Life with a 2 year old

We are in the thick of it-- those "Terrible Twos". Admittedly it could be worse (shudder) but it's a bit trying for everyone... including Millie.

Today I felt a little bad for her after she was being particularly difficult:

Millie: I don't want to wear a hat.
Mommy: Fine then you may be cold.
Millie: I don't want to be cold!
Mommy: Fine then wear a hat.
Millie: I don't WANT to wear a hat!

After her cold walk to the car with no hat on she said pathetically, "I want to be gooood."

It's like they don't know what to do with themselves. It made me think that sometimes she actually wants to cooperate but all the signals are getting jangled in her brain and she can't get the right choice to come out. I know parents have been through this through the millenia, but just like getting used to your newborn, it feels like we're all trying to figure it out a bit from scratch.

Parent Teacher Conference

So many little gems have passed that I don't know where to begin. So I'll just have to start with today.

Today was parent teacher conference at preschool. We lucked out again this year with great teachers in her current room- Miss Geraldine and Miss Sabiha.

The most memorable points were that the teacher says she continues to be astounded by Millie's language (maybe she'll be a writer?). It is entertaining to hear the things she says. Yesterday, as she was trying to think of what she wanted for dinner she tilted her head and said, "Hmm. What will it be she pondered. Fink fink fink." The teacher said that she loves art and science time. She looooves her books. Books have always been a powerful reward for her-- when we first started preschool she would cry at the drop-off... unless the teacher approached with a book. Then she was happy to leave our arms and settle into the teacher's lap for a story.

We did ask about.. eh hem... behavior issues. The teacher said that she really is a pleasure but at circle time she has a hard time sitting still. Unless a story is being read, she likes to hop up and listen with one ear while she checks out something new. Not hard to imagine as I did hear her daddy say to her just the other day, "You know, you don't have to be moving *all* the time." So we're going to try to work on that.

Interestingly, she said she uses the potty well at school without any fuss or having to be asked. It seems to be one of those mysterious things that happens at school that then seems to vanish at our front step... like eating cherry tomatoes or blueberries. Really- she did that? she ate that? After those reports I would rush to the grocery store and purchase said fruits or underpants only to have it hurled across the room with a cute but mocking giggle.

It's not easy dropping your kid off with strangers for a day. She loves it there though. She runs into the classroom most mornings. We debated all types of daycare when she was first born but in the end, if you can find a great preschool- you and your child are really blessed.

Sharing something special

Pound-pound-pound-pound-pound-- the sound of Millie running as fast as she can. Breathless and hair flying, she rushes over to me:

Millie: Mommy! Mommy! Come quick!

Mommy: What is it? (running back to the kitchen with her)

Millie: Look! Look! (throwing the vertical blinds apart) THE MOOOON!

Mommy (delighted with how excited she is to see the moon): Oh wow! Look at that. Millie found the moon!

Millie (thoughtfully): I want to get the moon and bring it for you.

Mommy: (touched and moved) Really? For me?

Millie: Yes. But not now- maybe later.

Mommy: Yes. Let's leave it in the sky for now.

Out of the mouth of my babe

When observing her mother or father getting frustrated with anything...
Millie: Oh Bother, What's to be DONE.


After eating chili...
Millie: Thank you for the delicious dinner mommy.


Sitting in the carseat behind daddy while he was driving her home from a busy afternoon of activities...
Millie: There's a guy behind you who's soooo ti-ud daddy.


At bedtime...
Mommy: Millie you have to go to sleep now. It's bedtime.
Millie: Are you kiddin' me dude?!
Mommy: (Fighting back the laugh- smiles and says) No, I am not kidding you. It's really bedtime.


After sitting for awhile on the potty. Singing, playing games- not much potty happening:
Mommy: Should we get up and wash hands?
Millie: No, I'm going to poop.
Mommy: (After a few more minutes of singing and chatter) Is there any poop happening?
Millie: Mommy?
Mommy: Yes?
Millie: Mommy?
Mommy: Yes?
Millie: (Leaning forward and taking mommy's face into her hands, she whispers) You have to be patient for the poop to come out.
Mommy: (Humbly) You're right. I'm sorry.

Horton Hatches a Nightmare

Millie's imagination these days is on fire. She narrates her life too- She'll say "What is that she muttered?" Acting out the stories during the day time is lots of fun. With that in mind, one must be very careful about what stories you share with a 2 year old.

