Shenanigans

For our household bedtime seems to bring chaos and meltdowns rather than peace and quiet. Tonight was no different. Doodlebug was not happy about having to miss out on his evening video. So we marched upstairs and laid down. He seemed to be okay with how things were going until he yelled out, "My eyes are watering." I simply told him that he was tired and needed to go to sleep. That didn't help him though and he said, "No there's something wrong." I'm starting to get a little more panicked at the point, but trying to stay calm. So I asked him what the problem was and he calmly says, "I didn't get to watch a video before bed. This is what happens when I don't watch a video." I tried to contain myself, but burst into laughter at his shenanigans.

So after that little detour, I thought Doodlebug had finally calmed downed and was almost asleep until he blurts out, "Mom. I want to have a talk. Let's talk about germs from the beginning." I'm thinking, "How far back do you want to go little man, Biblical times?" At this point it seemed we were never going to sleep so I made a deal that we could discuss germs in detail tomorrow morning for as long as he felt it was necessary. That seemed like a good idea for him he rolled over and soon after fell asleep.

That kid never ceases to amaze me in the detours he creates so he doesn't have to go to sleep. During the day, there is never any indication, but once we say, "Ok, it's time to go upstairs." the melodrama begins. Suddenly, he's thirsty or hungry, then he has to go to the bathroom, then the blankets are right and the pillows are too flat, it's too hot so he has to get undressed to be comfortable. The list goes on and on even to the point of complete ridiculousness. We let him talk for a while, but once we've had enough he gets the shutdown signal, the lights go off. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but at least he knows he's going to have less and less of a chance to stay awake. Once he's all tucked and comfy it doesn't take long for sleep to kick in. It's just that initial push to get him ready for sleep lasts quite a while. 

Luckily, for me he fell asleep fairly quickly and hasn't woken up. I'm hoping he sleeps in for a bit in the morning too just so I can get a good round of sleep myself. I'm hoping Doodlebug gets that great affinity for sleep that so many others do, including myself. I love sleep and really look forward to bedtime each day. Maybe through practice and repetition I can teach Doodlebug the importance of a good night's sleep too. Or he may relish in the grief he gives me while I put him to sleep each night.  

Happy New Year! Pants required.

Whew! We made it through the holidays and are now well on our way into the new year. We had an enjoyable Christmas. Doodlebug made it through his first Christmas program. He participated, though not happily. He looked completely disinterested and a bit upset throughout the entire performance. He basically went through the motions and stomped off stage to make sure we knew how ridiculous this production was  and that he did not appreciate us dressing him up like a fool to sing and dance in front of total strangers. Ah, childhood memories that I will later use against him when he gets his first girlfriend.

Aside from that little charade, everything went pretty smoothly. We spent time with family and friends and generally enjoyed the antics of the season. Doodlebug did have his moments though. Just before Christmas, we were awaiting the arrival of family for a quick visit and so I was preparing the house and Doodlebug. I made sure the food was made, the house was clean and so was Doodlebug. After his customary scrub down, I told him to dry himself off and pick out what he wanted to wear for the evening. I went downstairs to check on some food in the oven while he stayed behind in his room to gather his clothes. 5 minutes went by, then 7 and I began to get suspicious; it shouldn't take this long to grab a few items of clothing. I called up to him and asked, "Did you get your clothes?". He yelled down, "Not yet." I yelled back for him to "Hurry up." and he very earnestly called down, "Do I have to wear pants?". Really? How is that even a question?  No pants? I shook my head and yelled back, "Yes, you have to wear pants!".  This is not a pants optional party; part of the dress code requires that you wear pants. While some folks would like pants to be "a suggestion", the rest of society is glad that is not the case! Luckily, Doodlebug attended the party fully dressed and so did everyone else.

'Tis the Season

It's Christmas time again and I can't believe how quickly it's gotten here! With Christmas comes all of the fun activities; visiting family and friends, baking, shopping, decorating and school programs. Doodlebug seems to enjoy this time of year. Not just the excitement of getting new stuff, but the whole atmosphere; decorating and spending time with family we don't see as often as we'd like. This year will be the first time that he has ever participated in a school program where he will be up on stage singing with his classmates in front of his family and complete strangers. I'm not really sure how that will all play out, but we are keeping our fingers crossed all goes well.

