Babyproofing

Recently, we spent some quality (and quantity) time with family. Several of those days were spent at 'Andpa and Grandma's house. During that time, Jellybean:

1) Cut 4 inches off of her hair;
2) Spilt permanent ink on the dress she was supposed to wear to a family wedding; and
3) During her 'nap' found a sewing kit and methodically inserted about 50 straight pins and needles into a mattress, with another 20+ straight pins strewn about the floor and embedded in the carpet....by her bare feet. (is her tetanus shot up to date?)

If you go to stay at my parents' house anytime soon? You MAY want to sleep in the foldout couch, not the guest twin beds. Unless you don't mind sleeping on pins and needles, of course.

Nana raised boys....

And for the record? Jellybean is TOTALLY faking the injured look. The drama! 

Rapunzel

M's been calling Monkey a hippie for the past few weeks. And even I'm willing to admit it - the girl's hair has gotten really really long.

Jellybean's gotten a little scraggly, too.

So we scheduled haircuts. For this morning. The morning after the biggest snowstorm I've seen since moving here. (there was even thunder during the snowstorm! cool!!!)

Needless to say, we were disappointed. We schlepped through the snow, with the girls, to this salon in the west village.....and the owner was there only to call and cancel all the appointments. Her stylists couldn't make it in.

We went inside to use the bathroom before repeating our trip back home.

And while we were inside, Monkey gazed forlornly about, muttering how we weren't going to get to watch the movie, as promised.

The salon owner asked 'what?'

And Monkey repeated: "it's just SO unfair. I don't get to get my haircut. And it's gotten SO long....I'm like Rapunzel!" as she finished it off with a (melodramatic) sigh.

Big Sistah, can't resist her....

Red beans and rice....oh never mind, I was channeling "Baby got back" for a minute there....

Monkey picked out her outfit for school today: leggings and the "Big Sister, aka Divine Ruler" tshirt that Uncle N and Aunt G (and HP!) gave her for her birthday. Thanks guys!

The tshirt is white (for now) with pink and red lettering. Combined with green leggings, white sandals, and pink/red/white ribbons on her ponytails, Monkey looked super cute this morning! Just ask the construction worker that whistled at her! (kidding. he just said "mornin' little one" and no I don't think he's a pedophile).

Then, to add onto the preciousness of it all, she insisted on bringing her "I'm a big sister" book with us on the bus, and we read it on the way to school. Not a bad commute if I say so myself! (finally)

Think she'll be that adorable and excited when her little sister ACTUALLY arrives? Really? You do???? Oh thank goodness and THANK YOU for fueling my delusions! You rock.

Buzz Cut

In the inexorable process of becoming a Big Girl, Monkey's hair has never been cut. Not one, single, beautiful strand of hair on her head has been harmed. She's got virgin hair folks, and it is looooooooooooooong.

It is so long that if we do a hackneyed job of putting on her diaper (because she wriggles and won't stand still, dammit), it practically gets tucked into the back.
Each day, it comes home with shards and remnants of that day's activities in it: paint, yogurt, sunblock, fruit juice (mmmm, peaches sure get messy in the hands of a 23 month old!), etc.

It now requires more than an occasional brushing. We are in full-blown knot removal and detangling efforts these days.

And, Grandma said it looked (shock, horror! she's no less blunt now than when I was a wee child! heh) "scraggly." Harrumph.

So, tomorrow we pack our ear plugs (in case she screams), tic tacs (for bribery and rewards) and our courage.....and we're cutting her hair. Or rather, paying someone to do it for us while we cringe and take a million photos.

New words startle me!

Monkey's daycare is closed for the week. I love this Montessori School more than I care to admit, but this whole mimicking the school schedule drives me crazy. The school year "ended" and there were parties, and now it is closed for just over a week, to reopen for "summer school." Meanwhile, those of us that stay stateside for the summer scramble to find daycare for a week!

Luckily, or maybe because I am anal and plan waaaay far ahead, I was able to arrange for Monkey's favorite teacher from school to watch her this week. And yes, I asked months ago.

Vicki had one minor conflict, which was attending the 8th grade graduation of her cousin, Skye. She even lined up an alternative sitter for me (another teacher from the school, whom I didn't know would sit on her days off - score!) but then something came up for her, too. Medical stuff. So Vicki decided, in typical teacher fashion, to roll with the punches and come up with a solution. Which was, to take Monkey TO the graduation ceremony and family party in Brooklyn. I was all, um, you ok with that? But Vicki assured me it would work out well. Besides, her mom wanted to meet the "baby with all the hair" as Monkey was referred to in the beginning....now she's the insane toddler with all the hair. Heh. (see? how cute was she!)


