A Mind of his Own

Toddler B is growing more independent every day, and most of the time it feels wonderful to watch him make his own decisions, like choosing a story to read for bed time, or initiating a game of hide-and-seek, or even trying something new like going down the big slide at the playground all by himself. Nothing makes me happier than to see his face, beaming, as he says "I did it my-yelf!"

Sometimes, however, his clarity of intention and follow-through don't align with my directions. That's when parenting a toddler feels like, well, parenting a toddler. The best example was a recent trip to Lowe's, shopping for some small tools and handles for a dresser.

As I pushed him in the awkwardly-large "racecart" or cart with a racecar seat that he supposedly loves to ride in, he expressed his desire to get down and walk. After my attempt to distract him and say no, he thought he'd just climb out by himself. While Drew was looking for a particular type of screw in the hardware aisle, I decided to pick up B and the half dozen small handles I'd already put in the cart, instead of juggling a toddler and an awkwardly-large racecart.

Still, he wanted to walk. "Ok, let's go find the tape," I said, putting him down and shifting half a dozen handles in my arms. "Help mommy find the tape."

B followed close behind as we walked toward the other end of the store, until he turned and said, "outside." Seeing the look on his face, I started to worry. "No, not right now, can you help me find the tape? It's this way."

"Go outside." he said. "No," I replied. "Follow me this way." He must have sensed my fear because then, he smiled.

Without missing a beat, he bolted past the cashier and out the door as I sprinted after him, through the metal detector, juggling an armload of dresser handles, grabbing him by his hoodie as he stepped onto the sidewalk. I scooped him up, dropping half the merchandise I'd just unintentionally stolen from Lowe's, in front of an audience of customers checking out on Black Friday weekend.

When I finally made it back to Drew, disheveled, frustrated, embarrassed, and frankly shocked at the boldness of B's test of boundaries, all I had to do was hand him the toddler and head to the register by myself, while he headed to the car. In our house, we call this a "tag out," and I'm convinced it's why parents come in sets of two.

I'm sure it won't be the last time a trip to the store is cut short, or B decides to go his own way instead of follow instructions. But, today as he sprinkled cheese on a tortilla, standing on a chair at the kitchen counter, B looked at me smiling and said, "I did it my-yelf!"

And I melted.

At 22 months, B likes... hide-and-seek, trains, sports class, painting, racing, playing cars, feeding ducks, cooking, bath time, and so much more!

He dislikes... bedtime, naps, and brushing his teeth.

Trick or Treat Please

This month, Baby B (now Toddler B) added some new words to his ever-growing vocabulary- "Trick or treat please!" His first experience with trick-or-treating actually came the weekend before Halloween, when we attended a "Howl-O-Ween" event with friends. A portion of the zoo path was set up with doors and volunteers passing out candy to costumed children. B wore his Robin costume (I wore my batman t-shirt and his daddy was Nightwing, a reference left to the most devout of comic nerds,) and B caught on right away. As soon as he realized that his request resulted in candy, he sprinted to each door, yelling "Trick or treat please!" I ran behind, a nervous wreck that his full speed sprint would wind up in a candy-flung splatter on the pavement.  Which it did at least once. Luckily, he gave a resounding, "I'm o.k" and continued on.

The next weekend was Halloween. With a dress rehearsal under his utility belt, B was set to go with his cousins, our dog, and a wagon in tow as we traveled the block going door-to-door. It was like three adults trying to herd cats... and a dog. B had a great time sprinting from one house to another, occasionally spilling his entire bucket of candy all over strangers' yards, one cousin running ahead while Elsa climbed into the wagon, and Super Max staking claim over all of the bushes and fire hydrants in the neighborhood. At one point, I turned around to see B holding a lollipop wrapper with the biggest smile on his face. By the end of the night he was deliriously tired, sticky, and full of sugar. The traveling circus returned home with a pretty good haul.

At 21 months old, B likes: "trick or treats" which he uses to refer to any kind of candy, running, dump trucks, riding in daddy's car, sports class, play dough, play dates, playgrounds, and any other kind of playing.

He dislikes: being told no, naps, having to share, and diaper changes.

The "Grand" Tour

I pride myself on being an excellent tour guide to family and friends who come to visit. Most of the time they're traveling 2,000 miles to check out the amazing sights and fun-loving people here in Arizona. This past weekend we were lucky enough to host my BFF, Baby B's "Auntie Heather."

We've known each other since the 6th grade, we graduated high school together, lived together in Florida, and she stood by me when I got married. In her wedding toast, she joked about the driver's ed class we took together and how I lack any sense of direction, getting lost during the lesson on the way to her house which I'd been to countless times. So, when I accidentally drove an hour out of our way on the way to the Grand Canyon, she should've seen it coming. It wasn't my best tour guide moment. It wasn't the worst tour guide moment of the trip either. I later backed into a prickly pear cactus while hiking. Every time we get together, it's an adventure!

We made it to the canyon to tour and watch the sunset, spent a drizzly day hiking in Sedona, and best of all, spent lots of quality time with Baby B.

