March 2011 - Recap

Oh my sweet, thank-goodness-you're-finally-sleeping babygirl,

Whew. We have finally gotten a hang of The Horrible Debacle Known as Putting You Down for Naps and Bedtime. You had been doing so well back in January and then when you got your ear infection in February, you decided that your bed was evil. And you wanted nothing to do with it. But I'm stubborn and I was insistent that you sleep in your bed. That meant that naptime and bedtime was a fight of epic proportions. There were a few nights where I lost count at 50 for the number of times Daddy and I had to put you back into bed because you kept getting up. It was a nightmare. Fast-foward to March. One night I hit my limit with the bedtime tantrums. Instead of putting you back into bed, I went to the living room for a minute to catch my breath and calm my nerves. You squawked at the baby gate for a minute or so and then you went quiet. I went to see what kind of mischief you had gotten into (because of course, a quiet toddler can be a scary thing to a momma). Lo and behold you were fast asleep on the floor. Again, because I'm stubborn, I wanted to pick you up and put you back in bed. Because you have a BED! You don't need to sleep on the FLOOR! So I pick you up and gently put you back in bed. Your eyes fly open, you realize where you are (ie: the Bed of All Doom, Misery and Sadness) and you start your tantrum all over. I leave the room and 2 seconds later, you're asleep on the floor. I decide to let it go and we'll try the bed again the next night. A big fat 'ha' on that one. You are now officially a floor-sleeper. You want nothing to do with your bed and after a few weeks, I got to be okay with that. It really bothered me at first. I mean, you have a bed. It's a nice toddler bed with a pretty pink sheet. Your favorite stuffed animals hang out there. Your cushiest blankets are there. But you prefer the floor. In the grand scheme of things, it's not a big deal. Daddy made some excellent points: we don't live in a tent and your bedroom floor isn't tile or hardwood. And a friend put it very well: "Would you rather have a child you sleeps through the night, or a child or sleeps on the floor? Because right now, Natalie is trying to tell you she can't do both." And I choose having a child who sleeps through the night. I'll always choose sleep. Always. Al. Ways. So, hooray! THDKaPYDfNaB is no more.

You've really started liking certain songs this month. Not cool songs, by any stretch. But songs nonetheless. Your favorites are the ABCs, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (or "Chrinkle Chrinkle"), London Bridge ("Bidge"), and The Wheels on the Bus ("Wheeeeeeeee-uhs on BUS"). As annoying as The Wheels on the Bus can be, it's really cute to hear you sing it. I sing the main part and you do the 'fun' part ("round and round", etc). It's hilarious to watch you say "swish, swish, swish" for the wipers and "moooooooove on back" for the driver. Recently, though, you're making up lines (or rather, wanting ME to make up lines) to the song. You always want me to start with wheels. When I'm finish round-and-rounding, I ask you what's next. Sometimes you say something for which I know the next line (like the baby - she goes waa, waa, waa ... or the lights - they go blink, blink, blink). But sometimes? Yeah, sometimes you throw out words that I have NO clue how to incorporate into the song. Do you know what the leaf on the bus does? I don't either, but apparently you think I should. How about run? Yep, there's a verb on the bus and I haven't the foggiest idea what to do. Other 'on the bus' words you've thrown at me are five, happy, B, arm, and no. (In case you're wondering: the leaf on the bus goes 'blow, blow, blow'. The run on the bus goes 'fast, fast, fast'. The five on the bus goes 'I'm bigger than 4, bigger than 4, bigger than 4'. The happy on the bus goes 'I'm really happy, I'm really happy, I'm really happy'. The B on the bus goes 'buh, buh, buh'. The arm on the bus goes 'I'm an arm, I'm an arm, I'm an arm'. The no on the bus goes 'no, no, no'. Don't judge. I don't work well under pressure. And since you take The Wheels on the Bus so seriously, there's a LOT of pressure.)

You're now a full-fledged ABC-sayer. With the exception of the letter N. Just a helpful hint, sweetie pie: you need to learn the letter N. It's kinda critical to your name. And instead of saying "Now I know my ABCs, next time won't you sing with me?", you say "Now I ... sing with me, ABCs". It's awesome.

You still love to count. And I'm thrilled to report that you still pronounce 'eleven' as 'yum-yum-yum'. Please don't ever change that.

I've known this for a while, but it was confirmed to me by a friend just a few weeks ago. You're smarter than me. Let me explain: I'm going a different route trying to get you do things. Instead of saying "Please bring me your shoes" (to which you would invariably proclaim NO!), I've changed it to "Do you want to bring me your pink shoes or your white shoes?" I'm trying to give you some semblance of control in the hopes that you'll still do what I want. The end result is the same and it's what I want (shoes on your feet) but you get to control HOW you get to the end result. Giving you choices worked really well for a few weeks. Then you caught on to my little game. I mean, sometimes you oblige and bring me whatever shoes tickle your fancy. But more and more, you either give me a blank look that plainly says "You're ridiculous, Mommy. I know what you're trying to do. I know you want shoes on my feet. But *I* don't want shoes on my feet. So there. Nanny nanny boo boo" or you choose an option that was not part of the original options.

Example:
Me: "Natalie, do you want to push or pull your chair into the kitchen?"
You: "Cheese!"

Me: "Natalie, do you want to wear your green dress or your purple dress?"
You: "Twelve!"

Is it any wonder that I have gray hair? I knew parenthood would keep me on my toes but I had no idea I would have to change tactics on a weekly (or daily ... or minute-ly ...) basis. I'm afraid my brain my explode soon.

One of your favorite toys this month was Daddy's tools. You like lining up his screwdrivers and hitting the garage floor with the rubber mallet, and you love LOVE his socket wrench. I see a cute pink toolbox in your future. Another favorite is the play kitchen we got you earlier this month (thank you Craigslist). From the second Daddy brought it home, you were all over it. It's a pretty sweet kitchen - it's got a bunch of cabinets, a fridge, a microwave, an oven, a stove, and a sink. And it came with a boatload of food. So much of your playtime is spent making me hotdogs, hamburgers, and tea. I've gained 20 imaginary pounds this month.

You gave me your first, unprompted, unsolicited 'love you' (or, 'yuhve you') this month. It was just a regular morning. You woke up, threw open your door, and started chattering. I came over to you, took away the baby gate, and was about to change your diaper. Just then you looked at me, smiled, and said "yuhve you". It melted my heart into one gigantic Mommy Heart Puddle. I immediately burst into tears, grabbed you for a giant bear hug (to which you were immensely opposed), and tried to savor every second. You are so very savorable, sweet girl, even though you oppose my hugs. I can't quite put into words how much I yuhve you.

Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy