Terrible 4s?

Ok- so it used to be the terrible 2s.

And then it was said, I think....... that 3 was the new 2.  And it was. (at least for us!)

But now.  Now she's 4.  And I guess I thought somehow it would all be different.

And in some ways, I guess it is.  But I guess I am just coming to the realization that there will just always be something.

Lately- Parker has been very defiant and disrespectful.  We will ask her to do something....only for her to boldly say in return, "No."  Like the question or request was an option?  ;)

She asks "why?" at every request.  I have said, "Because I said so!" more than I care to admit.  Because while there is a reason I ask her do something.....it really shouldn't matter, right?

We came home from church tonight.  Late.  It was almost 9pm by the time we walked into the door.  Parker was asleep (as I expected, especially since she was up a few hours last night because she couldn't sleep).  I carefully remove her from her carseat.....her body limp.

But as I carefully place her in her bed....I hear, "Mommy......I'm still hungry."


Uuuuuuhh!


I had told her in the car that she could have a snack when we got home (we normally wouldn't, but after dinner tonight she was telling me she was still hungry so I felt bad and like she probably really was hungry), but I really, really thought she'd be asleep by then and it wouldn't matter.  Well, I guess it did.

So I get Grace out of the car....get them a few pretzel.  While they eat, I changed and washed my face, and took out my contacts.

Ok- snack complete.

Time to brush their teeth.

Parker tells me no...that she doesn't want to.  She just wants to go to bed.

So I tell her ok....you don't have to brush your teeth but just go to bed.  You see- I usually lay with her till she falls asleep (because it only takes her a few minutes to fall asleep usually since she's so tired.....I don't know how this got started, but it did and it's been ok for the most part).  And so tonight- I told her that she could just go straight to bed without brushing her teeth, but that I would not be laying with her.

She whines, throws her fit.

Really?  All you have to do is brush your teeth and you'll get what you want.  We both win.

I calmly remind her of her choices several times while I am brushing Grace's teeth.

So I put her in her bed....she ran out of it 3 times before I could get to the door, and I returned her to her bed each time.  I told her if she opened the door that she would get a spanking.

I was very impressed that while I was putting Grace down- she did stay in her room.  Which meant a lot in the sense that at least she obeyed that!  But....she was yelling and crying...."Mommy- please open the door!"

Anyway....I guess there's not a need to give every single detail.   She continued to cry and yell in her room until just now (for 45 minutes total).   But I wanted to write this all down to vent...to share....to ask....is this normal???

I'm sure it is.  {I hope it is.  Ha!}

We try to choose our battles.  And tonight would have been so easy to just lay with her.  She would have been out in a minute or 2.  I know she was so tired.  But I am hoping {and praying} that this will make an impression on her to do what we ask....and do it the first time!

As I was keeping calm through it all (I don't always, but really feel better about the whole situation when I do).....I kept thinking...."when will this end?", "maybe it will never end because there will always be something that needs to be corrected?", "do I expect her to be perfect?"

And while, no, I don't expect her to be perfect- I do want her to obey.  Be respectful of others.  And I guess it's in these seasons of life where she is acting out and disobeying- testing her limits- that I really step back and examine what it is we're doing.....or not doing....what we should do differently....and if it's just something that will pass with time.

It's been a while since I've written about our trials in parenting and so I wanted to write this while it was fresh on my mind.

And here's to a fresh start tomorrow!  {hopefully not too early though!}  ;)

if you give an inch...they will surely take a mile....

And I do mean that with every ounce of my being.

I have been writing this post in my head for the past 9 weeks. It's title has changed, of course, from...... "Keeping your toddler in their bed" to "I love Super Nanny" to today...."If you give them an inch....they will surely take a mile."

And the reason I am finally writing this tonight is because it is fresh. And I will be more passionate about writing it. (just in case you were wondering).

So.....you may have read before about some of the problems we were having of putting Parker to bed in her big girl bed and her staying there.

{To save you a click....basically.....since Grace was born I began having even more problems keeping Parker in bed at bedtime. I was usually having to hold Grace because this was Grace's fussy time....and not being able to give full attention to Parker was hindering our (her) routine. She would end up not going to bed until I would finally get Grace to sleep around 9:30 or 10:00....which would have maybe been ok if she slept in.......but no.....she would still get up around 6:30 or 7:00....obviously still tired.}

Now to fill you in on what's been happening over the past 9 weeks.

