The Secret Life of the American Toddler

Is it just me, or does everyone have that one, wiser parent friend from whom you get all of your recommendations (on products, on sleep training, on how to stay calm in the face of a spiking fever or an exploding diaper)? I have such a friend, and she is fabulous, and I pretty much copy most of her purchases and techniques because she knows everything. Thanks, Victoria, and thanks for the tip on the learning tower (pictured above) — Leo used to spend a lot of time with his arms in the air, following me around the kitchen, wanting to come "up." Now he can stand next to me while I cook, and if I'm lucky, he'll happily play with a salt shaker for a good 13.7 minutes (caveat: move away the knives, and supervise the kiddo... it's definitely possible to fall from this contraption).

On an unrelated note: this blog is about parenting, and not specifically my kid (and it's definitely not a journal — thank God! Who would want to read that? "Dear Diary, today I tried to distract my child with a poor rendition of Elton John's "Rocket Man" while I shoveled yogurt in his mouth. Then we went to the playground. The end.") But I thought it might be nice to every so often make a note of what my little one is up to, so maybe (maybe!) one day I can look back and actually remember what his hobbies were (you know — like scavenging for milk and organizing the recycle bin).

Here's what Leo's up to this month:

1) Using his toothbrush to brush the teeth of his rocking horse (naturally).
2) Lining up his shoes and sticking his feet in the general direction of them in hopes they will magically appear on his feet (good technique).
3) Pulling me towards him as he sits in the grocery cart, opening his mouth wide, saying "ah", and then "kissing me" on the cheek, openmouthed (sometimes, he burps in between the "ah" and the "kiss." Those besos are extra special).

What are your kids into these days (and what hilarious things are they saying)?! Tell me so I can cute over them.

xo,

Rebecca

PS: The title of this blog post has about zero to do with this post. You try coming up with witty AND relevant titles every day. It's hard, dude. It's hard.