Recently a well meaning soul gave Millie the book Horton Hatches the Egg. Millie's well meaning parents read her the story. It's about an elephant and it's by Dr. Seuss, sounds innocent enough, right? Well, let me tell ya-- it's actually a pretty grim tale. This mommy bird gets tired of sitting around on her egg so she tricks Horton into sitting on it for her. Then she goes to Palm Beach and never comes back because Palm Beach is so fun. This would be sketchy theme #1- Mommy takes off and never comes back because watching the kid is boring. Ok, moving on- Horton, poor Horton, sits on this egg through rain, sleet and snow waiting for the mommy to return and she never does. Sketchy theme #2- Then these HUNTERS with GUNS spy Horton sitting there. They think- oh great, let's shoot the elephant and point their guns. Horton braces himself to be shot but refuses to leave the egg (this is really all in the story!). The hunters change their mind and decide that the elephant is such a spectacle that they'll kidnap him and take him to the circus and charge tickets to see him. The circus travels to Palm Beach where the mommy bird decides to check out the tent and runs into Horton where a fight over the egg ensues. Eventually the egg hatches and horton and the elephant-bird are free to leave and live happily ever after.

It's hard to stop the story once it's started. Reading it was like being on a runaway truck. There's really no amount of rhyme that makes it ok. After we finished, I thought it wasn't much of a pick me up so I put it away. Unfortunately her daddy found it and read it to her once as well before he came to the same conclusion.

Later that night as everyone was sound asleep...

Millie: The passengers (girl loves her trains) are coming to SHOOT ME! THEY ARE COMING TO SHOOT ME!

I rushed into her bedroom. She sat right up and reached for me. Her cheeks were wet with tears.

Millie: They are coming to shoot me with their guns and I told them, (sob) No I DON'T WANT THAT!

I wiped her tears and hugged her tight. She couldn't settle down. She came back to our bed for the rest of the night. For the next 2 nights she had similar nightmares. And during the day she talked about people pointing guns. It's enough to make your blood run cold. Needless to say that book has been removed from the library. I don't know if it's good at any age- really, at what point is it good to introduce a kid to stories about parental abandonment and guns? No thanks. I feel awful- I can't take that back now. Thanks Dr. Seuss for introducing my kid to guns. What's up with that?

Epilogue: Yesterday she woke up talking about Thumbelina and butterflies "Flapping their flappy wings." Ahh, that's better. Hopefully we're out of the dark for now.

Shoozie-woozie

This morning the alarm did not go off.
I need to be at work by 8am.
In order to get my daughter to daycare just before 8am, we need to leave the house by 7:30am.
In order for us to leave the house by 7:30am, the alarm needs to go off by 6:30am.
This morning the alarm did not go off.


7:15am: I opened my eyes slowly and thought- my, the sun seems brighter than usual for 6:30am. Then I looked at my watch-- I filled with panic and dread and resignation all at once. Nothing to do but give it your best shot, right? Here we go-

I scooped up Millie and got her dressed. I brought her downstairs. I put her lunch together while Daddy gave her breakfast. I ran upstairs and got dressed for work while she ate. When I came back downstairs she was finishing breakfast. I told her we needed to get going to school now. She asked me to carry her. Hooray! I thought- I won't have to coax a dawdling toddler down the stairs. I scooped her up and flew out the front door and strapped her into her carseat.

7:45: Pulling out of the driveway. I raced towards daycare. Daycare is 20 minutes from our home. Fortunately the daycare is 1 mile from my job. Not bad, I think, I would be late but it won't be catastrophic.
8:00: In the home stretch, rounding the corner towards her daycare, a happy singsong voice from the backseat...


Millie: Where are my shoozie-woozies? Where are my shoes? Where are my shoozie-woozies? Where are my shoes?
Mommy: (Gasp followed by groan as she recalls how she scooped up Millie and swooshed out the door without the usual routine of stopping at the front door to let Millie put on her shoes) Your shoozie-woozies?


8:01: At the red light I slowly turn and look at my daughters sweet little sock covered feet. No shoes. Oh I was so close! I almost made it. For a few moments I contemplated whether or not the daycare would mind very much if she had no shoes for a day... no good. I've got to turn around and go home. We round the corner and make a loop and head back home. I call my office and tell them I've got a daycare emergency and won't be there. Hopefully I'll make it in by 9am.