It was the day before Grace turned 12 weeks old (and I will tell you why this is significant in a minute). It was a Sunday evening. Geoff had been working a lot over the past 2 weeks. So much, in fact....that he had not been home at bedtime in 2 weeks. So that night....I was more than ready to pass the torch onto him!!

I was nursing Grace and trying to get her down.....while he was trying to get Parker down all on his own.

It didn't take long until he came out of her room so frustrated that she would not stay in her room. That she was throwing a fit. Etc, etc, etc, etc, etc.

In my mind...I was thinking..."Yes...welcome to my life!!! Now it's your problem."

He was pretty upset, I'd say.

He kept asking me what I did to get her to stay in bed everyday? To get her to listen? What was her routine?

And to confess to you right now...as I did to him then (although, it wasn't really a confession to him because I had been telling him how hard it had been....but I guess until you live it....you really can't grasp the reality of it, you know?).....I told him that I would drive around until she fell asleep so that I would not have to mess with the whole bedtime routine. I told him that we had been keeping our days busy....and that if she missed her nap...I didn't really care because then I could go to my sister's to eat dinner....leave by 7:00....and she would fall asleep before we got out of the neighborhood (my logic here is.....it saved me a little heartache {and my sanity} while also dealing with a fussy newborn....as well as.....for her own good because she NEEDED the sleep!).

I'll never forget....he said, "You drive around everyday??"

I started crying. Did he have a better idea???

This.....is what I had been trying to explain to him....to everyone.....to anyone that would listen.... that this is what I was dealing with. And that if he felt this frustrated after one day....imagine how I felt.

So that evening....I got Grace down (I don't remember the time now)......and I started the Super Nanny method (don't know if that's what it's called....but basically.....you put them to bed....do your little ritual....and if they get out of bed....you don't talk to them....you just keep putting them back in their bed....over.....and over....and over...and in our case.....over again. And this can take a looooong time).

But on this night.....I did it for about 30 minutes.

And it was hard. To hear her crying. Wanting me to hold her. Wanting me to sing to her. But it was all just a ploy to delay bedtime. Yes- she is that smart. And honestly....none of these things made her happy. We were going in circles....and going nowhere fast.

I just had to keep telling myself that I was doing this to her for her own good. She needed a good night's sleep. She still needed to be napping (which I had been withholding some days so she would fall asleep in the car!).

The next night I was alone again. Dreading the evening, as usual.

But on this night....Grace was not as fussy. And I was able to put her down 'for good' at around 7:30 or 8:00 and she stayed down!!!

I was then able to hold Parker in my lap while watching Word World. Brush her teeth, read her books....all without holding Grace.

Then I did the Super Nanny thing again. And it wasn't even as bad as the first night. And to be honest....I can't really remember any other nights specifically....so none of them could have been that bad.

It was also easier to do the Super Nanny method at this point....because I was now spending almost a full hour with just her....doing her bedtime routine....giving her, alone, all of the attention.

Anyway....things got better. A lot better. Two to three times a week she would stay in her bed and not even come out once.

I felt more confident as a parent. I couldn't control how she would act or if she would stay in bed or if she would get out of bed. But I could control my actions. And they were consistent.

And I didn't have to sit there and wonder "what am I going to do this time when she gets up?" I just knew. And I had a plan. I felt in control. And it helped me to stay more calm....and in my opinion....a better parent.

I started enforcing nap time again. She is not ready to give this nap up yet. She will even sleep for almost 3 hours some days....that tells me....she still needs a nap.

However......when she does sleep that long....she does have trouble falling asleep (to which I feel bad)....so now....I have decided to not let her sleep past 3:00 in the afternoon....and for no longer than 2 hours. But she wakes with the sun (between 6:00 and 6:30, usually) no matter what time I put her to bed....so she is still needing the nap!

OK.

Now for the good part.

About 2 weeks ago....I felt that Parker was doing really well staying in her bed after kissing her goodnight. I would never hear a peep!

