a girls weekend

Husband escaped flew out to Arizona this past Thursday for his annual "boys" weekend.  He and his childhood buddies meet every year at Spring Training to watch their beloved (beleagured?) Milwaukee Brewers play practice games and to gorge on Mexican food.  Their annual trip has become a tradition, and though I kid him about abandoning his ladies, I'm actually glad he's able to go forth and hang with his buds every once in a while.  We all need our "me" time, right?

Toddler S (let's face it, at 17 months, she's a baby no longer - sniffle, sniffle) and I hung out at home, an official girls weekend all the way.  I am really enjoying this time in her development, as it's almost possible to see the wheels turning in her head - she is literally taking in everything around her with surprise and delight.  The little doll is also beginning to have an opinion about things, and when she doesn't like something, well, she's not shy about telling you... at a decibal I'm pretty sure everyone in our building has also experienced.  You're welcome, neighbor!

My extended one on one time with Toddler S begs the question: can the Terrible 2's start early?  I'm thinking the answer is a big ol' fat YES.  While she is generally a very laid back and chill kiddo, she does have her moments... usually when I'm using the word "no".  Sure, I don't like to be told "no" either, but good grief child, get it together.  As we begin this voyage into more & more Toddler S independence, I am frankly curious as to how it'll all go.  For starters, having a power struggle with a person wearing a diaper requires a lot of patience, something that I have difficulty with at times. 



This moment of reflection is coming -- I'm quite sure -- as a result of being a single parent over the weekend. Temper tantrums aside, however, it was really fun having the "mommy & me" time.  We hung out at Appleseeds on Saturday afternoon and on Sunday, joined some good friends for brunch at The Park.  We snuggled on the couch with Elmo and played with blocks and her baby doll.  And though I might have breathed a sigh of relief when Husband came through the door, I also felt how truly lucky we are to have this child in our lives.  

Burgeoning independence and all.

Side note: this post is brought to you by my continued support and admiration for all the single parents out there... especially after this weekend.