8:25: Home again- run into the house, grab the shoes (and a banana for breakfast- now I've got all the time in the world, may as well eat). I place the shoes on my daughters feet.

8:50: Back at the day care, after her hour long scenic ride to daycare, Millie is dropped off with a smile on her face and shoes on feet.

9:00: Another working mom walks in the door, heart pounding and breathless, and prays for no more adventures for the rest of the day.

A Pun

At bedtime...
Daddy: Do you know which stories you want to read?
Millie: I will pick.
Daddy: Yes, you can pick.
Millie: But not my nose.
Daddy: Correct. But not your nose.
Millie: (grins).
Daddy: (grins back).

Confusing colloquiliasms

The other day we spotted a rainbow over a local ice cream factory. Ever since then, whenever we pass the factory she says, "Do we see a wainbow?" So far, no luck on repeat rainbows.

Today we had the following exchange:

Millie: Do you see a wainbow, Mommy?
Mommy: No. Not today but we better keep an eye out for it.
Millie: (Silence as she tries to figure out what that means).
Mommy: (Silence as she thinks to herself-- that may not be the best way to phrase it for an imaginative toddler).
Mommy: That means we will be watching very carefully for it.
Millie: Then I will keep TWO eyes out for it.
Mommy: That's a good idea.

Sleep Update: The Big Girl Bed

For us it's definitely following a two steps forward one step back course: The first night in the big girl bed she sailed right through till morning without a problem. The second night she was up every 3 hrs. Every time she goes through a bad sleep period we always back-slide in terms of how we handle it. We always start from the beginning where we rush right in and comfort her for as long as she seems to need it whether it's 10 minutes or 1 hr. We never plan on it being an hour but she often asks us to "Sit in the wocking chair" and if we're doing that time passes in a surreal way until the next thing you know you've been sitting next to her bed for an hour or more.

So after the first night she woke up 3-4 times and we started off with sitting with her. Between sitting there for an hour, her sleeping an hour, then waking up again-- it was an awful night of no sleep for everyone.

The next night we decided to go with The pick her up and put her back in bed without talking Method-- SuperNanny style. She was able to do that somewhere between 15-20 times I'd estimate. Maybe it just felt like that and it was only 10 times-- either way it was constant back and forth between 1am and 3am. Not fun.

The next night we found her standing on her bed pulling things off the tall dresser next to her bed. We thought the room was mostly safe- but sometimes we underestimate how creative this little girl really is. So we removed everything potentially harmful from the dresser and put her back to bed.

The next night we tried bribery-- if she stayed in bed all night she'd get a treat in the morning. That worked! She stayed in bed all night and the next morning she got a doughnut hole from Dunkin' Donuts.

The next night, we tried it again... but she discovered how to take off her pajamas and diaper. And she was stealthy and quiet about it-- as my husband would say, "Like a tiny ninja." We were downstairs listening to the monitor when we heard a soft rustling and asked each other, "What was that?" But then it was quiet again-- so we moved on. A few minutes letter another faint noise... I decided to go upstairs and investigate. I found her in the room next to her bedroom, our office, standing by the futon-- naked, no PJs, no diaper- just a smile. She looked like she was thinking about what she should do next. I called my husband and told him he needed to come upstairs and see for himself. It's like the freedom from the crib rails has made her delirious and she wants to free herself of anything confining including her clothing. So we put her clothes back on and sat next to her bed until she was asleep. We also moved the gate we had in the hallway right up to her door. No more naked wandering.

The next morning she asked for her treat but we told her that running around naked does not get you a treat and since she got up she would not be getting one. She fussed but she understood.

That night we reminded her she needed to stay in bed to get her morning treat. She nodded her big exaggerated toddler nod. Can you see where this is going? We didn't say-- "and keep your clothes on." So sometime after midnight we heard quiet rustling. My husband investigated- he found her naked on her bed. We believe she did try to pee on the diaper because there was a wet spot near it but turns out her aim is not great when it comes to trying to pee on the diaper she'd taken off in the dark. So, yes, she stayed in her bed but she got naked and wet the bed.

So the last few nights we've asked her to promise not to get out of the bed AND to keep her pajamas AND diaper on. So far she's doing ok... it's been ok for 2 nights.

The modified cry-it-out did work for us more reliably than anything else back when she was 6 months old-- when she was in a crib.

