Henry is a train fanatic. I call him a “choo-choo cuckoo.” He will push trains until he can’t keep his eyes open before his afternoon nap. My sweet 2 year-old snuggles with trains in his bed. It’s all around adorable.

I was excited when TOMY sent Henry a set of the the Chuggington 1, 2, 3 Tracks. We recently bought him some wooden train tracks for his birthday. We bought the generic brand tracks from Target because the Thomas and Friends tracks were more than we wanted to spend. Now, after using this new track I wish we had bought all TOMY Chuggington tracks! The good news? The Chuggington 1, 2, 3 Track fits perfectly with most other wooden train track brands. (Thomas, Melissa & Doug etc.)

(Raise your hand if you’re a parent who already has the “Chuggington” theme song in your head after reading this? It’s a catchy tune. Well played, Disney Junior, well played.)

What makes the TOMY tracks different is the connected hinges that flex up and down, and rotate 360 degrees. Parts of the track are already connected and designed so that little kids can make their own layout and play with it right out of the box. Henry got the “Wilson Rides The Rails” set. The track makes an oval, but disconnect in a few places and rotate to make other shapes and connect with other tracks.

We got a hand-me-down train table without tracks a few years ago when my 5-year-old daughter was little. The Chuggington track fits great. I love the Wilson train that has the same magnets as our other trains. Henry is young and I don’t have the patience to connect more plastic trains together. The wooden trains with magnets are so much better for little hands. Wilson connects with Thomas and other brands of wooden trains.

The TOMY Chuggington Wooden Railway sets are available for your little train lover at Toys R Us this holiday season! The The “Wilson Rides The Rails” starter set retails for $29.99 and is recommended for ages 2 and up. Tell me what you like or dislike about your train sets. Have you tried the Chuggington sets? What is your train lover wishing for this year?

Dear Henry,

The day before your birthday this photo came up on my Timehop:

I remember it so well. We were waiting and waiting for your arrival. We didn’t know much about you, we didn’t even know if you were a boy or a girl. We just knew that we couldn’t wait for you to join our family. Your sister sat with me and we rolled Thomas the Tank Engine and Rosie over my belly. The caption I put on the photo was “Trying to lure this kid out with the promise of toys.” I laugh now on your second birthday. (Well, Friday November, 6 was your second birthday.) I laugh because it was like I was predicting our future with the turn of those little wheels across my body.

So much of what you love has wheels. “Cars!” “Choo choos!” are your favorite phrases and your favorite toys. “Wwweeeew!” is what you mean for planes. You love them too, and the “Planes” movie that I may have completely memorized soon. The look of concentration you get when you push trains across your new train tracks is awesome. You ride your push toys with gusto and try so hard to reach the pedals on your new trike. Then you sneak over to your sister’s big bike because you have big dreams for a little guy. Daddy and I always wonder if wheels will be a way of life for you.

You wouldn’t put down the new car you got for your birthday during Stroller Strides. Also, you don’t want to wear any other shoes but the light-up Thomas shoes.

Wheels aren’t all you love. You love running fast, yelling loud and smiling big. You love when your sister sends you into giggle fits, when you pet Ginger and when Daddy walks in the door after work. Henry, you also love your mama. Son, we love you too. I didn’t know my heart could be so full until you joined our family. Thank you for being you.

Happy Birthday. I love you, my sweet, sweet boy.

Two years later. Thomas and Rosie are well loved. My belly is much smaller and you are so much bigger.

Love,

Mama

Lately I’ve witnessed what I’ve dubbed “clingers,” particularly at Charlotte’s dance class. But, I’ve seen them other places too. Daycare, birthday parties and other get-togethers seem to reveal children who are clingers. You’ve seen them. They get all panicky and weepy when they have to leave their parents.

I think there are two types of clingers:

Level 1 Clingers: There are kids who HAVE to sit on their moms’ laps and warm up when the other children sit excitedly together in the circle or play at the party. These children are mostly ignored by the others. When asked by other adults if they would “like to come and play?!” or “join the group!” they bury their faces and their parents say stuff like, “He’s shy.” The party, class or event typically continues as planned and the child may or may not join in.

Level 2 Clingers: Oh goodness. A level 2. Take a breath. We’ve all seen them and feel terrible for their parents. One child was SCREAMING in dance class the other day. You would have thought the poor dance teacher had asked if she wanted to burn Elmo at the stake. She had really just asked if she wanted to sit in the circle. The child had a death grip on the woman.  I watched the bewildered mom try to catch her breath as she opened her arms and the child still clung on to her. This was snot streaming, choking type of crying. This little girl legitimately must have believed her mom had sold her into slavery. They would have been a tribe of little pigtailed slaves in pink tights. The crying stopped for a moment, and somehow the mom escaped. We heard her later on wailing again over the music and the assistant teacher eventually brought her in the waiting room to call her parents.