Not only did Monkey enjoy the graduation ceremony (the kids sang songs) but she SAT STILL FOR AN HOUR playing with Vicki's sidekick and wallet. Hopefully Monkey didn't text any ex-boyfriends by accident....

I know, I actually typed out the words in the paragraph above. In caps. And no, I don't believe it actually happened. I think Vicki is delusional - my insane toddler, the one that runs all.the.time....she sat still? Unthinkable.

Monkey's exceptional behavior continued at the party where she sat still to polish off her lunch and ask for more, politely. Vicki was laughing when she told me about this - because at this point her family starting insisting that Monkey HAD to be older than 22 months....since no 22 month old would actually behave that way. See, they witnessed this and they didn't believe it, either!

After the party, in a good mood, Monkey and Vicki went to the Prospect Park Zoo. And Monkey loved it. Now she knows what the zebras and monkeys are, so spotting them is fun. Vicki parked the stroller and Monkey ran (making up for lost time and reverting to the mean...) the entire time they were there.

When I came home from work last night I asked Monkey about her day, and asked her what she saw at the zoo. I expected her to say giraffe, elephant, monkey, or even cow (from the children's zoo part). Nope. She looked at me and said "meerkat."

There was a 2 or 3 second pause as my brain scrambled to understand this word. Monkey pronounced it correctly, I just wasn't expecting it! It honestly startled me.

I figured that this was a fluke, but when M got home Monkey also reported to Daddy that she had seen a meerkat at the zoo.

And this morning? She asked for a meerkat when M went into her room after she woke up.

This kid cracks me up.

Pigtails

Monkey has some long-ass hair. It is now so long that if her diaper is hiked up on her back a little bit too far? Her hair can tuck into it. Yes, it really is THAT long. (and yes, photos will get on here...eventually. been busy!)

Most days I put her hair into pigtails, with a ribbon barrette in the front to keep the wispies out of her eyes.

Lately, Monkey has started playing with her pigtails. She'll twirl them around and around with her hands, kind of absent-mindedly, which is awfully cute.

Until you realize that her hands are covered in garlic tomato spaghetti sauce. Yum.

Billabehuh

I got to laugh out loud, heartily, twice this morning.

First, I went in to grab Monkey when she moved from saying "hi," and clicking the light on and off in her room, into that keening cry that says retrieve me and feed me NOW or I'll cry so hard the paint will peel off the walls.

As I walked through the door, she popped up onto her feet to say "hi" and STILL HAD PONYTAILS in! She looked like Boo, from the Pixar flic Monsters, Inc. It made me laugh outloud, I was so startled at this giggling, goggling daughter of mine with her hair all messed up! (Nana babysat last night, and, well, she raised boys....)

An added bonus? After I took the ponytail holders out and brushed her hair, I realized I could leave the top bow in - she went to school that way! Ta dah. 5 minutes saved, right there. Awesome.

Second cause for glee??? Monkey said bellybutton this morning!!

I was kneeling on the floor, she was in the glider (aka the Big Girl Chair) and I was wrangling her into her outfit for the day. Once I peeled off her new footed jammies (compliments of Jason, Lauri and Emma who gave Dad a gift certificate to Century 21 - thanks guys!), she was clothed simply in her diaper. She reached down, peeled back the top of the diaper that was obscuring her belly button, pointed to her bellybutton and said....billabehuh!!!

Ok, so we need to work on enunciation.

But when Dad came into the room, she said "billabehuh" and pointed at his midriff, demanding an on the spot belly button inspection. Dad complied, of course - belly button patrol is an important part of each day in our household. Good times.

Viva la resistance!

Monkey has apparently been watching the history channel when we weren't paying attention, and has learned from Mahatma Gandhi's biography the tenets of non-violent resistance. She employs these methods when confronted by racism, sexism, apartheid, the war in Iraq, George Bush's policy drivel, hedge fund's taxation at 15%, and other offensive and/or morally repugnant activities.

Recent offensive activities include:

• changing of poopy diaper
• combing of hair
• wearing of clean clothing

When confronted with an undesired activity, she goes limp and flops to the floor like a wet noodle.

She's fighting the power, man.