I don't know how you get a toddler to cry-it-out and go back to sleep in her big girl bed because Millie is finding all kinds of new and creative ways to run amok in her room. She's not crying-- she's getting naked and swinging from the drapes. Is there a chapter on that in the sleep books?

Anyway, 5 nights and counting. We are still rewarding her for staying in bed- a little book or a tiny toy. OK, I confess- we started off with a doughnut hole-- but we're better now. Hopefully some of this delirious energy is settling down.

Parenthood

Mommy: This day isn't working out quite like I planned.

Daddy: Isn't that basically the definition of parenthood?

For better and worse, these little ones come bearing all kinds of surprises. In all honesty, the majority of these surprises are gifts of pure love and sheer delight. These surprises are, however, sprinkled with unexpected and challenging, um... opportunities for personal growth and character building for everyone involved.

It's been a rough sleep weekend. Who knows why- new bed? low grade viral thing? teething? constipation? Take your pick. After these rough spells we seem to be coming out the other side still intact as a team. That's the important thing. It's character building for the family. I'll try to remember to ask myself that at 3am-- what kind of family do you want to be on the other side of this rough patch?

Big Girl Bed

So the delivery men came around 11am and in a flurry of activity and whirring drills the crib was disassembled and a twin bed frame was erected.

The mattress arrived 2-3 weeks ago. It was on the floor in a nearby room. We had already bought sheets for it and were using the mattress to read bedtime stories

There wasn't enough room for both crib and bed in the room so when we got the word from the furniture delivery folks that they were on their way, we scrambled to take down the crib. And by "we", I mean my husband. I tried to entertain Millie and prayed she wouldn't be too disturbed by watching her crib be taken apart. She seemed intrigued.

We let her take a peek as they started to put the bed together then we went to the kitchen for lunch. After lunch was completed, we went upstairs for the big reveal.

She walked into her room and didn't say anything at first. We held our breath.

Then she turned to me and said, "Mommy will you get me in?" She can climb in but I think at first it seemed enormous to her compared to the crib she woke up in this morning. I helped her up into the bed a little and she climbed the rest of the way up and said, "I'm in!" like some kind of explorer scaling a wall into a castle. She, of course, immediately started bouncing up and down. After a few minutes we said, "Ok Millie, ready to take a nap in your big girl bed?" She said, "Yesh!" And toddled over to the pillow end where she said, "I made it," and lay down. Then she spread out her arms and said, "It's so comforbul and beautiful."

We were relieved.

I sat in the rocking chair next to the bed for a little while to make sure she was settled and drifting off to sleep. She was so excited, she sang at least 5 songs (Mary had a little lamb, The Wonderpets theme, Twinkle Twinkle, Baa Baa black sheep and then "I'm not perfect" by Laurie Berkner) before I said, "Ok Millie, time to close your eyes and go to sleep." I sat reading my book until her breathing become more regular- finally she was asleep.

Looking in on her sleeping, she looks so little in that big bed.

Here's hoping for sweet dreams...

The Comedienne

Millie has always had a rough time with saying goodbye at bedtime. She cries for us to come get her after we leave the room when we put her to sleep. She's gotten to the age when shes trying to strategize on any way that might get us back in the room besides crying.

Recently there have been lots of diaper training attempts. So on the monitor we may here "Millie poop". As we crack the door open though, she actually chuckles and says, "Millie funny." Is my 20 month old mocking me already-- I thought I had to wait until at least she was thirteen. I'd be worried if it weren't so funny.

She's clever but she hasn't figured out the timing of the punchline yet. If she says, "Millie funny" before we've actually checked her diaper- we now know we can say "Night night, Millie," and turn around at the door. She's right though, Millie funny.

Songs- Part 2

Singing- is there anything sweeter than being serenaded by your daughter while you put her to sleep?

Millie has decided she loves the "Hush Little Baby" song... even though I don't sing it. It's one of the songs on the lullaby CD that plays in the background as part of the wind-down to sleep.

She started off dancing as soon as she could walk. Now that's she's talking up a storm, this means she also sings spontaneously day and night. At least a few times every day she sings a bit of some sweet melody to herself. No audience necessary. In fact, you can now ask her to make up a song about something and she'll just start singing about it.

Mommy: Millie- sing the laundry song.

