1m2aSandbox

I feel it’s only fair to take a moment and give you my point of view on the whole Check-Up Time Elmo thing, since Maddie’s entry (see previous blog) came across a bit harsh.

So here’s my side of the story.

A couple days before Christmas, I was busy opening all the boxes we’d been sent by out-of-town friends and family. One box, sent to Madeleine, came from Amazon and I thought I knew what was inside. Opening it up, I found a pre-wrapped gift. As I started to pick it up, I heard a very distinct and unforgettable voice say, “Are you giving Elmo a check-up?”

I swear, I about peed in my pants from fright.

Opening up the enclosed packing slip I discovered that no, it was not what I’d thought, and yes, indeed, it was a Check-Up Time Elmo sent from dear Uncle Daniel. Which is fine; Maddie loves Elmo and this gift seemed a sure-fire hit.

What I didn’t know was that this Elmo could also be known as “Chatty Elmo Who Talks Without Provocation.”

Dear Uncle Daniel:

Thank you very much for my new Check-Up Time Elmo. It is one of my favorite presents I got. I like it way better than the TMX Elmo my parents worked so hard to find for me. I carry it around everywhere. I make it ride my bouncy horse. I carry it with me during night-night time and cry when Daddy makes it not make noise.

I especially like how much Elmo talks and sings. Mommy must like it too, because she said that his song gets stuck in her brain and she can’t get it out for hours. Daddy seems to really like it because he said he wants to make a tape of the song and send it to you to hear over and over. I hope he does so you get to see how funny Elmo is.

So anyway, thank you so much for my favorite new toy. You are the best godfather and get me the best presents.

Love,

Your niece Maddie

Is anyone as excited as I am about Christmas being just around the corner?

I feel like a kid again, and it’s at least partly because I’ve acknowledged this year that having a child means everything takes more time. That means both cutting back on my “to-do” list, and planning further in advance. So I gave myself a generous deadline for getting boxes mailed, spaced out the holiday baking, and so forth. Which means that as I write this, I’ve only got a couple more hours of wrapping to do. The sheer luxury of so much time before Christmas!

Even more fun than having several stress-free days ahead, though, is watching Maddie as the date draws nearer. Not that she’s got December 25 circled on her mental calendar; I’m not crazy enough to think she really understands what’s coming up. But she senses that something’s building, something big is just around the corner, and I love watching her anticipation mixing with her toddler need for instant gratification.

As I near the holiday baking finish line, I’m amazed at how different this year is from last year.

Last year I had a six-month-old, incapable of independent motion. This year it’s an 18-month-old who won’t stand still. And both have their pros and cons.

Maddie’s hit this phase where everything she gets her hands on becomes immediately and intimately hers, and Lord help you if you try to get it away from her.

I saw this coming in Maddie’s older friend Naomi, and so was a bit ready for it. But still, you don’t really know what you’re going to do when your toddler begins sobbing and clinging to every single object in her path, from toys to trash.

Today our temperature outside hit a near-balmy 60 degrees. We’ve been enjoying this warm weather as much as possible, aware that all too soon we’ll have snow days keeping us from the park.

But as nice as it’s been outside, I look around my life and feel completely Snowed Under.

Do you know how some women walk around saying that before they had kids, they were good-looking? Well, before I had a child, I was organized.

The older Maddie gets, the more she begins to interact with kids her own age. When we first started hitting the playground and having play dates, she was around a year old and didn’t really play with other kids; she’d play next to other children or watch them interestedly like they were on television or something.

But now that Maddie has been hanging around with her playground pal Naomi for six months, there’s a definite relationship forming, and I think Maddie’s officially got her first BFF –

Best Friends Forever.