Charlotte loves her crayons from the Easter Bunny.  She squealed and  I thought she might explode when I pulled them out along with her Elmo coloring book yesterday.

I ignored Crayola’s “age 24 months and up” warning on the box because I assumed my kid must be an artistic prodigy and these crayons would somehow awake the creative beast within.

She grabbed one out of the box and happily scribbled Elmo’s face a brilliant, albeit incorrect, turquoise.  This was short lived.  I had started showing her how to color Elmo’s fur red when I looked and she was happily gnawing on the Blue/Green crayon.  She grinned as I scooped wax bits out of her mouth.  When I took away the Blue/Green that little bugger had the Blue/Violet in the other hand!  Before I could stop her she snapped off the end of that one with a look like, “Ha, ha, Mama!”  Bits of purple wax covered her teeth.

After rinsing her mouth I had forgotten all about this until about 10:000am today.

It smelled like any other dirty diaper, but OH MY GOD!  I thought, “When did she eat the remanents of a blue-green-purple Play-Doh experiment gone wrong?!”  I made Greyson come look at what our creative beast had produced.

Like all parents who work outside the home, our weekends are sacred.  It’s our chance to catch up with our growing child.  Two full, uninterrupted days of family time.

We ate cupcakes. (Yeah, I had Gigi’s for the first time and it changed my life)

We hiked around the lake.

And…Greyson got in Charlotte’s wagon with Elmo and Abby Cadabby.

So overall it was a great weekend.  Charlotte did have her moments, however.  You know what I’m talking about.  Periods of inconsolable, toy throwing, snot nosed, tear-filled tantrums that no amount of food nor Sesame Street can end.  It’s a side effect of toddlerhood we’re dealing with on a daily basis.  I have a terrible confession…

At one point during a tantrum I thought, “I want to take her to daycare!”

Oh my God!  I did NOT just think that!  I was horrified and guilt ridden.  Usually I dread Mondays when I have to leave my babe during the day.  I get sad during lunch breaks when I see Stay-At-Home moms out at restaurants with their tots.

But, I was at my wits end.  I was hoping someone else would take a crack at getting through to my child.  Her teachers at school are just the ones to do it.   I actually got excited about going to work and that’s not just because I like my new job.

Later tonight after she had a fully belly and had calmed down she said “Mama! Mama! Mama!” over and over.  In my ears it was like a little songbird from heaven was singing with the angels.  I thought, “That’s it!  I’m pulling her out of daycare so I can be with her all day!”

I have as many mood swings as my toddler.

The other day I made the Rookie Mom mistake of leaving my bag from the drugstore in the backseat next to Charlotte’s car seat.  When she grew tired of her toys, naturally her toddler curiosity got the better of her and she grabbed something from the bag.  I heard her ripping and tearing paper and said in my newly acquired Mom-Warning-Voice, “Charlotte!  What are you doing?”  At the stoplight I glanced back to see what she had and stifled my laughs.

From the passenger seat Greyson says, “What does she have?”  “Tampons,” I reply.

He asked with male revulsion, “What!?  Can that hurt her?!”  I assured him cardboard and cotton was not as harmful as other pharmaceuticals that could be in that bag.

Greyson is not the type of man to be fearful of feminine hygiene products and would pick up a box if I needed them, but his baby girl playing with tampons was just too much for him.  I laughed and said, “Yep Charlotte.  You probably won’t need those for another 11 or 12 years.”  Greyson shook his head and said, “Oh God!  I don’t even want to think about it.”

As I giggled and removed cotton tufts from her clothes I took a moment to relish toddlerhood because everyone says puberty will be here before we know it.

God gave me many gifts.  I have the gift of gab, long legs, and the uncanny ability to recall superfluous information.  Yes, thank the Lord I always win Trivial Pursuit.

One gift I do not possess is the gift of song.  Sure, I was a good Baptist girl and sang in the Children & Youth choirs.  I even sang a little solo in church in the 4th grade.  Remind me to bury that VHS cassette so no one witnesses my bangs a-la-1990 and off-key squeaks.

One person, however, is a fan of my singing.

I usually don’t get to Charlotte until after 5:30pm to pick her up from school.  By then she is unbearably cranky and ready for dinner.  In the car I give her saltines they have in a basket at the front desk at school, but that doesn’t last long.  I mean the Saltine Challenge is unbearable!

I’ve found singing songs keeps her happy and quiet.  My favorites are Classic Rock or Top 40.  Charlotte is having none of that.  I think “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” is toddlers’ “Freebird.”  They can’t get enough.  So I belt out some kiddie classics all the way home.

Songs in my repertoire:

• The Itsy Bitsy Spider
• Jesus Loves Me
• Jesus Loves the Little Children (Yep.  Jesus has two on this list.  We need to start planning her for her salvation now, folks.)
• Row Row Row Your Boat (Not as much fun when it’s not sung in rounds.)
• If You’re Happy and You Know It
• ABC’s
• Twinkle Twinkle Little Star  (The same tune of these two is easy on Mama’s end-of-workday-brain.)
• Elmo’s Ducks (Greyson and I have learned this song from You Tube.  When we’re both with her I sing and he quacks.)

Today we took Charlotte to a park in Raleigh called Pullen Park.  Anyone from this area has tons of fond childhood memories of this special place.  She “petted her pony” on the carousel and squealed at the ducks waddling near the train tracks.  My heart was complete.