His teacher has been prepping them during class and helping them rehearse the songs they are going to sing; "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and "Up on the Rooftop". He seems excited about the whole process, but shares little with us. What he did share wasn't exactly what I was hoping for. When I picked him up from school one day I asked if his class had been practicing their Christmas songs and he said yes. I asked him to sing a little for me and he proceeded to begin singing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer", but with some added words like armpit and butt cheeks. I calmly explained that while I didn't mind if he playfully sang the song in the car with his new additions, it would be under no circumstances acceptable to sing it that way in class or on the day of the program. He just said, "I know. I can sing it in the car, but not in my class." and then continued to exchange new words in place of reindeer into his version of the song.

I continued to press him for any details about his Christmas program and he rambled on incoherently about random things that had happened in class and then said, "But the most important thing is Christmas joy." I thought, "Oh that's nice." so I asked him where he heard the phrase Christmas joy and if he had any. He said his teacher explained all about Christmas joy to them and that everyone in the class had plenty. I told him that was nice that all of his classmates and teacher had Christmas joy. He quickly responded with, "Not my teacher." I asked, "Your teacher doesn't have Christmas joy?" He said, "Of course not. She has a classroom full of kids." I laughed and continued to press him for further information about why his teacher was lacking in Christmas joy. He thought about it and said, "Well, sometimes she has Christmas joy."  Before I could ask another question he said, "She has Christmas joy when she goes to the bathroom.". I didn't even bother to ask why or try to get further details. I'm sure he notices when the teacher returns from a "mini break" to the restroom how calm and put together she is, while in the classroom she may appear frazzled and at her wits end. In the end I learned a valuable lesson; Christmas joy can come from anywhere.

A Wise Guy Eh?

Our family enjoys a good laugh. Most of the movies and tv shows we watch are comedies. I myself am a sucker for "The Office". I cannot get enough of great humor. 

Doodlebug is also a fan and seems to have an affinity for slapstick comedy, especially "The Three Stooges". I can remember my dad watching old episodes and cracking up, however it wasn't exactly my type of humor. Lucky for me, my son loves it! We have almost the entire 3 Stooges collection on DVD and he has learned many of the phrases that made the show famous. He can often be heard imitating Curly's "nyuck, nyuck, nyuck" and "A wise guy eh?". He seems to be able to make these comments at the most inappropriate times, which to those not involved is hilarious. I must admit, I have found myself laughing hysterically when I am not shaking my head in frustration.

The latest Stooge humor happened the other night right before bed. I had my reading glasses on and Doodlebug asked why. I explained that they helped me see better and prevented my eyes from hurting. My answer seemed to pacify him, but when I least expected it, he calmly said, "A wise eye eh?". I burst out laughing and he smiled knowingly; his mission had been accomplished. He succeeded in making me laugh and bedtime was postponed another 5 minutes. He will do whatever it takes to get out of going to bed on time and this occasion was no different. At least this time it ended with laughter instead of tears. 

Doodlebug Who?

Before my son was born I was very aware of nicknames parents give their children. Some are simple, just the shortening of the child's name, others include the child's likes or hobbies. My sister loved the Care Bears and since her name was Kerrie, my mom started calling her Ker Bear; it just made sense. My initials before I was married spelled Sam so I went by that nickname amongst some family and close friends. Many of my friends at school had nicknames as well, so I knew I wanted to have a nickname for my son that fit him.

During the course of my pregnancy, I began thinking of what we could use as a nickname. Somehow everything I thought of didn't have the right ring to it. One evening while watching "The Simpsons" with my husband, we heard it; the nickname of all nicknames. It was the episode where Homer was trying to outdo Ned Flanders in the fatherhood department and so volunteers to take the boy scout troop that Bart is a part of out camping. At some point, Homer and Flanders end up on a raft in the middle of the ocean with nothing but one lonely cheese doodle for food. As a last resort, Homer uses that cheese doodle as bait to try and catch a fish. While watching the cheese doodle float on the water, Ned cries out, "God speed little doodle." My husband and I laughed and laughed; we had never heard anything so hilarious, yet cute. We thought "this is the one!". What better word to describe the small being that would soon enter the world? Doodle. It was perfect.

After our son was born, the nickname Doodle stuck. I subsequently added bug to the end and Doodlebug was born! Now at 5 years old, our son is well aware of his nickname and has accepted it. He will even refer to himself as "The Doodle". While the joy of his nickname will only last a short time in his eyes, one day as he is heading off to college or getting married we will be able to utter the phrase, "God speed little doodle."