herself.
So, Sunday afternoon we flexed our membership again. And as we made the drive, I realized that she might actually do it this time. I don't know if all kids are like this, but my kid is much more adventurous when Daddy is around. When it's just Mommy, she can be awfully clingy. I try to just let her relax and go at her own pace, but she tends to be much more reserved. When it's Mommy and Daddy, she will tear it up, no matter where "it" is.
Once we got to the museum, I slyly passed her off to Daddy as we passed through the line and onto the carousel. And like nothing, he plopped her on the seat, strapped her on, and we got grins all around. We kept praising her as the ride started, but it was just like I expected. With Daddy's hand on her back, she had a great time on her giraffe. And, when we went back for one more spin before we left, she conquered a tiger. And Mommy got in trouble for holding up the carousel to take a picture.
She had been telling me all week that she was going to ride a giraffe. Yeah, yeah, I thought, I'll believe it when I see it. Every other time we've went, she's been excited by the giraffes, but when I tried to put her on, she would cling to me like a monkey.
We were not planning on heading to the museum this weekend, but it's the first time in a while that Max Powers had actually been home over the weekend. He was caught up on sleep, no one was sick, and I think he was starting to feel a little guilty that mommy had been doing so many activities with Moodle by herself.
So, Sunday afternoon we flexed our membership again. And as we made the drive, I realized that she might actually do it this time. I don't know if all kids are like this, but my kid is much more adventurous when Daddy is around. When it's just Mommy, she can be awfully clingy. I try to just let her relax and go at her own pace, but she tends to be much more reserved. When it's Mommy and Daddy, she will tear it up, no matter where "it" is.
 |
| Ain't scared of no giraffes |
Once we got to the museum, I slyly passed her off to Daddy as we passed through the line and onto the carousel. And like nothing, he plopped her on the seat, strapped her on, and we got grins all around. We kept praising her as the ride started, but it was just like I expected. With Daddy's hand on her back, she had a great time on her giraffe. And, when we went back for one more spin before we left, she conquered a tiger. And Mommy got in trouble for holding up the carousel to take a picture.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Moodle's First Honest-to-Goodness Tantrum
Moodle and I had a big weekend. Apparently, it was a little too big. I'm going to describe all the not-tantrum-y parts, because I'd like to show you how many opportunities for bad behavior she skipped, choosing instead to unload them in one massive display.
On Saturday, we checked out a local gymnastics gym that has open play in the morning. Moodle was a little intimidated by the huge room and all the stuff. When a few of her friends from daycare showed up, she relaxed and finally started playing. I got a great workout just by playing myself, showing her all the fun stuff she could do. And I peed my pants a little while jumping on the trampoline. I love getting old.
The parents of one of her friends (we'll call him LaLa) invited us and the other kids we knew over the next afternoon for some playtime. Score! This is our first invite, and I like the kid, so I was excited.
Then Moodle skipped her nap. Determined to wear her out, we dashed back to the Children's Museum, and had a blast playing Legos and Mr. Potato Head. She had fun, but chickened out of riding a horsie on the carousel again. Next time, maybe.
We grabbed some fast food in town (chili and chicken nuggets), while Moodle flirted with an older gentleman, and headed home to a peaceful bedtime. No tantrum yet. Be patient, it's coming.
Moodle slept fine, and the next morning, we headed out shopping. Before we got going, I bought her an apple, which kept her occupied in the cart for almost the whole trip, and a strawberry rounded us out through checkout. No tantrum yet, just wait.
Good nap, then we headed to our playdate. Moodle had a great time playing for 3 hours with LaLa, and her other friends, Mondo and Eggles. They ate fruit and splashed in water and read books and played trains. All the kids were on their best behavior, and the kids and parents alike had a lovely visit. I was excited to have some grown-ups to talk to, even though we were just starting out, and most of the conversation was about our kids. Wait for it, it's coming.
We got safely home, and I got dinner on the table quickly, but it was clear Moodle was overtired. Everything was a struggle, including things she liked. She ate fine, but was getting super cranky. I decided to try to head it off at the pass, and drew her bath an hour early. But every little bump or touch was setting off the water works.
