Why I May Be Late

Last week we had to have tires replaced on the Expedition. This week the transfer case on the Explorer is jacked up. Both of these things are not nearly as frustrating as trying to get my kids out the door to go pick up Tim to take him to work.

THIS is why I am often late. (And why it takes me at least 20 minutes to leave the house. So yeah, this is going to be long.)

Me: Okay! Time to go pick up daddy!

Brenden: NOOOOO!!! I wanna watch Scooby Dooby DOOO!!!! *hugs television like I just told him we're throwing it away and moving into a tent in the back yard and not just leaving for 30 minutes*

Lauren: NOOOO!!! DOOOO!!! (because she repeats everything Brenden says)

Me: *sigh* Dude, it's not that big of a deal. You can finish watching it when we get back.

Brenden: NOOOO!!! You're so MEAN!!! It's not FAIR!!!

Me: *deep breath* That's 1....

Brenden: NOOOO!!!! I don't like yooooou!!!

Me: That's 2.... *walks around grabbing keys, diaper bag, shoes, sunglasses to hide the fact that I just woke up and am not bothering with looking decent.*

Lauren: Milk! MILK! I gotta go potty!

Me: Lauren you do not have to go potty and you just finished your milk. You're fine. *shuts off all the lights, locks back door*

Lauren: POTTY!!!

Brenden: WAAAHHHH!!!

Me: That's 3, Brenden. Take a break.

Brenden: *folds arms, pouts, sits in timeout while glaring at me*

Me: Lauren lets get you in the car. Oh my gosh you did have to go potty. *changes dirty diaper while dodging kicks at my face*

Lauren: Ewww! Yuck! Baby?

Me; No, you can't have your baby. You'll get it dirty.

Lauren: *pouts, throws shoes at me*

Brenden: I'm up! I'm not crying anymore!

Me: I didn't say you could get up, yet. Back in time out while I get Lauren in the car.

Brenden: *more pouting*

~~~I run out to the car and realize that Tim did leave Lauren's carseat but didn't have time to strap it down. I deposit Lauren back in the house and get it situated.~~~

Me: Alrighty! Brenden, you can get up now and no more whining. Where is your sister?

Brenden: In your room.

Lauren: Book! BOOK!

Me: You want to take a book? Okay, how about this one? *Lauren's shakes her head* This one?

Lauren: NO!

Me: Alright I'm just picking out two books and we're getting in the car.

Lauren: BOOOOOK!!!

Brenden: I don't like these shoes.

Me: Then put on different ones. Where is your other shoe, Lauren?

Lauren: SHOE! No.

Me: Fine, no shoes for Lauren. Brenden, I do not care if you have shoes on or not, we're getting in the car.

~~~ Eventually, we got into the car. Lauren is still yelling about having to go potty and Brenden is unhappy at the book I picked out for him. I'm just happy that it only took 15 minutes instead of 20.~~~

*end scene*

A Thank You to Chili's

After I commented on Chili's website and wrote this post, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was rather disappointed that I didn't receive an email in the next few days. It seemed to me that I would have at least gotten an automated response. Instead I found a letter in our mailbox about a week later. (I wish that I had known to look for a response by actual mail. Maybe I didn't read carefully enough, but I don't remember seeing anything explaining that. It would have made me feel better much sooner and I wouldn't have complained after just a few days.)

The letter thanked me for my comments, apologized for someone making me upset, and included some Chili's bucks that we can use for our next visit. I did appreciate that someone had gotten back to me, but it felt like a form letter that would be sent to anyone with drop down boxes to fill in certain parts. It seemed like I could have complained that the store was too cold and I would have received the same response. Not exactly comforting and it didn't make me feel as though my concerns were heard or that I should go back.

Then, this morning, I received a very nice email from Amy Taylor, the Area Director for Chili's. She apologized for what had happened, explained that the manager in question had actually relocated (completely separate from this incident) and that the way we were treated was embarrassing and not how they want to run their restaurant.

Her response to me made me feel much better. It's amazing what a difference a sincere apology can make. While I may not have any immediate plans to eat at Chili's, I will definitely take advantage of the coupons, which I had initially planned on giving away.

Thank you again, Amy. We really appreciate it.

Restaurants and I Don't Get Along

The day after our wonderful day of eating sushi off of a train and deciding to build a house, we decided to meet Mike, Connie and the kids at the Chili's in Tulsa Hills. We figured we would grab lunch and then head over to show everyone where we were going to build the new house.

