Sometimes it's a Zoo...

*This blog is a total side-note, silly, fun tidbit that I have come across :) 

I have never considered my child to have ever had a stage where he is "immobile," mainly because he has been moving every limb on his body since he was basically born. From birth he would "swim" if you held his body up in the air- arms and legs moving as fast as he could make them go until he was put down, and even then he didn't hold still. Two months comes along and we have a rolling baby- who miraculously would use his skills to go from one place to another. Five months we have a crawler... a fast crawler. Nine to ten months mostly crawling and pulling up/walking while holding onto furniture: "cruiser." Eleven months we have it, a walker. Now we have a toddler who only walks/waddle-runs... There are benefits that come with such an active child- the first of which is I get plenty of exercise. 

I was always one of those women who dreamed of having twins- I thought it would be the greatest thing ever, that is until I had one baby. I tried to picture how I could have possibly taken care of two mouths to feed, two bottoms to diaper, and two babies to clean and play with. Just thinking about it I would get tired... Now, however, I realize the benefit to having two at the same time is your child has a distraction- someone else to follow around, to play with, to chase, and to "talk" to. 

When Tucker follows me around the house like a little puppy I wish I had someone or something (a dog or a cat) for him to be entertained with. And then I happened upon Zhu-Zhu pets. We were first introduced to these little critters at a friend's house when she grabbed out two to occupy our two boys (who were both crawling at the time)- and the boys chased the things around for an insane amount of time.... I had half-forgotten about these little "pets," and have been thinking more and more about wanting an animal for Tucker to be entertained with... But the only thing we could really have in our tiny little apartment is a fish or two- neither of which I thought my son would be too pleased by seeing as he couldn't really play with them. And then (sigh): Zhu-Zhu pet. From the moment I handed him the little raccoon animal he was fascinated: the noises that emerged from the little creature had Tucker talking right back to it!

Now I know, most parents aren't too crazy about something that not only makes a ton of little squeaky sounds, but also can move incessantly... However, the benefits (at least for us) have far outweighed the costs. For starters the little things can be purchased for $5 at Target, which is a fairly cheap form of entertainment these days... 

Tucker chases the pet up and down our apartment, then he will grab it and laugh at the little noises it makes. He still continues to talk to it, and he now knows how to make it go, stop, and squeak. He gets so tickled when I get "Rocco" down and let the two of them zoom around the floor together- and it's a great distraction in the morning so I can either get dressed and ready, make breakfast, or even eat my own breakfast! 

So, if you are like me, and are trying to desperately find a way to entertain your extra-mobile child with something, anything so you can have a few moments in the morning, etc. to get ready and get the house in order, and if you can't actually buy an animal (or don't want to deal with the hassel of cleaning up after it/dealing with extra expenses) I'd recommend the zhu-zhu pets :) And I'm sure there are tons of other similar toys out there which we haven't yet discovered... 

A Season

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 

a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 

a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; 

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; 

a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; 

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; 

a time for war, and a time for peace." 

-Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

The past couple months there has been a lot of stress in my household. Mainly because expecting our second child has mixed joy with worry. Questions arise daily, from "How am I going to drive a Mini Cooper when I'm in my third trimester?" to "Where is baby #2 going to sleep when he or she is too big for the Moses basket?" to "How are we going to continue to live off of one income?" 

I forget that probably the majority of people expecting their second child have similar worries as well, if not more complex. Reminding myself that I am blessed relieves so much stress on my mind. A burden is lifted from my shoulders when I realize how wonderful it is that I live in a safe apartment, that I get to see my toddler every day and I am not having to place him in childcare, that we are able to purchase necessities, and we are not going hungry or going without clothing. 

Living in the midst of a large city- surrounded by the hustle and bustle of thousands of people, bombarded on every side by billboards and advertisements- I lose sight of what it looks like to live for Christ and not for the world (or for my own fleshly desires). How hard it is to not long for a home, for two cars that are both safe to put children inside of, for expendable income, and for an actual vacation to the beach or the mountains with my husband and child(ren). 

Today, I had a pleasant escape from this temptation of thought. I was able to watch my son be fascinated and overjoyed with nature. A stick to him was a golden scepter and an ordinary rock was a precious gemstone. A leaf was a rare treasure (especially when it had a fuzz ball attached to it), and his little plastic purple ball elicited a shout of joy and a belly giggle. 

Digging in the dirt, trying to understand why tree roots don't come off of the ground, and trying with every fiber of his being to catch the black birds hopping under the picnic benches- that is what contentment means to my toddler of a son. How refreshing, how truly enjoyable, to sit and watch a child thoroughly enjoy God's creation. He didn't need anything electronic, or costly; all it took was a little time, some turkey and cheese, a plastic ball, and the great outdoors. God truly has anticipated all of our needs and provided for them- even down to the smallest of people.