Non-clinger: I have a non-clinger. 9 times out of 10 she is happy to see her friends at daycare, psyched for the birthday party and ready to sit in the circle at dance class. There are the few days where she’s out of sorts when I drop her off. If she’s not feeling well or mad about the toy I made her leave in the car that day, she may be a little weepy, but it’s rare. ALL children have the occasional clingy days. We all know what that’s like as a parent and it sucks. No one wants to leave their child upset.

Most of the time  the challenge for me as the parent of a non-clinger is to help my child react to a clinger. When Charlotte is excited to see her friend who is a Level 1 Clinger, but she wants to share toys and play, it’s hard sometimes to explain the behavior. She often seems a little hurt that the child doesn’t want to play at that moment. That’s when I try to distract her or say something like, “She needs to sit her mommy right now. Why don’t we go get some juice.”

When it’s a Level 2 Clinger, distraction is not really an option. Come on. There’s no way to ignore the screams. My little non-clinger often looks at me panicked like, “Um, should I be worried too?” That’s when I’ve started saying “He is having a tough time right now, isn’t he? He’ll feel better soon. Let’s go talk to the teacher/another child etc.” Sometimes if the child is past the wailing and is just sniffling, I’ll say “Charlotte, why don’t you go give her a hug.”

I in no way want to talk bad about another child to my child. I think it’s crummy when parents do that. It’s hard. As an uber-extrovert, I do not appreciate, nor value “shy” behavior. I do not think it is okay for parents to label a child “shy” or use “shyness” as an excuse for anti-social behavior. A lot of times I really want to roll my eyes and tell the kid to suck it up. But, that would set a really poor example for my daughter. I also understand that it is very judgmental of me to feel this way. It is a fault I need to work on. Some kids have issues that I may not know about or understand. Sometimes kids, especially toddlers,  just have an off day.

So, that is how I’ve been dealing with clingers. Tell me what you do and how you deal with it. If you have a clinger, what do you want non-clinger parents to do?

This afternoon I watched her, realizing that only for this fleeting, magical time will she dance with her daddy on Sunday afternoons with a tutu and crooked fairy wings. Even the epic tantrum over her toothbrush NOT being pink was treasured and locked away in my memories this weekend. This is the only time we have left to give her all of our attention.

I scooped her up on the couch with her puffy tutu, smelling her unique toddler aroma of baby shampoo and strawberry ice cream. I looked at her and cried. How will I ever love another child like I do this one? I have to wonder if my heart is ready to welcome in more of this overwhelming and humbling love.

These next two months will be sacred for me. I don’t use that term lightly. I don’t know what to expect or what to do, I just know tutu dancing and snuggles will be plenty as I prepare my heart for more.

Today I committed a shameful parent faux-pas that could possibly get me banned from future toddler social gatherings. I didn’t show up for a birthday party I had RSVP’d “yes” for.

I know, I know. That is really lousy. But, I have an excuse. See, this was a first birthday party. The festivities for this sweet baby started at 2:00pm. When I got the invitation I cringed. Ooph! 2:00pm on a Sunday. There is only one thing my child is doing at that time. On the weekends 1:00pm-4:00pm are what I refer to as “the golden hours.” Two hours in that time frame is nap time. Period. Sacred and pure. That is the time our child must sleep to maintain child status and not transform into a monster. Nap time at school is from 12:30pm-2:30pm. On the weekends we are looser with that for activities, but I can assure you that between the hours of 1:00pm-3:00pm, she will likely not be awake for the majority of the time.

So, you may be thinking, “Why was the party at 2?” Well, think about it. The sleep schedule of a one-year-old infant and a 2 1/2 year old toddler are VERY different. Charlotte was still taking 2 naps a day at that point in her life. 1 or 2:00pm would have been the perfect time for a party and I’m quite certain that is when I scheduled her first birthday party. Also, it was Sunday and you can’t do a party on Sunday mornings because of church. This is the South, people. That time is reserved for Jesus, football preview shows or lying around the house like the lazy heathen that I am.  Another thing, this party was at an incredibly popular kid play spot in town. When it comes to reserving rooms you get what you get and you get it EARLY. That may have been the only time the parents could reserve the room.

So, then you may be asking, “Amy, why did you RSVP ‘yes’ if you knew this was during the golden hours?” ::sigh:: Because I’m impossibly optimistic and absolutely refuse to miss out on any fun, ever. I tried to get her to nap early. No luck. That child slept long and hard from 1:30pm-4:00pm. There was no waking her. If I had woken her up she would have been miserable and had no fun.

Lesson learned. Leave the golden hours sacred and sometimes just say you can’t make it, even if it means becoming a mommy faux-pas.