We were so excited to see the kids! We got big hugs from Brenden and Lauren was being her happy, loud self. Eventually, though, we had to put her in her highchair so that we could decide what we wanted to eat. Lauren was most definitely upset and it became obvious that she was tired. Not a good combination. The best thing to do with her in this situation is to let her be upset. She eventually calms down and everyone goes about their business. If we give in and take her out it just leads to longer, and somehow louder, screaming.

While I was trying to soothe her, a lady walked near us and shouted, "Let people eat in peace. She's being VERY loud. Take her to the bathroom. Please." (Although that please was most definitely snotty.) I was frozen. I could not believe that this lady had walked up from wherever she was sitting and yelled at us. I was upset because Lauren was screaming, and then I was embarrassed to be scolded by a perfect stranger. I wasn't just letting her go crazy and not trying to do anything about it. I was actively trying to calm her, and it had only been a minute or two.

A very nice lady sitting across from us, who was getting the loudest part of Lauren's screeches, leaned over and said, "Don't even worry. She's just fine and absolutely adorable." I'm sure she saw the look of pure horror on my face. When she got up to leave she left her glasses on accident. I ran them up to her near the door and thanked her.

At the same time we were being shouted at, a waitress came up and handed us some crackers. The change in Lauren was immediate. She wasn't exactly quiet for the rest of the meal, but she was happy. I, on the other hand, was not okay. I just could not let it go. I had this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach and wasn't able to excitedly talk about the new house or anything else that was even remotely happy. I didn't end up ordering anything. I couldn't look the waitress in the eye. I kept bringing it up, which I'm sure was super annoying, and then I learned that it wasn't another patron that had snapped at me, it was a manager.

That's when I started crying.

I felt like the worst mother ever. I let my daughter scream in a restaurant. I had someone who I was paying, although not directly, treating me like a child. I felt like everyone in the restaurant was staring at me, judging me, deciding that I wasn't fit to have children. It was one of the worst feelings ever.

When I got home I got on the Chili's website and sent them a message explaining what had happened and how I felt it was handled inappropriately. I completely understand her coming to talk to us; that was not the issue at all. I was just as annoyed, or more, with Lauren being upset and I'm sure other people were, too. However, I think it was completely out of line to so rudely confront us about it, when I was obviously trying to make the situation better.

I'm still not feeling any better, but at least I was able to tell someone about it, even if it's just an automated email address. I did learn three things, though. 1. Don't take Lauren out to eat when she's tired. 2. I won't be able to eat at Chili's, especially that one, for awhile. 3. You never know who is going to ruin your day. Be it your cranky child, an unpleasant restaurant manager, or a combination of both.

******

Update: Reply from Chili's here.

Unavoidable

I know I've mentioned Brenden's aggression issues a time or two. It's something that we've been working on for quite a while, and we have had some success with focusing on positive reinforcement and a rewards system. I don't think his behavior is extreme. I think it's mostly his age, testing his boundaries, pushing for independence, and learning to voice his frustration.

So it's no surprise that our stomachs dropped yesterday when his swimming instructor came over to us and said, "There was an, um....incident today."

Our first thought was, "Oh no. Brenden has done something so awful that he won't be allowed back." Although I'm sure if that was the case then they would have come to get one of us before the lesson had finished.

"Did Brenden do something to someone?" I sputtered back to her.

"Oh no! Not him." she replied. "Hold on, I think I see the other little boy."

We had to stand there awkwardly as the little boy, who I know clawed at Brenden's face the second day of classes, walked past us with his mom. I'm not sure what that boy has against my son, but they just don't mesh well.

After a quick sigh of relief, she explained that the other little boy got angry when Brenden tried to hold onto the back of his life jacket, which is what they do to stay in line. Brenden was only following directions, but this little kid was not happy about it. He turned around and punched Brenden right in the face.

At this point, my mouth was hanging open.

Brenden never cried, never complained to us about the "incident", didn't even seem to remember it happening. He was so excited about wearing a life jacket and being able to jump into the pool and swim on his own that nothing was going to ruin his day.

After confirming that the instructor had already talked to the other mom, we felt comfortable that everything that needed to be done had been done. She did say that she planned on keeping them apart if she could, but that's hard to do in a class full of 3 and 4 year olds. We only have one more day so I'm not terribly worried.

