Going out with Raine on weekends is usually just a quick trip to the supermarket (incorporated with our long walk to a ‘freedom” park) or to attend the sunday mass. Because i don’t have a helper on weekends, getting dressed up is usually both riot and fun. When Raine is at his most cooperative mood, I would be able to convince him to sit by the bathroom door while mommy takes a bath under the shower. (A bit uneasy for a while but I got used to taking a bath with the door wide open and being “watched” by my own toddler.) Otherwise, we hit the shower together. Well, so much for my own comfort room privacy…
Once the “bath” issue has been taken cared of, dressing up is another obstacle. In my experience, for various imaginable reasons, it is always practical to dress-up Raine first. The only hitch is that, when it’s my time to dress-up i have to deal with a whiney-2-year-old that’s raring to go, who can’t yet comprehend that you want to take a long, good time to dress up, so that when you finally get out of the house, you don’t look like the boy’s underpaid nanny or simply the harassed, stressed-out mommy. Raine does’nt have the brains yet that his mommy simply wants to look good when going out.
round 1
Mommy: Raine…bilis na! suot na itong pull-up pants mo…
Raine: panty-pel (panty diaper tawag nya)…wow ganda! mommy oh, may elephant (o kaya giraffe) …kita mo? (while inspecting whatever animal or figure is in his disposable pull-up pants)
round 2
mommy: Raine, tingala na…pulbo na. o suot na t-shirt…
raine: ayaw ko yan…(inspecting the shirt) ‘usto ko yung (may) ball…
mommy: aysus! namili pa ng isusuot…sige na , sige na…
So it goes until the nth round…short/jumper…shoes/socks…selecting one or two pieces of toys to bring. Okay, now let’s imagine we both are dressed up…
mommy: (putting on lotion)
raine: lotion din ‘ko!
mommy: (puts lotion on raine’s arms and legs too)
mommy: (putting on face powder)
raine: po’bo din ‘ko!
mommy: (puts powder on raine’s face too)
mommy: (putting on lipstick)
raine: lipik ‘din ko! (while turning to mommy with puckered lips)
mommy: (pretends to dab raine’s puckered lips with the lipstick tube)
mommy: (putting on cologne)
raine: ‘lone din ‘ko!
mommy: (pours cologne on raine’s both hands)
raine: (puts both hands together…rubbing them and dabs cologne from head to toe!)
I’ve long given up on having to use my own brand of soap, powder, cologne, lotion. Lahat na baby products…so we can share. For practical reasons (matipid), and for Raine’s safety too: he usually tinkers with my vanity kit and I just don’t want him to accidentally use any formula that’s too harsh for his young skin.
Yesterday, I was able to ignore all the whinings and in my turn took a very good time in getting myself ready for church. Like what I’ve itemized above…after overcoming all the hurdles…as I was taking a last good look at the mirror…erasing the knot that has formed replacing my eyebrows…taking a last pucker of my well-made lips. For a moment I was lost in my own world admiring the beautiful creation in front of me only to be jolted back to reality with a ” mommy…pogi ka?!”
Nyeks! Ahh…the trade-backs of single parenting! (but that would entail another blog entry)
He he.