100 Things to do in the Summer

You can find Summer Bucket lists all over the Internet so I put together my own, with all the things I like doing over the summer by myself and with my husband and children.

1. Make fruit platter of assorted seasonal sweet summer fruits - berries, watermelon, nectarines and plums, pineapple, strawberries, cherries, kiwi fruit, mangos... 
   
2. Have a water balloon fight with your kids... or ditch the kids and have it with your partner or friends! 
   
3. Make your own burgers 
   
4. Eat popsicles in your front yard 
   
5. Visit the local pool 
   

Children are the pickiest eaters!!!

I just love this set of photos going around from mommyshorts.com

Click below to see more of these hilarious photos!!

Making Pasta Necklaces

Here's an easy activity to do with your toddler on a rainy day at home.  Make pasta necklaces! Chances are you will have all the ingredients around your house already, plus this activity helps your child develop his or her fine motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination. Plus, it's fun!

What you need:

• large hollow pasta (rigatoni is best, penne will work fine too)
• string or ribbon 
• a small safety pin or paper clip

1. First tie a knot at the end of the string or ribbon. This knot has to be large enough to block the pasta from falling off the thread.
2. At the other end of the string or ribbon, fasten the safety pin or paper clip to use as a threading aid in your pasta.
3. Have your pasta handy - make sure it is UNCOOKED!!! Help your child to thread the safety pin or paper clip through the pasta and down the length of the string or ribbon.
4. Continue doing this until you are satisfied with the length of the necklace.
5. Connect the ends together with a nice knot and bow and allow your child to wear it

Your child is going to love wearing this quirky necklace, especially because they made it! This activity takes very little time, minimal effort and costs hardly anything.  It is a great time filler on a day indoors.

10 Things: Raising a Socially Conscious and Capable Daughter

1. Girls can do anything boys can do. 

Don't raise your daughter to think she can't be anything and do anything at all in this lifetime. Of course, there will always be some gendered differences that are undeniable (how realistic is it that your daughter will be the national spokesperson for testicular cancer?) but your daughter should never view her gender as a setback in life. Your daughter should be exposed to lots of sports and activities so she has the opportunity to realize her potential both intellectually and physically.

2. Don't force your daughter to wear pink.  

We live in a completely gendered society and it often upsets me when you see the big divide in children's stores between girls' and boys' clothing.  When I first found out I was pregnant, we decided at first to not know the baby's sex. Well, let me tell you how difficult, if not nearly impossible, it is to buy gender neutral clothing.  The girls' section is filled with peter pan collars, ruffled sleeves and little pink polka dots and bows. Not to mention everything is adorned with "Daddy's Princess", and yet the boys' section is a walking advertisement for anything with wheels - tractors, cars, firetrucks.  

Well, my now toddler daughter loves cars, digging in the dirt, rocks and playing with boys. Sure she loves to wear dresses and rummage through Mommy's makeup drawer but we must remember that children are completely uninfluenced in the beginning by society's attempts to mold their likes and dislikes according to their genders. Why should we tell them they should be or what they should like? Well, shouldn't we just let them be who they want to be? Don't force your daughter to wear pink ruffles if she likes blue.  Mini-V loves pirates so I recently purchased Carter's Pirate Pajamas (for boys).  My husband thought I was nuts at the time but I didn't care especially at that moment when my daughter's face lit up as she saw her new PJs.

3. Don't treat your daughter like a princess, and she won't act like one

I guess this follows with the above point. Every time I see a mother of a little girl treat her like a princess, not only do I roll my eyes but, like some amazing seer, I have this foresight of what's to come for that mother... probably a spoilt little girl. Look, I get it.  Girls love all the fairytales with princesses and they love Disney and castles and make-believe but where do you draw the line between allowing them to enjoy princesses and then them actually thinking they are one?

