The Prankster

Wednesday is Kim's yoga night, so last night I was flying parenthood solo. Eliot and I had a rather uneventful evening doing the usual series of activities that last for about three to five minutes at a time...drawing, watching the Doodlebops, Mickey's Clubhouse, playdough, the toy of the moment or just plain ole "I'm gonna getcha!" Eliot knows when it's time for bed, but usually puts up a fight. Depending on your reaction it can be anything from pouting to, on the fly, creating a giant list of things that must be done before going upstairs. Well we did the list oh things until Daddy remembered the race up the stairs game. So now it was bathtime.

I got him in the bath after playing a bit more of "I'm gonna getcha!" upstairs. Of course this was playing for real and I think Eliot likes that extra edge in the game so he puts in extra "not getting gotten" effort. Anyway, I finally "got him", took of his clothes and got him to get into the bath. Bathing was rather uneventful and quick. So I decided to go to our bedroom to put up some clothes while Eliot proceeded to pull every bath toy into the tub. It really was starting to look like the Death Star trash compactor scene from Star Wars. Anyway, while I'm hanging clothes, I get a call from the bathroom, "Daddy, where are you?" "I'm hanging clothes, Eliot" "Come here Daddy!" he exclaimed. So I went into the bathroom and Eliot was starting to get out. I asked him if he was ready to get out. He just shook his head in the manner that only a child can do to suggest both yes and no. He quickly walked over to me and spit water onto my fly. He just looked at me and laughed and quickly ran back to the tub. He had pulled his prank. It was funny, but at the same time wholly shocking. Usually you see his pranks coming from a mile away, but he totally got me. What can you do?

musically inclined

Eliot is very "into" music. Aunt Stef gave him an MP3 player and it's attached to his head any chance he gets. He'll sit and eat his snack, draw a picture or simply sit in his beanbag and listen to music. I am so tired of Laurie Berkner and The Doodlebops... I'm trying to find anything else to listen to. The other day we were in the car listening to the Beatles. I was singing "Yellow Submarine" with, well.. a little ferver. Eliot shouted, "MOMMY! MOMMY!" Then he put his hands up in the STOP position and said, "Let's let THEM sing it." Okay. Point taken.

Tonight he was in the bathtub listening to James Taylor. This is the first time I'd ever put it in the player, but like I said, I'm trying anything to get away from the Old Favorites. I asked, "do you like James Taylor?" Being Two, his first reaction was "NOOOOO!" "You don't? You seem like you do." "No, Mommy, I don't like James Taylor." (pause) "Is James Taylor a movie?" Me: "Well, no." Him: "is it a book?" Me: "no... it's the music we're listening to right now." Him: "oh. Heck YA! I like James Taylor!"

wonderful vacation

We just got back from a very relaxing trip to the beach. There's not much to report from the trip, which is a good thing! We stuck our feet in the ocean and built sand castles, but mostly we swam in the pool. It was a little chilly, but Eliot was not to be deterred. He has made so much progress with his swimming this summer. I just know he'll be swimming on his own by next summer. In the evenings we relaxed on the deck and looked at the stars. Eliot learned the "Star light, star bright" rhyme. At the end I said, "well? what do you wish for?" He said, "I wish that I love my mommy and my daddy very much!" Now, how could a vacation get any better than that?

at Costco

Last night we went on a family trip to Costco after work. We prefer to go on weeknights, when it's not terribly crowded. Eliot works off some energy in those big, wide aisles, without bothering too many people with his shenanigans. Brian and I stopped to look at blenders. We hadn't stopped for more than a few seconds when all of a sudden the entire store was surprised by the "EEEH, EEHHH, EEEEEHHHH!" of the fire alarm, resonating through the warehouse rafters and off of the cement floors. My first instinct was to reach for Eliot and pick him up, but he was not beside me. He was a few feet away... at the end of the aisle... frozen in place... right next to the fire exit door. Yes, that's right - he had set off the fire alarm in the Costco. After a few stunned seconds in which he was frozen solid out of fear, he turned and booked it down the aisle. He ran and literally JUMPED into my arms. He had tears streaming down his face, and he was shaking. "Don't be mad to me, Mommy!"

Of course, I was not mad.. not exactly. All the same I waited around for the manager to come and turn off the alarm. I explained that it was my two-year-old that set off the alarm, and there was no real emergency. I apologized and made Eliot apologize too. Mr. Manager was very nice and said, "I just hope it didn't scare him too bad." That was very kind of him, but I responded that I hoped it DID scare him. I'm pretty sure it did because before bed Eliot resolved that he "won't touch any more doors ever again."

creative songwriting

Apparently, making up new songs is a theme now. The "You Can Do It, You Can Dance" song was only the beginning. Unfortunately for you, that particular song is old news. He won't sing it again. But, luckily for you, I got a new song on video. I think the name of this one is "Masagna". It's all about animals and how he had lasagna for lunch. If you are in need of a lyric sheet, it goes something like this:
I can get an animal,
I can get an animal for a day.
(brief pause for lighting change)
I got an animal! I got an animal!
TODAY!
I ate lasagna today, I ate lasagna today!
Here it is in all it's glory:
Masagna
Here's a smaller version if you have dial-up:
small masagna

And if you just can't get enough, here's another little reprise. To be honest, I have no idea what this song is about - there's something on his shoe, nose, and tail, but I can't decipher what it is. BUT, the big ending is "MASAGNA!" - that much I know.
(this is the plain version. If you have trouble opening it send me an email and I'll send you a smaller version.)
What's this song about?