Sunday, November 30

Testing the Limit of his Heroics

All good things must come to an end, so today we finally fulfilled the Toddler's wish and returned "to Picksburgh." It's been two days since she started asking to go home, so she was more than a little excited this morning to get all packed up and jump in the car for the long drive back.

We've been doing that six-hour trek back and forth for a very long time, so we have it down to a science. There are very particular places that we always stop, and even now that we have a Toddler to contend with, we have continued with our routine. Portable DVD players are MAGICAL, and Alexis manages to get more than her fill of movies as we drive along.

There does come a point, however, where she takes a break from movie watching and thinks she really needs the window open. I suppose she learned it from the grown-ups who like to blast cold air for a few seconds while cruising down the highway, but she has added her own twist by just plain wanting to leave the window open for a long time. While we drive 70 mph down the road. In the middle of winter. In the cold. And today? There was rain added into the mix.

I sat and shivered as Alexis happily stuck her hand out the window for a good ten miles just West of Columbus. She was cheerily telling Baby Shell all about the wind and didn't seem to mind the rain pelting her chubby little hand. Or, maybe she did, because she reached down to Baby Shell's foot and pulled off one of her socks. It was a sock that used to belong to Alexis, a hideous bright pink one with what is supposed to be Dora's ugly face on it. Alexis stuck her hand inside the sock, giggling at her moment of clever genius, then stuck her hand back out the window, sock and all.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what happened next. Just as Mr. Husband realized what was going on and yelled for Alexis to get her hand back in, the sock went flying down I-70, surely landing on the windshield of the vehicle behind us.

Alexis was DEVASTATED.

She cried.

She screamed.

She pleaded.

She wanted the stupid Dora sock back.

Mr. Husband, in the midst of grasping at straws, suggested that I try tricking her with the remaining Dora sock, but of course Alexis responded by saying, "NO! I want OTHER Dora sock!" It took a RIDICULOUSLY long time to calm the kid down, and all the while, Mr. Husband was very animate that NO WAY was he going back to get it.

Apparently, even The Swamp Thing has his limits.

Once we returned home, Alexis was playing in the living room when she came across the lone remaining pink Dora sock. She looked at it for a moment then walked over to the patio door and tried to open it. I asked her what she was doing, to which she replied, "Momma, will you open the window so Dora sock can fly?"

I declined her offer, but if you happen to be driving down I-70 near Columbus and spot a fugly pink Dora sock, feel free to stop and grab it. I won't reward you for your efforts, but I will enjoy watching the Toddler's face as her hand her back her flying sock.

28 comments:

  1. haha poor little Dora sock. I didn't know they could fly! :)

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  2. That's what Dora gets! Evil Dora. ;)

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  3. Awww Poor Alexis! We wouldn't have gone back for it either lol.

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  4. I am a Pittsburgher who now lives on the west side of Columbus. I'll keep my eyes peeled for the sock. LOL.

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  5. Anonymous10:08 AM

    Admit it, if her cries had subsided, we would have heard your evil laughter clear on this side of the Mississippi!

    Window wars . . . currently a big deal around here. Bless your heart for indulging her, because our windows close at anything over 60 mph (thanks to my irrational fear that the driver who took a binky to their windshield at 65 mph would write down my license plate number and track me down.)

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  6. At least the Dora socks don't *talk*. Dora's voice makes me feel stabbity - as in stabbing out my own eardrums to Make. It. Stop.

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  7. Would you believe Miss Peach just found Dora? Drives me nuts!

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  8. Just another reason to join the world of the princesses--tinker bell has wings!
    d**m Dora. I feel bad for ALexis though. I always cry and scream forever when I'm devastated too.

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  9. Anonymous11:41 AM

    I'm totally cracking up, because that is so an epi of Silver Spoons! And, you know I know my SS. Also, mine hates the window down & cried when my dad insisted on opening it. Do opposites attract? LOVE that girl.

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  10. sweet that she longed to unite the two though... :)

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  11. Oh no the Dora sock is out there all alone!!! ;o)

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  12. Too cute! What a funny girl you have.

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  13. These things only happen when you're driving, don't they?! My kids suddenly are completely unable to hold ANYTHING while driving in a car and will proceed to drop everything then scream until I can get it...luckily nothing like a much loved Dora sock has flown out the window. Yet.

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  14. See? THIS is how those lone socks (and shoes) end up at the side of the road. I've always wondered...

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  15. Maybe you should let the other sock fly free, just so she isn't reminded of the other one alone out there.

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  16. Alexis was just trying to set the universe straight. Her goal to unite the separated socks is a worthy one ... The two belong together and the universe is slightly out of sync because of their separation.

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  17. i believe if you put the other sock in the dryer, the two will magically find each other ...

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  18. Oh man... road trips. That reminds me that maybe we really should fly to Chicago for Christmas.

    Did you guys wave out the window in Ohio to the OHmommy family?

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  19. I'm sorry but the cute doll picture made me have a flashback to some of those other doll posts you've done before....... *shiver*

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  20. A fitting end to the fugly. Too bad it actually broke a heart.

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  21. Oh they have those socks on the dollar spot at Target.

    You didn't want to know that did you?

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  22. BWAHAHAHAHA!

    I just KNOW that it's only a matter of time until Sumo chucks a shoe out the window of the car. He LOVES to have the window down. I just hope the shoe doesn't break the windshield of the car behind us.

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  23. If it was me, I would have gone back for the sock. But that's only because I'm still traumatized by the ball that flew out the window 24 years ago that my mom left on a Florida interstate. That witch.

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  25. That kids os one smart cookie. I love how she made a mitten out the sock and was so obviously proud of herself :) Sorry you had to deal with the screaming for so long!

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  26. Now that was a delightful travel tale. Had me laughing and smiling!

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  27. Poor Alexis! And poor Baby Shell!

    There is no way we'd have gone back either. But I'd probably break down and buy her more.

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  28. Yeah, there's no way in hell I would've gone back for it either!

    Luckily, Alyssa's like of Dora seems to have faded. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Wonderpets and Barney have since taken over.

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