Dispensing Snacks Pleasantly

 So much of parenting a toddler is just dispensing snacks. I believe my man was asking if he should give them to our toddler on a plate or in the snack trapper. I'm not sure how you would do what I said above, it was just the first phrase about dispensing that came to mind.  

Text:
M: How should I give the pretzels to her?
L: Dispense them as if they were pleasantries.
L2: Eat!!!

Daughter Glasses

 

My sister gave us a pair of toddler sunglasses and my girl loves to wear them around the house. Sometimes she wears them outside but it's usually indoors. I've had to repair them a few times because she is not gentle with them, but they do bring her a lot of joy. 

Text:
M: She loves her sunglasses.
L: Don't you mean daughterglasses??
L2: *loving her ... tinted glasses*

Toddler Dentist

So it actually went well which was unexpected and very nice! Our dentist has a tiny chair, perfect for a toddler to watch what's going on while Dad gets his teeth cleaned, and they had her sit on his lap in the chair so they could take a peek at her teeth and get her acclimated to the tools like the water squirter and the suction tool (Mr. Thirsty). I waited in the waiting room with our baby because I wasn't sure if the toddler was going to tolerate the appointment, but she did not need rescuing! I heard the hygienist counting my husband's teeth, much to my toddler's delight. 

I'm trying something different in this post in that I'm leaving the comic image at the default "medium" instead of increasing it to "large" - I was thinking it comes through a little pixelated in the emails that send out when it's "large" so I want to see how this looks. 
UPDATE: So the size change didn't seem to change anything with emails BUT it does make the comics a bit small on the website so I'm going back to setting them all as large. So no change anymore. 

Text:
L: Are you ready to bring our toddler to the dentist?
M: Who knows how it will go!
L: I think I know how it will go...
L2: *oblivious to the impending dental visit* 

Accounting Book

This came up because my sister-in-law gave an adorable book to my daughter, and Lucy loves to "read" it and I find it enjoyable to read to her. You can guess the title by the blurb mentioned in the comic :) It actually does a surprisingly good summary of the book in just 10 pages, using the numbers 1-10. Also, it only has the number and the item (i.e. six fingers) with the illustration on each page, so I'm able to read it at the pace my daughter flips the pages (not a feat achievable in most books). 

Explanation: "a counting book" is a common book for young readers which teaches them to count, usually from 1 to 10. "accounting book" would be something a college student studying accounting would have, and would not be appropriate reading for a toddler. The two, however, sound the same. 

Text:
M: She's reading a counting book from her aunt.
N: An accounting book?!? She's two!!!
L: Six fingers!

Rooting and Tooting

 

That's parenthood sometimes. Especially when you have a baby and a toddler. I looked up the meaning of "rootin', tootin'" and it seems to just be a phrase for the Wild West? Totally unrelated to small children, which was expected. As in, I expected them to be unrelated. I realize that sentence could read either way. 

Explanation: There's a phrase about the Wild West, "rootin', tootin'". When a baby is hungry and looking for food, it's called "rooting". When a toddler is gassy, it's called "tooting". 

Text:
Cowboy: What's it like, having a baby and a toddler?
L: He's rootin', she's tootin'. 

And They Never Learned Each Other's Names

 

So I confess that there was a guy in my previous neighborhood who had a dog names Jasper (like one of the foundations of the New Jerusalem, per the owner) and every time I saw them walking I always remembered the dog's name but totally forgot the owner's name. For whatever reason, it can be easier to remember cute kid's and pet's names but adult's names just go in one ear and out the other. 

Text:
Title: And They Never Learned Each Other's Names
M: This is Zoey. (walking a dog)
L: Aw, this is Lucy! (holding hand of toddler)

Spoiled children

I thought hey, both kids are sleeping so I should upload a comic! But now only one child is sleeping... and it's not the infant. This comic is fictional and we have not given our toddler boba - that would be a choking hazard I'm fairly certain. Also, I don't like actual boba (bubble tea) - I don't want to chew my drink. 

Text:
G: You are spoiling your children with things I didn't have as a kid in the 50's! 
M: You mean like seat belts... or boba? 
L2: *drinking boba*

Left vs Right Sock

 

So none of my socks have this, but my kiddo has socks that have a graphic only on one half of the sock cuff so you're supposed to put them on the kid so the dinosaurs are on the outer sides not the inner sides. It's not as advanced as putting tights on a toddler but is more advanced than having identical socks.