Since she had done so well after almost 2 weeks... I thought maybe it would be ok to put Grace in her crib in her room (which is right next door to Parker's room) instead of in our room. I had hesitated putting Grace in her room because a) she is still getting up in the night and feared she would wake Parker up, and b) because I feared Parker would wake Grace up while trying to get her down.

So a week ago Monday....I bit the bullet. Prepared myself that Parker may wake Grace up....and to not get frustrated (sometimes it helps me to build these things up in my mind).

And I was so impressed. Parker was so good. And so quiet. And stayed in her bed all last week.

And when Grace would cry in the night....she did not even wake up Parker!!! Which was definitely an added bonus!!!

So I was happy. Feeling like we were really getting into our routine. Our normal. And hey.....I was able to lay in my bed and watch TV again!!! :)

But then the weekend happened. And for some reason....she started coming out again. It wasn't too bad......but she would ask for things...like..."Sing Twinkle, Twinkle" again....and "I need milk" (which we do not usually let her do)....and I would do it....with the hopes that she would, in fact, then stay in bed and go to sleep....and ultimately....not wake up Grace who was sleeping a mere few feet from her.

And, for the most part, she would stay in bed. But I could see how she kept testing the waters more and more. One night.....not going to sleep until 10:00. And yes....still waking up at 6:30....which is not enough sleep for her (as evidenced by her incessant fit-throwing and acting like a baby....literally).

Which brings us to the title of this post....."If you give an inch....they will surely take a mile."

So by Monday....I had decided that I was going to put Grace back in our room. I wasn't going to let Parker keep coming out of her room....only to go back to square 1. I'd worked too hard. and especially when she had been doing so well.

And sure enough....we had some fit throwing and such.....but not too bad....and I think she was in bed by 9:00.

Tonight....she did it again. Only it was worse. Much worse.

She is smart. And she has figured out that if she urinates in her pull-up....I will come into her room and change it.....not just put her right back to bed.

This really irritates me because she is potty trained (I guess if you don't count at night). Pull-ups are expensive.....and maybe I just need to quit using them anyway. But I'll save that for a different post on a different day. :)

I make her use the restroom before I ever put the pull-up on...and tell her if she needs to go....that she needs to tell me. (yeh-right!)

We do our routine. We read. We sing. We kiss goodnight.

Then....a minute or so later....she opens the door and tells me....she has urinated in her pull-up. I changed it.

TWO minutes later. She did it again. I changed it.

TWO minutes later. She does it again. (If you are keeping count....I have now gone through 3 pull-ups-- including the one she is wearing-- in FIVE minutes). {No lie. No exaggeration. This is the truth.}

I tell her that I am sorry that she tee-teed again...but that she is going to have to go to sleep with that pull-up on (see....in my mind....I always want her to go to bed with a dry pull-up on....but it is evident to me, at this point, that she has figured this out.....and is definitely taking advantage of the situation....and how much urine could be in her diaper after urinating 4 separate times over a 10 minute period??? So I figured she would be fine.).

Well...she loses it. She is crying so. hard.

She starts coughing and gagging.

And yes. You guessed it. She throws up.

She cried so hard...she threw up.

To my surprise. I was very calm. Not flustered. Not frustrated. I take off her pajammies. Clean her up. Clean up the carpet. Tell her to wash her hands. Put on another (the FOURTH) pull-up.

She is calm now. I think by this point....she was surprised at herself for getting so upset that she got sick.

So then....

I held her (like I always do).

Sang to her (like I always do).

And this time........

She stayed in bed.

_______________________________________

I was thinking tonight that one day (and the future....far, far away)......I think I will look back on these experiences and think to myself "Why did I let that get me so stressed out?" And then laugh.

_______________________________________

And if you have made is this far in the post......I applaud you for sticking around!!! I just had to get this all out. I feel better....and am glad that I will have this to look back on.

Public Service Announcement

Leave your children in their crib as long as you can before moving them to a big girl/boy bed. It is essential for your sanity! ;)

Thankyouverymuch.

Amen.

Catching up...

I guess you could say I haven't really been in the 'bloggy' mood lately. For some reason, I feel like we have been so busy....having some sort of commitment each day. And not that it's a bad thing, I just can't seem to get caught up or think straight, it seems.

