The Toothpaste Game

I am the perennial loser in the toothpaste game. You may be wondering what I'm talking out. Ry and I use the same toothpaste. When we get to the end of the tube, both of us continue to use the toothpaste until it looks like the specimen here. I think Ry does it because he doesn't want to go searching for the new toothpaste in the hall closet. I keep eking out the toothpaste in some perverse desire to see if Ry will actually replace the tube. I always lose. This morning, the work it takes to get anymore from this tube was more work than I was up for. Now there's a new shiny tube in the vanity.

A Few Things

1. When T chews on his blue shoes, it turns his mouth and tongue blue, prompting a moment of great concern.
2. All the airlines are looking for ways to squeeze money from their customers. This morning I was charged a "seat fee" of $5 per seat, per flight in order to pick my own seat. Otherwise, it's the airline seat lottery. My luck, I'd end up on the opposite end of the flight from Ry, in the middle, next to smelly lady and scary staring guy.
3. The Wacky Gym is neither wacky, nor a gym. It's a big room with some big baby toys that costs $7 per hour. The zipline looked like fun, but I don't think T could've held on for long.
4. It was totally worth the $3 I spent at Chick-Fil-A to let T play in their Toddler Play Area for an hour.
5. I enjoy talking to other educated, articulate women about something other than poo and naptime.
6. Playdates are only partly about the kids.
7. No matter how many toys you have, tupperware is still the favorite toy.
8. It's leap day. Ry suggested I dress T in his frog costume and take him out on errands all day.

T takes his first steps!

Two of them, to be exact ... right into Ry's arms. He just stood up and walked into his arms. For the rest of the night we've been making him walk between us. We're slave drivers, I know. He mostly leans too far forward and kind of falls into our arms.

T and I went to a book club meeting this morning with two little girls who were both walking. He studied them the entire time we were there. Apparently he learned a lot. *Sniffle* My baby is growing up so fast!

Numbers

10 - Number of days until we go back to Illinois
11 - Number of days until T is baptized
15 - Number or days until my baby is a year old! (Insert quiet sobbing here).
26 - Number of days until we accompany Ryan to Washington DC
90 - Number of minutes until I go to my first book club meeting
180 - Number of minutes before T falls asleep in his car seat and doesn't take a nap at home

Real Life Kid's Products

Introducing the Real Life line of baby and children's products:

Real Life Crayons (also come in bath soaps) - colors include:

• Angry Baby Red
• Baby Eye Blue
• Merconium Green
• Spit Up White
• Poo Brown
• Poo Green
• Poo Orange
• Poo Yellow
• Baby Bottom Pink
• Oatmeal
• Chalk Board Black

Doo Rags Diapers
Packed in Little Squirt, Streams of Poo and Sh*t Storm sizes

Butt Rags Wipes

Butt Paste Diaper Cream (we'll have to team up with Boudreaux's)

The Plug Pacifiers - sold in a two-pack and packaged in an outlet-style box

The "Juice Me" Series of products to include:

The Juicer and Power Juicer Breast Pumps

• Bottles are larger at the bottom to keep them from tipping over when you finish pumping and try to put down the bottle only to accidentally spill it all over your carpet.

Juice Me Nursing Pillow
Juice Me Travel Nursing Pillow (two versions, one you have to blow up, the other with a built in air pump)

Bottles, Nursing Pads, Sippy Cups

Kiddotel

Now that T is mobile, we're learning that traveling with him is quite an adventure. With that in mind, I'd love to create the Kiddotel. Kiddotel would cater to families with kids of all ages. I'm thinking it would have to be in a kid mecca like Orlando. It would also be Hawaiian-themed. Again, because I said so.

Kiddotel would have a variety of hotel suites featuring twin beds, cribs and kitchenettes. Many would be baby-proofed, and they'd all come with a Wii. Guests will receive a lei upon check in and the room mini-bars will feature juice boxes and milk in addition to soda and beer.

The first floor would have an indoor/outdoor sea-turtle shaped pool (with waterslide), hot tub and kiddy pool. There would also be an indoor playground, gameroom, gym (with staffed nursery), and 2 restaurants. One restaurant would be staffed Ed Debevic's-style (probably not quite so snarky since trama meltdowns are poor for business). The wait staff will break out in nursery rhyme skits, songs and other silliness. The other restaurant will be a bit more "Dave and Barry's" for those with older kids or the crazies who didn't realize what they were getting into. It'll have a karaoke station and a bar (well stocked with adult beverages). A separate area will be a teen dance floor to cater to the awkward vacation romances that inevitably occur.

The front desk will offer stroller rental and there will be a shuttle to area attractions featuring car seats of various sizes. The lobby will be stocked with fishtanks full of tropical fish and lotsa crazy flowers. There will also be a spa with traditional adult type services (manicure/pedicure, massage, facials) and hair braiding, henna tattoos and face painting. It'll be the ultimate vacation destination for increasing numbers of families who travel with their children.

Keiki Cafe

I am always running into other mothers of young (pre-kindergarten) kids when I'm out and about. Like me, they're looking for things to do with their young'uns to get out of the house. Unfortunately, most places (if they're kid-friendly) are geared towards much older kids. I've met moms at bookstores, coffee shops, malls, Target-boutique, and even grocery stores that are looking for ways to get out of the house and expend some energy.

