Summer With a Toddler

Though it’s only May, I’ve come to the conclusion that summer with a two-year-old is much more fun than summer with a one-year-old. Here’s why:

· Now that Cakes is walking and climbing like a monkey, I no longer have to walk around bent over, holding her hands and hovering all the time. Instead, I can sit on a park bench, work on my tan and chat with people, giving Cakes the occasional wave and thumbs up (I do however, have to keep an eye on the gate—she likes to try to escape.)

· We can kick the soccer ball around.

· Instead of chucking her hat every time my back is turned, this year she loves wearing hats and insists on choosing one herself. When I forget to bring one, she’s pissed at me.

· Ditto for the shoes.

· Ditto for sun lotion.

· She loves to water my plants for me.

· She’s warming up to the car. She’s finally made the connection that the metal prison is a means to go places that are fun. Now we can’t walk by the garage without a hopeful, “car!? car!?”

· We can sit on the patio and have a civilized snack together.

· We’re starting to be able to peruse our reading materials separately, side by side. Hooray! Here’s the TV guide Cakes, now pass me the travel section.

· Toddler clothes are much cuter than onesies.

· Now that we’re down to one nap (getting later and later), we can actually do fun outings like the zoo. Good thing—circle time’s getting tired for both of us.

What other good stuff do I have to look forward to?



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The summer season is also reminding me how glad I am to live in the city, even though I get down on it sometimes, like I did two nights ago when I watched the cops remove the freaks across the street at gunpoint (seriously). But it’s worth the occasional drunk passed out on my sidewalk to have so many different parks to go to and things to do. If I feel antisocial I can go to the-park-nobody-goes-to-except-the-crazies. Or I can go to the busy park where everyone knows Cakes and helps me keep on eye on the gate. We were there yesterday and I came home to a promised email from one of the moms with book and blog recommendations. Today we did errands. The friendly lady at the local wine shop gave Cakes a bag of crackers to tide her over. When we got to the deli, Cakes offered one to the man-who-pinches-cheeks. We went to the cheese shop and she finished her crackers while I asked forty questions and sampled as many things as I could get away with.

There are lots of good events coming up in the city (I must do a post for MBT on this soon). There’s a festival in Yorkville this weekend, and an art festival in my ‘hood. Pride and Fringe are coming up. We haven’t been to the island yet this year. So much to do. Love it.