Let me start by saying this - whomever coined the phrase "terrible two's" clearly had not yet met a three-year old. RP had her moments during the "terrible two's," but I'd take those days over what I am coining the "temperamental three's." Yesterday is a perfect example of WHY.
I had been dying to take RP to the movie theater for her first official movie, so I was delighted to see that Disney had released a new Winnie the Pooh movie, which looked to be PERFECT for the occasion. We got ready and headed over to the theater, and after purchasing the pre-requisite movie theater snacks, we headed into the theater itself. It was already dark in there, and RP wasn't too keen on walking into a big, loud, dark room (they were already playing some of the previews when we got there) but she put on a brave face and went in. We found seats, I gave RP her M&M's, and we sat back to wait for the show to begin.
RP loved the movie and did a great job throughout. A couple of times she got antsy and wanted to sit on my lap, and she made a few comments out loud, but for the most part she really couldn't have been better behaved. When the show was over, we left and I asked RP if she was okay with me heading into one of the department stores (the movie theater is attached to the mall) and she was actually excited about being out and about and getting to walk through the mall.
Along the way we came across a play area that has the little motorized cars that you can sit in and they rock back and forth. I dug three quarters out of my purse (highway robbery in my opinion, but oh well!) and RP proceeded to enjoy her ride in the large pink ice cream truck vehicle she had chosen to check out. After the ride was over she naturally wanted to do it again, and I promised that if she was a good girl in the store we could ride it again when we came out.
Needless to say, RP was NOT a very happy camper about this, and proceeded to let me know throughout the entire store. She tugged on her monkey, whined about stopping to look at stuff, and asked me repeatedly if she could go on the car now. Ugh. When we didn't leave right away she started to cry, and I could see a major temper tantrum brewing and tried to cut it off at the pass, but no matter what I said it seemed to only add fuel to the fire and she soon erupted into full fledged crying, screaming, and stomping her feet. Threats that if she kept it up there would be no car didn't work as she was too worked up to listen, so I picked her up and proceeded to carry her through the store, her screams and cries getting louder and louder.
When we walked past the cars that she was so desperate to ride again she literally started to claw at my shoulder, kick and produce blood-curdling screams at the top of her lungs, letting everyone in the mall KNOW that she was mad and wanted to ride the cars. Thank god I was carrying her because I have no doubt she would have ripped the monkey backpack off her back in an effort to get back to the cars, but I was none too happy about the display she was putting on, especially since she was kicking me and literally screaming in my face.
That walk out of the mall was the longest of my life, but we finally made it outside, where RP declared that we were NOT going bye-bye and that she was riding the cars. Yeah, that didn't happen and she walked to the car (by this point I had to put her down - my arms were killing me from hanging on to her during her tantrum and I was afraid I'd drop her) crying and begging me to go back inside. This lasted all the way home - yes, all the way home in the car, which was also the longest car ride I've ever taken - until I put her in bed, removed every toy and book from her vicinity, and let her know that she needed to take a nap and reset herself before there were more consequences than losing toys and books from her bed. Thank GOD she woke up in a much better mood, but still having some issues with the day.
The kicker of the entire day? When my beautiful little girl, who had to be reminded several times during dinner what it meant to be a good girl at the dinner table, looked at me and asked, "Mommy, why you so grumpy today?" Really, RP" Really? **sigh**
Lilypie Trying to Conceive Event tickers
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Sage advice from a three year old
As RP is getting older, she is becoming more and more aware of how words and actions can impact how someone feels. Okay, so maybe Mommy is helping to drive this, but I have to say that she is a really good listener when it comes to talking about feelings, and today she proved HOW MUCH she has been listening. Today alone, RP "reminded" me of the following "rules:"
1.) While we were eating breakfast I had turned Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on and RP watched intently, even though she had seen the episode at least 50 times. There came a part when Donald Duck got angry about something and said, "Ohhhh phooey!" I laughed and said to RP, "Oh no, Donald is mad. We don't say 'Oh phooey,' do we?" RP very solemnly looked at me and replied, "No Mommy. That is naughty. We don't say, "F---" either." And yes, she said the word, the whole word.
2.) While changing RP's pull-up I remarked that her "diaper was stinky." RP laughed and said, "Mommy stinky!" No, this did NOT make me happy, so I reminded her that we do not say that people are stinky as it can hurt their feelings (clearly we've had this conversation before - I cannot WAIT for her to actually poop on the potty!). RP thought about it for a minute, then told me, "No Mommy, we don't say people are stinky and we don't say, 'Go away!' to them because it will hurt their feelings. We don't hit people. We don't bite. We need to be friends." Pretty much sums it up, don't you think?
3.) While getting ready for bed tonight I told RP that I loved her. She threw her arms around me and told me that she loved me too, then proceeded to ask me when I was going to bed. I let her know that I still had work to do around the house and that I would be going to bed much later than her. She looked sad for a minute then told me that I worked too hard, and that I needed to let her help me so I could go to bed too, because I went to bed entirely too late every night. Even I went, "Awwww...." at that one...