Text:
M: Left sock and right sock - what's next?!? Right shoe and left shoe?!?
L: Hmmm, not sure how to tell you this...
L2: WRONG FEET!

Valiant Nap Resistance

 

Happy almost Birthday to my mom-in-law!
Yeah, some days it be like that. So in the Narnia series, Lucy is given the title "Lucy the Valiant." Our toddler has recently started a strong resistance to naps, usually taking about an hour to fall asleep (but she just wanders her room fairly quietly until then so it's still quiet time and I can sip a tea and relax on the couch with the baby monitor so that's a win). We've tried shifting her nap around but it doesn't seem to help - this is just where we are currently (at time of writing, which is almost a month ago - I've scheduled ahead because my schedule is about to go crazy). 

Text:
L: Why are you valiantly resisting your nap?!?
L2: You did name me Lucy.

Knight Mare of Narnia

 

This was thought up after I saw the excellent production of The Horse and His Boy at the Museum of the Bible down in D.C. It was really well done. If they tour near you, I highly recommend going. I feel like this scene could have happened after the events of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe but before the events of The Horse and His Boy. I like how Narnia has talking horses (among other animals) so the dialog works. Some would say this is a reason why C.S. Lewis did not give Lucy a sword (she was given a dagger and I feel like you can't knight your subjects with that). I thought about having the horse say "What did Edmund do this time?" but went with the dialog above instead. I also realize the size of the girl and the horse are not quite right, but it looked odd to me to have the horse properly taller than the girl. Horses are surprisingly tall.  

Explanation: The horse (a mare) is getting knighted, making her a Knight Mare. This is a play on the word 'nightmare' and directly ties into why she's being given the mission of terrorizing the Queen's brother. 

QL: I dub thee Knight Mare, now go terrorize my brother!
B: Yes, Queen Lucy.

Daughter at Dawn

 

Yeah, toddlers are like that. Why must they rise before the sun on days when there is no need, but if you have somewhere to be by 9am then you have to pull them out of bed? I always feel bad when waking my little one because it's usually a struggle to get her to sleep. But then there are the mornings when she wakes at 4am and cheerily greets us and wants to turn off her white noise and hand in her pacifier and start her day and we're like NOPE so we get the parenting joy of somehow having a toddler take up the majority of a king-sized bed with her head jammed into one of us while the other gets poked with her toes. How can someone so small take up a space so big? It makes no sense. 

Text:
M: My darling, the sun is not up yet *yawn*
L2: Your daughter is!

Foisting Joy

Happy Pi Day!
It always makes a task sound better to say that it's an honor and privilege. I'm glad I spelled that word correctly because it's weird with the vowels. There have been a few comics that I've uploaded only to type out something from the text and realize I need to go make an edit. Spelling is difficult. Putting a toddler to bed is also difficult.

Blog Update: I have a due date coming up soon, and there's a chance I'll fall behind with my scheduling so there might be a lull in updates. I don't plan on abandoning this blog, because I find it enjoyable to share my thoughts as comics, but finding the time to draw and upload will be more difficult. 

Text:
L: Would you like the honor and privilege of putting our darling to bed, or would you rather foist that joy upon me?
M: *panicked deliberations*
L2: {just happy to be here, not at all sleepy}

Lucy vs Susan

 

In the Chronicles of Narnia, the character Susan is known as Susan the Gentle whereas her sister Lucy is named Lucy the Valiant. My toddler is constantly being reminded that she needs to be gentle whether that's when she's throwing things or swinging her arms about or (sadly still) biting because she's either irritated or overjoyed or like bored, I don't even know what's going through her head sometimes. I am reminded of a meme I saw which had a huge book with the text "Chronicles of Narnia as Lewis wrote them" then next to it a thin book with the text "Chronicles of Narnia if they gave Lucy a sword." In the books, Lucy is given a dagger whereas her siblings get swords and archery equipment. 

Text:
L1: Lucy, you need to be gentle.
L2: Well, you didn't name me Susan!

