And so it begins

Friday was basically a repeat of last Thursday. We went to a playdate at the birthday boy's house again, then to Spanish class. However, this time it was in the low 70s and intermittently cloudy, so all the walking made me ready for bed, not a coma.

As I mentioned before, El Pequeño is now the exceedingly proud owner of a pink doll stroller. (El Grande: You searched specifically for a pink one, didn't you?  Me: Of course.) Yesterday I made the unfortunate decision not to bring the doll stroller along. I knew I was going to be walking 4 or 5 miles, and I didn't want to have the folded doll stroller bumping along while I pushed.

Apparently I'd learned nothing from Doll Stroller Follies 2003-4.

After playing at the birthday's boy's apartment, the playdate moved to a nearby playground. The big boys gravitated to a group of parents and kids playing with water balloons, then started doing marginally safe games with someone else's jumprope at the top of the play structure. El Pequeño was thrilled (thrilled!) to be walking (walking!) around the playground (playground!). And then he saw it--a pink doll stroller. He made a beeline for it, gesturing and telling me to follow, "Ahlo-ahlo-ahlo-ahlo!" (Not to be confused with "I want that" which is "Loah-loah-loah-loah!" or "I'm having so much fun playing by myself and singing," which is "Ahloo-ahloo-ahloo-ahloo!")

The owner wasn't using the stroller, so El P got to play with it for a good 30 minutes, running it back and forth and around the perimeter, chasing pigeons, ramming into the supports of the equipment, carefully going up and down inclines, and chattering in a serious way the whole time.

Then it was time for the owner to get her stroller back to go home. El Pequeño was heartbroken and angry. He kicked and flailed and gnashed his teeth. I affirmed his feelings by saying, "You're so angry that you can't have the stroller anymore. It makes you feel sad and mad!" I distracted him by nursing. One of the nannies we were with gave him a balloon to play with. He seemed to be calmed down, and he wiggled out of my arms and down to walk a little more.

As soon as I turned my head, he started running as fast as he could.

I followed him as he headed for the open exit, and caught up with him right before he hit the sidewalk. As I held him back, I saw that he was trying to follow the doll stroller, which was bouncing across the street under the arm of the owner's father.

He'd used strategic thinking to lull me into complacency, then tried to run out onto the streets of New York to follow the pink stroller.

Did I mention that he's 13 months old today?

So I had to calm him down again, and then we had to go to Spanish class. I stopped at a different banh mi place (Nicky's on 2nd St just east of Avenue A--delicious banh mi, not as large as the ones at Banh Mi So, but well-seasoned, good price, very pleasant ordering experience), then dropped off El Chico at español and ran a few errands before going to the playground again. At which point El Pequeño spotted another doll stroller, and the cycle began anew.

By the time we finally rolled home at 6:30, El Pequeño had loved and lost 4 different doll strollers. He was tired and cranky and a little bit broken. I was exhausted. (I calculated that I lifted El P's wiggling 23 pounds in and out of the stroller seven times over the course of the day, plus walking 4 1/2 miles.) El Chico was muy! feliz! y energético! and could not stop talking the entire way home!

I will never leave the doll stroller at home again.

Comments

[Wood]

We have a pink doll stroller too (do they come in any other colors? I haven't seen them) and I thought once our daughter could walk and nearly run, the stroller obsession would pass. But alas, it is only intensfying. Now she puts sippy cups, loose change, or whatever she's playing with at the moment in it and pushes it around the apartment all day long.

[SusieJ]

Yesterday, I nearly biked over a stroller lying in the gutter. Thought of you and El P!

[Jody]

I know it's exhausting to live through, but I think these kinds of high-intensity days will probably linger longest and happiest in your mind someday. I mean, this is LIVING. It makes me long for city streets.

[MoMo]

I read this and just marvel at the energy you must have. There are days when I have to force us just to leave the house -- and that's just to go to Target!

[Menita]

Happy 13 months : )
That boy is a GENIUS.

[SheilaC]

Enjoy! The strollers at our house are still used regularly by our 6 year olds.
When our gang were 2 the girls were given strollers by a fond aunt, and our son was given a pair of mini hockey sticks and a ball. Of course he ignored the ball and was desperate for turns with the strollers. I swear that for the whole day those strollers were in constant motion, with the kids taking turns over and over. Nobody would stop playing with their stroller because they knew as soon as they let go, a sibling would grab it and put a different teddy bear inside. It was wild and crazy.
We had to rush to the nearest department store to buy a third doll stroller the next day, so life could calm down! It worked, then the kids enjoyed playing with them but were able to relax and play with other things too.

Those strollers have been doll strollers, stuffed animal strollers, shopping carts, wheelchairs, ambulances, dump trucks and every possible sort of conveyance, and they are still very useful. One of the best toy bargains ever, at $5.00 each (on sale).

[Ally]

I'm just cracking up at El P's thwarted wooing. Jamie's obsessed with his little plastic wagon. He pushes around and around the yard, and around and around the table on the patio. If his way is blocked, he gets very very upset. He's recently discovered the allure of the rose of sharon that grows out of control in our backyard and loves to randomly sprint towards them, cracking up the entire time because he knows he's not allowed to play back there. Such fun times!