Millie: Laundry, laundry, pushing buttons, pum de pum pum.

Dad-isms

Millie was sick this past week. It was a particularly bad cold s0 we took her in to see the pediatrician just to be sure everything was ok.

Our pediatrician is wonderful. She pretends that Millie has all sorts of fun things in her ears. Dr. Lee will say, "Is there a dinosaur in your ear?" Millie, will gladly let Dr. Lee take a look to see what kind of amazing things are in her ears. This time the following exchange occurred:

Dr. Lee: Is there a Monkey in your ear?
Millie nods.
Dr. Lee: Let me take a look. (Looking into her ear) Oh my goodness! There's a monkey in there! What's that monkey's name?
Millie: (smiling) Jack.
Dr. Lee: Let me take another look. (Looking into her ear) Oh my goodness- there are two monkeys in there! What's that other monkey's name?
Millie: Rambo.
Dr. Lee: Rainbow?
Millie: No. Rambo.

Ahh, the clever things she picks up from playing with Daddy. You see, Millie's grandmother bought Millie these lovely ribbons for her hair. One day, Millie wanted to play with the ribbons while playing with Daddy. Daddy decided the way a man should play with a bright pink ribbon was to sing the theme from Rambo while tying it around his forehead. Now Millie thinks that's clearly what you do with a ribbon.

After all, one of the first things she ever learned to say was, "Luke, I am your father," while speaking into an empty cup-- with heavy breathing noises and everything. More recently, it's been the word "Dude". Daddy's a fan of The Big Lebowski. So, if you are hanging around my home at bedtime, you may here my daughter say, "Dude! I need to go to bed, Dude."

Diaper Change

Millie loves The Wonder Pets. The main characters are a guinea pig named Linnie, a duckling named Ming Ming and a turtle named Tuck. Each episode is a mini musical with some repeated refrains so you can sing a long. The duckling often sings at the climax of the show "This... is... sewious..."

Just now during a particularly pungent diaper change:

Daddy: Whew!
Millie: This... is... sewious...

This... is... hysterical.

I ain't 'fraid o' no goats

A friend of mine with a blog tries to post a picture every Wednesday and calls it "Wordless Wenesday". So I'm going to try to start up with that. Here's a first sampling. This is yesterday at a local farm, Clark's Elioak Farm. The farm has a little petting zoo with baby goats. She loved it. She was even brave enough to get up on a horse for the first time.

*Clearly this has not been wordless so I could introduce the idea. Next time you'll know.

Overheard

Daddy: Millie, time to go upstairs and get ready for bed.

Millie (focusing on her coloring): No! I have a clean diaper and lots to do to get ready.

woah!

It is so fun watching her get excited about things. She has such enthusiasm and passion for life.

Whenever we drive anywhere these days she narrates and gets excited about driving under the underpasses- she calls them tunnels.

Millie: Here we goooo! Is that a tunnel, Mommy? Here it is! Whoooooo!

Just a few months ago, we made a short trip to the Konterra Model Airpark to see the model airplanes take to the skies! There were 4-5 pilots operating their planes. It was pretty quiet except for the plane engines... that is until we got there.

The pilots were happy to hear Amelia shouting "WOAH!" as they performed loops and rolls. I'm sure it gave voice to that same excitement they have inside but are now too grownup to display. Whenever she said, "Did you SEE THAT MOMMY!" You could see the grin on their faces as if to say, "Yeah, I think it's pretty cool too."

Existential growth spurt

Last night Millie wouldn't sleep. Sleeping has always been her Achilles heel-- we figure she's so engaged with the world she doesn't want to let it go. Sometimes it's also teething, or a tummy ache, or a cold.

Last night she cried out at 11pm and was really inconsolable- night terror? I don't know. I couldn't get her to settle back down. Then her dad came in to try to help and he took over. I heard her babbling away with him. At 12 am I went in and took her back from him to see if nursing would help. I'm trying to wean but it's hard if it's the only thing that will console her on a night like this. She settled down peacefully but didn't want to be alone. She was upset if I put her back in her crib so at 1am I brought her in to bed with us where she fell happily asleep until 7:30am.

This morning my husband said, "What do you think it was last night?" "I don't know," I said.
He said, "Well, there was a bizarre moment when I was holding her last night. She kept trying to settle down on my lap but at one point she sat up and said,

"Where did I come from?"
Wha??
Then she asked, "Where did I get my eyes?'"

