SQTF 81: Weaning, Spring Cleaning, and Fun with the Toddler

I

So I just deleted a couple of paragraphs of whining about my teething toddler dropping a coffee mug on my foot this morning and refusing to nap, and when he finally fell asleep the landlady starting to vacuum hard floors right above us... Such a fun day. Not. But now he is finally sleeping soundly and I'm going to try to find positive things to focus on instead of all of the frustrating stuff.

II

Things like the goofy boy playing with his toothbrush. You'd think it was the greatest toy in the world, the way he begs to brush his teeth (and tongue, and hair...) every time we go into the bathroom. He has such a blast making faces at us when we are brushing our teeth before bed, mimicking and over-exaggerating our actions.

III

And things like weaning; yes, that is a positive thing! I'd planned to let Little Bear be the one to decide if we would stop before he turned 2, but about a week ago, my milk pretty much disappeared all of a sudden. He's taking it better than I expected, although we've usually had one brief midafternoon bout of tears when he asks and I have to say no. There's still just enough to let him nurse before nap time and bedtime, which I'm sure has helped--he's going down easily and getting enough rest to be able to handle it the rest of the time. It's so nice to see him learning to fall back asleep without nursing when he half-awakens at night or in the middle of a nap.

IV

And the weather! Ladies and gentlemen, Spring has arrived. It is beautiful outside, and Little Bear and I have been loving the long sunny afternoons of playing out in the snow this week. Spring is the best time to play in the snow, because it's actually warm enough to pack snowballs and build forts. We still have several feet of it in the back yard, but in the south-facing front yard, the indentations are growing around the fence and the tree trunks. All of the main roads were clear when I was out running errands yesterday, although some were awash with melting snow and probably slickened up after nightfall. Little Bear discovered puddles for the first time yesterday when we were waiting to pick Matt up from work, and after Matt met up with us, Little Bear dragged us back over to the melting spots to show Daddy how he could splash.

V

Oh, and spring cleaning. I love going through cupboards and closets and getting rid of clutter, and last weekend, while Matt played with Little Bear I managed to go through my dresser and closet, actually try on every single item, and sort things. One pile to keep, one to mend, one to sell, one to donate. Anything that didn't fit, or I didn't like, or I was only keeping because "I really ought to have one of those for someday," went on one of the last two piles. No wonder I was always frustrated and uninspired when I looked in my closet: eight grocery bags of clothes went out the door! One to my sister, who is a size I'll never be again; one to a local consignment shop; one to Once Upon a Child, a "gently used" kids/maternity store; and five to the local thrift store. I am all done wishing to be the size I was back in the middle of college! I'm happy with myself the way I am, and--especially with as little storage space as we have here--there is no point to hanging on to cute skirts and tops that haven't fit in five years. There's definitely even less point to hanging on to things that I've never liked.

VI

Getting out of the house yesterday was definitely a positive thing; comparing yesterday to today, I think it's pretty obvious that being all by myself at home with the crazy toddler is a whole lot more stressful than being out running around town with him. Which sounds self-evident now, but I always think that I'm making my days easier by opting to stay home... Hmm. Anyway, yesterday was a little bit ridiculous: after Little Bear's nap and lunch, it was 1:20pm. We browsed the sale racks at the consignment shop while the clerk looked at what I'd brought, then got gas across the parking lot. Ran out to my parents' house to drop off the bag for my sister and let Liitle Bear see the "arf arf," which always makes him excited, then drove across town to Sam's Club. What should have been a quick stop morphed into a more-than-40-minute mess of wandering back and forth trying to find the dried fruit, which they had moved somewhere so illogical that none of the employees I asked could find it; I finally gave up and got a tin of their survival-food freeze dried strawberries instead. Once Upon a Child was a fun stop; Value Village was quick, just dropping things off, but I had enough bags that they filled up my savings pass stamp book: 30% off my next purchase! That'll be fun. After that we swung through the bank drive-through--possibly the best modern invention ever for moms of fussy tykes--and picked up some groceries from Fred Meyers, while Little Bear was bribed into sitting quietly and happily in the cart with a cookie from the bakery. By the time we left, we barely had any puddle-splashing time before picking Matt up from work!

VII

That was very long, and is going to count for two because it looks like Little Bear is awake.

Have a great weekend! For more quick takes, visit Conversion Diary!