Sweatin' it out

Today was one of those summer days where you really feel the heat. And the humidity. It was just ick. But with an evening social at the Sunnyside Gardens Park, we decided to venture out in the late afternoon and stick it out for a while. Elisa had one of those days where every 10 minutes there's a mood change. I just couldn't keep up. We had a great gigglefest on the bed this morning, then a hissy fit about changing her diaper. We danced and played in her room for over an hour and then she wanted things out of the bathroom that she can't play with. It was a vicious cycle most of the day. So I left the house knowing we might not last long in the sweltering heat. But hey, with a pitcher of white sangria in tow, it was worth a try! Of course in this neighborhood it is always easy to run into friends and before we'd even made it to the park, we saw a fellow Sunnymom and her son who were off to the same event. I found a few more takers for my sangria and for a few minutes, we were all sitting and sipping and the kids were playing. Now this is more like it, I thought.

But of course, the day was not over and there were more meltdowns to come. The bouncy castle and jumpy slide were fascinating to Elisa (her first time!) but also terrifying. She did not love the freedom to move and instead clung to the mesh netting and begged me to get her out. Fine. Then there was a grassy meltdown when I tried to get her to leave that area. Right, so you're terrified, but you want to go again? Makes perfect sense to a two year old. There was more playing, splashing in water. A good time and then another hissy fit inside the bathroom because she couldn't wash her hands in the sink at the very minute my turn came to use the stall. Ahhhh...the sweat was rolling off my face and I felt like screaming, but somehow we talked through it and did okay. Out we went with clean hands afterall, quickly followed by another timeout in her stroller (the second this week) for sitting and crying over nothing. I had to laugh that this day just kept up the pace--happy, sad, happy, mad--all damn day. But just when I think we need to pack it in, Elisa perked up and played all through my dinner and then some. By 8 p.m. I was sure the real meltdown of the day was yet to come, but *surprise* she did fine getting home and getting a bath. In bed by 9 p.m. and now I've showered again too. Something about this heat makes you crazy and tired, and I for one am beat.