Not running

That's what we practiced this weekend in Monterey.



Since Daisy can walk perfectly well (ok, well-enough... she falls down a lot) we refused to lug a stroller around the aquarium this weekend. Plus, we thought it would be good practice for us all - we have got into a lazy habit of carrying Daisy from place-to-place vs. having to rangle her on-foot and it seriously needs to end, for our backs as well as our sanity. Why we decided to do it one of the nation's most popular tourist attractions and on a holiday weekend, I don't know. Call us crazy or ambitious, it's up to you.

Day one went... not so well. Daisy refused to have us hold her hand. Whenever we tried she would scream and throw herself around like a rag doll, or simply growl "NO!" and dart-off at full speed, in the opposite direction. She ran everywhere, all the tine, refusing to look where she was going and refusing to go where we wanted, changed directions like a rabbit being hunted, and wriggled between people's legs to get to the front of an exhibit. Whenever Hubby tried to pick her up, he risked serious damage to the crown jewels from her feet, which continued to run mid-air, even after they were no longer touching the floor.

Day two was better and worse all at the same time. Better because Hubby and I cracked the code into the toddler "inner sanctum" and actually got her to hold our hands most of the time and worse because it took a lot of effort, removing her from the exhibits whenever she wouldn't do as she was (mid tantrum) and sitting on benches or stairs while we waited for her to calm down and agree to hold our hands. When she did eventually succumb, it was pretty pitiful: she walked at the speed of a snail on sedatives, and generally made every attempt to appear thoroughly unhappy and whipped. It made my heart sink, for sure, since I love her wild and "out there" personality - it just isn't appropriate (or safe) in all situations, so I sucked it up, realizing she'll find a balance eventually (as will we.)

Otherwise, our trip was an outstanding success. Not only did we have a walking-not-running-and-holding-hands breakthrough, Daisy was:

1. Great in the car. A complete angel, even though she looked bored as hell.



2. An awesome sleeper. She slept 12 hours both nights and had a 90 minute nap on day 2. She loved the hotel rooms, running around them like a chicken with her head cut off and, when we put her playard up, she even said "Daisy! Sleep!" and wanted to put all her toys in there. I love her adaptability.



3. A crazy-good eater. Sea air definitely agreed with her! She downed so many ham, eggs, and cheese on the second morning that we were seriously wondering if she would vomit. (And yes, she's still 20lbs. Sigh.)





Belly full.



She also has this thing about feeding us now too...




4. A somewhat willing participant in mommy's current photo-craziness







And here's my favorite. It's not the best pic, photographically, but I love this look. This is MY DAISY