Inasmuch as looking out for two kids can be easy, it has been. Yesterday I managed to pick up around the house before taking the kids to the airport to drop off Grandma D. After we returned, it was time for bottle & nap and lunch & nap; I actually had an hour of downtime to boot.

After naps, I took both of the kids to the grocery store. It turned out to be a very quick trip because I forgot to bring the baby bjorn, which left me holding Tara in one arm while I tended Anna, pushed the cart, and grabbed items with the other. It doesn’t look easy, and it’s less easy than it looks. Today, we’ll go again after naps, this time with the bjorn. And pants.¹

What is it about October?

Today we received the 5th and 6th birthday party invitations for the weekend of July 9-10. Doesn’t anyone watch baseball this time of year?

Parenting Daddy-style

Today was surely the first bottle Tara has consumed in the garage. I spent most of the morning cleaning it while Tara slept. Anna alternately blew bubbles and lamented that whatever unused toy I was packaging up to store, donate, or discard was absolutely her most precious and beloved belonging, and that she would surely die without it. I never read the Lord of the Rings books, but I’m convinced that it was when Gollum’s dad had tripped over that ring one too many times and packed it up to give to the Salvation Army that caused Gollum to go all nonlinear. Anyway, the garage is approximately half cleaned, such that I can get into my car without having to slide across the hood Dukes-of-Hazzard-style.

Being Ignored Builds Character

Anna has done very well what with having to share my attention with Tara. She has been becoming more autonomous lately, and the last two days she has been downright helpful. She can get set her place at the table, pour her own cereal (and milk if the container isn’t too full), get her own cup of water from the dispenser, and clear her dishes. Yesterday and today, she selected all her desired items for lunch–soup, macaroni, fruit–and set them out on the counter for me to prepare. As good as her day behavior has been, her night behavior has been falling off. She wakes up between 5-6 am and often whines until we come out and scold her back into her room. She usually doesn’t nap, and to pass the time she uses the bathroom. I must be spending several hundred dollars a month on flushable wipes and the water bill. I honestly never thought that being potty-trained would be more wasteful than being in disposable diapers.

Both kids are now having nap, so I’ve got to get my shopping list together so we can go to the store and have something on the table for dinner tonight.

¹ Tara needs to wear pants, lest she get chilly in the refrigerated section. As usual, I won’t be wearing pants.