Hay Happens and Hay's Happen

Giving Tatum drums is a good idea

Giving Tatum drums is a good idea

Giving Tatum drums is a good idea.

I am repeating this to myself over and over. Perhaps if I say it, I’ll start believing it.

Yes, it’s a great idea. She sang “A tisket a tasket; a green and yellow basket; a little boy picked it up and put it in his pocket!” Ella would be proud.

 

We have arrived, folks!

I have not put a pair of diapers on Tatum for three days now (except for when she goes to bed).

Basically, it went down like this:
Mommy: Tatum, tomorrow, you are going to go on this potty before we leave, then you can wear these DORA Pull-ups. (note: the Tot had to be excited about the pull-up character)

There was not argument, but there were moments in the day when she wanted her diapers back on. This is what we called “an accident.” It caused her some embarrassment and she wanted to give up; but we fought through and I told her that she could do it! I promised her ANY kind of panties!

Minnie, Dora, polka-dot, striped, colors…. She said, “I want Grover panties.” OK, so my kid wants a monster on her bum. Hmmmm.

So today, we went to Target and searched for some that she would like. Zip. Nothing really cute.  Minnie was the only kind that were decent, so we picked those and she tried on every pair when we got home.

Now that is a big girl.

 

A creative bag of tricks. You never know how long you will have to wait. This was no exception today.

I took Tatum with me because she actually enjoys watching and learning. Maybe it will inspire her to want to heal the sick one day!?

 

She wanted to fetch some water and the cone cups made it fun for her. Plus they double as hats for the babies!

I did not want to pull out the usual electronic devices which most parents rely upon to keep their LO busy. Instead, after she reached the bottom of the toy bag I brought, I had to allow her to have some imagination. And that is what we did. 

At first, we were fine. She read some books, played with her journal and just sat on my lap. But after the Dr. left the room and was gone for eons (like thirty minutes) I had to figure something out.

We decided to put dot stickers in her journal book and make pictures out of the dots. She got really into this!
Then, I pulled out her magnetic paper doll which lasted another thirty or so. 

It was a long time, but it ended up being a positive two and a half hours of time that could have been pretty nightmarish. I was not to fret, because we can turn any downtime into fun with the right frame of mind. It’s too easy to just rely on the cell phone and an app or an iPad. Her imagination makes those neurons grow and grow!

 

Part of me is a bit sad.

Tatum is growing up. Just today, as she was getting her haircut, I saw her as a little girl; not the toddler that she is. This of course is a reason to celebrate, but there is a teeny part of me that likes to keep her little.
If I could keep you little, Tot, I’d continue to pick your clothes and do your bow. But, then I’d miss someday you experimenting on ways to do your hair your way!

If I could keep you little, I’d cuddle with you and hold you, but then I’d miss out on you loving on Bella so tenderly as you do.If I could keep you little, I would probably never want to change another diaper! This is one bonus of you getting bigger. Today, you wore your Dora pull-ups and used the potty through the day. You even ran to the throne in the rush to “make it” just in time!


I love you little, Tot, and I won’t trade the daily joy I get from being with you. 

Tatum’s brain is just that. ONE BIG SPONGE! My job is to fill it with the water of LIFE and LIVING! This means, I give her as many experiences that I can while her brain develops. It is said that you “use it or lose it” between 3 and 16. If I don’t introduce her to as many things as possible, then perhaps she’ll miss out on something! Yes, I’m overthinking it, but I want her to have the world in her pocket; then she can choose from so many things vs. being limited to only what she has been exposed.

So, today we went to the zoo! God knew that we had planned this, because it was quite hazy today and pretty mild weather. I had about two hours of sleep last night, so when it was 6 am, I fell asleep thinking I’ll get up in a minute. Then, BOOM! It was 7:56! Now, this never happens, BUT it was the best sleep I have had all week. Still exhausted and groggy, I quickly got her out of bed, stuffed some food in an insulated bag, and headed out the door. We arrived there about 8:30, and the parking lot was pretty empty. Mostly minivans because the park seems to attract moms and their kiddos on a weekday morning!

She wanted to be in the stroller, so the minute we headed out, my water fell all over the ground. Great. Well, I’d just sip out of her water bottle, right!? That or buy a $5 one, so I opted for the drinking fountain. This disappointment lasted about 10 seconds because we immediately saw a cute little fox sleeping. What a great start! He was not like the foxes in the picture books we read. Gentle, small and innocent looking, and I did not want to find out otherwise.
We stopped for a quick hopscotch challenge, and off we went!

Next, UPHILL, we headed for the lions tigers and bears (oh my!). The tiger was making a meow roar sound, and it echoed! Tot and I were honestly kind of scared! That poor tiger seemed to just sigh and say, “Oh, I am ready for a change.” Yes, he’d like little Tot in his tummy!

The lions were sleeping and so were the rhinos, so not much there. Then, of course we had to find the baboons! Hilarious little guys. They really just seem to have not a care in the world except finding something in that pile of hay they dig through. I can see why being called a baboon might feel a bit offensive. They seem to be the most intellectually challenged animal in God’s kingdom.

Now, while walking around the monkey arena, a zoo lady came by and told us the bears were swimming! A mommy bear was watching her baby swim around in the water. So, we left the frog pit and headed out, THE LONG WAY. (Remember, I’m pushing her..no water!..parched!)

Oh my goodness, I was awestruck. I had never really seen this before, and it just warmed my heart to see her enjoy the bear as well. I’m positive he’d eat us right up, but for the moment, I wanted to just hug him! His mommy sat upon the rock and just enjoyed the view.

After this, the flamingos, macaws and ostriches just didn’t have the same oomph, but I still enjoyed seeing the beauty of God’s creation. We tried to get the macaw to talk to us, but he was more interested in chatting with the monkeys next door. 

It was only about 90 minutes, and we were absolutely..no, I was absolutely exhausted! So…we stopped for a water and snack.

Again, just spending time in HIS creation just made me happy, no matter how hot, tired or thirsty we were.
The puppet show we went to on Friday and the books we read about animals just make these experiences for Tot so much more fun, and for Tatum, she is just soaking it ALLLLLL in! Each week, I’ll attempt to give her a NEW experience so she can find her niche and passion. Right now, it seems to be doggies and still…trains.

I love you Tot!