Let's face it, in real life Princesses don't work, they order people around like servants, they are high maintenance and they use tax payer's money to promote their own agendas. Do we really want our daughters to behave like this when they grow up? Do we want them to think it is OK to be high maintenance and to squander other people's hard earned money away for their own whims and fancy? I certainly have never ever done anything in a "princess" theme for my daughters, nor do I intend to ever.  This is an unrealistic fantasy and I would much rather encourage my daughter to not be high maintenance and be a real person - someone who works hard, appreciates the substance of things and doesn't get caught up in having the need to be "taken care of".

So how do we strike this balance? We should be encouraging our girls to take pride in their appearance and carry herself with poise like a little lady but they still need to understand they are not above other people (like princesses), there is no sense of entitlement of getting what you want just because you happen to be a cute girl. In my household, there will never be any pedicures or manicures for my underage children, there will be no handbags (what could they possibly have to carry?) and there will be no spa treatments.  If you treat you baby like a princess, what happens? You have a 14 year-old brat that still behaves like a princess. Sorry if this is harsh, just stating facts.

4. Encourage your daughter to have friends from all walks

As children, we know not about differences, there is a greater level of acceptance and a more tolerant playing field of interaction. Abled children play with handicapped ones, children of different races play together, they don't know if their best friend has two Mommies or no Mommy at all. Frankly, they don't care.  They just want to know if you will play with them. Social tolerance is learned in the household so set a good example.  Show your daughters (and your sons) it's OK to play with boys and girls and everyone in between.  Let them play freely and don't let on about your own prejudices.  They don't even understand that boys are different to themselves.  I know this because last week, my daughter said to me "Mommy, you are a good boy".  There is definite confusion there and that is OK. That is what is pure about children. There is plenty of time to educate your daughters about socially acceptable practices, like not sleeping over at a boy's house, but let that time come later.

5. Girls will fall and bruise too. It's OK

Everyone says "most boys will break a bone as a child" and while this probably holds true, it is also OK for girls to climb, jump, bump and fall. My older daughter is a total tomboy, as I have already mentioned and while we have been lucky enough to be spared so far with an emergency room visit, she has taken several hard knocks to the head, and elsewhere.  My outlook is that, as long as she is lucid, behaviorally cognitive  and not gushing out with blood, chances are she is OK. Sure I have made a few precautionary phone calls to the pediatrician to make sure - you can never be too sure - but remember, most children who are not seriously hurt from a fall will cry well after they fall because they were (a) scared or (b) lapping up the sympathy.  Of course give your daughter a cuddle and give her that sympathy and love.
This is really important for your child's emotional development BUT try not to overdo it just because she is a girl.

Let your daughter be tough and shake it off, just like your sons. Don't shout "ooooh myyyy god" if she skids on the grass a little harder than usual. Just walk over calmly, ask is she is hurting, wipe the tears and tell her she is OK and you love her. They feed off your emotions and believe me, I have plenty of friends with kids who cry cry cry over nothing but any 3rd party can tell you it's because the parent overreacts and treats the child like he or she is dying.  Don't do this. Don't scare your child.  Let them cry and tell you if they are hurt - not the other way around.

6. Girls want to be firefighters too

Let your daughters play with gender neutral toys and encourage her to dream and be anything she wants to be.  We are big advocates of this in our household.  When you break it down, a child's developmental milestones are pretty basic - and un-gendered. They have to develop intellectually, socially, emotionally and physically. That's really it.  Things like gross motor skills can be worked on through many means so let your daughters play with gender neutral toys.  Build your toy collection so that anyone walking in would be unsure if you had a daughter or a son.  This means that not only should your daughter be able to enjoy cars and trucks and legos but your sons should feel free to develop their imaginative play through things like toy kitchens and dress-ups too.  Mini-V really enjoys her Thomas the tank engine train and her firefighter hat and of course, surprisingly, she still gravitates to the tea set and the dolls (isn't gender and sexuality the darndest thing? Must be innate!) but the pint is we would never keep her from playing with boy-oriented toys. In fact I have ordered plenty of "boy Happy Meals" at McDonalds just for varied toy selection!

7. Don't paint your little daughter's fingernails.

It looks silly. See No. 3.

