When Adeline was little she demanded to be held all the time. But she also loved the sling, so I could “hold” her but still have two hands. Now she’s too big for the sling and she’s not really down with a carrier unless we’re out for a hike or something. A lot of the time around the house she doesn’t want to be held anyways. She wants to walk and chase the dogs and play with her toys. But sometimes she just gets cranky or she wants me to play with her when I really just need to get something done. So then I have to hold her. And still get something done. As a result, I’ve become a master of doing things one-handed. Like these:
1. Cook. This is the one I’m most proud of. And I have to do it fairly often. We eat dinner pretty close to bedtime because we want to eat as a family and David doesn’t get home until late. So when I’m cooking Adeline is getting tired and cranky. She’s usually ok for some of it, but say it takes 30 minutes to cook a meal: she’s not going to be down with playing by herself that whole time. Even if I am talking to her and singing to her and doing silly dances for her while I cook. So I hold her and cook one-handed. You know, chopping veggies and cubing chicken and stirring sauces, etc, etc, etc. It’s not easy. But I rock it. I’m good like that.
2. Fold laundry. On the whole this isn’t that hard. But doing the old t-shirt fold is a little tough one-handed. It’s all in the flick of the wrist. Try it.
3. Do the dishes. Adeline loves the dishwasher. Freaking loves it! Any time I open it she races over and starts to pull things out or tries to climb in. When it’s breakable plates or knives that she’s trying to pull out, that’s not going to work. So I have to hold her and put the dishes away or load the dishwasher one handed. It involves a lot of squatting so it’s great for the thighs. (I try to stay positive.) I’ve even hand-washed pots one-handed. That, my friends, is a bit of a challenge.
OK, this is sounding really domestic. Gross. Let’s branch out a little:
4. Checkout and sign the receipt at a store. Again, it’s not rocket science. But the person at the checkout always seems impressed. Hey, I’ll take praise wherever I can find it. Thank you very much Mr. Checkout Man, I am a rockstar.
5. Eat one handed. I don’t usually have to do this at home because Addie’s eating her meal in her highchair while I eat. But at restaurants meals take longer and she’s not down with sitting around the whole time. She wants to run around the restaurant and go in other people’s bags and push chairs around. Not cool. So David and I switch off holding her/entertaining her while the other one eats. It’s a joy. But sometimes you’re hungry and you still want to eat. So you hold her, standing up at your chair, and eat one-handed. Other people in the restaurant stare, either pitying you or being annoyed by you. It’s awesome.
What else have you mastered doing one-handed?
