The Logic of a Toddler

Let me try and explain the logic of a toddler.

[Toddler enters room]

Are there any interesting things/people in this room? If not, go to next room. If there is, first go to people who have food. If they do not immediately offer the food, grunt and gesture for food. If they still don't give up the food, cry until they give up the goods. Once all food has been consumed, take a drink of milk from sippy cup and fling the cup across the room and gasp as you watch the milk spray everywhere.

Next, is there a dog in the room? If no, go on. If yes, run up to the dog, slap him on the nose and say "Hi!!" while waving with both hands.

Pee in pants.

Look for interesting things in the room. If none, go to next room. If yes, go on.

If there is anything within reach that I know I'm not supposed to have, grab it and run like the wind until mommy/daddy catches me.

Find next interesting thing in room. Can I climb/stand on it? If yes, do it. Once (not if) I fall off of it, cry until mommy coddles me.

If standing is not an option, can I fit inside of it? If yes, climb inside. Once I'm done playing inside of it, if I cannot get out, let my frustrations show until daddy pulls me out. If standing or climbing inside is not an option, sit down with it and play.

Poop in pants.

Beg for more food. Once successful, if dog is present, hold food out in front of it and then run when he tries to get it. Continue to run circles while laughing at dog when he can't reach food. Once (not if) dog snatches food, go back to mommy and daddy for more treats. Do this until satisfied.

Rub eyes, nose, and ears until mommy and daddy give me my binkie. Walk around room like zombie. Pull a couple books off shelf and bring to mommy and/or daddy. Let them read a few pages of book then jump off lap. Walk around room like zombie. Pull a couple more books off shelf and bring to mommy and/or daddy. Let them read a few pages of book and then jump off again. Repeat process until mommy/daddy put death grip on body preventing me from jumping off lap. Cry. Cry some more. Cry again. Give up and let mommy/daddy read Goodnight Moon to me once again. Fall asleep.

Coming soon...The Logic of a Teenage Girl.

The Boss

This weekend, I was feeling brave so I decided to go out and get a paper Sunday morning. I say this because Maya's favorite pastime is ripping up paper. But, she was a good girl and just grabbed a book, got onto the couch, and began to read with me. What a cutie she is.

Her latest thing is to tell us to do something. If she sees us go fill up Vinnie's dish with food, she stands next to his water and points/grunts. This indicates that is where we are supposed to put it. She can't stand when we don't have the baby-gate up on the bottom of the stairs. Sorry, we just sometimes forget, but good thing we got a little helper on our hands. We also hung some pictures this weekend (that had been sitting on our floor for a year) and every chance she got, she would grab the level, stud finder, and hammer and insist that I use it. Again, it's pointing and grunting--no real words.

Speaking of the speech thing, Maya had her 15-18 month checkup two weeks ago. We told Dr. Rosenbloom that we were worried about the lack of speech. She said that if she doesn't have 5-6 words in the next couple months, maybe we can get some tests done. We know she can hear and comprehend our instructions. A game that we play when we want her to occupy something else (in other words, get out of our hair for a bit), we ask her to go find a ball, baby, block, or book. She quickly runs off to find the item. For quite awhile, she has also been able to show us where her head, nose, ears, tummy, and toes are. So, we know she understands, but just needs to learn how to get the syllables out.

Lezlie does believe that her motor skills are more advanced than others her age. She can kick and throw balls around the room. She can also run very well. And of course, there is the professional dance routine:) Again, we're not worried, just concerned but if any of you have any ideas, let us know.

This weekend, Lezlie and I are going for a small getaway to Springfield for a couple days. So, Maya finally gets to spend some time with the Grandparents. I'm sure they will spoil her but I guess that is what grandparents are for. Anyway, if you haven't seen Maya for awhile, stop on by the grandparents house. I'm sure she'll love any attention you can give her.