8. Try to use varied superlatives

Please don't always tell your daughter she is the most beautiful, even if this is true. Our ultimate goal is to encourage our daughters to be strong, capable young ladies with good self-esteem.  Try to use encouraging words like "clever", "smart" and "happy".  While, yes, your daughter is undoubtedly very pretty, focusing on this sort of praise does not let her also realize that there is much more substance to
her.

Of course, you can keep complimenting your daughter on her looks but remember to compliment her other characteristics too. Tell your daughter how you think she is extremely imaginative or confident. Also applaud her abilities and accomplishments, like spelling, drawing, being a good friend or helping her little brother, too. These words and praises actually mean something and will show your daughter there is much value in such traits. It will encourage her to be authentic and proud of who she is, regardless of how she looks.

9. Educate your daughter about sexuality and sex

Our society is highly sexualized and we should encourage our children - both boys and girls - to have a good, intelligent grasp of sexuality and sex.  In this day and age, I don't even think my point needs further explanation other than don't delay this too long. If you daughter is mature enough to handle this, then she is mature enough for the evolution of your parenting role. Wouldn't you want your daughters to hear the important stuff from you anyway? Talk about these topics openly and honestly. You don't need to sit and divulge everything that surpasses their maturity or interest level but certainly open up a frank discussion so at least your daughter knows you are open to talking about these topics if and when she is ready.

10. Remember to still encourage your daughter to be feminine and soft.

I know this sounds totally archaic and almost completely contradictory to most of what I have said but I really do believe there is a certain innate soft quality about females and this should not be stifled nor discouraged. Yes, your daughter can be strong and capable but she can also be feminine and gentle. This is not to say that you should direct your daughter either way. I mean, really, you just want them to be themselves so, having said that, we should not try to influence our daughters to not be soft (sorry, double negative!) just because we associate this with something negative like being weak.  Softness does not amount to weakness. There is nothing weak about being feminine, in fact this can be a great asset.  There is something to be said about great females in this world who are (or were) extremely nurturing and gentle.... think Oprah Winfrey, Mother Theresa or Princess Diana.  You can achieve greatness even if you are feminine.  But as I have said before, neither femininity nor strength should be mutually exclusive or for the sake of the other. We are women, can't we have it all?

Product Review: NUK Bottles

Both my girls have enjoyed the NUK Orthodontic bottles made by Gerber, as well as their sippy cups (not included in this review). There are a few versions, all differing in the outside design of the bottle but they all function the same way and are made of the same materials.

Nuk Nature Bottles

Nuk Nature Bottles

Nuk Trendline Dots Bottle

These bottles are designed specifically to ease the transition between breast and bottle.  Both of my children were both breastfed as well as bottle fed and they both took to the NUK bottle very quickly and easily.

The NUK teat has a patented "Air System", which vents the nipple to reduce colic.  The nipple is made of silicone (much better than latex in my opinion since a lot of people react to latex) and is shaped very similarly to a breast, with a wide base and a "nipple" tip.  NUK actually claim on their website that the bottles have been scientifically proven to make feeding easier.  I will say that the bottles are easy to use and easy to feed with.  I also found that the Air System promotes a certain ease in burping after each feed.  The orthodontic design also promotes proper oral development.

All the bottles parts are interchangeable so you can mix and match, which really comes in handy when you are mixing in the pink bottle but cannot find the blue cap!  Each bottle is made up of five pieces: the bottle itself, the teat and ring around it, the cap as well as a removable inner seal, making travel mess-free.

The bottles are available in two sizes: 10 oz and 5 oz.  My recommendation is to go straight to the larger size because both my children only drank 4 oz, or less, for a couple of months and once you start actually mixing 5 oz in the 5 oz bottle, you have to be really careful to not spill the formula as it really is full to the brim.

Washing the NUK bottles is great!! The wide opening makes it really easy to get the bottle brush inside and clean the bottle effectively.  This wide neck also makes adding scoops of formula to the bottles very easy and mess-free.  I had gone from pumping (and using) the Medela bottles to the NUK system and I was starting to really cringe every time I had to wash the yellow-capped Medela bottles as they have narrow necks and crappy nipples. The NUK, by contrast, is much easier to wash and use, especially as there are few parts (unlike the Born Free bottles, which I do actually like, but have six parts to wash!! Too many for busy Moms).

