The Noodle

According to http://www.wikipedia.com/ a noodle is "food made from unleavened dough that is cooked in a boiling liquid.  Depending on the type, noodles may be dried or refrigerated before cooking."  I must politely dissagree with the writers at Wikipedia...they must not have kids.

According to Amanda Spector, noodle is "the standard move amoung all toddlers where the arms and entire body go limp while a parent is trying to maneuver said child in a manor they do not condone at that time." 

Every parent knows (and loathes) this move.  Ethan demonstrated the noodle perfectly last week after school.  We were at the car and after some debate about where he was going to sit, I informed him that there was no choice in the matter and he needed to get in the car.  In true toddler fashion, he fell dramatically to the ground and started the pout.  I put my hands under his armpits and then it happened.  The arms went up and the body went limp.

One would think that it would be easy to put 35 pounds of absolutely dead weight into the car, but not so much.  Getting him off the ground was the tricky part since it now required me to grab him around the torso and the waist.  I have a fear of lifting him by his arms after I read a story of a child whose arms were dislocated after being lifted by the arms.  OUCH!