What Do You Do All Day? (The Latest of Adalyn Adventures)
Activities with Adalyn have picked up. Last winter this time, we were snuggled up on
the couch, still nursing every couple of hours, holding twisty crunchy toys
over her head while she wiggled and cooed and we diligently planned how we
would introduce a tablespoon of rice cereal to her diet. Weren’t we cute.
This winter, it’s been about 8 degrees outside or raining,
and we have A Toddler on our hands. One
of the most common questions you get when you are at home with the kids is …
What do you do all day? What an interesting question to answer. What anyone with a toddler knows is that the
speed of life becomes a bit of a paradox: it is that of an extremely busy snail
(have you ever walked to the end of your sidewalk with a 1 ½ year old? It takes
98 minutes), and yet the days fly by in a whirlwind of Crazy. And with Adalyn having copious amounts of
energy, we’ve tried to get involved in a few things around Lynchburg.
On many occasions, you can find us hitting up a wild
hang-out called Romp N Roll. This is basically a huge area for kids to zoom
around, running into each other, yelling “DADWATCHMEWATCHMEWATCHMEJUMPOVER THIS!”
as they leap from a set of stairs onto some other cool climbing thing, and
where parents of kiddos, myself included, try to convince our drooling tots to
share toys but not germs – which, if you think about it, is quite difficult. So
far, Adalyn’s interactions with other kids including serious staring contests,
the offering of trucks with the cordial grunt, the taking of trucks with the exasperated
grunt, occasional head pats (does she think they are puppies?), and
pointing. Clearly, she’s got great
social skills.
We are also
discovering Story Times. Getting Adalyn
to sit quietly for a 6 page book in public is like trying to keep Wallie away
from cat poop. The odds are never in our
favor. However, Amazement Square and the Lynchburg Public Library both have marvelous
story times that are designed for wigglers like Adalyn. We sing songs, we count in Spanish, Adalyn
eats some glue[1] or
crayons, we clap, and then the kids are able to play/exchange drool, snot, and
other assortments of immunity builders.
We also love us some Melody Makers, a 45 minute program in which toddlers get
together at Givens bookstore (heaven on earth for parents, teachers and nerds),
and “learn music.” Thus far, Adalyn likes to stand in the middle of the circle ogling
at the other kids, attempting to climb into any present baby carrier, and, occasionally
busting out a dance move and clapping while the other normal children dart in
spinning circles around her. Like Sheaff, she must need a beer before she can Really
let loose. However, in the car the other day, Fat Bottom Girls came on and she
started grooving, so I know the class must be working for the songs that really
matter.
What I like most about all of these, besides wearing Adalyn
out, is talking with the other parents.
There are younger parents, older parents, parents of varying color and
languages, mamas and daddys, and grandparents.
There are working parents, stay-at-home-parents, parents of multiples[2].
There are the cool-looking, put together parents and the nerdy parents and the
frumpy (enter, Carly) parents. Meeting
people is a lot like college, except instead of asking what their major or dorm
is, you say something like “Oh my gosh, he’s adorable; how old is he?” Stories
ensue, connections are made, and you feel like a human again after having a
conversation that does not center around a cardboard book, the fishies, head, shoulders,
knees or toes, or sounds that animals make. Every perspective and angle on
parenting is a little different, which keeps your own fresh, reassured and
supported, whether you see that person again or not.
Adalyn has become a little mini LC Hornet as
we frequent quite a few basketball games. Besides Sheaff’s passion for high
quality ODAC reffing, games are a great outing and half times are now the Best
Twenty Minutes Ever. Adalyn currently runs onto the court, tapers off to the
sideline (practicing traps perhaps?), and proceeds to point vigorously at the glowing
possession arrow on the scores table. She also likes to plaster herself against
the light up signs and even licked the NCAA one before delightedly realizing
that Uncle Ty was in fact on the other side of the table. Sometimes, her Dad or Pops or Sarah take her
to a corner where she runs in circles, eats life cereal, or searches the Local
Beard for toys. Sometimes, we are wild
and stay until 8:30. Othertimes, Adalyn is the wild one and realizes center-court
that the whole gym is probably
wondering where her belly button is.
Again folks, we did call her Sparkle for the first months of her being…..
On the home front, the days are full. We have continued to
encourage “self-feeding.” I say encourage rather than graduated to, because...well,
it’s a work in progress. This process involves Adalyn enthusiastically stirring
the food, getting some on the spoon, blowing Very Carefully (regardless of
whether it is hot or not). Next, one of three things will occur.
A) She miraculously brings the spoon to her mouth at the
rate of .00030984 IPH (inches per hour), eats the food, and repeats, during
which we erupt into cheers and GOOD JOB ADALYNs, and Wallie pouts.
B) She picks off food from spoon and eats it, during which we erupt into previously mentioned cheers and Wallie pouts.
C) She takes the spoon and flings it, attempting to hit the front porch, at which point we shake our heads in a disappointed fashion and Wallie cheers, scurrying to lick the yogurt, apple sauce, mac and cheese, etc before the milk cup inevitably comes flying at her.
B) She picks off food from spoon and eats it, during which we erupt into previously mentioned cheers and Wallie pouts.
C) She takes the spoon and flings it, attempting to hit the front porch, at which point we shake our heads in a disappointed fashion and Wallie cheers, scurrying to lick the yogurt, apple sauce, mac and cheese, etc before the milk cup inevitably comes flying at her.
Adalyn then grunts at
the jar of spoons, indicating that she would like another please. At this
point, the parent feeding must decide whether to pursue the
self-feeding-practice or teach that one cannot fling a spoon across the room
and receive another. These options are
mutually exclusive, causing the said-parent to feel guilty regardless of which
he or she picks, questioning parental skills and ultimate life course/success
of child.
Adalyn has discovered taking her shirt off in her crib,
which one can watch on the video monitor. She mainly struts around the crib,
smacking her stomach and making fart noises while stopping to toss stuffed
animals to the floor and clapping. She has also started unbuckling her seat
belt. We now drive with duct tape.
We can only imagine what is next, though older people love
to tell us repeatedly what’s next [insert “Oh you just wait till ____”].
However, most assuredly, more adventures lie ahead. And we are excited for them,
whatever they may be. There are good people, good times and many learning moments to look forward to. :) Perhaps best put
by our dear friend Jack Sparrow[3],
“Now… Bring me that horizon.” (and also
some chocolate).
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