Living with a Toddler

Yesterday, I found two washcloths in the bathroom wastebasket.  Now, I don't know about your house, but at our house, washcloths are a hot commodity and I don't want to be losing any.  This was, of course, courtesy of Kaitlyn.  Other things that may have made it into the garbage can lately thanks to her (because I can't find them):

• her purple sippy cup
• one of her shoes
• an assortment of Tupperware containers

We are pretty sure we lost an expensive Mont Blanc pen this way when Ethan was a toddler, so I definitely need to start watching what goes in the trash more carefully.

Last Friday, I was playing with toys with her in her bedroom.  She was happily enthralled with a shoe that plays music, so I sneaked out, turned on Christmas music in the living room (Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan albums, if you were wondering), and put a load of laundry in the washing machine.  Then I went back in to check on Kaitlyn.  She was sitting on a chair in her room, coloring her wall with red colored pencil.  All over.  Clearly, five minutes was too long to leave her alone.


She keeps pulling the scissors out of the drawer I keep them in.  (Which is just at her level, right next to the computer.)  So yesterday, I moved them to the drawer in the kitchen where I keep the kitchen scissors and the sandwich baggies (it's high enough that she can't actually see into the drawer.  Also, she has never EVER opened this drawer before).  Within an hour, I was sitting on the couch in the living room and she walked in, opening and closing the scissors with a triumphant WHACK.  And onto the top of the fridge they go.

Do you know how many times we have had spilled milk at our house in the last four days?  Six.  Six times.  Of course, once was a result of my own clumsiness.  But each time I kept thinking, oops, it must have been an accident.  Then this morning, I gave her a bowl of Kix with a teeny bit of milk (like, just enough to cover the bottom of the bowl).  One minute later, I looked over at her and watched her slooowly pick up her bowl and turn it upside down.  I tried to get there as quickly as I could, but it was already all down her front, all over the counter, and spilled down onto the floor.  I decided right then that from now on she is getting a sippy cup of milk and a bowl of dry Kix.

She is inexplicably scared of her winter coat.  If I hold it out and suggest she put it on, she runs away crying.  So then, when I say, "Okay, forget about your coat. Let's put your jacket on," she happily comes over and puts her arm through the armhole.  We also have a seahorse toy whose tummy lights up and he plays sweet music.  (It's my nephew's favorite toy and he uses it to lull himself to sleep.)  However, it makes Kaitlyn do this:

And, she could probably use a daily bath.  Or sometimes, a bath after every meal.  Because when she decides she is finished eating, she does this with her food:

Yes, living with a toddler is always exciting.  And, when she runs to me, wraps her arms around me, gives me a giant slobbery kiss (complete with a MWAH sound) and snuggles her head into my neck, I feel more love for her than ever!