1m2aSandbox

Last fall, a girlfriend of mine gave birth
to an adorable little girl. When O was about ten weeks old, my
friend emailed me in a panic: “She doesn’t have any
routine I can figure out! Should I start trying to make her stick
to a schedule? What am I going to do about her sleep
habits???” From my non-sleep-deprived position, I could
clearly see that this was all part of new babyness and nothing to
worry about; I emailed her back with an encouraging pep talk,
reminding her that O was going to grow into a routine soon enough
and nothing she was doing now would ruin that.


Then about a week ago I started to have that same panic –
it’s been over two months! When is this screaming machine
going to settle down and be predictable! What can I do! I’m
ruining her for life by not forcing a schedule! I can’t stop
talking in exclamation points! And I swear, I almost emailed this
exact same girlfriend for advice. Because it’s all about
distance: the further back you are, the easier it is for you to see
what’s going on and stay calm.

A few things that are important to
understand about me and the world of infant clothing:


First, I loved baby clothes. Think they’re really cute. And,
compared to adult clothes, really cheap. And, since they outgrow
them so fast, I always have an excuse to go shopping.


Second, I think that clothing giving is a tricky thing. You have to
not only have good taste, but similar taste to the person to whom
you’re giving the gift. And if you’re giving someone
baby clothes, I think the clothing should be not only cute, but
well-made enough to last more than two washings.

Yes, we’re sick. And I’m tired
of it.


A few days ago Maddie and I went to a playdate with several other
kids. Apparently one mother brought her toddler along, even though
he was sick with a cold, because he didn’t want to miss it.
When did I find this out? Was it after he took a drink out of my
daughter’s water and I didn’t wipe it because I
didn’t want to seem petty? Nope.


I received this news from another friend, as I complained about
Maddie and I having a cold and not being able to figure out where
we’d picked it up.

Proving once more that she’s
definitely my daughter (as if the c-section scar isn’t proof
enough), Maddie has reached new heights with her lack of tact
concerning her opinions.


As I’ve mentioned before, Madeleine is quick to speak up if
someone’s talents are not up to standard. And by
“someone”, I usually mean me. Many times in the past
we’ve put on music for some Song and Dance time (listen, you
gotta make your own fun), and I’d start dancing around the
room. After a few moments of watching me, Maddie would speak up and
say, “Mama no dance.” It took all my control to not
point out to my then-1-year-old that lots of people used to pay 100
bucks a ticket to see mommy dance, but I tried not to take it
personally. Likewise, we’d start singing songs, and
she’d simply shake her head and say, “Mama, no.”
I’d run through my whole repertoire and nothing was good
enough for this critic.

Just in case you hadn’t heard,
Fisher-Price is recalling over a million toys for containing
lead-laced paint. The toys, all made in China, were made between
April and August of 2007, and include characters from Sesame
Street, Dora, Diego, and more. This is considered serious, and you
are urged to take any toys on the list away from your child
immediately.


The recall has been issued in conjunction with the CPSC. Click
href="http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07257.html">here
to read the official CPSC recall, including a list of all recalled
toys, and get more information. You can also call
Fisher-Price’s hotline (800-916-4498) or visit their target="_blank"
href="http://service.mattel.com/us/recall/default.asp?recall_id=52430">
website. And just as a reminder, you can sign up for
automatic notification of any child-related recalls via email
– simply click href="http://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.asp">here to find out
more.

Yes, Brian’s home and the house is
still standing. More important, everyone’s still alive and I
haven’t run screaming. How did we fare? You be the judge:

So Brian’s heading off for a long
weekend and I’ve been freaking out for, oh, a few months now.
He’s best man for a wedding and with us moving into month 5
of unemployment, tickets for everyone just wasn’t in the
cards.


Which means Mommy’s home alone.