Carpool Karaoke

Anybody who knows me knows that I love to sing in the car. I usually have the radio tuned to a top 40 station and as I drive around town I belt out Taylor Swift, Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, and whoever else happens to have the latest catchy tune that’s fun to sing and pass the time while driving. Sometimes I forget there’s a little guy in the back seat listening to every word, remembering every note, and on occasion I hear him chime in at the top of his lungs during the chorus. And it’s hilarious. But, after a recent lunch just the two of us at a pizza place occupied primarily by burly men on their lunch break from the nearby auto repair shop, I realized I may need to alter my driving habits. Or at least my choice of music.

The pizza place had their radio on and as we were eating, suddenly out of nowhere, B must have felt moved by the music. “Is it too late now to say soooorrryyyy” he blared without using his inside voice, loud enough for everyone to hear and start snickering around me. Oh, that just egged him on. Before I knew it, I was stifling my laughter while my little showman entertained the whole restaurant with his rendition of Taylor Swift’s Wildest Dreams. There’s something about a two-year-old singing the lyric, “handsome as heelllll” in his little toddler voice that’s completely adorably wrong. I was near tears I was laughing so hard, and my face was red as I uttered, “ok, mommy is going to have to pick a new favorite radio station.”

I’m sure one day I’ll embarrass him in a public place, maybe even more than once. He better hope it doesn’t involve singing.

In the meantime, I’ll be picking up the latest copy of Elmo’s Greatest Hits for our next car ride.

Big Boy’s Busy Month

This past month has been a whirlwind of fun and adventure! First, we had a visit from Toddler B’s cousins, my brother and his family from Virginia! We visited the zoo, children’s museum, playgrounds, and stayed busy doing laps around the kitchen. Maybe that last one was just the kids. It was great getting all of B’s cousins together. I love watching all of them play.

Next, we hopped on a plane and traveled to Florida for our friends’ wedding and some beach time! We had a blast spending time with our best friends and soaking up the sand and surf. (Arizona has enough sun, but we really missed the water!)

April wrapped up with my birthday as I turned the big 3-1. But, while I may be the one hitting a new year, B is the one taking major steps into “big boy” territory.

This week, he got rid of his pacifier. We told him he was a big boy and didn’t need it anymore, and he threw it in the garbage can himself, proudly saying, “Bye paci!” He seemed fine! And he was, until seconds before I put him in his crib that night when he asked, “can I have a different paci?”

For the next half hour over the baby monitor we heard him sadly talking to the darkness, saying, “I want another paci.” “Is there another paci I can use?” Holding back tears, I tucked him in again and again, telling him he didn’t need it. During the last tuck-in of the night, he looked up and said, “I don’t need my paci anymore.” That was Monday night, and he has gone to sleep just fine without it since.

As with all of his major transitions, I had prepared myself for several sleepless nights and endless crying. And, as with all of his major transitions, he took it in stride and adjusted quickly with very little protest. I only cried a little... when I tucked him in tonight without his paci and realized, he really is a big boy.