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    How does he know what’s NOT a toy?

    June 1st, 2009

    G has the uncanny ability to scan his nearest vicinity and pick out the ONE element that he shouldn’t be playing with. Case in point: diaper creme tube, TV remote control and of course… my mobile phone.

    While on the diaper changing table he’s surrounded by G toys. I mean surrounded: teething rings (two), rattle, lovey, even a bath toy for good measure, but what does he want? The tube of butt paste! He doesn’t put it in his mouth, but likes to pass it from one hand to the other — that is all. I of course fear that he’ll pick out an eye with a sharp edge, cut up a lip or turn the tube around for a nice appetizer of diaper creme.

    Next up — the TV remote control. It’s a magnet for this child. He sees it lying on the bed and reaches out for it. We made the mistake one day of giving it to him. We figured “The TV is off, he can’t do much harm.”  Wrong!!! Although the TV itself was off the TiVO was still running and our sweet little monkey reprogrammed it. Yep! We turned it on later and the whole screen was black — it took us a while to figure out what he had done.

    Last (for this post anyway) and my personal favorite (NOT!): my iPhone. Yes, I have said in the past that it’s G’s iPhone. I did in fact get it during his car screamfest phase so that I can play whitenoise sounds for him while driving. However, I didn’t literally mean it’s G’s iPhone. Yeah, tell him that! He sees it, he wants it. And when he gets it, he of course miraculously knows which end to put in his mouth — the speaker and pin connector, of course. There never has been more drool coming out of G’s mouth than when my phone is in there. Yeah! Score! I’m lucky it still works. Note to all you iPhone owners out there — in the presence of my child, for your own good, please don’t take your phone out.

    So yeah, my smart little monkey: either very bright… or very much a monkey.


    Don’t buy 1, buy 3!

    January 19th, 2009

    S and I are realizing that we’re coming to a dangerous point in time in G’s life: toy attachment. His new favorite is a soft froggie blanket. He almost can’t nap without it. The problem? We only have one! G, being who he is, is happy to mark his territory with the necessary amount of spit-up. Going one day without washing is OK, but by day 3 this blankie, as cute as it is, begins to qualify for bio-chemical weapon status. We try to wash it while he sleeps, but if it doesn’t go in the drier in time, it’s not ready for day care the next day, and naps aren’t as pleasant. So tonight, after S and I confirmed that Froggie (blankie’s name) has reached irreplacable status, we went online to find a back-up.

    As it turns out, S and I are not the only parents that buy “back-ups” of their kid’s fave toys. The company is making a business out of it. Presenting the “Three of a Kind” box. They advertise it as a “Pair and a Spare”.

    I’m not quite so sure I’ll need 3, but it’s an interesting concept. The only problem? Their marketing department didn’t do their math quite right. Buying one blankie is $10. Buying a box of 3 is $39. Why would I want to pay $9 extra for a package I can make myself by adding 3 of the same item in my cart? Shipping and handling is even cheaper when you don’t have to deal with the weight and size of a box. Am I missing something?

    Either way… I’m now impatiently awaiting Froggie’s dopple-ganger.