Toys from HELL

I find it quite ironic that two of Jeremiah's Christmas presents that I was looking forward to him receiving and playing with the most have given me the most trouble.

First offender: TMX EmoI purchased Elmo from Toys r Us in August, on clearance for $15 when pre-orders for the Elmo LIVE were coming out. I didn't feel that Jeremiah would quite appreciate a toy that told stories and jokes at his age, and would have more fun with this (budget friendly) Elmo. I couldn't wait to take him out and see him roll, laugh, stand up, sit down. However, I was good and kept him in our closet til Christmas morning. Immediately upon Jeremiah opening him, we put in new batteries and waited for the magic to happen. You push his tummy, he does his thing. Or, in the case of THIS Elmo, every four or five PUNCHES he would roll and laugh, or maybe move an arm or a leg. I was PISSED. Even if I still HAD my receipt for Toys r Us, I would not be able to return him because the receipt would have breached the return date, broken or not. On top of it, they don't even carry this particular model any more because of the new Elmo Live. So, I called up Fisher Price today (ironically enough my second call of the day... but more on that later!) and without having to argue a single bit, the very kind operator put in an order for a replacement Elmo to head my way. She told me I could keep the busted one and turn him into a dust mop if I wish. Praise God! (Anyone want a dust mop that's red, fluffy and cute?)

Second Offender: Fisher Price Crawl and Cruise Musical Jungle

Jeremiah has had lots of fun playing with this toy at Braden's house, especially now that he is obsessed with balls. He goes nuts over them. When my grandmother mentioned that she still needed a present for Jeremiah for Christmas, I ordered this off of Amazon.com for her. Ever since it arrived last month I have been counting down until I could play with this with Jeremiah. I didn't start assembling it until last night because I wanted our Christmas tree out of the house first. Lets just say that the Toys r Us review for this being an "easy" toy to assemble is a LIE! A big fat lie. I kid you not, it took me an hour last night and another hour today (plus a phone call into Fisher Price) to figure it out. This thing is bulky. It has so many bumps, ledges, poky things, things to twist (in an odd fashion), screws to screw (that don't screw in easily), you name it. However, now it is assembled, minus one screw that refuses to go in. I don't care. For the 15 minutes that Jeremiah was able to play with it before bed tonight, he loves it. Lets just hope that he remains interested in it for a while!