The Stuffed Animal Crew

Lots of little kids have a favourite stuffed toy. Apparently some kids like to amass a crew of them.

My son always had his sheep (no longer stuffed), which has been renamed "Fwah" for some reason... but now he also has Doggie, Lion ("Ria") and Teddy. He has deemed them his bros, apparently, and they must travel together.

It's fun to go along with it, except for when he wants them all at the dinner table with us, or when we're trying to get going in the mornings. Or, you know, pretty much get anything done.

Anyone else's kid have a crew of buddies? Hmm, maybe it's a sign he's ready for a little brother...

Zonked

Hi folks,

I know I haven't posted a cartoon in a while. It's not because I'm extremely busy, though.

For some time now, we've been expecting our second child for Christmas. Though he seems pretty low-maintenance at the moment, it means that after a day of work and looking after the little guy, this has been my evening routine:

My husband and I have been renting a fair amount of action films lately, mostly because we both know I won't last longer than the first 20 minutes no matter what the movie is. No point in getting something I'd enjoy!

Needless to say, then, with 'awake time' and 'down time' being mutually exclusive these days, my drawing time hasn't been at an all-time high lately. But I've been witnessing a lot of material.

Now, I'm sure some might say that once our second is here, I'll be so busy and frazzled I won't have time for anything, let alone drawing.
In fact, some DO say.
In fact, EVVVVERYONE SAYS IT. (That, and "are you INSANE?"- Thanks, fitness instructor! A little bit, yes!)

Ah, it's always nice to get warm words of encouragement and good wishes. Especially when you're already beat to a snot. 

 Luckily I didn't just fall off the turnip truck and so have an idea what's coming. And yet, we're excited!


 All that to say more cartoons will come soon. I swear. Thanks for following.

Eye?

Warning to parents: If you teach your child the names of body/face parts, be prepared to have yours pointed out with great enthusiasm when you least expect it. Eyes seem to be a favourite.

We don't have any pets, but legend has it that a pet's eye isn't safe within miles of a toddler either.

"Little Scientists", eh...

I know all toddlers go through chucking food and dishes on the floor, but it still drives me nuts.

One website I looked at said something to the effect of, "Lighten up! What's a little scrambled egg on the floor. He's just checking things out! He's a little scientist exploring gravity!"

Yeah, right, "little scientist". Checking out the parents is what they're doing, seeing how they'll react (Fun Fact: apparently a big reaction is delightful!) Don't underestimate your kid just because he/she's not two yet. They're smart. They know what they're doing. They'll look you right in the eye while they're doing it, too.

And I'm sure during these experiments the "little scientists" have a whiteboard somewhere with a tally on it.
 "Toddler, 49. Parents, 0."

Phone Call at Work

So I haven't had a lot of cartooning time lately since I started back at work a few weeks ago, but I was committed to finding time to throw one together this week. Must... maintain... personal... interests... identity, etc....

So far, I'd say the 'back at work' thing has its ups and downs for me. I do get to enjoy a leisurely coffee, talk with adults here and there and not spend half the day cleaning up. That part's not so bad.

On the other hand, though, I sure do miss my little guy all day, and often wonder what he's up to. I only have about seventeen pictures of him at my desk.

For my first two weeks back, Hubs took some vacation to spend time with Sonny boy before he started daycare. They would call me at work every morning at snack time to say hello.

Oh, how I cherished those phone conversations with my son.

Yeah, he hangs up on me pretty much every time, but I know he misses me, too.

Super-Helpful Son

Everyone wants their kids to grow up to be helpful, to pitch in around the house, etc.

My 1.5-year-old son is already super keen on helping out around the house. Though I use the term "helping" quite loosely.

If he sees us with a laundry basket en route to the basement, for instance, he'll come a-toddlin' to join in the fun.
And I'm putting this in writing so that, down the road, I can remember that such a time existed.

At his age, the easy route would be to encourage him to go play with his toys for a few minutes so we can finish up more quickly. Part of me, though, want to encourage him to participate-- take advantage of his enthusiasm!-- whether his efforts are actually of help or making the work take ten times longer to finish (hint: It's always the latter).

In his defense, he's just mimicking what he sees us do. Plus, I do encourage him when he's helping me unload clean spoons from the dishwasher. So won't it be just as fantastic if, next time, he unloaded all the dirty spoons and put them back in the drawer? The applause he gives himself afterward suggests he thinks so. Yayyy! Helping....!

I'm hoping that, if I let him stick around, he'll be used to being part of our routines from the start. We can continue to fine-tune what actually needs to be done as time goes on. Check in with me in 10 years and see how that panned out! In the meantime, it is fun to see him so enthused.

Note: Yes, I had him in the room with me while filing. I don't know what I was thinking. Sometimes you just ask for it.

A Night with the Grandparents

The family and I were back in Halifax visiting my parents, who offered to watch the tyke while my husband and I got a night out (yahoo, date night! A must-have for any sane parents!).

I can tell they are having more fun with him with each visit as he gets older (and more charming... for now), and they're taking full advantage of being able to enjoy him without the hassles of parenting. Wheelbarrow rides and everything!

Sonny's not even one and a half, and he's already experiencing the quintessential visit with the grandparents, as we noted when we got home from our dinner-and-movie.

Staying up late eating cake? That's what a visit with the grandparents is all about.


Also note, it took him ONE DAY to learn the word 'cake', while we're still working on getting him to call me "Mama".