R.O.B.O.T

Eva is far from a “girly-girly”. And unlike many of her friends, she is yet to go through a “princess” phase. When given two choices princesses or dinosaurs, she would always go for the latter. 

At the park, she started a new game of pretending that monsters are chasing her and Johnny as they run and hide amongst the trees. She has at least four tutus in her closet but rarely asks to wear them. And just today she drew her first spider. I am curious to see if she is just a late-bloomer with princesses, or if her love of Toy Story and the Hulk and ghosts is more indicative of her future tastes and obsessions.

12 April 33 Permalink

Johnny: Yesterday you made ANZAC cookies with mummy, what are you going to do today?

Eva: Eat cookies!

……………………………………………………………………………….

I’ve finally hit that point in my pregnancy where the prospect of leaving the house alone with Eva leaves me exhausted. So I now find myself in a tangled cycle of feeling guilty for not taking her out, but feeling too exhausted to take her out. Usually our weeks are filled with trips to the library, the museum, the park and playdates. I had to stop taking Eva to her weekly ballet class as I couldn’t keep up with her. Ever excitable, Eva spent half the lesson running in circles rather than following the teachers instructions, which of course meant that I was having to chase her!

Even a simple trip to the mall can turn into an ordeal. I’ve had to start relying on using the stroller to keep her contained. By no means is Eva a “naughty” or difficult kid. But she is an almost 3 year old with a strong will and incredibly cheeky. And being  8 months pregnant, I can’t keep up with her. 

Just today while have lunch at a restaurant, Eva decided that she had had enough of the highchair and insisted on getting out. And while she climbed out of the chair all octopus-like and leapt into my arms, I told her that she had to stay in the chair and that I couldn’t let her go because I knew that she was going to run away. Eva proceeded to tell me that she wasn’t going to run away, but only walk. And as she wiggled out of my arms she began to walk around in circles as if she were imitating Neil Armstrong walking on the moon!

So, back to the ANZAC biscuits, in a bid to rid myself of guilt, I’m trying to include some more new and engaging activities to do at home. And while I scour Pinterest for more ideas, I’d love to hear some suggestions. 

10 April 38 Permalink

So has anyone else had that experience where they thought that they might be able to go and do one of those cool, hipster things that they used to do pre-kids because now their child is old enough to behave and ‘enjoy’ it?

And did you then discover that when you joined all those all other hip cats at the Powerhouse with their gourmet beers and skinny jeans and scarves to see Thelma Plum that their well-behaved toddler only actually had 22 minutes worth of patience?

And did you then learn that 22 minutes—the exact amount of time it takes for a 3-year-old to plough through a bowl of chips incidentally—was just enough time to last through the latter half of the opener who is just some Cat Power wannabe?

And did you then have that awkward moment where your toddler thought the music wasn’t good enough and decided that her version of the ABCs would be much better?

And did you then have that awkward moment where you realise that you are not a hipster, that you are 8 months pregnant, and that your hip, impulsive, and carefree self is dead and buried?

And did you have that cathartic moment where you just gave up on being able to see Thelma Plum and let your kid run in muddy puddles?

Yeah, me too.

8 April 41 Permalink