The Toddler Diaries

Yesterday Tim put a big, square, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Tessa’s (bare) back as a joke because she wouldn’t stay still long enough to put it on the front of her shirt. Last night when I put on Tessa’s PJs, I put them on facing her and totally forgot about the sticker. This morning when I was doing her hair and changing her clothes, I found the sticker. Seriously a tough Mommy moment peeling that sticker off her soft skin. It’s red. It’s irritated. And now it’s covered in Aquaphor healing ointment.

And Mama’s guilt. I’m sorry, Baby. I feel AWFUL. I’ve officially sworn off stickers unless they go on paper.

New favorite activity : geocaching!!! So much fun. Will be doing that more this week.

Also this week………… getting my wisdom teeth pulled. Pray for me, tumblr world!! I’m scurrrrrred! I’m a whimp, I know.

Green beans. Carrots. Peas. Bananas. Apples. Strawberries. Anything vegetable or fruit… Tessa will not eat. The only fruit she will eat is watermelon! Every other healthy treat she completely ignores or pushes aside on her plate. Color me unimpressed.

Add to this that Tessa-babe has an ultra sensitive digestive system and NEEDS fruits and vegetables to make a healthy #2 (TMI), her fruit and veggie aversion just will not do.

Enter creative mommy. And food processor. So you don’t want to eat a strawberry off your plate? Well let me just put those strawberries in your pancakes. Blueberries look yucky in your pink bowl? Well I’ll throw them in your waffle. Peaches got you down? Let me make them amazingly delicious as an addition to your plain yogurt.

The list really goes on and on. I even go as far as to add pureed carrots to spaghetti sauce. Pureed peas or green beans to beef stroganoff. I told you…Creative Mommy.

Monday night I was craving tacos. Tessa is not allowed dairy such as milk and cheese (she’s a soy girl. Tricky tummy.), so I knew she would be upset about only having a tortilla, ground beef, and beans. And I’d be upset that she would have zero veggies!! So I got creative. I decided on boiling some corn on the cob (my absolute favorite food) and making a corn salsa. I chopped up half of a small jalapeno (I live with spice whimps), half of a bunch of cilantro, and two tomatoes on the vine. I threw them in the food processor and pulsed them like six times. Poured my chunky salsa in a bowl and added the corn (which I sliced off the cob), about a tablespoon of garlic salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and two dashes of lemon juice. Use fresh lemon juice if you’d like. My father-in-law may faint if he finds out I used bottled lemon juice.

Mix it up and voila! I put a nice spoonful of the salsa on Tessa’s burrito and added some pureed squash and wrapped it all up, then sliced it. Needless to say, she snarfed it down. As did my husband and I. It was seriously amazing. It’s already been requested again for next week. Dinner success!

So tell me, what foods are your kids totally rejecting? And how do you get them to eat those gosh darn, awful, vile veggies?

But that was yesterday.

And today is a new day.

And Tessa is KNOCKED OUT!

Oh happy day!

Tessa is snuggled up to her Daddy, brushing her teeth (her fave) and saying “kitty say meoooowwwww” and meowing over and over. Tres cute.

Today, there might be a Mommy meltdown. Since there’s already a toddler meltdown happening, the Mommy meltdown is sure to follow. Tessa, you are only 20 months old. Why must you allow the dreaded terrible two’s to overcome you four months early? Could you possibly just wait and let us mentally and physically prepare eourselves?  Mama and Daddy have really been enjoying your younger-than-two toddlerhood and all the adorable things that come with it. The talking (girl, I’ve never known a child your age to say 50+ words. Way to go.), the walking, running, and swimming. You’ve had your schedule down pat for months and it has done us all good. 12 o’clock nap and 8 o’clock bed have been successful; only nighttime wakings have plagued us, but we’ve made it through.

 It’s all been totally rad….but this new stage you’ve entered is not. cool.  We have entered the final stage of teething (only the back molars left) and temper tantrums. And not occasionally. It’s becoming a multiple-times-a-day thing. For example: today you went down for nap at 12:05. It is now 1:40 and you have been screaming the entire time. Well, except all the times I went in and soothed you. I have tried everything to relax you and get you to calm down, but I know from experience that sometimes nothing except some screaming will get you to sleep. Why? I have no idea. And even though I know this about you, I still sit here worrying that you’re going to scream yourself hoarse. Or you’re going to be parched. Or that you’re going to hate me.

 Hence, the Mommy meltdown. All these worries and stresses get pent up in me and I start feeling tense and my heart races. Plus, I can feel the judgment from people (who will remain nameless), like I’m making you scream or that I know how to make you stop but I’m just allowing you to go on and on for personal enjoyment. We both know this is not true. Sometimes I wish we had a telepathic connection and you could just lock brain waves with me and know that I love you, but I need you to sleep. You’re not missing a party of any kind. It’s actually much the opposite. You’re only missing cleaning. Dish washing, laundry folding, and toy gathering. Boring!

 So, sweet girl, please sleep. You will wake up fresh and replenished and I promise to take you to visit your Grandpa or go swimming. Kapich?

Now here is a photo of Happy Tessa to remind you (and me) how cute you can be when you aren’t making the neighbors think I’m beating you.

 Love you,

Mama