So today I thought that I'd do some catching up. Nothing too exciting, but it's something.

__________________________________________________________________

I'll start out by telling you about how much of a challenge Parker has been for us lately. She's a sweetheart. She really is. But geez Louise....she has really given us a run for our money! It's not just the whining.....or the fit throwing. But really...it's the blatant disobedience and disrespect for us, and for other people as well. Is this just the "terrible two's" that we've all heard about...and quite possibly dismissed or even laughed about?? Because if it is...then ok. Fine. Although I am far from laughing now, maybe one day I will??

But what if it's more? What if this is the behavior that we have shaped? Is it something that we have done, or not done, as her parents? I'm really trying not to take myself too seriously here because a) I am a little low on sleep these days, and b) she is two. But honestly- in the back of my mind I am always wondering if this is just a phase or is this something that if we ignore, or just don't take that seriously....would she continue to have these behaviors as a 6 year old? An 11 year old? A sixteen year old, God forbid??

And the really big thing....the thing I think that might be stressing me the most is bedtime. I know I shouldn't let it get to me like it does......but this issue has really been going on since last October when we first took her out of her crib....and by the end of the day I am exhausted...and I am ready for the day to end! I've written about our bedtime routine before, so I won't go through it again....but I will say that Parker continues to keep getting out of bed....and if I am not dealing with Grace at the time....I just do the whole Super Nanny thing and just keep putting her back in her bed. But when I am dealing with Grace, this becomes more of an issue. Not to mention the fact that she is SO TIRED....and we know that she is SO TIRED....and I think this effects her behavior, as well.

So anyway- a few things that we are trying to hopefully make things better around here are:

• For me to spend a little more one-on-one time with Parker. It seems that maybe the days that I get to spend more quality time with her she is better towards me. And since Grace came, I have obviously had to give her much of my attention. And although Parker appears to love her sister and doesn't really act out towards her....there are times (like bedtime) when she will be throwing her fit and will say, "No Mommy...don't hold Grace!" And she'll say this a few times and it really does break my heart....but what am I to do? I do let Grace cry at times just so that I can hold Parker for 1 minute to hopefully let her know that I choose her, too. But anyway. Something that keeps popping into my head lately is something that I learned when I was a teacher.....'if a kid is not getting the attention that they need or think that they need....they are going to get it some way....even if it is negative attention.' And yes- I realize I may be reading way into it....but this has been going on for a while and is progressively getting worse and we are progressively getting more tired and frustrated with it.
• Sticking to our guns more. A lot of the time I find that we make empty threats, like "We aren't going to go to the park unless you come here and put your shoes on right now." Umm....ok. Sometimes that works...she will come and put her shoes on. But if in the moment, for some reason, going to the park doesn't mean anything to her....then we usually end up 'bribing' her with something else because we want to go to the park to get her and us out of the house! So in the past few days I have been better about only making threats that I am prepared to follow through with. Instead of telling her we aren't going to go to gymnastics if she wears her pajamas (because that's what she wants to wear and literally throws a fit as we are trying to get her dressed in real clothes)....we tell her she's going to go to time out until she's ready to put on her clothes. We'll see.....
• At bedtime....if she gets up and I am trying to get Grace to bed...I just sit in the dark while feeding Grace and ignore Parker. I don't even really look at her or talk to her. She'll sit there and still talk, but I think she kind of gets the picture. Then, once I put Grace to bed, I pick Parker up, and take her to bed. This time it usually seems a little easier to get her to stay. On a positive note.....I usually still have both girls down by 10pm....so I know that it could be worse. It's just for her sake (as well as mine)...she needs that extra 1 hour to hour and a half of sleep a day! {OR....just do what I did tonight. Since Parker missed her nap today, I knew she was extra tired. So we went to Aunt Sister's for dinner...and I figured she'd fall asleep on the way home (and if she didn't I'd just keep driving until she did)....which she did after only 5 minutes in the car.....and then I was able to just move her from the car to her bed and totally bypass the bedtime routine. It's awful, I know. But it's survival! :) }
  

So enough of all of that! It's so good to get that off of my chest! This is some of what has been running around in my head for weeks now!

