Punctuality has never been my strongest suit, but having kids has catapulted me to a whole new level of lateness. I honestly try to give myself enough time to leave the house (at least an extra half hour before I actually have to leave.) The diaper bag gets packed the night before, I plan out clothes in my head, get snacks and drinks ready, etc. However, all of the planning in the world doesn’t make up for some of the random chaos that toddlers and infants throw into each day.
Here’s one example of our comedy of errors…
Before we leave the house, Abbey has to use the bathroom. Lately, she doesn't like to go when you tell her to go, so I try to "suggest" it in a way that doesn't seem like I am telling her what to do, and I'll do something like go get a diaper for Dylan to give her some privacy.
I came back the other day to find her completely stripped down, sitting on her little chair cushions (that were neatly stacked in the corner when I left, since I was washing the cover.)
In addition to getting Abbey to the bathroom, I also try to feed Dylan as close to leaving time as possible.
On this particular day, Dylan was playing with his toes after he was done eating - a new favorite game, although he definitely prefers his right foot for some reason. He might look like a sweet, little angel, but he was plotting how to time his next diaper explosion to maximize interference with our departure.
As I was changing Dylan and then putting the diaper in our wet bag (a cloth diaper version of a diaper pail), Abbey went upstairs to "brush her teeth" before getting dressed.
As you can see, "brushing her teeth" usually involves much digestion of toothpaste and a subsequent talk about how she has to spit out the toothpaste when she is done brushing, not squeeze more into her mouth. (Relax, that is the flouride-free kind.)
After prying the toothpaste from her sticky, little fingers, I had to chase her around the house to get her re-dressed. These are the shoes that she was insisting that she was going to wear. We were planning a walk around the neighborhood, so they obviously weren't the best footwear for that adventure. It took another eternity to convince her to wear her own shoes.
And we're (finally) off! Abbey is very into walking on her own during our walks lately. The double stroller comes along, because she runs out of steam at some point and loves climbing back into the stroller to ride the rest of the way home.
Now that he's getting a little older, Dylan stays awake for at least part of our walks. He enjoys being outside and listening to all of the different sounds. Abbey likes pointing things out to him as she walks in front of the stroller.
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