I feel bad now that my main concern was making sure Brenden hadn't misbehaved, instead of worrying about his well being. However, I know him and I know if he was hurt then that would have been the very first thing he said to me and not, "Mommy, I wore a life jacket!"

Just another reminder that one of the most difficult things we have to face as parents is letting our kids go out into the world. To let them be hurt, literally and figuratively. To let them cause hurt, unintentionally or on purpose, and hope that we have taught them to do everything they can to make it right. To let them make mistakes and learn from those mistakes.

Knowing that Brenden shrugged this off, that he didn't retaliate or let it dampen his enthusiasm for his swimming class makes me feel like we're on the right track. Now to figure out how to keep on chugging.

Bad Mommy Moments

Bad mommy moments are a part of life, and I've come to accept that I have my shortcomings when it comes to being a parent. That doesn't mean I like it, but I know that I'm not perfect and that I'm constantly learning. I think it's a good thing that I can realize that I've done something wrong and try to fix it. Every time I lose my cool, every time I react badly or just don't have the patience to be the mom that I want to be, I know that I have the chance to say I'm sorry and not repeat my actions.

Today I had a really bad mommy moment. Brenden and Lauren were playing in his room and I ran into Lauren's room to throw something away in her trashcan. When I walked back in I saw Brenden laying on his bed with Lauren in front of him standing on the floor. He had a hold of her hands and shoved as hard as he could to make her fall down. All I could think about was that her head was going to hit the corner of his cabinet. I jumped over the bed to grab her and on the way I smacked Brenden's leg. I wasn't even thinking about it. We don't spank or smack his hands so I'm not sure why that was my first instinct. I immediately felt terrible. He was totally shocked, too.

While I tended to Lauren I sent Brenden to time out. When he was done I asked him what he had done wrong and made him apologize to us. Then, I explained that I should not have hit him and that I was going to go in time out, too. He told me when to come out and I apologized and said I wouldn't do it again.

Apologizing to him is much easier than I thought it would be. I'm hoping it teaches him that even though he may make some bad decisions, an apology goes a long way, as well as making sure that the bad behavior changes. I know it will also teach him that his mommy isn't perfect, that I'm going to make mistakes, but that I'm doing my best.

Now I just have to forgive myself for doing something that I said I never wanted to do. It's so much easier for me to forgive other people. There's one more thing I can work on.

We Have a Problem

Brenden likes to box. He's really good at Wii boxing and he can give our couch pillows a beating like you wouldn't believe. If that was where it ended then all would be good in Brenden-land, but it's not.

Brenden likes to hit other people for fun.

I hate that he does this. I hate that when he went to a birthday party with my mom last weekend he actually hit a little girl in the face. For Fun. He gets excited and flails his arms around like a prize fighter, giggling like a fool. (This can be especially frightening for Tim since Brenden's fists are right at his waist line...eek!)

We've tried time outs, which upsets him and stops him from hitting...for a little while. We've tried taking away toys. We've made sure not to let him play Wii boxing anymore since I think that's where the behavior came from. We don't box with him when we play and we don't spank him. Hitting is not something that we have in our house.

So what else can we do? Has anyone else had a problem with this? What worked for you?

(Spanking is not, and never will be, an option for us. So anything other than that.)

Testing

He's 2 years old...I get that. I understand that this is supposed to be his "terrible 2's." I know that he will push his limits, test my patience, screech like a banshee when I say no or someone doesn't do what he wants right now. I can understand all of that, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

He's become very demanding. He will tell me to "Stop it!" or yell at other kids to "Sit down!" Both of those outbursts are usually followed by someone gasping, and it's usually not me. Obviously I'll make him apologize, either to me or to the child, but it still bothers me.

He's also becoming more physical, and not in the loving sense. He still wants to hug all the kids, hold their hands and sit next to them. But he also wants to "play tag," which really means "shove you to the floor." And hand holding has gone from sweet to not so fun since now he likes to drag them around. Again, we make him apologize and he will usually stop pushing or pulling, but by that time a lot of the children are done trying to play and the parents are giving me the stink eye. Yes, they really are. I've given the stink eye to plenty of parents at the play area at the mall who let their 9 and 10 year olds run around like hoodlums, trampling the teeny tiny kids. I know what the stink eye looks like. But that's another story.

The worst part is when I know he knows not to do something but does it anyway. Even after being told not to. "Don't open the back door" doesn't mean anything to him anymore. To time out he goes! "Don't kick the dog" apparently means "Just wait a second, I may change my mind." Telling him to stop running or not to yell is like talking to a wall.