_________________________________________________________________



I'll end with posting Grace's 2 months picture in her growth chair that I failed to do last week.


And then I went ahead and compiled the newborn picture, 1 month picture, and the 2 months picture for our viewing pleasure! CANNOT believe how much she's grown! She's really starting to fill out!



__________________________________________________________________

And so I'm not leaving out Parker! She thinks that she has to tilt her head this way to smile and take a picture. What a poser! :)

Alphabet Puzzle- Toddler Learning Activity

I must admit that we probably let our kid watch too much TV. It has been sort of a crutch to fall back on since being so busy with school...and then since I've been out of school for 4 weeks....we've been using it a lot just to try to get things done around here. And with the new baby coming by next week....I have visions of lots of Word World and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for our future. :)

And I feel guilty about it.

I know it's not the end of the world...but to make myself feel better to be a 'better' parent (whatever that is)...I have been searching the internet and I also purchased this book.....

....to try and come up with more age-appropriate toddler activities. I can be creative at times...but when it comes to this, I have drawn a blank.

This book has given me so many ideas and I am really exciting about actually carrying them out. It's just been a process trying to read through the ideas...gather an abundance of supplies (to prepare for even after the baby comes)....and then just getting my 'plans' on paper.

But the activity I am going to show today is from this site: Children's Learning Activities. They come up with some great ideas and point out activities for several age ranges including toddlers (although according to my weekly Baby Center e-mail for Parker, she's a preschooler??). Like today...she posted about this Snowman Activity...I think Parker would love this....I just need to take the time to prepare it!

OK....so I'll get to this letter recognition activity now that I have written a novel!!!

It's called Alphabet Puzzle.

We have never really sat down and 'worked with Parker on the alphabet' per se.....it's like a few months ago she started pointing to letters and identifying them...and Geoff and I would look at each other like, "ummmm...did you teach her that?" Come to find out...we really think this is mostly thanks to Word World.

So since then...we have been more astute in just asking her to identify letters from time to time...she seems to enjoy it.

So when I ran across this activity...I thought she might like it, too.

I basically took some multi-colored notecards....wrote the uppercase letter on the left, and the lowercase on the right......then cut them out using my scrapbooking scissors.

I would only lay out 4 different letters at a time....(and we've only done this once). She was much better at identifying the uppercase letters, but could still do some lowercase. I think it might have been a little confusing for her because even though she might know the uppercase letter "A" and the lowercase letter "a" for some letters....when she saw them beside each other she kind of had a look on her face like, "How are these both A's?"

But this got me really excited, nonetheless, and I suppose we'll keep doing it! It's an easy activity that we can pull out whenever...and it wasn't too time consuming to prepare! I still need to cover with contact paper for durability, but that will come later!

S'mores!!!

Even in the middle of the hot summer....I had already made plans in my head that at some point this winter season....we would start a fire....and make s'mores! I can't even remember the last time I had one....and so that means it's been too long...right?

So last night was our night. We built the first fire in our new home. Well..sort of...the wood was still pretty wet so we had to use the gas quite a bit...so we never really technically had a real fire...but.....we were able to make our s'mores! :)

Geoff...trying to get the fire going...

Parker helping....

Waiting so patiently...

Really enjoying the wire hanger....we had to take it away for our safety...:)

I had all of the stuff sitting out on the coffee table just waiting. Parker was so good to wait....something she's not always good at. She wanted to eat the chocolate so badly.

Geoff had never roasted marshmallows in the house before. Or maybe it was that he had never used a wire hanger before for roasting? He was questioning me about the stuff that would burn off the end of the hanger and onto our marshmallow. I told him we could put them in the fire for a while to burn it off (pictured below)....but that really...(and maybe I am just forgetting)....I just don't think we worried about that kind of stuff back then....did we? And I mean...I turned out ok...right?

He answered...but you don't have to....

Moving on....

I was getting excited, too. I think I was the most excited of the 3 of us. And so I set out our graham crackers....put 2 on each plate and told Parker, "This one's Mommy's....this one's Daddy's...and this one's Parker's." I didn't mean for her to eat them....but when right after I said that...she walked over to her plate and said, "Thanks! Thanks, Mommy!" ...and began eating....I couldn't tell her no.