 The NUK bottles really are my favorite and we have tried at least 5 other brands (Nuby, Born Free, Medela, First Step ad Tommy Tippy). I have always had some beef about the other brands, whether it was a leaking top or difficulty in washing but I have nothing but good things to say about the NUK Bottles. I highly recommend them to any bottle-feeding parent or caregiver.

Great tip for traveling with small children

Traveling with small children can mean packing lots of little bits and pieces in big suitcases.  Suitcases filled with small items can be time consuming to weed through in a hurry, not to mention it is easy to forget what you packed!  When you pack your suitcase before your next trip with the kids, pack one complete outfit (including hair accessories, underwear etc) in one zippered bag. Each bag can also be easily labelled with a felt tip pen, so you can mark whose clothing it is and what it contains.

Having one complete outfit neatly packed in one zippered bag will not only make dressing your children a breeze on vacation but will also ease the whole unpacking process, both at the hotel and when you return home.  Your kids will also love the opportunity to pick which bag they will "wear" each day on the trip.

The mess continues!

So firstly, forgive me if my tone is lack-lustre and fatigued but it was another day of me making nice with my bottle of bleach and paper towels. I cleaned up Buttercup's puke FOUR times today. Yes, that's right, FOUR times. I blame it on her newfound "bulimic" tendencies of shoving her hand towards the back of her gums to soothe her achy molar sites.

She vomited on her playmat in the morning, so that went into the wash with Mini-V's bedsheets that she urinated on yesterday (didn't blog about that one, all this happens so often it is almost becoming unremarkable for me). Then not even an hour later, I approach her in the exersaucer (at Mini-V's insistence: "uh-oh! Sister spat up!")... no, it wasn't spit up, it was smelly, curdled white, milk vomit!! All over her face, hands, and literally pooling around her suspended exersaucer seat in a cloudy, salivary mass.  For the second day in a row, I took the seat off and washed it. Now, this seat was never even washed once with Mini-V and yet I must have washed it at least 6 times with my second baby. So bizarre.

The "before" shot....I will save you from the "after" shot.

So everything was quiet on the vomit front (bar a post afternoon-nap episode of diarrhea by Mini-V), I made a delicious pureed dinner of carrots, asparagus, apples and beets.  Buttercup did great - she ate like a champion. And then it started... the hand was going in the mouth, I couldn't stop it. Vomit No. 3 had arrived. It wasn't too bad and it was mostly contained and over as quick as it came. The only thing I really felt sad for was that just five minutes prior Buttercup had been enjoying her dinner and now it was wasted, the food and my efforts.

So I am cleaning up the highchair and I decide to place the baby on the hardwood floor just next to the highchair as I am packing up the food etc. And then I can hear that distinct gagging noise.  It was like a scene unfolding in slow motion.  She must have gagged three times before the fountain of spew erupted from her mouth and spilled over onto the floor. It was the biggest of the day (didn't know she had that much left!) and a lovely burgundy pinkish color that would have made a pretty nail lacquer shade had I not known it was actually vomit. Well, this time it was in her hair and just all over. Just when I was applauding myself for catching her vomit No. 3 in her bib, all my efforts were instantly undone.

Bathtime!!! (and laundry time.... again.)

So if anyone is keeping track...

...I cleaned up vomit FOUR times within a 48-hour time frame. Gross. I hope today is vomit-free!! Here's the re-cap:

1. Buttercup vomited when I was putting her to bed on Tuesday night. She drank her bottle and looked like she was struggling through her burp. I continued trying to burp her when the volcano erupted. Casualties included one teddy bear who had to be thrown up from being in the direct line of fire. The glider and carpet also looked a little worse for wear after that episode

2. I always bathe Mini-V before her afternoon nap on Wednesdays, as she has her weekly Gymnastics class and that place kinda smells foul.  Lately, she has developed an intense (and frightening) fear of the drain, so needless to say, when she had her afternoon bath, she screamed and screamed during rinse-off. The screaming became hyperventilation... and then spluttering lunch vomit. Requiring an unnecessarily torturous prolonged bath in her case. Poor child was so upset, she vomited her entire Happy Meal lunch and milk.