"What did you say?" I asked him, in shock. "I told her she came from Mommy and Daddy. And you grew the eyes when you were inside mommy's tummy," he said.

She seemed to accept that and settle back down but not to sleep.

So now we can add to the list of things that keep Millie up at night: existential angst. It's like she went through a physical and psychic growth spurt last night. She seems taller this morning too.

I don't think I'd want to sleep alone either if I were her and all that was coursing through my little brain.

toddler-ese

This afternoon while she was enjoying her pretzels...

"Millie's eating her good snack-a-lacka."

Just to be sure, I checked with dad. Nope- he hadn't taught her that word. It's all her own.

Snack-a-lacka.

Humor and style. I like it.

Favorites: Books

I've been trying to figure out how to record and share her favorite stories, music, etc. Not sure how. Should I run a little widget or something on the side with a list?


For now, I'm just going to put it here. So, here is Millie's favorite book right now. She loves hearing about George and the Trainmaster. Also loves hearing about George and the Dump Truck. Makes sense, I'm sure it's easy for her to identify with lines like:





"When a line is long, it's not easy for a little monkey to be patient."


or


"Poor George. It's too easy for a monkey to get into trouble."




That's exactly how I felt when I was a kid. Somehow I was in trouble and couldn't figure out how it had happened *again*.





Thanks Aunt Kristen and Uncle James for the great book!

Group hugs

As my husband left for a short business trip to Italy in 10/08, Millie reached out to give him a hug while I was holding her. It was the first time we'd been apart as a new little family.

She reached for him and then leaned into me and squeezed our little family together.

Did she really just call for a group hug? Wow.

Now she does it every night as her dad hands her to me after stories at bedtime.

That's our routine:
Stories.
Group hug.
Then bedtime.

She's such a great kid.

Guess who?

Recently Millie has decided that we should call her Goofy. I have no idea why. She sees maybe 20 minutes of Disney programming all week... okay maybe 30 minutes total for the week. We may say she's silly but we never called her Goofy. Either way, I'll ask her if she wants something and she won't respond unless I address her as Goofy.

Mommy: Millie, Want more milk?
Millie: Goofy. Goofy want more milk?
Mommy: Ok, Goofy do you want more milk?
Millie: Yes. Goofy wants milk.

The week before that it was Snuffle-upugus. This week it's Trainmaster and Gecko. We read a story with Curious George when he goes to the train station. They have someone there called the trainmaster who changes the numbers on the signs. So, sometimes she's trainmaster. Today it was Gecko. We saw a Wonderpets** episode where they save a baby gecko. So today it was:

Mommy: Millie, where are your shoes?
Millie: Gecko. Where are Gecko's shoes.
Mommy: Ok, Gecko, where are your shoes?
Millie: Right here.

It's funny watching her try on different personas.

Wonder who she'll be tomorrow... anything is possible.


**Note: Really we don't let her watch much TV but it's the only way she'll sit still for 10 minutes while I try to get her hair into some sort of civilized shape. Looking around for a kids show one morning we discovered The Wonderpets. It is a truly lovely little cartoon with 12 minute episodes. A guinea pig, a duckling and a turtle save other baby animals. Usually there's a little life lesson and something educational too. The best part is they sing everything. After all, the mini-operas that Bugs Bunny did were truly the best episodes of those cartoons. The Wonderpets have these mini-operas and catchy tunes that don't annoy me that much when they get stuck in my head. If you don't know them or you're looking for a 10 minute distraction for your kid in case of emergency-- I highly recommend checking them out.

Happy Tea Party!

Millie cracks herself up.

While I was trying to put her down to sleep this week, she started talking about her day. She's quiet for a moment and looks away concentrating, then turns to me and says,

"Giant Crab!"
"Yes Millie, we saw a giant crab at the Maryland science center today."
"Wake up crab!"
"Yes, Amelia, the people were trying to get it to move by jumping around."

It was a motion sensor activated animatronic crab. Then..

"Yo ho ho."
"Yes, Max was pirate."

We had watched all of 3 minutes of Max and Ruby on TV while I tried to comb her hair- TV is the only thing that gets her to sit still while anyone touches her head. On this particular episode Max the rabbit was pretending to be a pirate and kept saying Yo-ho-ho. His sister Ruby wanted to have a tea party instead. So the next thing Amelia said was...

