My Geek Baby

All the baby’s tiny socks are matched and put away neatly

You might have a toddler if…

Mismatched Elmo socks also double at mittens that she wears around the house

You might be a new parent if…
You made sure the baby ate a variety of fruits and veggies daily

You might have a toddler if…
Shredded cheese is considered a side dish

You might be a new parent if…

You make smoothies in the bathroom with the door closed so not to wake the napping baby

You might have a toddler if…

You hide in the same bathroom nearly two years later to drown out whining with the hair dryer on full blast and start thinking of repackaging and selling it on Amazon as the WhineBlaster 3000

Getting Indie ready for her second Halloween brought back memories of great costumes I had growing up. One year my mom sewed a shark costume I was so proud of. We went Trick or Treating in those days and I also attended our church’s Halloween alternative, Harvest Party, but in both scenarios there were costumes and candy so it’s pretty much a win-win. In fact, I won Best Costume that year of the Shark, even though a few people mistook it for a nun. Another time, when I was too old to Trick or Treat, three friends and I dressed as the Fruit of the Loom guys. I was the green grapes, covered in green balloons. This is a picture I must dig up.

Readers may remember our little prisoner of ‘08, who stayed home and helped entertain trick or treaters, but this year we went out for the fun of going door-to-door. The neighborhood had a face-painting party outside, although Indie wouldn’t let the painters near her, and Jake ended up with an orange butterfly painted on his hand. We visited a few of the neighbors houses but Indie did some knocking and then running away scared of the people who answered the door. So, her fear of strangers is fully intact, that’s good. And she’s not eating much of the candy anyway.

Here’s our butterfly ballerina…

More things Indie is saying:

Finish coffee..
Finish coffee, Mister Papa!
Get off couch.
Dance with me!
That’s Mine!
Come on running.
Tickle Tickle Mommy Sue
(in response to Tickle Tickle Indie Sue)

Words she can’t quite say but sure sounds cute trying:

Coconut sounds like “Cookie Butt”
Cracker sounds like “Quacker”
Flip Flops sound like “Fwip Fwops”

She’s also started addressing us as a single unit, MaPa.

When your child is away from you for part of the day, she may come home saying things you can’t quite figure out. So the other day when Indie said, “Stop it, spider” to a bug outside I figured there was a back story. And there was…at daycare an older chlid tried to protect the littler kids from a spider in a playhouse outside. But he was scared of the spider he was trying to catch and so he instructed the spider to “stop it” so he could catch it.

Other phrases of the week include:

Look what I found!

More milk, please.

Come on, Papa!

Bless you, Mommy! (when I sneezed)

Kitty cat, where ares you?

Hi kitty cat!

Ride in the stroller.

Watch Elmo, please.

Don’t want it!

We’ve packed in a lot weekend fun this summer and introduced Indie to all kinds of things.

This weekend is the BrickFair Lego FanFest. We’re not sure she’s big enough to attend. I don’t know if she’d be a toddler-sized King Kong knocking down displays and we’d get escorted out like an overzealous crowd-surfer at a concert.

Pirate’s Cove Waterpark in Lorton, Va has something for all ages. A kiddie pool with a massive slide, and for the big kids and even larger pool. It only cost $6 per person and kids under 2 are free. We had a blast. Indie is not yet swimming but she enjoyed splashing around. They also have a concession stand so you can stuff yourself with hot dogs and pizza between swimming laps. Jake and I debated if waiting 20 minutes so you don’t get a cramp and sink like a stone, was a myth.

Clemyjontri Park - where every child can play - was the brainchild of Adele Lebowitz, who envisioned this playground and park and generously donated this 18-acre property. It really is something to see.

We also had some fun at the Botanic Garden where they have a children’s garden. Kids can water plants, dig in the dirt and sweep the floor with kid-sized brooms.

I think she liked it.

The Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History is a place we can go back to and still see something new. Have you ever seen an Okapi?

Last week I was chasing Indira around outside of our house. She quickly scrambled up a hill and I followed. On the way down, I slipped on the wet grass. I didn’t get up right away but wasn’t hurt. Without missing a beat, she said “Careful, Mommy.”

This week she’s asking questions like “What are you doing?” and saying words like coffee and newspaper that I haven’t taught her, but she’s picked up along the way. Other words she’s picked up along the way because I have cut my finger while cooking and spilled milk on my dryclean-only pants on the way or the door in the morning. Barnacles! (I’m trying not to curse like a sailor but saying “sugar!” just isn’t nearly as satisfying when I’m suddenly cut off in traffic)

But then, maybe remembering to be 17-months-old again, she asks for “cookie fish” for Goldfish crackers and points upstairs and says “tubby time” when it’s nearing her bedtime.

Indie is also trying to keep me fit. When I take her out in the jogging stroller for a low-impact run (i.e., walk) she says, “Go faster, mommy.” So now I’m running a bit.

She’s still saying things I can’t decipher, like “Momma, a chockablocka (something in a whisper) blaaahdibli pha, PLEASE?” I just respond, “Why do you ask?”

Friends and readers,

It’s been one fun year and a half. But this parent of a young toddler is having trouble keeping up with posts. So here’s one last post and picture of Indie for a while.

Oh how I wish this were a “viral” marketing message rather than about my spotted dotted toddler. This has been a month of irritations. Of the skin variety. Of the sleep variety. Of the what IS that?, variety. Plus teething. Her molars. This reminds me of when my wisdom teeth started crowding my teeth and YEOW.

Vaccinations, reactions to pollen and now a mysterious virus have brought me to the doctor for three times in the past three weeks. Throw in eight straight days of rain and we’re all going WAAA. Then because she’s not feeling well I broke my rule of no B-O-T-T-L-E-S to make sure she’s getting enough fluids. I suspect that she’s spelling already though because after I was spelling it out to Jake in conversation she asked for it by name, as if on cue. Other words she’s saying are ice cube, hat, yellow, doggie, kit cat, hair, shoe, and NO.

In the middle of all of this we decided to refinance the house (which means getting the house appraised) so this morning, while trying to keep the house clean with Indie at home, I tried to vacuum. Indie was not a fan of this and wanted to be picked up. Yes, it really is that hard vacuuming while carrying 25 lbs on your hip. But I’m getting stronger!

One great way for kids to learn about healthy eating and where food comes from is to help mom in the garden.

Indira directed me while I planted two types of tomatoes, zucchini squash, bell pepper, strawberries and resurrected rosemary from last season. Her word of the week is flowers (sounds like frowers).

And some flowers

she also helped me water the plants

and water

and water some more.

Baby zinnias

grow near the Japanese maple.