3. That same Wednesday evening, I put Buttercup to bed and a short while later she started crying. Usually she will settle herself but it was getting progressively louder so I went up to look. I opened the door and the smell of vomit wafted over. I approached the crib and my left foot stepped in something wet. When I got on my hands and knees to look, I discovered a distinctly odorous drip trickling down the crib railing and into a little puddle on her rug. I then found vomit in the crib, on her sleep sack, on her, in her hair. Hmm... another bath for the day (the third I had given that day) and probably my sixth load of laundry for the week. 

4. I made the huge mistake of offering Buttercup her first whole piece of broccoli after she had eaten a jar of store baby food and a small bowl of homemade pureed pears. Completely my fault and rookie mistake that I should have known better.  She was doing great on the broccoli until she gaged - which I might add is a perfectly natural response to Baby Led Weaning - and so understandably, she vomited. All. Over. The. Highchair.  I took the entire high chair apart and yup, another bath! And another load of laundry.

Please wish me well for tonight, let's hope it is vomit-free!!!

6 Ways to Ruin Your Children | Parenting | Moms

"6 Ways to Ruin Your Children | Parenting | Moms"

I was reading the above article and truly felt like it is a good representation of the way my husband and I parent.  I know I have said this before, and by no shape or form am I a perfect parent, but my two-year old is seriously very well behaved.  I always hear remarks from passers-by or friends who comment on how shocked they are at how well-mannered she is for a 26 month-old.

She has never struck, pushed, bullied or shown any aggression to any other child or her sibling, always remembers her pleases and thank yous, and says "may I..." whenever she wants something. She also understands that no means no and Mommy's and Daddy's rules are the law. She doesn't throw tantrums and very rarely protests by raising her hand at me, though this hand is usually held in mid-air like  a threat and never comes down again. Yes, she of course does cry if she really wants something but we don't give in because of her tears. We hold firm and give her a cuddle instead, assuring her that it's ok to cry when Mommy says no. But Mommy stills says no.

Boundaries are really important. We have always stayed true to this value in parenting.  It is important for children to understand that they do not have free reign over the world and over their homes and parents.  With limitations comes a greater value placed on things and privileges that are afforded to the child.  I literally hear this all the time from my daughter.  For example, when she plays with play-dough, I tell her the rules beforehand: she can pick just two colors and only four shape cutters to play with. She can exchange these shapes for other ones if she wants. There really is no rhyme or reason for this rule, other than to teach her restraint and value. And you should hear the gratitude she shows me, "why thank you so much Mommy!" She knows that playing with the dough is not a right but a privilege - just like most every other recreational activity in her life. Yes, you may judge me as being unnecessarily harsh on the poor child but the proof is in the pudding. Honestly, little things like this truly do teach her to value what is given to her and to not negotiate with the law-maker (me) for more.  Of course, she often asks but she really does accept it if my answer if no.  No tantrums thrown, just acceptance and gratitude.

So what are our absolute rules in parenting? The following would be a good summary:

Love

It is so, so important to shower your child with love. Tell them, show them, reinforce it always but not in material ways.  Constantly praise them for being clever or kind.  Tell them how much they mean to you and that they are important.  Encourage them to be good and them hug and kiss them when they are.  This builds self-confidence and encourages good behaviour.  Even if they behave badly, it is important to tell them you love them when you correct that bad behaviour.  If Mini-V is ever reprimanded for something or given a time-out (a rarity), I always tell her I love her but that her behaviour was not acceptable. I tell her what she did wrong and tell her that even though she is in trouble, I still love her.