OK...so we're ready! (Help!! Somebody get this lady some lip gloss or something!)

Helping me put the marshmallows on the hanger...


Here...you can kind of tell that she is helping me hold the hanger in place...

So here it is, Parker!! You get the first one! Here's your first ever s'mores!!! Yay!!

According to her facial expressions.....this is what I think she was thinking......"Ummm....this is kind of sticky. And ummm.....where's my...."

"....CHOCOLATE????"

Yes...my kid turns down the s'mores and is so heartbroken that we put her chocolate on this 'thing' and now she can't eat her chocolate!



So we got the above pictures for a laugh....I ate her s'mores (just taking one for the team, you know)....and gave her some chocolate!!

And Geoff won the award for the night for the best looking and probably best tasting s'mores!


Round 2 tonight! Hey....we gotta get rid of those marshmallows somehow!

Adventures in Potty Training

Well....it's official. We started potty training Parker this past Monday. I can give you a list of excuses and reasons as to why we are just now starting.....but it doesn't really matter.

So anyway....we've had some pretty successful days. We haven't googled the subject of 'potty traning'....nor have we read any books. We've received some helpful hints from friends, but other than that....we're just making it up as we go.

The good thing: we think she is aware of when she needs to use the restroom (for both #1 and #2) because she has demonstrated this for us several times.

However....the bad thing: she, herself, is not that motivated to be potty trained. For example, I spent approximately 5 minutes this morning trying to convince a whiny 2 year old how she needed to let me put on her 'big girl panties' and not her diaper.

Have you ever tried to convince a headstrong 2-year-old how it is a good idea to wear panties instead of just going at will in a diaper? Better yet.....have you ever convinced a 2-year-old of anything??

So I ended up heading to the kitchen...leaving my darling child panty- and pant-less....until she finally caved. I'll admit...I felt kind of bad for her....but as soon as I put them on she said, "I need tell Mommy and Daddy when I need go potty!" So....she understands at least a little. I think.

I (we) have learned a few things this week and I'm planning to start changing my strategy up a bit. See- we don't have a set time that we take her to the potty. I pay attention to what she drinks and then we ask her randomly if she needs to go potty. This way has worked several times.

Other times....she gives me signs that let me know that she needs to go and she's holding it. I ask her if she needs to go potty, and in her whiny voice she says, "Nooooooo!" This happened 3 times today. And 3 times she had an accident. And all 3 times were my fault. I've been beating myself up about it, too, because I feel like they could have all been prevented if I would have just scooped her up and made her go. Because this....to me....makes me think she does have an understanding because she is holding it and is aware that she is holding it....but then refuses to go sit on the potty....and most importantly....I didn't make her go!

So...tomorrow is a new day with a clean slate, and a semi-new strategy. I am going to try to put her in a position to succeed! Something I did not do today.

It's a learning curve. She'll be potty trained..... someday. :)

________________________________

Funny conversation today:

Setting: She had just come into the living room after waking up from her nap. I was sitting on the couch. At the time, she is in a pull-up that has princess characters on it. She stops at the coffee table. By the face she is making and her mannerisms....I can tell that she has just used the restroom....but I decided not to say anything.

Parker looks down, looks back up at me, and says, "I not tee-tee on the floor."

Me: "Did you tee-tee in your pull-up?"

Parker: "No. I tee-tee on the princess," so matter-of-factly, and almost proud of herself for the mere fact that she didn't go on the floor. Bless her heart. I love this kid.

Do you know where your children are??

Because apparently.....we don't.

My alarm went off at 5am this morning. I was planning on going to my 12-hour clinical today. I was going to get up....call the hospital to make sure that my nurse preceptor was not canceled so that I would not waste a trip.

I went into the living room....reached over the little bar/ledge....flipped on the light switch.....looked down slightly to my left.....and found Parker laying on the loveseat!!

Who knows how long she had been there. And I'm not even sure if she was asleep or not because the commotion of me turning on the light may have woke her up.

Nevertheless...I picked her up...she put her head down.....I went and told Geoff. We decided for me to just stay home today and try again tomorrow. She has been extra clingy with me lately...I think it's because I'm hardly ever around....and she wouldn't let me put her down. I know that I am the parent and that if I had really wanted to, I could have put her down, gotten ready, and left Geoff to deal with her.

