Wrangling a Toddler for Mommy Time

Ready to leave for Mommy Time

Earlier this week, I decided that Thursday morning (today) would be a great time for a Mommy and Ginny date. We had one a couple of weeks ago and felt we were due for a new one.

What I didn't count on was how tired I would be this morning. I woke up early because the baby was fussing and hungry. If I had my way, I would have been single and childless just for a couple of hours this morning so I could snuggle in bed and not move. Then again, had I been single and childless, I wouldn't have felt the need to do that because I would have had a decent night sleep. Last night, Grace, my seven-month-old, woke up around 9 p.m. and didn't want to go back to sleep. In fact, she did not get back to bed until sometime after 11. She then proceeded to wake me again at 12:30 a.m., 4 a.m., and 6:45 a.m. My lovely toddler, Ginny, wasn't feeling well and woke up crying around 9:30 last night and would intermittently wake and cry until close to 11. A long night.

Luckily, Ginny woke up in great spirits. She still has a cold, but is also full of smiles. For a good portion of the morning, I debated the merits of staying home and being a completely useless blob versus taking Ginny out for some Mommy time. When my husband asked me if I was still going out with Ginny, I relented, deciding that I might as well get out of the house for a little bit.

Ginny loves getting in the car and going for a drive. I told her that we were going to go shopping and then to the library. She kept exclaiming, "Going for a drive." Once in the car, she sat happily and all seemed well with my plans as we headed for the hub of shopping activity in my small town, the local Walgreens.

Ginny, once I wrestled her into the cart. 

After arriving at Walgreens, I was a mean ogre mommy who insisted that she hold my hand as we walked from the car to the store. Being two, my lovely daughter made sure to let me know what she thought of this by letting her legs turn to jelly. Eventually, we made it into the store at which point I dealt with a crying, screaming beast, who looks vaguely like Ginny, who didn't want to get in the little cart. Walking around wasn't an option since she already expressed her displeasure of holding my hand in the parking lot. I was able to wrestle her into the cart. It took quite a bit of effort, and the looks on some of the employees faces made it worth it. Once I had her in the cart, she calmed down and was happy to help me shop. We picked up what I needed and as we were going to the check out, we happened down the candy aisle. The first word out of my little munchkins mouth was "Chocolate?" Jokingly, I said, "Oh, do you want chocolate?" Ginny replied, "I want chocolate!" Because I opened my big mouth, with what sounded like an offer, I felt like I needed to get her some. I picked up a small bag of M & Ms for her, then paid for the Father's Day cards and hair color.

Riding a bike in the library.

From Walgreens, we headed over to our local library. The library is quite small, but it does have a good selection of childrens' books. My daughter, who loves to read, did not notice the books for a while. She was too enchanted with the toys they had there for her to play with. I let her play as I looked at the books and chose a few for us to bring home. Amazingly, I was able to drag her away from her fun so I could get a couple of books for myself. We then checked the books out and headed home.

She found a book, on her own!

Despite the difficult start of our time together, Ginny had a smile at the end. I guess that is what matters most. Maybe that and the fact that I have more books to read.

Beware of the Evil Rabbits

My dog, Daisy Mae, was born and raised in Florida. It was just she and me against the world living in an apartment. There was no backyard. Going outside meant waiting for me to put her on the leash and go for a walk.

Overlooking her lands

During her time in the Sunshine State, Daisy encountered only three types of wild animals: lizards, frogs, and squirrels. If she was at the window or sliding glass door and saw them, she would go absolutely nuts! She had to get to them. The whines and jumping around were non-stop until the animal disappeared or I appeased her need by taking her outside.  Once we were outside, she would either chase right after the animal or do a slow stalk to the animal and then chase it. All she wanted to do was play with the animal. She meant the poor animals no harm, but they didn't know it and would run away. 

There was one time when Daisy actually did "catch" a lizard. She had cornered it in my parents' screened in pool area. Daisy kept pawing at the poor little thing waiting for it to try and run so she could try and catch it again. Unfortunately, the pawing resulted in the lizard's death; something beyond my dog's understanding. I had to remove the lizard so she would leave the dead thing alone.

Since moving up to Illinois, we have yet to encounter any frogs or lizards and very few squirrels (on last count, about four). What we do have in abundance are rabbits. Lots and lots of fluffy little bunnies. I've never seen so many rabbits in my life. Each time I go for a walk, I will see at least three of them. No matter how we try to fill the holes under our fence, a rabbit always finds a way into our fenced

On patrol

backyard. 

Daisy loves the rabbits. They mean she has a reason to play and run at full speed after them. We've had several this spring already. In fact, we even had four baby bunnies under a weather observation station out back. (Amazingly, Daisy didn't notice them but did notice the mama and chased her away.)  

Now that the weather is warmer, Daisy has taken it upon herself to guard our yard from these heathen animals. She goes out several times a day to patrol the fence line, making sure not a rabbit comes into the yard. Once that is done, she will sit on the deck and over look "her lands." She wants to protect us from any evil rabbits. She has a job to do, and it is one she enjoys. Even now, she is whining so that I let her outside so she can "guard" the yard from the danger that the rabbits will cause. As she goes outside, I'm sure she is thinking to herself, "Beware of the Evil Rabbits." Or, more likely, "I hope I see a rabbit so I can chase it!"

Watering Baby

For a few days last week, I was busy working on my garden. Once the garden was put in, my priority focused on keeping my garden alive, which means watering it.

My toddler, Ginny, loves going outside and playing. If my husband or I go outside, then she feels that she must go with us.  So, when I went out to water my garden the other day, my little shadow followed me. Her huge grin let me know that going in the yard was a dream for her. She ran off to play in the grass as I got started watering the lawn. 

Eventually, she got bored and came to see what I was doing. When she realized that I was spraying water on the flowers, she became curious about the water coming out of the hose. Soon, I found her putting her hand in the path of the water spray. Then, as only a toddler can do, she was under the hose, getting misted by the water. Her giggles were contagious! I couldn't help but laugh as I witnessed her joy at being under the water. She became more bold and got right in the direct path of the water. By the time I was done watering my garden, Ginny was soaked and jubilant.

The next day, it was my husband who went out to water the garden with Ginny at his heels. I was inside nursing the baby. When I looked outside, I noticed that Ginny was once again drenched. She was helping Daddy water the flowers. My DH had handed her the hose, and the result was priceless. Not only was she soaked and happy, but she was amazed at the hose and the fact that she could control it. Ginny never did really water anything other than herself, unless someone held the hose with her. That didn't matter though! Her smile and delight in her achievement made it a wonderfully special moment.

As we got her dried off and into a fresh diaper, my husband and I decided that we need to get the sprinkler hooked up soon. We can only imagine how much fun she will have once we turn that on.