Monday, June 28, 2010

In the Blink of an Eye


A few months ago, I used to be able to plop Finnley down on the floor and surround her with some toys while I would occupy myself. And, when I say "occupy myself" I mean cleaning, vacuuming, cooking...you name it. Household drudgery, to be exact. But, it was lovely to simply put Finn down and know that she was safe, non-mobile, and fairly happy for a good while.

Those days are gone. Long gone. Kiss them goodbye-gone. Gone, forever, and ever, and ever, amen.

Now Finnley moves. And she is not happy to stay in one place for more than a minute or two. And, she is not happy to stay out of trouble. And, I still need to "occupy" myself with household drudgery at times. Because if I didn't, we would all be swimming in dog hair up to our knees. Or armpits. And, I don't think I am exaggerating.

So, while I am occupied, for however brief of a time that might be, my little inquisitor is seeking out mischief in every corner of our home. What kind of mischief, you ask?

Well, Finnley has managed the following:

  • daily visits to the dog's water bowl for a splashing good time
  • sticking face in dog's water bowl to see what that might feel like...and trying to take a drink
  • dumping all of the treats out of her "non-spill" treat trap
  • playing "telephone" where it is then left on "talk" for 70 minutes and we have a "low battery" warning
  • pulling mommy's diaper bag onto the floor about 500 times and playing with the various contents
  • taking apart the plastic pieces that direct air into the room from the air conditioner vent
  • climbing the dog, over and over again
  • pulling all of the toilet paper off of the roll and then proceeding to eat it
  • removing all of the items from the dog's basket of "stuff"
  • climbing the stairs and then attempting to come down them head first
  • getting in the dog's treat bin, feeding the dog treats, and feeding the dog's treats to herself (I removed all 3 of them)
  • pulling herself up onto a candle holder and then knocking the candle down on herself
  • taking books out of my book bin one by one...and then playing with them on the floor
  • removing several folded items from the laundry basket and throwing them all over the hardwood
  • going through the garbage can in the bathrooms, taking out tissues and examining them
  • playing with daddy's Ohio State flag
  • banging on the wood-burning stove, which thankfully is not in use right now
  • climbing the front of the oven
  • tipping over in the highchair (ok, this one did happen, but it wasn't her fault...the dog was underneath and knocked it over with her in it...SCARY!)

  • And, all of this mayhem occurs IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE! No joke! It is all enough to make a mom laugh and / or have a heart attack. Hopefully the laughter will stave off the heart attack...or something like that.

    I am a smart woman and mommy, so no one needs to point out that this list will only continue to grow as Finnley does. Walking will add a whole new dimension of trouble to our little world. Hopefully nothing that band-aids, some good "NO-NO's", and a little bit of redirection and guidance can't successfully treat.

    Maybe I will just tape open my eyelids, too, and stop blinking...think it will help???