Thursday, July 24, 2008

Little Signs Everywhere

How do you know that you have a pre-toddler in the house? Besides, you know, the actual sighting of a mobile baby? Here are some signs:

- Even though you have a dog that spends a lot of time indoors, the floor is pretty clean. This can be the result of the pre-toddler playing the "Yuck*" game with Mom, Mom vacuuming and Swiffering many times a day, or the crawling, pre-toddler wearing static-y clothing that attracts absolutely every last follicle of dog hair and deposits it all into the dryer.

*Yuck Game- First, the pre-toddler locates a "yucky" object, usually a tuft of dog fur (AKA, a "Lola Tumbleweed.") Next, she gets Mom's attention, usually by chanting, "Mom-mee, Mom-mee, dis. Dis. Mom-mee, dis." When Mom looks at her, she grins a villainous grin, and pops the treasure into her mouth while saying, "Guck," and Mom leaps into the air saying, "Oh, YUCK!" as well.

- You have books and a spoon on your bathroom floor.

- You have a pile of shoes in the kitchen. Dinner will never be accomplished, otherwise.

- The stairs are usually barricaded, and the dog now leaps high into the air to ascend them, even when the pre-toddler is in bed and the barricades are taken down.

- The dog has a homestead under the high chair.

- Toys are ignored, and the vacuum attachments are the star of the day. So is the Swiffer.

- You find yourself saying, "Feet stay out of Mommy's dinner." "Only pat Lola where her fur grows."

- You narrate your entire day to the pre-toddler, and then later automatically narrate everything you are doing while on the phone with the recalcitrant auto insurance people.
("Now Mommy is taking her pen and writing the words, 'find new auto insurance when this is all over,' onto her 'To Do' list.")

3 comments:

2Shaye ♪♫ said...

I love it! Yes, the signs are everywhere in our home (and sometimes the surrounding neighbor's yards-eek). We don't yet have a dog--my 17 year old pup died just weeks before our first child was born. I'm not sure we're yet ready for a new one along with our three kids, age 4 and under. But we're definitely getting the puppy blues around here.

Lisa said...

HAHAHAHA I like telling strangers about my life too. And the insurance agent almost HAS to listen to you!

Clara said...

Aww, puppy. I think small kids are great with certain kinds of dogs.

Tidbit- Last night at the auto dealership, Gianna decided she didn't want us to be there anymore, so she stuck her fingers down her throat and made herself throw up all over the two of us. In the showroom. It was awesome!