Thus was born the idea for Keiki Cafe (Keiki is Hawaiian for kid). Why Hawaiian? Because I said so. Anyhow, the Cafe will be a Bistro/Coffee Shop in the Hawaiian theme. Lots of fresh food, simple meals and friendly folks. In addition to traditional adult fare, it will offer steamed veggies as side dishes (I'm astounded by how few kid's meals aren't fried) and lots of fresh fruit. It will also sell baby food, whole milk and baby emergency items (disposable bibs, diapers, sippy cups). It might also sell my line of fun baby stuff.

The center of the cafe will have a sunken play area designed for the under 5 set. The floor will be that cool cushy stuff they make from tires and the playsets will continue the Hawaiian theme with giant flowers, sea turtles and pineapples. Tables will flank the sunken play area so moms (and dads) can keep tabs on their kids while they eat. The walls will be lined with chalk boards for table-time distraction. It will also have wireless internet for work at homers who have the kids.

Bathrooms will feature adult and kid sized everything (if you've been in the bathroom at a Babies R'Us you know what I mean). It'll also have a cushy chair for women who prefer to nurse in private.

So, what do you think? Seriously, I'd like your opinions. I certainly don't have the money (or time) to start something like this, but I've had a lot of ideas since T was born, and I'd really like to get some feedback. Is the niche too small? I realize that it could only be supported in a middle/upper income area. Would I have to broaden the concept? Anyhow, your feedback?

We've traveled quite extensively with T. I have another idea for a Kiddotel. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't work nationwide, but might make a nice addition to kid-magnets like Orlando, FL. I'll expand on this one in another post.

Snow Day!

We woke up to about 3 inches of snow this morning, and have gotten another 2 or 3 since then. This is T's first adventure in the snow. I can't decide if he was having fun or merely humoring us. Either way, we had fun.

Kiddie Mosh Pit

Last night we experienced Miss Amy at a Chik-Fil-A nearby. I love Chik-Fil-A ... but I digress. Miss Amy is a middle-aged woman who sings and dances with toddlers. Holy crap do they love her. There were at least 25 little people bumping into each other, the walls, and the floors. Luckily, she stopped after about 45 minutes. Tucker was absolutely fascinated by the madness. It didn't deter him from eating dinner, but, still, he was fascinated. I think I'm in for more Miss Amy.

Really strange dreams

Last night, T let us sleep through the night until 5:30 (hooray feeling better baby!). As a consequence, my body must have done some really strange things with the extra sleep. The two dreams I remember from last night were, to say the least, strange:

1. Fred Thompson (the one who ran for President) and his silly wife were trying to seduce me by buying me expensive clothes and wine.

2. A woman I knew from a previous job (and haven't thought of since) was hired to be a bodyguard. She was telling me about her new job, which included guarding against a very large, blue snake that tried to eat the left side of my face before she shot it.

Psyche, what are thou saying?

Seriously, feel better, ok?

Poor little man is still feeling crummy today. This is day #4 with a temperature, runny nose, and scary cough. When we checked on him at 4 am, his temperature was over 102 F. He got a tepid bath at 4 am. The temperature is lower today, but he still obviously feels ug. It makes my heart hurt to see him so uncomfortable. I had to go to CVS today to get more baby Tylenol and "probe covers" (take a wild guess what those are for).

He's sleeping on Ry right now. While he took a nap in his crib this morning, it wasn't very long, and I think he gets cold since he's running a temperature. He's taken most of his naps on one or the other of us during the past 3 days. If he's not feeling better tomorrow, I'm calling the doctor.

Bawawawawawa

Virginia Beach Aquarium

We took T to the Virginia Beach Aquarium while we were there this week. He was fascinated, especially by being able to touch the alligator and rays. He didn't want to leave the big tanks. I think he'd have happily spent an hour at any given exhibit. I also got my sea otter fix, so it was a good visit for all of us.

Poor baby, feel better soon

T has been feeling poorly for the past couple of days. It started with a phlegmmy sounding cough earlier this week and progressed yesterday to a full-fledged cold. Amazingly, this is the first time he's been sick in his life.

We have an ear thermometer and discovered today that when a child has an ear infection, you are likely to get two drastically different temperatures in each ear. He's handling it pretty well. He is crankier than normal, but not what I would expect from a sick kid. The upside for me is that he's been very snuggly. Poor, poor boy.

Survived the tornadoes ... going to the beach

T and I spend last week with my mom in Memphis. Other than spending an hour or so in the closet during the freak February tornadoes, we had a great time. It's nice having someone to chat with during the day.

I have decided that I will not be traveling alone with my son again unless he has his own seat. On the first flight, there was no one sitting next to us. I was able to strap T in so he could have his dinner and I could get into my bag. The flight home was a bit more complicated. We sat next to a man with no personality that I could detect. T was really good, but it was still nigh impossible to get anything out of my bag for him to eat or play with. With Ry, I think we have a few more months. Without him, T gets his own seat.

We're going with Ry to Virginia Beach this week. As fun as it will be, it's only supposed to be in the 50s, so it's not really a "beach" vacation. We'll be staying right on the boardwalk though, so lots of long walks are in my future. There is also supposed to be a good aquarium in town, so we'll be checking that out. Last time we went to PetsMart, T cried when we left the kitties (and the fish, birds and rodents). The aquarium should be fun.

This is why there are not so many postings lately. Will do my best to catch back up after Thursday.