Thank God toddlers don't drink coffee.

We did it! We did it! It's really, really true!

We did it! We did it! We know just what to do!

See, we were tired of Oliver running us ragged.

So we changed it up a bit.

We took him out, ran him around, jumped on top everything, hid below everything, laughed as hard as we could, fell over two or three or fifty times, and eventually...we pooped him out.

Don't mess with us kid, we've had a full pot of expresso.

Have a great weekend!

Maybe I'm doing something right? Maybe?

Raising a child is hard work.

It is exhausting, relentless and can be extremely frustrating.

Just last month Oliver was getting his kicks licking the wall.

This month, we've made huge progress.

Check out our accomplishments:

We're putting things ON.

We're stacking things UP.

And, (my favorite) we're DRAWRING!

I've never been so proud!

Leave me a comment and let me know you're thoughts!

And, don't forget to follow Smores so you don't miss a post!

I'm now tweeting at Smores4brekfest.

It has happened.

I said it would never happen to me, and yet, it has.

I tried. I tried really, really hard, but in the end there was no avoiding it.
The best thing for me to do now is to roll with it.

Can you relate?
Has it happened to you too?
Did you try like hell to fight against it, but in the end raised your little white flag?

Do you know what I'm talking about?

I know you do.

Yup, the yoga pants, the Converse gym shoes, the tank top paired with a long sleeve t-shirt?

Not with me yet? Okay I'll just say it flat out. The Mom-iform.

We roll out beds at 7am, throw our hair into a ponytail and shimmy into our yoga pants. As we walk to greet our young ones in their rooms, we pull down the tank and the tee. Phew. We did it. We got dressed.

The thing is, this way of dressing is functional. And with the help of stores like Lululemon, it's not as droopy of a look as it used to be. The way I justify it is that everyone dresses for their job.

Bankers wear ties.

Doctors wear scrubs.

Moms and Yoga teachers wear yoga pants.

I'm not going to be dressing like an exercise teacher forever, after all, I won't have to chase Oliver for the rest of my life. Things will normalize and I will once more slip into my kitten heals.

But as for now, Chuck Taylors remain part of my ensemble.

Rock it. Rock it. Rock it.

Oliver has learned to spin.

I find it dizzying, but he can't get enough so we all applaud.

First Day of Pre-Pre-School.

Today I dropped my baby toddler off at pre-pre-school.

What is that you ask? Pre-pre-school?

It is what Manhattanites do with their 16 month old babies to get them started early. It's really not a big deal. Three hours, Monday through Thursday, in a Montessori environment.

Last week we had parents orientation and the teachers encouraged us to say a quick, simple and happy good-bye during the drop-off period. It would make the separation process easier for them and isn't that what we all want?

All last week I was gearing myself up, practicing my good-bye:

"Oh Oliver!

You're going to have the best time at school!

Mommy loves you and will see you in a few hours!

Have fun! Bye-bye!"

Well, this morning as I threw Oliver in the stroller I got a lump in my throat that could not be cleared by several A-hems. During the three block walk to school my nose suddenly started to run. And, when I lifted Oliver out of his stroller and took off his shoes and jacket a wet substance started trickling down my cheeks.

By the time I brought my little boy over to the movement floor where all of the teachers and aides were happily welcoming new students I was full out bawling.

What was Oliver doing, you might wonder, while I was going hysterical? He was looking at me...laughing. He then turned around and ran right towards the ball pit.

I turned around too, sunglasses already on to conceal the tears, but the erratic huffy breathing was a dead give away for the sobs that I cried all the way home.

I know Oliver will be fine. He's that sort of baby... social, passionate, and wonderful to be around. It's me that I worry about because I have many more of these days to get through: Nursery School, Kindergarten, elementary school, Jr. High, High School, omg... COLLEGE!

Can my heart handle this? No, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Let's hope I do better at school tomorrow.