Consistency

There should always be consistent parenting in the household and amongst caregivers of the child.  From my observations, my friends who have more trouble with their children have inconsistent administrations of discipline amongst the caregivers, usually from a grandparent caregiver or the other parent.  By no means am I stating that consistent parenting only occurs if you and and the other parent are primary caregivers, or if the mother is a stay-at-home mother but I would state that definitely if there is a third-party caregiver, that person needs to completely accept your methods of parenting and not deviate from it.  There also needs to be a homogenous system of discipline that the child can easily expect from every adult taking care of him or her.  Children are not good at guess work, they function better when the unpredictable is removed from the equation.  They need to know what will always be the reaction to their behaviours, and not that Mom or Dad will react differently in certain circumstances.  This will also eliminate those dreaded situations where one parent/caregiver is favored or leveraged against the other. I cannot emphasize how important consistency is. The rules should not change depending on who the caregiver is.

"Proper" Discipline

No child should escape the wrath of the disciplinarian. Discipline is so crucial in good and successful parenting.  I do not condone spanking but I definitely think children should be disciplined through other methods such as time-outs, punishments and reprimands.  The reason I say "proper" discipline is because time and again I have spoken to a parent who says "I try to discipline him/her but the behaviour still continues". This is where it is up to the parent, not the child to examine what he or she is not doing right. This is not the child's fault, this is an error in parenting.  

• I would say "proper" discipline includes - 
• A. consistency (see no. 2); 
• B. clearly and simply explaining to the child on his or her level of understanding what they did wrong, with eye contact; and 
• C. following through with an appropriate repercussion (ie. time out, taking something away, leaving the park/shops/mall etc). I have had my child hit by other kids before and I am always surprised with the lack of proper discipline, and then the parent wonders why it occurs time and time again.  Usually, they don't explain to the child what they did wrong and there are no repercussions.  This is where saying "no hitting" simply is not enough.  And, raising your voice does not suddenly make your discipline methods suddenly have more merit or be more effective.

Encouragement

We should always encourage and praise children for exhibiting good behaviour. Take notice of when your child is kind or well behaved, says their pleases and thank yous and then verbally acknowledge it.  Tell them you are proud of them and encourage them to repeat it in the future.  Human nature at any age is to respond positively to praise and encouragement.


This is really it in a nutshell. It isn't rocket science, just a few simple ways to encourage children to behave well. The best advice that I ever heard was this: Never let the child be the boss of you, you are the parent, not the child.

Mini-V's mess-fest

So I have mentioned before that my two-year old has a tendency to vomit and defecate in the most obscure and often difficult situations, testing Super-J and my ability to handle the mess appropriately. Thought you might like to hear about some of the more memorable occasions, I could list so many more but I have to show some restraint or you could be here all day reading.

Downtown restaurant with no change table
This is memorable because it was the first (of many) occasions.  When Mini-V was four months old, we thought it would be easy enough to walk into town and grab a nice bite to eat at a nice restaurant.  It was late September, the leaves were just starting to change color and so we thought it nice to sit at an outdoor table of the restaurant, not wanting to disturb too many people with our baby and stroller. We had just placed our order when a distinct odor wafted over us. The odor of poo.  I did a quick check and found that not only had the baby done a massive one, but off course it was up her back and into her new BundleMe.  I was still a new Mom so I had to think for a moment about what to do. Of course I had a limited supply of emergency items in my diaper bag - blame it on inexperience - but luckily I did have diapers, wipes and, thankfully, a change of clothes. I unfastened the baby from the stroller and headed to the Ladies Room.

So that's when I realized that in this sophisticated Carrera marble lined, wallpapered "powder room", with its fancy Williams Sonoma hand soaps and phalaenopsis orchid, there was no change table.  I set myself up on the bathroom floor (yes, eew), carefully laying out my change pad, and swiftly changed and re-clothed her.  I returned to my table, removed the soiled BundleMe and ate my now cold lunch.

