B is for Best Day Ever

(The title of this post should be "F is for Fun", but, lets try to get through all the letters before we reuse, OK?)

You know how some days you feel like you've simply "survived" the day? Nothing really exciting, or horrible for that matter, happened. Well, it seems like I have a lot of those days. Most days, Mini Me and I "survive" each other.

Don't get me wrong, I love being a SAHM, but being a SAHM with toddler is....well, exhausting. The other day, I was feeling down that I don't do more "stuff" with Mini Me. I mean, we read books, and I chase her around the house all day trying to avert one "disaster" after another. (Note to self: discover where she got the idea to try to stand on a basketball...) And, that's pretty much our day. Changing diapers, eating, reading and "no, don't do that. Be careful." Ugh.

So, I decided that Mini Me and I were going to have the Best Day Ever. While she was eating breakfast, I got all of our supplies together. After breakfast, Mini Me and I painted pictures. She loved it. In fact, in one heart-melting moment, she looked up at me with a smile and said, "fun!" While she did get it all over her hands, she was much better about not eating it or touching her hair/face than I thought she would be (the last time we tried paint several months ago, it was one of those aforementioned disasters).

So, after an hour (yes, my toddler sat still for an HOUR!!!!) I thought it was time to be done. Why press my luck? But, Mini Me was still having fun. I had to convince her that having a bath and filling the bathroom with bubbles would also be "fun". Luckily, she LOVES bubbles and willing ran towards the bubbles.

After bath and snack, it was naptime. When she woke up, I went in to get her and as I picked her up, she said in the sweetest voice, "more fun?" So, we broke out the play-doh and had "more fun".

I know its not realistic that we are going to have these great days all the time, but it gave me a little boost. It really did feel like the Best Day Ever. I love being a mom.

Here are some pics of our painting adventure:

A tentative beginning:

Beginning to experiment w/ colors:

What if I paint my hand?!

One of the finished products:

M is for Movie

Each month, our local movie theater shows a different children's movie on Sunday morning. This month, they were showing "Abby in Wonderland". Since Sesame Street is big in our house (hence the name of this blog), we thought it would be a great morning out.

So, we head off to the movie theater in hopes of enjoying Mini Me's first movie. Overall, I'd rate the experience a "C". We were there early, so we had lots of time to kill before the show even started. Once it did, there was no less that 30 minutes of commercials and mini films. Of course, Mini Me sat through those like a champ. She was enthralled at the big screen, the darkness, and yes, the cupholders. Unfortunately, by the time they got around to showing the "feature presentation" Mini Me was done.

She watched Abby and Elmo with mild interest for about 10 minutes. After that, it was downhill. Mini Me only wanted to walk up and down the theater stairs. She also thought it was great to lay on the floor. Um, YUCK! So, after about 20 minutes, we had had enough. With that, we gathered up our stuff, and headed home.

I was a little disappointed because I thought it would be so exciting for her to see her favorite characters on the big screen. However, for a 19 month old, I think she did fairly well. Heck, an hour is a long time for ME to sit still. Maybe we'll try again in a few months.

P is for Poop

Mini Me loves mac 'n cheese mixed with baked beans. That's what she had for lunch yesterday...LOTS of it. Which is why our letter of the day is P. P is for Poop.

When Mini Me woke up this morning, nothing seemed unusual. I heard her babbling in her crib and I went in to get her. That's when things went terribly wrong. The stench in the room was a bit overwhelming. I knew she had pooped. Had I only known....

I soon realized that her pj's were wet, but as I began to take them off, I realized that I was not simply dealing with a little pee that leaked out. Oh, no. This was a blowout. GROSS! So, into the tub she went. But, Mini Me loves her 'doggie' and 'elmo' that she sleeps with and would NOT let them go. So, I decided they had to make the ultimate sacrifice. They joined her in the bathtub. I decided it was better to get her clean and THEN have a meltdown instead of having a meltdown covered in poo.

So, at the conclusion of bath time, I had to pry the 2 beloved stuffed animals that were now dripping wet and sudsy, out of her little hands. There was a heart-wrenching scream. There is was. A complete meltdown of epic proportions. So major, that I envision that someday, years from now, Mini Me will be on a therapists couch reliving this nightmare of when her companions were ripped from her clutches. But, alas, I managed to get her dried off and diapered.

The good news about toddlers is that their attention spans are relatively short. I grabbed the bubbles and began filling the room with all of their soapy goodness. And, through her tears and sobs, she began uttering "bubble, bubble". The worst had passed. 10 more minutes and doggie and elmo were all but forgotten. I ran back and grabbed the friends and tossed them in the washing machine. They are now spinning away getting clean. And, before she knows it, Mini Me will have her trusted companions back by her side.

Let's just say, we're not having beans again for a while.

S is for spinning

Mini Me loves to spin. She stands in place and spins. Then, as she gets dizzy, her circles get bigger and bigger. Soon, she is running in circles, wobbling and eventually falls. Only to get up and do it again. Ah, to be a kid.

F is for Flashlight

Flashlight=Fun

Last night after her bath, Mini Me found a flashlight. Sure, why not. We turned it on, and turned off the lights. Best.Toy.Ever. Wouldn't you know that she played with that flashlight for over an hour!

She delighted in shining the light on different objects to make them "appear" out of the darkness. She loved putting her hand over the light so that her little fingers glowed an eerie red. Then her toes. Then my toes. Then daddies toes.

It was the best hour of the day. We'll be keeping the flashlight handy...in the toy box. I just hope we don't need it for an emergency!