Royal Options

 

The names listed in the comic are from Disney, the Legend of Zelda, and Mario. Only time will tell if we'll have a Throckmorton Luigi (TLC) or Petunia Vashti (PVC)... Today I learned that Luigi and Mario are not just brothers but actually twins. Hmmm, the more you know. Also Vashti is a complicated character, but I remember that every time I read the book of Esther. There a lot to digest in that book - it's so full of drama and interwoven plots. 

Text:
M: We're thinking a two-syllable royal name, to match with our Queen Lucy the Valiant.
A: Charming!
B: Zelda!
C: Snow White!
M: Suggestions are now closed.
A: Jafar!
B: Tetra!
C: Daisy!
L2: Bowser!

Built-In Best Friend

Happy Birthday to my niece!
On a related note, I doodled our family on my bulletin and Lucy added her input by scribbling out her little sibling's name heart. So there's that.

Text:
A: You're getting a little sibling! A built-in best friend!
L: Spoken like an only child.
L2: *has no clue what's coming*

Work With Me, Toddler

Happy almost Birthday to my brother-in-law!
My toddler, like probably all children, is not always in a cooperative mood. She has recently decided that pajama time is silly time where she rolls and runs around in her diaper trying her hardest to stay away from the parent with the pjs. She is super adorable and giggling the whole time, so we can't really get mad. Also this works to tire her out rather than rile her up, so that's a win. 

Text:
L: Darling, can you work with me here?
L2: Nah nah nah nah nah
L: Of course, silly me.

Grown Up Goldfish

 

I usually get Goldfish for my child since she likes them and Costco carries them, but when I was up at my parents for Christmas they had Cheez-Its and I realized they're kind of the same thing, just more boringly shaped. Such squares. Also, my toddler can sort of say "fish" and calls both Goldfish snacks and also actual fish in her 100 First Words book by the same word, and I'm not sure how she's picturing that - like does she think the cracker snack is an actual fish, or does she think the actual fish are cracker snacks? She really enjoyed going to the local Aquarium recently - was loving all the huge tanks and the fishes moving about in them. We got to see an unofficial dolphin show because they officially cancelled the performances but the dolphins still did their tricks at feeding time and we happened to be there for that. Then we realized it was our feeding time and wow the prices in there were classic Amusement Park pricing so we headed out and about to find a quick lunch. 

Text:
L: Cheez-ItsⓇ are just GoldfishⓇ that gave up on their dreams.

L2: *munching happily*

Settle the Child

 

This came up because my family likes to play table top games in the evening (usually card but sometimes board). My Mark didn't get this on first read but then it connected, which means I probably need an explanation. To "settle" a child is to help them calm down, usually for a nap or bedtime but sometimes just to calm down from a freak-out. "Settlers of Catan," often abbreviated "Settlers," is a board game where you gain resources by trading or luck of the dice in order to build your settlement. Some of those resources are sheep and wheat (also ore, wood, and brick). Fun fact, the first time I played Settlers was at a year-end vacation (at Word of Life) and the deck was partially in German for some reason but the pictures were clear what they meant. 

Text:
M: Can I help you settle the toddler?
L: She needs two sheep and a wheat.
L2: *crying*

Head Rice

 

When do the Christmas comics start? Next week, so be ... ready? This comic was inspired by another toddler who came to church with rice in his hair and someone proclaimed that he had head rice. That's way easier to handle than head lice. Also way better since yeah. Our toddler often gets food in her hair, especially when she puts her plate on her head. 

Text:
M: What is in our child's hair?
L: Whoops, leftovers from dinner. She has head rice!

Raise a Hallelujah

Happy Birthday to my sister!

There's a song that mentions "raise a hallelujah" and I always struggle with how to spell that word, but now I know that the song is actually named "Raise a Hallelujah" so that made it easy to find since that's the main part of the lyrics that I can remember (to be fair, they mention that phrase a.lot.a.lot). This comic was, unsurprisingly, inspired by the song which was playing in our kitchen off whatever playlist was selected. Back when I was in high school, I had a classmate named Julianna and most people sung her name to the tune of the initial "hallelujah" in the Hallelujah Chorus. I feel like if you named your kid Hallelujah, she would get sung at more than Julianna did. 

Text:
M: Are you ♪♪raising a hallelujah♪♪?
L: No, we are raising a Lucy.
L2: *raising her arms since we're talking about raising*