Bath time was mildly bad. She slipped a little, and some water splashed on her face, so she bawled and clung to me over the side of the tub. But eventually she was clean, the bubbles were gone, and we got out. And she brushed her teeth with a only mild amount of resentment.
Then things just got confusing. She wanted to sit on the potty, but cried sitting on the potty. She screamed like I was beating her while I brushed her hair, even though there were no knots. She regarded the diaper as a torture device. She seemed scared of the dog, who was resting at a safe distance and trying to stay out of the drama. But eventually we were dressed, and we retired to the bedroom for stories.
And then, BOOM (here's the tantrum). She flopped on her pillow pet and lost it. All of it. Screaming, kicking, flailing at nothing, flopping, and crying. Thank goodness I had been reading the book, and knew to just let it run its course. For 15 minutes, all the bad behavior she had been holding back all weekend poured forth in a frothy rage. I sat a little ways away and let her do it, taking deep breaths and reminding myself there was nothing I could do until she was done.
When she finally stopped beating up the air and was sobbing sadly, face down in her pillow, I gently started rubbing her back, and reading the silliest book we had out loud. Eventually, she climbed into my lap, still crying, and sniffled and hiccuped through two more books. When I pulled out the last book we read every night, she starting wailing again, but settled back to crying softly when I read it in a whisper. She barely managed a hug as I put her in her crib, and whispered our nighttime stuff. She cried for 10 minutes, a long time for her, and finally fell asleep.
Once the noise subsided, I poured myself a large glass of wine, and watched Storage Wars until Max Powers called to chat. I relived the drama for him, but I'm not sure I did it justice. This account was much more detailed.
On Saturday, we checked out a local gymnastics gym that has open play in the morning. Moodle was a little intimidated by the huge room and all the stuff. When a few of her friends from daycare showed up, she relaxed and finally started playing. I got a great workout just by playing myself, showing her all the fun stuff she could do. And I peed my pants a little while jumping on the trampoline. I love getting old.
The parents of one of her friends (we'll call him LaLa) invited us and the other kids we knew over the next afternoon for some playtime. Score! This is our first invite, and I like the kid, so I was excited.
Then Moodle skipped her nap. Determined to wear her out, we dashed back to the Children's Museum, and had a blast playing Legos and Mr. Potato Head. She had fun, but chickened out of riding a horsie on the carousel again. Next time, maybe.
We grabbed some fast food in town (chili and chicken nuggets), while Moodle flirted with an older gentleman, and headed home to a peaceful bedtime. No tantrum yet. Be patient, it's coming.
Moodle slept fine, and the next morning, we headed out shopping. Before we got going, I bought her an apple, which kept her occupied in the cart for almost the whole trip, and a strawberry rounded us out through checkout. No tantrum yet, just wait.
Good nap, then we headed to our playdate. Moodle had a great time playing for 3 hours with LaLa, and her other friends, Mondo and Eggles. They ate fruit and splashed in water and read books and played trains. All the kids were on their best behavior, and the kids and parents alike had a lovely visit. I was excited to have some grown-ups to talk to, even though we were just starting out, and most of the conversation was about our kids. Wait for it, it's coming.
We got safely home, and I got dinner on the table quickly, but it was clear Moodle was overtired. Everything was a struggle, including things she liked. She ate fine, but was getting super cranky. I decided to try to head it off at the pass, and drew her bath an hour early. But every little bump or touch was setting off the water works.
Bath time was mildly bad. She slipped a little, and some water splashed on her face, so she bawled and clung to me over the side of the tub. But eventually she was clean, the bubbles were gone, and we got out. And she brushed her teeth with a only mild amount of resentment.
Then things just got confusing. She wanted to sit on the potty, but cried sitting on the potty. She screamed like I was beating her while I brushed her hair, even though there were no knots. She regarded the diaper as a torture device. She seemed scared of the dog, who was resting at a safe distance and trying to stay out of the drama. But eventually we were dressed, and we retired to the bedroom for stories.
And then, BOOM (here's the tantrum). She flopped on her pillow pet and lost it. All of it. Screaming, kicking, flailing at nothing, flopping, and crying. Thank goodness I had been reading the book, and knew to just let it run its course. For 15 minutes, all the bad behavior she had been holding back all weekend poured forth in a frothy rage. I sat a little ways away and let her do it, taking deep breaths and reminding myself there was nothing I could do until she was done.
