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At the risk of making this more about me than about The Tater Tot, I’m going to post about my visit to the nurse-practitioner today. I was all prepared for her to not take me seriously when I said that I’m a totally exhausted mother of a two-year-old. I expected her to say “Well, what do you expect?”. But she didn’t. She ordered a full thyroid panel, some tests to check for anemia and B12 levels. Apparently the getting out of breath by the top of my staircase is something worth checking out. So, I got about a gazillion tubes of blood taken and a referral to an endocrinologist. Hallelujah! I’m relieved just to get the ball rolling because, before the start of the year, I had been feeling really, really good! Happy, content, and with enough energy to get through my day. Since then things have been rolling down hill and rapidly gaining speed. So at least I’ve got things rolling with that. Wow, if it’s not one thing it’s another with my health these days. What a pain in the ever-expanding Mommy Butt.

We hosted a small play date today and it was really nice. I’m finding that two or three kids is really Tater Tot’s limit right now and even then she doesn’t like to “share” Mommy with the other Mommies. Or the other kids. One of the little girls started throwing the ball to me so I was throwing it back. The Tater Tot was not fond of her Mommy playing ball with anyone else. I haven’t seen that before with her. It was interesting. Each play date is a learning experience for both of us and that’s a good thing.

Wow. I just thought about the fact that a year ago I was writing “Mommy Group Reject” posts and this year I’m hosting mommy group play dates. It does feel like I’ve got things a lot more together than when Tater Tot was a wee one. It feels good. And the conversation with actual adults doesn’t hurt, either. Thanks, Ladies for a good time this morning!

I went out to run some errands this morning when The Tater Tot went down for her nap (The Daddy is on Spring Break this week and stayed with her) and when I got home, this is the scene with which I was greeted:

Princess Tater Tot: Wah! Waaaah! Waaaaaaah!

The Daddy: It’s okay. I know, I know. It’s gonna be okay.

Princess Tater Tot: Wah-ah-ah-ah, waaaaah!

The Daddy: Okay. No, don’t do that. Hold still.

I run upstairs from whence the dialogue is coming and find The Tater Tot on the changing table with The Daddy holding her bottom in the air and frantically wiping poop from every surface that is visible to me at the time. What the…???

The Mommy: What happened?

The Daddy: She took her diaper off. Check out her crib.

The Mommy: Oh Good Lord!

The Daddy: She needs a bath.

So I go start the bathwater and take over cleaning poop from all the orifices while Tater Tot is still wailing, for what reason, we don’t know. The Daddy says that she was perfectly happy and smiling when he walked in to get her. Just sitting in a pile of poop!

Into the bath The Tot goes while The Daddy clears out the changing table cover, crib sheet, mattress protector, and rug. And then he even washes out the poopy diaper! I swear he’s a keeper!

So, while I am grateful that her dexterity is improving, I am not so happy that she has learned to take her diaper off. That serves me right for not putting her pants on, huh?

Okay, so a week of fever and rocking Princess Tater Tot to sleep has screwed up her sleep schedule. But what else is a Mommy to do? There was no way I was going to let my sick little Princess cry her eyes out to “soothe herself to sleep”. That’s my job when she’s sick. It’s hers when she’s well. So, we’re starting at square one with training her to soothe herself to sleep again. Well, maybe square two or three, actually because she knows the drill. She’s just hoping that Mommy will be a softie and rock her anyway. Which I did today. Yeah, yeah, I know: Bad Mommy (to read the history of why I want her to soothe herself to sleep, go here , here , and here ) . But it was either that or have her skip her afternoon nap for the second day in a row and be Crank Monster from 3-6pm. That’s quite a lot of Crank Monster. Too much for this Mommy. Then, of course, she didn’t want to soothe herself to sleep at bed time tonight either and wailed like a dying elephant seal. So The Daddy took on Bedtime Rocking Duty and got her to her Happy Place (so drowsy that she couldn’t do anything but fall asleep. Thank you, The Daddy!

She’s had a lot going on in her little life between sickness, teething, learning to walk with The Mommy’s help (and pick her nose and wave hello), and liking to be with her Mommy a whole lot (so much that she doesn’t like to be away from me!) so I guess I gotta cut her a little slack. But I know that she will remember how to soothe herself to sleep. She’s able to for her morning nap. I just have to make sure I get her down soon enough after I see her “Mommy, I’m Sleepy” behaviors. I think I waited too long today because we were out running errands. That’ll teach me to try and get stuff done!

Yes, you did read correctly. Tater learned to pick her nose this week. I did not teach her that! And then she ate it. I definitely didn’t teach her that part. Really. I mean it, I didn’t! I wish I could take credit for teaching her to wave hello but The Daddy swooped in on the tail end of my efforts and got to take credit because she imitated him today as he waved to some kids in the neighborhood. D*mn! Nevermind that I wave hello to everyone we see in front of her, including the dog. She doesn’t feel the need to wave hello until the one time she sees The Daddy wave hello.

It’s so cute (and tiring) to help her practice walking. She just hasn’t been real interested until lately. She started walking behind her ride on walker recently and the past couple of days has been intensely interested in walking holding onto The Mommy’s hands. Back and forth and back and forth. This puts The Mommy in a stooped-over, will-my-back-ever-recover kind of position but she’s so happy and it’s such a hoot seeing her walk that I don’t mind. Before I know it, she’ll be walking all over the place. On that note, I’d better rest up… See ya’!

Tater has picked up a sign that I did not teach her.  I have been using the American Sign Language sign for “more” which is to tap the fingers of both hands together.  She has begun using The Daddy Sign Language sign for more which is to slap her open hand on the table.  Yes, The Daddy thought he was being funny by teaching Tater to bang on her tray when it was meal time.  She has taken it to the next level by leaning over her tray to the dining table and slapping it when she runs out of Puffs.  I have a hard time not laughing when I hear the slapping on the table with a throat-clearing sound that can only mean “Uh, Mommy.  I need a little service here!”

The Princess has picked up an “interesting” habit lately.  She scrunches up her nose and breathes in and out a la “Revenge of the Nerds”.  It’s very cute at 8 months old but it will be quite unattractive at 12 or 13.  Let’s hope it’s a passing phase…

On the sleep front, she is going to bed super-early which is great for me because I have a little time to myself before I have to get some zzzz’s but she is also waking up earlier than I’d like.  Looks like we’re going to have to tweak something there.  What a puzzle these little ones are…