life with a new baby
Posts tagged grumpy
Turbo’s big shave
Sep 2nd
So Turbo, out beautiful Maine Coon kitty, decided to make the dark recesses under the couch his new lair. Unfortunately for him, this caused his fur to become matted. So Paul and I had no other option than to shave the big guy, not only because the mats could not simply be brushed out, but also because Turbo is not going to quit going under the couch. Being shaved will prevent mats from forming.
Unfortunately, Turbo did not want to cooperate for long, so we were unable to finish styling his legs. He did well, though. It took about two hours, and by the time we were done, the shaved fur piled on the floor looking like another whole animal.
But I’m not sure he will ever forgive us for this.
In fact, I’m pretty sure he will remember this forever.
We’re sorry, Big Turb. I guess you don’t exactly feel like you’re Turbo the Terminator anymore, do you?
A melting human
Aug 11th
So I’m pretty sure it really IS possible for a human to melt.
Like the wicked witch off the Wizard of Oz, only without the pointy hat and the whole being-a-witch thing. I’m melting! Melting! (If you click on the link, fast forward to about 3 minutes and 15 seconds to see the melting scene. Because who wouldn’t want to see a witch melt?)
I know, I know. I’ve been whining and grousing about the heat lately, but you guys! Our air conditioner quit working yesterday evening.
As in, dead. Bereft of life. Pushing up daisies. Defunct.
Our air conditioner went to meet it’s maker. Probably the devil himself, considering the shoddy job it did cooling our house as it was. But still… it kept it cooler than it is right now. And believe it or not, we can’t just go out and grab another one because the only ones the stores nearby have in stock are crappy, cheap little air conditioners that would be a waste of money and wouldn’t cool our house. We have to ORDER it and have it SHIPPED. Which takes days. DAYS. I’ll probably be roasted by then. Completely cooked.
Just give me a pitch fork and a pointed tail and I’ll fit right into my environment.
Yes, I know. People in Australia and other parts of the world would totally scoff at me right about now. But I admit it, I am a TOTAL WUSS when it comes to uncomfortable heat. I guess you could say I am addicted to air conditioning. So keep your collective fingers crossed for us. Here’s to hoping we can get some relief and SOON!
A manic little elf
Aug 3rd
You guys! I was feeding Nathan his lunch today when he suddenly was on the verge of an Apocalyptic Meltdown. So I started making silly faces at him. It was only partially successful. He wouldn’t stop crying, so he was laughing uproariously and crying SIMULTANEOUSLY. Like some sort of CRAZED, MANIC ELF.
What a strange kid.
His diaper must’ve been in a wad or something, I don’t know. But it took me holding him while dancing to one of his favorite songs to get him in a good mood again. Now, my arms and legs feel disconcertingly like big BLOBS OF JELLO, but hey! I successfully thwarted a temper tantrum!
I have a Zombler
Jul 28th
Me: “So Nathan has been walking around the house whining for the past few days because he’s teething. His little arms are constantly outstretched, wanting me to pick him up. But since he doesn’t talk much, he just whines this constant “Uuuhhhhhh! Uuuuhhhhh! Uuuuuuhhhhhhhh!” I love him dearly, but he’s been driving me nuts.”
Friend: “I see. I’ve been through this, too. Do you know what you’re dealing with?”
Me: “No. What?”
Friend: “You’re dealing with a zombler.”
Me: “…”
Friend: “Yeah. You know, a zombie-toddler. Zombler.”
Me: “That’s it! I TOTALLY HAVE A ZOMBLER!”
Nature’s beauty
Jul 20th
These are some pictures I took on the Fourth of July Weekend. Oh, and the last picture? The one where Nathan is smiling happily at the camera? Yeah, that lasted about three seconds. Until he realized he was in the GRASS. The mean, evil, child-eating grass. That ended up being only one of two pictures I could take of him sitting on the lawn that day.
Stubborn little guy
Jul 10th
Nathan likes to attempt to tell me exactly what he thinks when I tell him he can’t do something. I shot this video a month or two ago (sorry it’s a bit blurry- I was still trying to figure out our camera), and it’s just a small sampling of what Life With a Toddler is like. A toddler grumbles over every single thing. He thinks that everything he’s not allowed to do is an injustice. Because, for example, if electrical sockets aren’t supposed to be licked, THEN THEY SHOULDN’T BE WITHIN EYESIGHT. Or at least, that’s the way a one-year-old see it. Same with remote controls. We don’t let him play with the remote controls because they become slobbery, chewed up projectiles. They get left on the coffee table, and Nathan just can’t help himself. He has to touch them, EVEN IF I AM RIGHT THERE, knowing the whole time that he’s doing something he’s not supposed to be doing.
When he starts acting like this, however, I always have to just redirect his attention elsewhere. Nathan has definitely gotten my stubborn streak!
Finally! He complies!
Jul 8th
Nathan has finally started helping me get him dressed!
I was getting him ready for bed, and normally when I’m putting his shirt on, I have to hold the armholes open, reach through with my fingers, grab his flailing hand, and drag his arm through the armhole while Nathan protests loudly and strains against me.
I don’t know why. I’ve only been dressing him EVERY SINGLE DAY OF HIS ENTIRE 16-MONTH LIFE. The way he acts, you’d think I was trying to make him eat cow-tongue or something equally protest worthy.
But tonight, he put his hand through the armhole without my help! On his own! And I didn’t have to sternly furrow my eyebrows or use The Voice. (If you’re a parent or ever around children, YOU KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT).
That boy does not like to get dressed, so him putting his arm through the armhole on his own volition was huge. As in, climbing Mount Everest huge. Getting a toddler to do what you want them to do is psychological warfare, so when they finally comply and it’s peaceful, there’s this huge rush of relief knowing the enormous amount of energy you’ve expended teaching your toddler how to behave is paying off. Normally, changing his shirts means lots of protesting, writhing, hand flailing, whining, and even a petulant “humph” or two as he angrily crosses his arms over his Buddha Belly in an attempt to prevent compliance. Changing his clothes can be quite the workout… for both of us.
I hope this compliance lasts because I love not having shirt changes morph into The Toddler’s Apocalypse. Because, to a toddler, anything that is not the way he wants it IS THE END OF THE WORLD.
Recent Comments
Yes! A personal maid would be perfect! Oh, that would free up SO much of my time!!
I'll take a double-layer chocolate one!!
He is SO not happy about it. I feel so bad for him... if only he would groom himself then ...
Don't you just love it? sometimes, I used to think my kids should have come equipped with their own maids ...