Dump it.

So until my wise and wonderful husband suggested putting my memory card into my mom's camera, all pics (well, the good ones) were taken on her memory card. The obligatory post-Halloween parade of costumes post will thus be delayed due to my slow-poke mother (though I love her, she's not quick about fulfilling requests) as I wait for her to email pics. Some snap happy children happened to drain all the batteries in my camera (with their 118 shots of the tv, me in my underwear folding laundry, more tv and random out-of-focus shots of the wall, carpet, etc), and of coarse the ones that were charged were dead by the time I put them in the camera.

For now, I thought I'd share a little about the developmental stage that has me pulling my hair out my smallest is in. I'd like to call it the "trailing tornado" or "dump it" stage. I thought I was just going crazy, but then I had my crazy confirmed and brought to a "normal" status with something I read today. Our local United Way has this wonderful program that sends out books to kids age 1 thru 4. We get several books a year, accompanied by a monthly newsletter telling of area kid-focused events, parenting tips, a cook-with-kids or craft idea, and a sheet from bornlearning that "highlights what's happening at this stage of your child's development." I remember this "dump it" stage with dear Cheeks the most, and remember calling her Tornado Abby. (get it? Tornado Alley/Tornado Abby. Haha. I know, I crack myself up.) Wherever the child goes, they leave in their wake a tornado of whatever they can get their hands on. Usually, what you've just picked up. Lil'D happens to be in this same phase of life, where he is exploring, testing and manipulating his surroundings. He (and I quote this sheet from bornlearning) "likes to push, pull and dump things."

Why, YES he does!

He also likes to take things and put them other places. I regularly (as in  s e v e r a l  times a day) check my garbage for things like Barbies, puzzle pieces, silverware, phones and remotes. I also have found toys clear on the other side of the house from where they originated. And I can't for the life of me find a match to either his shoes or slippers. He also likes to raid the cupboard for crackers, or whatever he can get is little hands on, be it Bisquick, paper plates or bananas.

So after doing nothing yesterday to recover from the events of the last week, today meant that my HOUSE needed some serious attention.

**Can I just interrupt this story for a moment to tell you that mere seconds ago, this sweet little exploring bugger of mine dumped out the puzzle I just picked up and brought me the empty puzzle board. Aw, how sweet. sigh. Only minutes before this he had raided the cupboard and brought me stacks of paper plates and bowls, and there was an equally large stack of plates and napkins spread out on the floor near the cupboard.

Ok, back to the house, now that I've just illustrated what I was going to explain. The mirad of dress-up clothes and costume parts, candy wrappers, strewn about books and dirty laundry, not to mention the thick layer of sand and whatnot that covered my living room rug called my attention like a red waving flag, with the pole repeatedly whapping me in the face. We had sunk to new levels of grotesqueness.

I at least had the clarity of mind to wait until most parties were not present to attack. And so my morning went smoothly in my efforts to rid us of our uncleanliness. I had made headway. Then I took a break. It should be noted, also, that Dr. Disaster had by now gotten up from his nap.

So what once was a clear-to-navigate surface, is now, again, a landmine. This is why, most days, I feel it's pointless to clean or pick up. I feel defeated and overwhelmed. But today, I smile. He's just bein' his normal baby self. And I love that baby oh so very much.

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