But it didn't feel right, so I didn't.

Instead- I laid down with her in her twin bed that will be hers in a few short weeks when we get around to getting her headboard and dresser. We'll be needing that crib soon for another baby!

Anyhow.....she has been consistently getting up at 6:00, 6:30, and this morning 5:00...since I wrote this last post. It has been harder on Geoff due to his schedule because it's really cutting into his sleep time. We can't figure out exactly why this is happening. She had been in her toddler bed for a week with no problems. Then the time changed....but even still...she had been sleeping until 8:30 or 9:00...so even with the time change you'd think she'd be sleeping in until 7:30 or 8:00.

My guess is she's waking up like we all do at various times in the night...only instead of putting herself back to sleep like she used to....she gets up and decides to stay awake!!

And in conclusion....due to her waking up an hour and a half to 2 hours earlier each day....she is obviously tired. She displays this in her actions daily....along with these bags under her eyes!



Bless her heart.

6am

At 0600.....I hear from what sounds like the other room a small voice say, "Mommy."

It must be a dream. It's still dark outside. I continue to keep my eyes closed.

What seems like only a few minutes pass....and I hear again, "Mommy."

This time....my brain started functioning at its minimal capacity and realized that the voice I was hearing was not a dream, but in fact, Parker.

I hurry out of bed...walk into the living room....she's standing there holding her cup of water that I had left out from the night before.

She says, "Parker awake!! I go doctor today. We go libary and read Spot!"

I quickly say...."No- we don't have to go to the doctor today.....and it's still night-night time."

I take her into her room....attempt to change her diaper, but realize it is still dry (going on 11 hours now--and I decided to pass up the opportunity for letting her try to go on the potty in an effort to keep the stimuli at a minimum). My feeble attempts were just that....feeble. I proceed to rock her for 30 minutes hoping beyond hope that she would go back to sleep--knowing full well, this would not be in the cards.

After 30 minutes she informs me that, "Parker's diaper is wet now."

So I give up on the whole returning to sleep thing.....the sun is coming up at this point. I am changing her diaper and she reminds me yet again, "Parker awake! Parker awake!"

_____________________

You see- some of the 'fun' and irony to this story is that just this past Thursday evening a friend asked me how Parker was doing in her big girl bed. I quickly responded, "I hate to say it out loud....but she's doing great! She even stays in her crib when she wakes up until we come and get her!"

!2 hours later....on the following Friday morning......she gets herself out of bed for the first time...opening her door and taking herself into our room and announcing...."Parker awake!"

Yeh, yeh- it's cute and all.......but 6am??? Really?

Missing the confines of her daughter's crib,

Marla

p.s. and maybe it's time to start potty training??

It's never a good idea....

...to let your 2 year old walk around with a marker.

Come closer....let me tell you a quick, little story, if I may.


Geoff and I have both been guilty of giving Parker the dry erase marker and letting her write on this....


We tell her "only on the board!" And to be honest.....this was successful for quite some time.

However, things like writing on her pink chair...


...and on her sheets....and our sheets....began happening.

Sunday afternoon: I tell Geoff, "You know...we really shouldn't let her walk around with those markers. She's two!! And I know we 'teach' her to only write on paper or on the board...but really.....she's two!!"

I thought we were in agreement on this. Thought--being the operative word here.

Ahem.

So Monday....I went into the study and shut the door to get some studying done. Geoff is officially on Parker duty.

Parker comes to the study door and starts saying, "Mommy's working. Mommy's working in there."

I reply, "Yes- Mommy is working," and I continue working.

Next thing I hear.....is....is the sound of something similar to the sound of someone writing on a door.

I think, "No!! She couldn't. She wouldn't."

She did.



Never fear.....it came off with a wet rag. But still! What if it had been the wall?

So now.....I think we (Geoff and me) are definitely in agreement. It was a close call--so to speak.

Thursday morning:

Parker is asking for a pen from Geoff while I am cleaning up the kitchen. No big deal. I see him get up....I think he is getting her a pen....I still don't really think anything of it because I think that he is going to sit there with her.