Ikea
I think Mini-V was around 10 months old when we did one of our twice-a-year trips to Ikea to pick up odds and ends and, of course, we stopped at its famed cafeteria. By now, she was eating finger good and I offered her a small piece of my steamed salmon. BIG MISTAKE. A few moments later, Mini-V didn't look so well. Then it happened. Projectile vomiting. When I mean projectile, I really mean it. She spewed with such tenacity that I thought she could enter a vomiting Olympic event.  It went everywhere. All over the highchair, the table, me, herself. And you know along with that vomit comes the frightned screams of The Vomiter. By now we had spectators. I tried to remain cool under the scrutiny.  Acting like oh yeah, I do this all the time. I actually did.  Vomiting was fast becoming one of her common and expected reactions to the teething process.

So anyway, again we were lucky to have a change of clothes, and by now we knew we had to always travel with Zip Lock bags to contain any soiled items.  But you definitely know it's a "situation" when you hear on the overhead announcement that the cafeteria urgently needs contamination clean-up crew - their special attendants who come with buckets, Clorox and who are dressed in heavy duty overalls and gloves.  Just when I thought we were acting as inconspicuous as possible, they send over their people. Nice.

The Mall
I don't now which incidence to mention first. The Mall is one of Mini-V's all-time favorite places to poop, vomit, wet her pants.  On my first birthday as a mother, I met a friend and her little son for lunch with Mini-V.  We had just bought the Baby Jogger City Mini and it was the first time I was using it and the new toddler size BundleMe. Brand new.  We had a nice lunch at the Nordstrom Cafe and I still remember what I ordered, because I saw it again later. I had ordered a Tuna Nicoise Salad, which most people know comes with a nice hardboiled egg on top.  I am allergic to hardboiled eggs, Mini-V is not, so she happily ate the yolk. She was about 8 months' old at the time.

After lunch, we continued walking and she was starting to look sleepy so I covered the mesh backing with the flap to give her some darker quiet inside the seat. It was a little too quiet, and there was "a smell". I looked inside, to my horror, and saw what looked like curdled eggs all over the brand new BundleMe and stroller.

I kid you not, I sat in the Macy's bathroom with her, and the soiled stroller and literally tried to clean everything with about twenty minutes.  I eventually gave up and had to go home, strip everything (including the new stroller) and wash every soiled item. It was utterly disgusting and the worst birthday present ever.  My next birthday, she was sick all over me too - but that's another story!

Another time at an outlet mall, at 8:55pm (5 minutes before closing), Mini-V completely destroyed her diaper and clothing with a foul diaper explosion.  Honestly, I can handle it in the best of circumstances.  I was getting used to it, but this was like the world was testing my abilities under time constraints. I have to say I passed with flying colors. We made it back to the car without too much haste, even if the cleaners had already started doing their work in the now closed Mall.

Mini-V drinks so much water that it is almost a 3-4 times a week deal that she will fill her diaper quicker than we can change it. Even if we change it and then drive someplace, chance are, particularly in the summertime, her pants are wet. We haven't formally started potty training but needless to say, I definitely think it will be challenging keeping up with her need to go! I can't even count and tell you how many times we have had to buy new outfits for her at the mall because she has already used her emergency clothing. No kidding.

Travelling
Well, this list here is voluminous too. She peed on my leg, through her diaper, on a plane trip to Dubai. She projectile vomited (almost getting the iPad, which I had only just put away because I thought - foolishly - she looked "sleepy") in the car and all over Super-J in India. I don't blame her, that car ride was sickeningly bumpy and jerky. The last trip we took, I honestly felt over-zealous packing five sets of emergency clothing for her in my carry-on, even though we were travelling over 20 hours.  Super-J even laughed when he saw and questioned the need for it all. Well, we used up every set of clothing and could have used one more.

Her Crib
This is the last story for you.  Mini-V's crib became her little sanctuary for mess, her high chair too. I can't recall how many times the crib rails had to be Lysol-ed or the sheets had to be cleaned due to mess.  I distinctly remember a couple of the worst times though.

There is a reason why for almost 22 months, we never put Mini-V in two-piece pyjamas. She has always been a butt-scratcher.  And I am not sure about other kids but my older girl has always been one to do a poop during naptime.  Maybe it's just that it is so relaxing and calm and it is the best, most private time for her to do her mess. There was one occasion that I had to learn the hard way that it is not a good idea to let her sleep in a two-piece.  It was mid-afternoon and she had woken from her nap. I could see, and hear, her on the monitor, playing around. Moving from one side of the crib to the other. She was about 15 or 16 months' old, so she was able to run back and forth in her crib.

