When I heard that this week's blog blast from The Parent Bloggers Network was I Live in a Zoo to promote Generation Next's brand-new product - iKnow Animals, Letters & Sounds (which looks like a really cool product!), I thought of a few different ways I could run with this topic. There's the fact that we have a toddler, a dog and a cat, all of whom are constantly into things, underfoot and making messes that Londo and I have to clean up. There's the fact that my daughter could likely become a zoologist when she grows up given her love for animals and their sounds. But then it occurred to me how my life is most like a zoo...
My daughter is a monkey.
The Pumpkin is so clingy so much of the time. I'm not exactly complaining, because I do love to hold and cuddle her. She has always been clingy and needed to be held a lot. Goodness knows I would not have made it through the first year without the myriad of slings we got! But occasionally I need to put her down for some reason. And now, she holds on with her legs in addition to her arms when I try to put her down. When she realizes I'm lowering her, she wraps her legs around my thigh and holds on as if for dear life with legs and arms. Do I need to mention she is also fussying/whining when she does this?
When we read one of her animal books that talks about the baby orangutan and how it clings to its mommy's neck, I often joke that its just like what the Pumpkin does to Mama. Like a monkey, she just wants to hold on to me while we walk around, while I cook, while I do dishes, while I do just about anything. Except when she wants to walk and climb herself.
Which brings us to the next resemblance. My child doesn't just walk around and run a bit, she CLIMBS EVERYTHING!! Just like a young simian who is learning how to navigate the trees in its forest environment, my girl sees the couch, chairs, tables, counters and even baby gates and immediately figures out how to climb up. Stairs? She's up them! Playground equipment? To the top faster than you'd think an 18 month old could move. Beds? Picnic tables? Stools? Up, up and up.
My child's monkey-like qualities really have kept me on my toes. I have to figure out creative ways to do things while holding her, and I have to baby proof things I thought were already baby proofed as she figures out how to reach higher by climbing. This makes my life more exciting than I was used to, especially when added to the dog and cat and the animals noises that my daughter loudly shares.
Yep, my life is a zoo. But at least the Pumpkin is not as hairy as a monkey.
6 comments:
Doesn't the playground equipment give you a heart attack?
We have some extra small, kindergarten/preschool sized in a nearby playground but my heart still stops when he races up the ladders and swings himself around.
Ack!
I was such a daredevil growing up, so I know I should expect the same with my kids. I have no idea how they did it though, watching me climb and swing and not having a heart attack in the process.
I have a monkey just behind yours! When we go out to eat he is always trying to climb onto the table...
He clings and climbs and seems unsatisfied by what we have in the house for him to climb. Thankfully he has yet to climb any bookcases! I do not look forward to that.
I had been wanting to ask you how you balance satisfying her climbing need and childproofing. We don't seem to have enough he can actually climb safely (he's still short so he can only reach certain things).
I like monkeys.
That death grip when you are trying to put them down is certainly something I can relate to. I always wish I could be that bystander watching the woman trying to walk and shake her toddler to the ground. Must be very funny!
My Monkey is a monkey. Nothing more to say.
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