Again, I know this is not abnormal. I know that Tim did these kind of things as a child, especially being told not to do something and then looking right at his parents as he disobeyed them. I'm sure I gave my parents plenty of headaches. That just doesn't make it much easier. I'm tired, and by 4 pm, after telling him about 15 times not to do something, I'm worn out mentally.

Not all of his developments are awful. Some are actually really great. For example, his speech his really taken off. A few people at the dance studio hadn't seen him in a week or two and were amazed at how much more he was saying and how they could understand him. Even when you are told that they will make huge strides out of no where, it doesn't really prepare you for just how much they can change in a matter of days. Before, I was happy that he was finally saying "mommy" and "daddy." Now he comes up to me and says things like "Mommy, that's your eyebrow." (while actually pointing to my eyebrow) or "Mommy, where did daddy go?"

He could be speaking fluent French right now and that wouldn't really make up for all the tantrums and screaming. Even when he asks me "Need help?" it doesn't do a whole lot. Especially since he doesn't like it when I answer, "Yes. I need you to stop acting like a crazy person!" Of course, "Mommy, need a hug?" Yeah...that makes things just a little easier.

Who is this child?

From the time Brenden could walk he's been testing his boundaries. What child doesn't? Touching outlets while looking me right in the face and listening to me tell him "no", grabbing the dog's feet, ears, or nose, screaming for milk/poptarts/ice cream when he knows there is no way we are going to give it to him. But lately, his behavior has gone from normal to straight up demon child.

There are days that, when he doesn't get his way, he refuses to listen for hours at a time. His selective hearing drives Tim and I crazy. (I don't feel so bad for Tim, which sounds awful, but he's been doing that to me since Brenden was born, which seems to be when that trait kicked in.) When we stop him or refuse what he wants he'll screech, kick, flail, fall down and just be totally awful until he finds something else to obsess over. Then, if we refuse him that, the cycle starts over. Crying, snotty, possessed child takes over his body. We try to ignore it, or put him in time out if he gets violent. We don't give in and just hand him whatever, or feed him ice cream for breakfast, or let him slap Pete's water until it's all over the walls, carpet and table. When he does it in public I try to look him in the eye and tell him that I have no problem letting him scream but that it will not get him the ball/milk/whatever else he wants. I have no idea if that is the right way to handle it.

Bed time has turned into a battle of the wills. He usually has a great time during our pre-bedtime ritual of milk and a book/flash cards. He's learning a lot, like how to pick out the numbers 1 through 10, so I know he doesn't hate it. He'll give his dad a kiss good night, tell him "bye bye" and "love you" and then grab onto my neck like a crazed monkey. Usually he'll let me put him in bed, tell me "night night", and lay down. Almost as soon as I shut the door I hear his feet pounding on the floor, headed towards the door. Then the banging begins, and the screaming. The other night he yelled for so long that his voice got hoarse. When this first started happening I would go in, put him back in bed, and walk back out. An hour later we would be trading off turns putting him back down and trying to figure out what we were doing wrong, and it turned out going in to his room at all was the problem. After a few days of just letting him get it out of his system he'll yell for a few minutes and then get back in bed, pull up the covers, and go to sleep. I'm hoping we can call keep this up.

I know part of it is the lovely terrible twos. I know another factor is his awful 2nd molars that have been driving us all crazy for months. He's also getting sick, either with allergies or a late summer cold, which is never fun. Plus, I'm pretty sure he's getting frustrated because we cannot understand what he's telling us. His vocabulary has increased so much in the past few weeks but that doesn't mean we understand him when he goes into detail about whatever is on his mind. Several times during the day I have to ask him to repeat himself, which he will do, saying exactly the same random sentence, over and over, until he gets frustrated or bored. I'm sure that's not fun, but he's missing some pretty important consonants which make him impossible to understand. Mainly "s" and "t", which we're working on.

I know sometime soon he'll be chattering at me about everything under the sun. I know there will be days when I want to shove cotton in my ears for a break. I'm just hoping that it will bring a little relief for all of us from some of the tantrums. Plus I'm very curious to know exactly what he's thinking. Maybe he'll be able to watch the videos I have of him now and tell me what he was talking about.