At 20 months, B loves: music, dancing, water play, slides, trains, chasing birds, talking, eating, and so much more!

B dislikes: naps, diaper changes, and being interrupted.

Road Trip!

Labor Day Weekend is a tradition in our household. My husband and I officially became "boyfriend and girlfriend" 8 years ago during a weekend road trip, and since then have taken a trip every Labor Day with the exception of last year, when we moved into our first home. (which was an adventure in itself.)

This past weekend, we took our first family road trip- to San Diego! Baby B was a trooper during the 6-hour drive. We arrived in time to spend the day at the San Diego Zoo, see the koalas, (my favorite!) get up close and personal with an orangutan, watch a gorilla carry her baby on her back as I carried mine in the same way, (for his nap) and on our way out we let B choose his own souvenir. Despite our endorsements for the stuffed koalas, B chose a large, stuffed hippo. After exclaiming, "hippo!" he gave it kisses and proceeded to play with it the rest of the trip, snuggling it that night and feeding it some of his breakfast pancake the next morning.

The next day we headed to Sea World where the main attraction wasn't necessarily Shamu. Within the park there is a Sesame Street section, and it was there that we learned B isn't as shy with certain strangers as many would imagine. Usually in a new place, he takes a while to warm up and clings to me around people he has just met. Turns out, Muppets are an exception. He ran right up to Elmo and gave him a hug.  He even took a photo sitting between Elmo and Cookie Monster by himself. It's one of my favorite photos from our trip, second only to this one of three toddlers completely ignoring the incredibly rare and beautiful creature right behind them, because the little girl had potato chips.

In addition to potato chips and Muppets, at 19 months old, B likes... running, cars, trucks, trains, planes, boats, motorcycles, animals (or as he says it, "aminals") chasing birds, snacks, talking, puzzles, and so much more.

He dislikes... naps, being interrupted, and brushing his teeth.

Top 10 Things You Know When You're a Mom in AZ

It takes a special kind of mom to raise children in Arizona, especially with this summer's record-setting heat! Here are some of the things only us AZ moms can understand:

1. Skinned knees year-round because your kid wears shorts every day.













2. Cart covers... not just for germs, but for burns.

3. Ice pack coolers for car seats

4. An emphasis on swim lessons in a state with no water. Pools. Everywhere.

5. Birthday parties at the playground, the zoo, the train park, the water park... what's a rain plan?

6. The genius that is the Noggle.

7. The terrifying realization that the Grand Canyon is no place for a toddler. Who's idea was this road trip?

8. Camelback water bottles. Never leave home without them.

9. How to keep those pesky scorpions under control.

10. For more than 300 days of sunshine, we wouldn't have it any other way!

At his 18 month check up, Baby B weighed in at 25lbs and 34 inches tall!

Half Birthday

Today is Baby B's half-birthday! He's officially 18 months old, definitely a toddler, and I can't believe in just 6 months he'll be two. Hopefully it won't be "terrible."

This milestone has me thinking back on the past year and a half and how wonderful this whole parenting adventure has been. To celebrate his half-birthday, here's a look back at baby B's first year:



At 18 months, Baby B likes running, talking, puzzles, cars, trains, telling jokes, Mickey Mouse, anything with buttons, sports class, and so much more!

He dislikes: naps, being interrupted while playing, and thunderstorms.

Top Chef: Toddler Edition

Though cooking has never been my strong suit, I'm a big fan of cooking shows. Watching those shows I've learned many things: how to sneak veggies into Mac and cheese, what zest is and why it's apparently necessary on everything, and I've heard many times that you're never too young to start participating in the kitchen.

I'm here to tell you what many same parents already know: that last part is false. 17 months old, is too young to participate in the kitchen.

After watching Daphne Oz make sweet potato brownies on The Chew I received the vegetable in my weekly box from the farmers market. "Perfect!" I thought. "Oh, what fun it would be to make these with Toddler B!" Clearly I was delusional at the time.

I got my ingredients and chased him down, plopped him standing on a chair so he could reach the counter where I'd carefully laid out the mixing bowl and a measured cup of flour. I reached to guide his little hand but he quickly took his other hand and started patting the flour aggressively, watching it fly and puff all over his shirt and the floor. Just as I started to clean it, he saw the canister of cocoa powder. Who knew he could open cocoa powder? By now the dog was intrigued at the prospect of flying ingredients and I was scrambling to do damage control. I snatched the mixing bowl, cocoa powder and removed the eggs from his reach before it was too late. In my haste to create a distraction to buy time, I gave him a smaller bowl and poured in a few spoonfuls of the next ingredient I happened to be holding. Brown sugar.

There I was, less than 5 minutes in, covered in flour and cocoa powder, scraping ingredients off the counter as my son stood next to me happily shoving handfuls of brown sugar directly into his mouth.

At least he was occupied long enough for me to finish the mix. The "sweet potato brownies" turned out to taste pretty good despite the fact that none of the measurements were precise. Not even close. And yes, I fed them to my toddler even though he'd just eaten who-know-how-much straight brown sugar.

As I said, cooking has never been my strong suit. But, at least the food critics in this house are easy to please!