"Tea Party!"
"Yes Millie, Ruby was having a tea party with her dolls."
"Happy Tea-Party"

With that she busts into a hearty fit of laughter.

"Happy tea-Party! ah-ha-ha-ha-a" It's like she's saying, "Get it? Happy Tea Party!" She said it like 5 times and each time she thought it was more hysterical. Of course, I laughed too- not because I had any idea what the joke was in her mind but because it is just so funny that she cracks herself up.

Songs

Everyone should have a song to greet them in the morning. This morning Millie sang and clapped the greeting song from her daycare to me as I got her dressed:

"Good morning Mommy, good morning mommy, good morning mommy- it's nice to have you hear."

It's nice to be here.

Give it back.

In the last couple weeks, our daughter has been coming home from daycare saying things like, "Sophie take the coat off."

She's been in a class with the same kids for over a year now and actually Sophie is one of her favorites- I think. Whenever you ask her, "Ready to go to school?" She looks up at you thoughtfully then responds excitedly, "Sophie! Cole!" Like she can't wait to see them. When I dropped her off, these same kids would actually drop what they are doing to run across the room- saying my daughters name with glee and giving her a huge hug. My daughter was never really receptive. She would brace herself and accept the hug but it wasn't necessarily returned. The next thing this other little girl would do is start trying to help my daughter off with her coat.

So when she started saying "Sophie take the coat off." I'm thinking she just doesn't want Sophie taking off her coat. Nothing new. Then recently it turned into- "Sophie take the rattle." "Sophie take the toy." Today, I had the luxury of going to her daycare and hanging out for a couple hours. While I was there the 6 two year olds in the room were relatively well behaved. Every now and then though, Sophie would walk up to my daughter and gently remove whatever she was playing with and walk away with it to play with it herself. My daughter would say, sadly, "Give it back." To be honest, there was no struggle. When the other girl tried to take it, my daughter easily relinquished it. It's like she didn't quite know how to say, "Not finished yet," or something to that effect. On the occasions I saw, the teachers were elsewhere. So I think to myself, "It Takes a Village," so I stepped in and said, "Sophie, that's not nice. We share with our friends and take turns. Give it back." If she didn't, I would gently take it and give it back to my kid.

So this evening my husband and I are anxiously trying to decide how to handle this. To be honest, I bet Sophie keeps doing this because they are buddies (as much as two year olds can be) and she wants to play with whatever my daughter is playing with.

So far we've considered the following: 1) Mention this to her teacher so she can keep a close eye on them and teach Sophie how not to bully and our daughter how to handle it. Or 2) Teach her how to tell her teacher that someone took her toy. Or 3) Teach her how to go up to the offender, take back the toy, and say "NOT your turn yet." That last one was my preference. Frankly, my little piggie is of a size that for now, I think she can hold her own. I know though that I should not be trying to teach her 2 year old hand-to-hand combat. Ahh, play ground turmoil-- already? Why can't we all just get along?

The Good, the Bad, the Amazing

Dawn of a new day on the morning of the Inauguration. Our view...

Well, we made it there. My husband changed his mind. However, he said he preferred that we all go together on the condition that we spent the night in our own bed rather than at his friends house one mile north of the mall. He preferred that we set out at 3am (what is it with men and wanting to leave at 3am for trips) and head into DC the morning of the Inauguration. I decided that it was worth it to go together even if it meant arriving 10 hrs early.*

So, we left our home at 3:30am. Traffic was already backed up for miles at the first Metro station for DC. We abandoned the 1st station and drove one station closer to the city where the line was shorter- only 1/4 mile. We ended up parking on the street (score!) and walking for the station. In the station more lines for Metro tickets- I thanked my practical husband for getting our tickets the day before. We flew past the line and onto a train.

We were on the mall by 6am. We got a sweet spot- probably 50 ft back from the fenced in ticketed area, right next to a Jumbotron TV screen. To our east a clear and beautiful view of The Capitol building (see our picture above!), to our west, a clear and beautiful view of the Washington monument.

