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.

Guacamole Moodle

This is the post where I brag because we are finally seeing some payoff in Moodle's eating habits. We've been struggling for more than a year now to strike the balance between offering her new, different foods and offering her foods we know she will eat, while simultaneously tricking her into eating vegetables and meat. And making sure she doesn't get bored with her food choices.

Eating is a requirement for living. Why is it so complicated when there is a toddler involved?

Anyway, we've been plugging away at it for a long time now, and we are at the point where we try not to make a big deal out of anything. We just put it in front of her, and then show her that Mommy and Daddy are enjoying it. Works maybe half the time. If I'm worried she didn't eat enough, I throw some fruit on her plate at the end of the meal. Parenting is about compromise, or so I'm told.

Yesterday, Moodle and I went out for our first dinner at a sit-down restaurant with just the two of us. Usually when it is just the two of us and we go out, it's more like McD's. But I really didn't want fast food, and I had a long day, and didn't want to cook either, even something easy. Max Powers and I had discovered a local Mexican joint, and it seemed like a pretty relaxed place. And nachos sounded delicious. Plus, they give you warm chips and mild salsa while you wait for your food, which Moodle would love.

I let her play on the bench next to me while we waited for our food and ate chips and salsa. And when they brought out the guacamole I ordered, Moodle dug in with a chip without waiting to be invited. Score! She's rejected avacado in the past, but seemed to enjoy this, especially when she realized she could dip the chip in both guac and salsa. She was enjoying it so much, I started to worry that she was going to fill up on chips before our dinner even got there.

It turns out I needn't have worried (which is usually true). When dinner came she ignored my crazy nachos (so delicious! amazing queso) and dove into her wet bean burrito. They were considerate to put it on a cool plate (they usually serve on hot plates to keep the food warm longer), and once I cut it up she ate half a huge burrito with her hands. She even settled into her booster seat with no complaints.

When the server came by to ask how our food was, he just laughed. "She doesn't need to tell me she likes the food. You can tell from her face!" Which was, of course, adorably covered in beans and red sauce. As was her sweatshirt, my sleeve, and the table. She grinned at the waiter through a mouthful of burrito. When we were done, I cleaned up as best as I could, and left a good tip.

As we left, I was feeling like parent of the year. Dinner out with no behavior problems, great eating, and new foods. But apparently Moodle REALLY liked this place, because she started kicking and screaming as we were leaving. Certainly loud enough to disturb other customers, and so I hastened my exit as best as I could.

Sigh. Bubble was burst. But as Meatloaf said, two outta three ain't bad.