For now I'm considering calling an exorcist when he gets into a mood. If his head starts spinning you may find me running and screaming down Yale. I'm positive that would make the nightly news. Or maybe, if Tim is home, I'll just fix a strong drink. I may even consider combining the running/screaming/drinking, but that could get messy and I already have enough laundry to do. Sigh...

Kerthunk! (A Tale of Toddler Rails)

There are so many milestones that parents get to look forward to; rolling over, first smile, first laugh, waving bye-bye, saying the first word, pulling up, walking, using a spoon. But all of those are baby milestones. (Yes, I know walking made Brenden a "toddler" but it was still something he did as a baby so that's where it falls in my head.) Then there are bigger milestones, like teeth falling out and the first day of kindergarten, that are reserved for when your baby is is absolutely NOT a baby anymore.

I thought we were far far away from anything that could qualify Brenden as a little boy and not a baby. Potty training? Um...not yet. I do not have the patience for that yet, although I may try to do it this summer when life isn't so crazy. He already shows some signs of being interested. I thought that would be our next big step. Well...he thought differently.

Sunday morning I woke up at 9 am and immediately started worrying. Brenden hasn't slept past 8:30 am since before he was 12 months old so this was completely out of character. I crept in to check on him and he was fine so I went back to bed to lounge around and read messages on my phone. At 9:30 am I heard him wake up and not 30 seconds later I heard a huge THUD and a piercing scream. I ran into the room as quickly as I could to find him sprawled on the floor, his head towards his crib, which meant that he had flipped on his way out. After checking him out and calming him down I called Tim to let him know it was officially time to put on the toddler rails, which was about 5 months earlier than we expected.

Taking the front of the crib off was easy and so was installing the rails. Brenden watched me the entire time and as soon as the side was off he was on his bed bouncing around. He even laid down on his pillow for a little while, which I thought was a good sign.

Cheesing for me in his big boy bed.

That night I went to my parent's house so we didn't get to try the new bed out until Monday night. (He slept fine in the crib at their house and didn't try to get out...lesson learned?) By the time I got home on Monday night he had already been asleep in the car so getting him into bed wasn't difficult. He did get up a few times but the baby gate we had across his door kept him in his room and he eventually fell asleep in his bed. I thought for sure he would roll out of it so I had pillows in front of the opening. They weren't necessary. He slept until 8:45 am and really only woke up because he had a bad dream.

Not too bad for the first time!

Naps...those are a different story. Yesterday he spent an hour running around, playing with his toys, until I went in, sat next to his bed, and kept him there until he fell asleep. He had no problems going to bed last night, so I thought the concept might sink in for today's nap. Boy was I WRONG!

Today he went to lay down at 10:45 am, just like every other day. By 11: 15 am I was about to go in and keep him in bed again, but then I decided that wouldn't help much He really needed to learn how to get into bed and fall asleep on his own. By noon I was going crazy. He had played with every toy in his room, including the foam floor made of alphabet letters, and I had no choice. I took EVERYTHING out of his room - the toys, the floor, his books - everything. All that is left in there is his bed, his changing table, some blankets and his clothes. I moved as much of it as I could to his playroom but some things had to go out to the garage, like the over abundance of stuffed animals and his fire engine ball pit. When we have a bigger house I'll put them back out. I would say that when he figured out how to fall asleep without playing I would put them back, but I think we'll move before that happens.

Sad, empty room.

He did fall asleep, eventually. And he fell asleep in his bed, which is good. I just hope the 2 hours I spent sifting through his toys and rearranging his playroom pay off.

So my baby is mostly a little boy now...a little boy in diapers. When did this happen?!? Just yesterday he was this chubby baby that rolled everywhere. Just yesterday he was learning how to hold a bottle. Brick? Head? Yeah...I see what you were saying mom and dad.

3 months old...boy time flies!

When did he learn that?

When Brenden was about 13 months old we started doing time outs. At first, it seemed like a losing effort, especially since he found it quite hilarious to smack the dog, even if he did spend 30 seconds sitting down and crying. However, I realized a few weeks ago that time outs have become pretty few and far between. We still have to tell him no, but he gets it the first time and doesn't fight us on it. Many of his time outs are near nap time, which doesn't surprise me at all. He needs his sleep, just like his momma. Without it we turn into nasty grumps and it's even worse if we haven't eaten in a while.

