Me: Lucy, do you remember what his name is?
Lucy: Yes.
Me: What is his name?
Lucy: I don't know.
Note that the initial question can be substituted with just about anything (Do you know what this is? Do you remember what I told you yesterday? Do you remember what I told you 5 minutes ago? etc). Also, the final response isn't always "I don't know," sometimes it's just a sly smile. God forbid toddlers actually admit they don't know something.
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Lately Finn has introduced a new element to his whining, the "It's not FAIR!" rant. I have now said the phrases "Life's not fair" and "Who said life was fair?" more times than I can count, despite hating those responses when said to me as a child/teenager/sullen young adult.
His impressionable younger sister has taken up the mantra as well, along with another fun toddler phase that I distinctly remember Finn going through - the "You hurt my feelings!" phase. Oh, how I love that phase.
Me: Lucy, don't stab the table with your fork.
Lucy: Stabs table with fork.
Me: Fine, I'm taking your fork away.
Lucy (fork is now in my possession): You hurt my FEELINGS, Mommy!!!
Me: Sigh.
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So I got through Day 3 of solo parenting - just another day and a half to go. My patience was perhaps a bit shorter today, but we managed to have some fun anyway. A 3-cup-of-coffee morning that was mostly relaxing, some shopping, and beautiful weather. I even managed to shower (while fending off advances from Lucy, who wanted to join me). I relied heavily on bribery to get through the day - each kid got a toy and 3 new books while we were out. And let's face it, no matter how easy a solo parenting gig is, any given day is infinitely more tolerable and interesting when it's spent with more than just persons who think it's an honor for you to watch them poop and who still require you to wipe their butts when the whole process is done.
I don't WANT to watch them poop.
When will I be done wiping butts?
On the plus side, I didn't end up having to drag out our big ladder to grab Lucy's Precious Purple Balloon. It was still sky-high when we woke up in the morning, but Lucy had thankfully temporarily forgotten about the Great Balloon Disaster. The afternoon sun worked some magic, and by the time we got home from our outing, the balloon was listing limply right around Lucy level. It now looks like this:
She is just happy to have it back, she apparently notices no difference in balloon functionality.
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Highlights from today: The pumpernickel bagel I had for breakfast. A walk around the "lake" at the Washingtonian Center. Buying new underwear for myself (not an easy feat with two kids who are oh-so-curious about all those lacy bins at Target). Cuddling with the kids while they watched a couple of episodes of the Wild Kratts. The heart-shaped PB&J sandwhich I made Finn for dinner. Kids in bed by 7:56 p.m. The cold glass of Martin Codax Albarino sitting next to me. The spy glasses I bought Finn today:
The goodnight hug I got from this little girl (who refuses to look at my camera):
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Word on the street is that it's going to snow tomorrow (you know, AFTER we've pretty much already gotten used to the idea of impending spring). This could be the kiss of death - we won't really be able to leave the house, and I'll have to fend off all kinds of demands to go outside and build snowmen, since the kids think that even the lightest dusting of snow makes for prime sledding and snowman-building conditions. This may be tough, they might turn on me. Send help if I don't answer my phone.
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