Our initial plan was to scout out the area whenever we arrived and then head inside somewhere to stay warm until 9 or 10 am. Then we would come back outside to wait for the Swearing In. At 6am, the Mall was already getting congested and the buildings weren't opening to allow people to warm up until 8 or 10am. So we decided to stay put... bad idea jeans, we should've stuck to our plan. It started off well enough- they handed out free flags which our daughter loved waving around. By 8:30, though, she reached her limit and was just through. She was tired but couldn't fall asleep in the backpack child-carrier like she normally can on trips. Too much excitement, too cold to fully relax, too many people. Just too much. Total meltdown- she refused to keep her gloves on, tears and snot were flying everywhere.

We decided to head home. We had agreed ahead of time that if she totally lost it, we would bring her home.

We ducked into a hotel on the way back to the train station because she just couldn't go another block. People were looking at us and our screaming child- I worried that they were going to call Child Protective Svcs. Thank God the hotel was very hospitable to those seeking warmth and shelter. I settled into a cozy lounge chair and tried to warm up her cold little hands and feet. Within minutes she was comfortable and asleep on my lap. She slept well until some daft elderly woman approached gently, leaned into her sweet sleeping face and yelled "Isn't she cute- SOUND ASLEEP!!" After which of course, she was no longer asleep. Thanks. We packed back up and headed home. We were home by 11:30am- in time to watch the main event in the comfort of our home.

So overall, I think we had the best of both worlds-- we were there, we felt the love, we felt the excitement, we felt the hope, we have a couple pictures. Our daughter will be able to say she was there and waved her flag and learned how to say "O-BA-MA!". Then we went home and watched each delicious moment of the Swearing-In from the comfort of our home while she slept in her dads arms.

In the end, my dear practical husband said he has no regrets and he's glad we went. I'm glad too. I truly hope my daughter looks back on these times as the years when it seemed like Obama was president forever... the same way I feel about Reagan (I could've sworn he was president like 16 years). I'm so glad she was there on The Mall to greet history.

*He was right by the way. We later learned it was nearly impossible for people to get to the mall from the north due to two checkpoints on the parade route. Most people who tried to come from that direction eventually ended up giving up and turning around after hours of waiting.*

Inauguration

This is the inauguration of my blog. And- as it so happens, it coincides with the inauguration of our next president. Which has raised an interesting issue in our lives as new parents.

My husband and I are quite excited about the presidential election outcome. We went to quite an activist undergraduate institution- Oberlin. But I admit, I've probably been guilty of feeling activist by nature of knowing others who have been more active. We recycle and give money... but pretty low impact stuff.

We live close to DC and we have debated the practical logistics of actually going down to the mall and being a part of the inauguration. Before we had a kid,we may have actually debated the practicalities of such a decision for just the two of us with a lively but fun debate. If we had disagreed- I might have done my thing and let him do his thing. Now that we have a toddler- this multiplies both the Pros and the Cons of going. It will be cold-30F . It will be crowded-estimated 2 million. It could even be dangerous- 2 million cranky cold travelers. On the other hand: It is is historic. It could be amazing. We will never have this particular chance again. We will have pictures- she will be able to say she was there on the Mall on that day.

Having a partner that disagrees now turns a fun and lively debate into a passionate disagreement between two parents who both want what's best for their kid but have diametrically opposed opinions on how that is best accomplished. He says I should go alone- but for me it's about sharing this moment in history with her. What to do when one parent wants to take her somewhere that the other parent disagrees with. Legally, I think if I took her out of state or something that would be parental kidnapping. See how one disagreement in how you spend the day takes on the level of a felony when there is a child involved?

So in sum:
PRE-CHILD: Parent 1: "Hey, Wanna go do something wacky?"
Parent 2: "No."
Parent 1: "Ok, I'll go on my own. See ya."
Parent 2: "Ok, Thinks to self, "Boy I love that girl and her wacky ways."
End result: Neither individual is remotely perturbed by the outcome.

POST-CHILD: Parent 1:"Hey, Wanna go do something wacky with our child?"
Parent 2: "No. Absolutely not- are you insane?!"
Parent 1: "Ok, I'm going and I'm bringing her. This is important. How could you not see that!"
Parent 2: "Go alone."
Parent 1: "No, I need to share this with her and you-- but if you refuse, I'll at least share it with her. If you deprive her of this opportunity, I don't know if I will ever forget it."
End Result: Each person is deeply hurt and disturbed by the entire discussion and wonders when the insane alien replaced their spouse.

As one friend put it: "Hmmmm...hours and hours on trains, in cold, no nap..... vs. lifelong memories of unparalleled historic event."

What to do.