When she finally stopped beating up the air and was sobbing sadly, face down in her pillow, I gently started rubbing her back, and reading the silliest book we had out loud. Eventually, she climbed into my lap, still crying, and sniffled and hiccuped through two more books. When I pulled out the last book we read every night, she starting wailing again, but settled back to crying softly when I read it in a whisper. She barely managed a hug as I put her in her crib, and whispered our nighttime stuff. She cried for 10 minutes, a long time for her, and finally fell asleep.
Once the noise subsided, I poured myself a large glass of wine, and watched Storage Wars until Max Powers called to chat. I relived the drama for him, but I'm not sure I did it justice. This account was much more detailed.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Long-Term Memories
As Moodle gets older, we're starting to see long-term memory kicking in. And we couldn't have seen it if we didn't relax occasionally, and do something fun, memorable, and out of the ordinary. I mean, sometimes she spontaneously waxes poetic about waffles, but we eat waffles for breakfast pretty regularly.
A few weeks ago, we bought a membership to a Children's Museum in our nearest big city. It's about 1 hour and 20 minutes away. The membership included unlimited free carousel rides. While we had fun in many exhibits, the carousel and the "fun, fast horsies!" made a big impression on my daughter.
On Sunday morning, Moodle sat down next to me on the couch, and started asking if we could have "fun". "Sure, sweetheart. What would you like to do?" "Fun, fast horsies! In a circle! Round round! Fun!"
I made no promises at that point, but why argue? She was recovering from her latest ear infection, being well-behaved, and we hadn't been out all weekend. Plus, Max Powers had been gone all last week for work, and then all weekend for an annual engagement in his hometown. When she finally took a good nap, I called him up. Since he was driving home through the city, we made plans to meet there. Not only would she get to see the horsies, she would get to see Daddy an hour earlier than she would have otherwise.
She got up from said good nap, and we quickly left to make the drive. She was well behaved until the last ten minutes ("Up! UUUUUUuuuuuuUUUUUuuuup!") We parked, recovered her shoes and socks (flung off as part of the self-amusement process), and headed straight for the carousel.
While she still hasn't worked up the courage to ride a horsie, she had a blast. We alternated carousel rides with the games and mazes that surround it. And when Daddy showed up, the first thing she did was drag him on the carousel. While they rocked a bench, I rode a horsie where she could see me, and snapped this pic.
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She was right. Totally worth the return trip. And the membership meant I didn't stress over only being there for two hours. While we drove longer to get there and back than we actually spent in the museum, I'm sure it's not the drive she'll remember.
A few weeks ago, we bought a membership to a Children's Museum in our nearest big city. It's about 1 hour and 20 minutes away. The membership included unlimited free carousel rides. While we had fun in many exhibits, the carousel and the "fun, fast horsies!" made a big impression on my daughter.
On Sunday morning, Moodle sat down next to me on the couch, and started asking if we could have "fun". "Sure, sweetheart. What would you like to do?" "Fun, fast horsies! In a circle! Round round! Fun!"
I made no promises at that point, but why argue? She was recovering from her latest ear infection, being well-behaved, and we hadn't been out all weekend. Plus, Max Powers had been gone all last week for work, and then all weekend for an annual engagement in his hometown. When she finally took a good nap, I called him up. Since he was driving home through the city, we made plans to meet there. Not only would she get to see the horsies, she would get to see Daddy an hour earlier than she would have otherwise.
She got up from said good nap, and we quickly left to make the drive. She was well behaved until the last ten minutes ("Up! UUUUUUuuuuuuUUUUUuuuup!") We parked, recovered her shoes and socks (flung off as part of the self-amusement process), and headed straight for the carousel.
While she still hasn't worked up the courage to ride a horsie, she had a blast. We alternated carousel rides with the games and mazes that surround it. And when Daddy showed up, the first thing she did was drag him on the carousel. While they rocked a bench, I rode a horsie where she could see me, and snapped this pic.
.JPG)
She was right. Totally worth the return trip. And the membership meant I didn't stress over only being there for two hours. While we drove longer to get there and back than we actually spent in the museum, I'm sure it's not the drive she'll remember.
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