Three minutes later....I hear, "PARKER ANN!!"

I look up....and find this.....



He had given her a washable marker and did not sit right with her!!!

"Are you kidding me??" I said.

He said, "Don't say anything."

I laughed it off. Took pictures to document this momentous occasion. Checked the new couch for marker marks....NONE. Whew!

And for dramatic effect....here are some more pictures of the 'art work' she drew all over her hands and arms. (She has matching marks on her stomach and legs from a different day,as well, but they are not shown here.)




Now......I think we're in agreement. ;)

word to the wise.

This is how I found Parker when I went to get her after her afternoon nap.


Yes. That is a diaper in her hand.


Apparently- Geoff had put her down for her nap in only her shirt and her diaper....resulting in....no diaper on upon awaking and a wet bed.

I had to laugh.

But then again- I don't think I would have been laughing if I had found something other than a wet bed. Haha!

I'm guilty....

...of sitting my daughter in front of the TV to keep her occupied while I do things like: shower, laundry, cook, clean, etc....





Hey...you just do what you gotta do. Right???

And she doesn't seem to mind a bit!

I want to be just like You.

Parker is in the stage right now...and has been for a while...where she likes to imitate any and everything that we do. For the most part....it is cute.

But it has made me stop and think.

Am I living in a way and doing things that I don't mind that Parker imitates me?

And for the most part...yes. But I know that there is definitely much room for improvement.

For example- she has now learned how to fluctuate her voice to where she can purposefully yell. She'll say...in a loud, yelling-type voice...."Looooo-lla! Looooo-lla! Noh! Noh!" All the while....pointing her finger at Lola and shaking her head no.

I wonder where she picked that up from?

Hmmmm.

Ok- it was me. And possibly Geoff at times. And although there is usually a reason that I am doing this to Lola....and Parker was just doing it to be like me....it was still "odd", if you will....seeing a reflection of me in her. And allbeit....

Yelling.

And pointing.

And shaking her head.

I don't really have an answer...because I will probably still raise my voice to Lola if I "need" to...but now I have a guilt...because what am I teaching her? And yes- I realize that I may be reading way too much into this (and I rarely ever read into things!), but it just brought up the bigger picture for me.

I first heard this song I Want To Be Just Like You about 15 years ago or so...when I was in high school. And then I heard it again sometime over the past year and ended up dowloading it to my iTunes. It brought tears to my eyes the first time I heard it after being a mom. Here are the lyrics.....

I Want To Be Just Like You - Phillips, Craig & Dean (Lifeline)

He climbs in my lap for a goodnight hug
He calls me Dad and I call him Bub
With his faded old pillow and a bear named Pooh
He snuggles up close and says, "I want to be like you"
I tuck him in bed and I kiss him goodnight
Trippin' over the toys as I turn out the light
And I whisper a prayer that someday he'll see
He's got a father in God 'cause he's seen Jesus in me

Lord, I want to be just like You
'Cause he wants to be just like me
I want to be a holy example
For his innocent eyes to see
Help me be a living Bible, Lord
That my little boy can read
I want to be just like You
'Cause he wants to be like me

Got to admit I've got so far to go
Make so many mistakes and I'm sure that You know
Sometimes it seems no matter how hard I try
With all the pressures in life I just can't get it all right
But I'm trying so hard to learn from the best
Being patient and kind, filled with Your tenderness
'Cause I know that he'll learn from the things that he sees
And the Jesus he finds will be the Jesus in me
Right now from where he stands I may seem mighty tall
But it's only 'cause I'm learning from the best Father of them all

(and I realize that the intention of the writers of this song was to be about a dad and a son....of which- I am not a dad, nor is Parker a son....but I still felt that I could relate it to a mother and daughter...or really- even just parents to their kids)

So there's some food for thought for today.

And in case you are wondering what sparked this post today... it was that Parker found a different pair of shoes in my closet this morning and was successful in putting them on and walking in them. It reminded me, yet again, how she wants to be like us. And no- I do not usually walk around in my open-toed, black sandals... with a heal, nonetheless.... in my pajamas on a Saturday morning (or any morning for that matter), but I thought it was cute. And she was so proud of herself, too!