I usually let her have quiet time when she wakes up, allowing her to nicely wake before bringing her back downstairs. This is mainly because sometimes she will wake and go back to sleep. The five minutes lets me really determine if she is up.  This time, she was quite active and making lots of "playing noises".  I went upstairs and when I opened the door, omg the sheer horror and disgust! The first thing that hit me was the stench. It was that smell of a badly soiled, possibly exploded, diaper, that has since been urinated in and had sat for a little while.  Then when I went over to her, she giggled and I smelled her breath. Yes, that's right. Her breath stank of poop! (I vomit a little in my mouth, thinking of this).  At this point, I think I gasped loudly and shrieked something along the lines of "AAARRRGH!".

Then, I looked at her fingers. Poop. Then I looked at the crib sheet. Poop. Finally, I looked at the crib itself, poop. Honestly, it looked like she had butt scratched and then proceeded to investigate what this matter was, then she has used it as a sort or Art medium with which to draw with. She had "drawn" (in poop) all over the railings, the sheets and even herself.

Needless to say, this was the ultimate in putrified disgusting, filthy moments in the repertoire of Mini-V. And one I will used time and time again against her in the future when she makes any material demands of me ("Mom, I want a car, "no, I cleaned your poop").  In truth, it wasn't too bad to clean, because everything had to be cleaned! At one point, I think I laughed.  It was so disgustingly memorable! To this day, I still try to put her in one-piece pyjamas.

So finally, I just want to add (and I know I posted about Buttercup's vomiting last night) but Mini-V did vomit on my today too. But you know, by now I am a seasoned pro at it ;)

Can you find Blue's Clue?

So I was changing Mini-V's diaper the other day and she suddenly calls out, "I found it! I found it! I found Blues Clues! Blue's Clues".  (Those of you who have children who avidly watch Nick Jr, then you know what I am talking about. If you don't here is the link: Blue's Clues)

So naturally,  I am thinking to myself what is she talking about? Meanwhile she is still pointing to the side of the change table and excitedly shrieking "I found the clue! I found the clue!".

So, this is what it was.... can you find "the clue?" I was laughing so hard when I realized what she was talking about!

Take a closer look at the 'splash' logo on my hand sanitizer... do you think it resembles Blue's paw print?

It's that moment when....

...you have a false sense of satisfaction with yourself for putting your baby down for the night at 6:30pm. You put your feet up since Super-J is with Mini-V, start planning what you will do for the rest of the evening with only one child left to say night night to...

...Then the baby stirs at 8pm so you go upstairs to check. Oh, she is hungry!! Go back downstairs, make bottle, feed her and suddenly unexpected (and unwarranted) projectile vomiting ensues. Dinner is on the stove, now cold. Your older child is hovering, asking over and over "Did Buttercup bombalid (translation: vomited)? Did she bombalid (translation: vomit)?" - YES, Mini-V, she vomited!!!...

...Super-J appears and swiftly takes the baby over to the laundry to contain the contamination and SHE VOMITS IN HIS MOUTH!

Meanwhile, a little voice in the hallway is chanting, "did she bombalid, Mommy? Mommy! Is that bombalid?". YES, Mini-V, she vomited, yes it is! Please go play with Daddy's iPad!

The now naked Buttercup is on her stomach in the hallway, giggling, happy. If you didn't know any better, you would never have guessed she had been hyperventilating amidst tears just five minutes prior.

After significant damage to a roll of paper towels and a spray bottle of Woolite, along with successful final efforts to put Mini-V to bed and the permanent discarding of a few furry friends from the nursery - oh and don't forget a load of laundry, two showers (one for Daddy and one for Mommy), plus a bath for Buttercup later and it's finally dinner time. In our exhaustion, there was no effort made to re-heat it.  It is 9:30pm.

Hey, at least they are both sleeping now. For the moment.