So time outs seem to be working, and recently he proved it to us. My brother, Justin, was at our house so that Tim could help him with his taxes. Brenden was extremely excited to have both his dad and his uncle here to play with him. Unfortunately, he was also excited to play with Uncle Justin's keys, which we've decided is not a good idea since he knows exactly where the alarm button is and they aren't exactly the cleanest things ever. I took the keys and put them where Brenden can't reach them, which infuriated him. I haven't seen him that upset in a long time and I'm still not sure why it was so bad. He took a deep breath and let out a scream like he had a broken hand and then smacked my knee as hard as he could. There have been times where he's lashed out at us that way, but it was usually in response to one of us trying to keep him from touching the hot stove, which is the only time Tim or I will swat at his hands. Immediately I said, "Time out!" and pointed at his mat. Apparently he was just as shocked at his reaction to being denied the keys as we were because he stopped crying, walked over and sat down without one of us having to lead him there. He then sat there with his hands in his lap and a sad look on his face, but no crying, for 2 minutes. He didn't even try to get up. I stooped down, explained that hitting was not something he does, made him say sorry and then gave him a kiss. He skipped along on his merry way, happy to have his punishment over with. He didn't ask for the keys again. Now when I say "time out" I don't even have to point, he just walks to his mat and serves his time. I even found if we don't have a time out mat handy that telling him to sit down where he is for time out works, too. Yay! We did something right!

Today he also proved that he knows exactly what "potty" means. While playing in his room he made a noise that made me think that I would be changing a dirty diaper soon. I said, "Are you going potty" and he jumped up, ran to the bathroom, and started knocking on the door. I figured today was a good a time as any to sit him on his own potty, so I did. He sat there for a few minutes and surprisingly there was a very VERY small amount of pee pee in the potty. So we did a potty dance and then called dad and the grandmas. Potty training scares me to death, so the more interested he seems by himself, the better off I'll be! We're going to try putting him on there a few times a day just to get him used to it. Wish us luck!

Taking the Good with the Bad

Watching Brenden's personality develop has been totally hilarious and yet completely exhausting. There are days where he will do something so funny that he has Tim and I clutching our sides and crying. And then, within a few minutes, we have to save the dog from another brutal pounding, or grab Brenden away from the outlet. (The outlets have covers, but I have no doubt Brenden would figure out how to pull them out.) A few months ago I would have said that he didn't know any better, that he hadn't learned that what he was doing was wrong. However, his actions are showing me that he knows very well that what he is doing isn't right but is pushing the boundaries anyway.

For example, he will waddle up to Riley, his punching bag of choice lately, smack him on the nose, then look at me as if to say, "What are you going to do now, mom?" When I respond with, "No hitting the dog!" he runs away. We invested in a timeout mat this week and I have been using it daily. I will pick him up, place him on the mat, and for at least 30 seconds watch as he wails like I just told him he will have to stay there all day. I'm trying to teach him how to sign "sorry" and then I stand him up, give him a hug and a kiss, and lead him back to Riley to show him how to pet the dog. Brenden knows exactly how to pet a dog, and for a little while will do just that. He will even hug Riley, and try to bark at him, as if to say "let's play!" Then, out of nowhere, he looks at me. SMACK! "What are you going to do, mom?" And we repeat the process. "No." Run away. Timeout. Crying. "I'm sorry." Hugs and kisses. Lets try this again. On and on it goes, until Brenden gets tired of that game, and switches to something else, like the outlet. He knows better, but he'll walk slowly over to it, turn to look at me, reach out his arm behind him, and barely touch it. Where did he learn this? Back to the mat we go! When Tim gets home I hand the timeout duties over, at least a couple of times, because I'd rather not be the bad cop constantly. Even though it's necessary, making the rules, and then enforcing them, is no fun.

With all of these timeouts it seems like we wouldn't have time to do anything else. Not true! One of our favorite things to do right now is sing along with Brenden's Sesame Street car that he got for his birthday from Grandma and Grandpa Warehime. There is a button on the front that plays People In Your Neighborhood and Brenden LOVES it. He could be immersed in another toy, but when Tim or I start clapping and singing he runs over to push the button and then starts dancing, laughing and clapping. He gets so excited that he will fall against the chairs, like the joy of it it is too much for him. Once we get him started we have to be prepared to clap, sing and dance for at least another 15 minutes. Tim and I don't mind, seeing him so happy is totally worth having that song stuck our heads all night. I even found myself singing it when I woke up. But how could you ever say no to this? :)

Please forgive the singing. We are not experts. :) And I was clapping, so it's a bit shaky.