A HOT DAY AT HOME

Brrrr…it’s freezing at my desk right now. Outside, the temperature is flirting with today’s projected high of 101 degrees.

I was off yesterday -- at home with my 10-month old who'd just had tubes put in her ears. The heat made it impossible to go to the park, or even take a stroll. So we stayed inside and I tried to entertain her.

To those who might suggest mall walking on a hot day -- I am not a woman who can go to the mall and just WALK. If I go to the mall, I do so with the building’s true purpose in mind – SHOPPING.

Getting back to my day with the baby -- we read books, rolled balls, played peek-a-boo, sang songs, pushed buttons on musical toys. I even turned on the TV thinking she might like Elmo. (She wasn’t the least bit interested in Sesame Street, or the Teletubbies for that matter.)

She’d smile and laugh with each activity, then quickly get bored and let out a little scream. What she really wanted was to play with her big brother’s toys, which aren’t the safest (small parts and all) -- so I got more cries every time I took those away.

Her favorite game was to roll an empty plastic water bottle around…and she did so contently for quite a while -- that is, until her big brother came home from preschool.

As soon as she saw him, she scrambled across the room and grabbed his leg. This caused him to shriek and run away. She laughed loudly and followed…and a little game ensued that lasted about an hour. She was the happiest in that hour than she’d been all day. I followed closely to make sure big brother’s arms and legs didn’t land in her face as he tumbled around. She did fall backwards on the wood floor once, but didn't seem to mind.

When we finally got the kids to settle down, it was bedtime for the little one. She drank her bottle and quickly fell asleep.

I learned yesterday that my three year old is a very good babysitter. A little rough, yes – but very entertaining.

Too bad he couldn’t help put the baby back to sleep when she woke up at 2am…but that’s another story.

Yawn. Is it naptime yet?

News Mom “V”