1.) While we were eating breakfast I had turned Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on and RP watched intently, even though she had seen the episode at least 50 times. There came a part when Donald Duck got angry about something and said, "Ohhhh phooey!" I laughed and said to RP, "Oh no, Donald is mad. We don't say 'Oh phooey,' do we?" RP very solemnly looked at me and replied, "No Mommy. That is naughty. We don't say, "F---" either." And yes, she said the word, the whole word.
2.) While changing RP's pull-up I remarked that her "diaper was stinky." RP laughed and said, "Mommy stinky!" No, this did NOT make me happy, so I reminded her that we do not say that people are stinky as it can hurt their feelings (clearly we've had this conversation before - I cannot WAIT for her to actually poop on the potty!). RP thought about it for a minute, then told me, "No Mommy, we don't say people are stinky and we don't say, 'Go away!' to them because it will hurt their feelings. We don't hit people. We don't bite. We need to be friends." Pretty much sums it up, don't you think?
3.) While getting ready for bed tonight I told RP that I loved her. She threw her arms around me and told me that she loved me too, then proceeded to ask me when I was going to bed. I let her know that I still had work to do around the house and that I would be going to bed much later than her. She looked sad for a minute then told me that I worked too hard, and that I needed to let her help me so I could go to bed too, because I went to bed entirely too late every night. Even I went, "Awwww...." at that one...
Monday, July 11, 2011
Can't Smile Without You!
Lately RP has become incredibly creative in her attempts to NOT go to bed at night. Sure, she still tries the "Mommy, I have a stinky diaper" (I swear she waits until she is IN the diaper to do this, just so she has a reason to call me upstairs at night!) and the "I need a 'nuggle," but as she has gotten older, and as the sun is out longer at night, she has become very adept at keeping herself entertained, literally for HOURS past her bedtime.
Case in point: Last night I came upstairs about 30 minutes after putting RP to bed to change her night-time pull-up. Five minutes after that, and right before I was headed back downstairs, she needed a snuggle, and I gladly complied. An HOUR later I heard her up in her room, happily "reading" to herself, and I yelled up the stairs that she needed to get to bed... now. After about five minutes of silence, I heard a little voice singing "Little Bo Peep" in her room, which was then followed by "Twinkle, Twinkle" and "ABC's." It was cute and I chuckled quietly, all the while getting ready to come upstairs and let RP know that it was time to get back to bed once and for all, when she appeared at the gate in her doorway and began singing Barry Manilow's "Can't Smile Without You" at the top of her lungs.
Yep - I laughed out loud. I have to say that she got about 75% of the words right and she was singing it with all the emotion her little body could muster at 9:00 at night. I'm a huge Manilow fan and just went with my BFF last weekend out to Vegas to see his show, so the timing of her little concert couldn't have been more perfect. I have been singing this song to her since she came home, and it is actually in one of the montage videos I put together of our first year as a family, so it makes my heart happy that this song is obviously one that brings joy to her little heart as well.
Now, if I could only get that joyful heart to go to bed in the evenings!!!
Case in point: Last night I came upstairs about 30 minutes after putting RP to bed to change her night-time pull-up. Five minutes after that, and right before I was headed back downstairs, she needed a snuggle, and I gladly complied. An HOUR later I heard her up in her room, happily "reading" to herself, and I yelled up the stairs that she needed to get to bed... now. After about five minutes of silence, I heard a little voice singing "Little Bo Peep" in her room, which was then followed by "Twinkle, Twinkle" and "ABC's." It was cute and I chuckled quietly, all the while getting ready to come upstairs and let RP know that it was time to get back to bed once and for all, when she appeared at the gate in her doorway and began singing Barry Manilow's "Can't Smile Without You" at the top of her lungs.
Yep - I laughed out loud. I have to say that she got about 75% of the words right and she was singing it with all the emotion her little body could muster at 9:00 at night. I'm a huge Manilow fan and just went with my BFF last weekend out to Vegas to see his show, so the timing of her little concert couldn't have been more perfect. I have been singing this song to her since she came home, and it is actually in one of the montage videos I put together of our first year as a family, so it makes my heart happy that this song is obviously one that brings joy to her little heart as well.
Now, if I could only get that joyful heart to go to bed in the evenings!!!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Catching up with RP
It's been a while since I've posted, which should be some indication of how busy (or at least crazy!) things have been around here lately. RP is now half-way through her first session in gymnastics and she absolutely loves it. Some days she does better than others in the class, but she always seems to have a ball and is still pretty fearless about tackling new activities. MY heart cringes when she jumps up on the balance beam or tries to do a cartwheel by herself, but she throws her all into each activity and always comes out of class smiling!
Last weekend RP spent the weekend with Nana and Papa so I could make a quick, 36-hour trip to Vegas with her godmother (and my best friend!) to celebrate our 40th birthdays, along with a host of other good news each of us has had over the last two years (RP's adoption for me, and no HD for her - life is GOOD!). I missed her while I was gone but she had a blast with Nana and Papa and was a little chatter bug on the phone each time I called. I came back from Vegas just in time to celebrate Independence Day with RP, Nana, and Papa and we had a great day - squirt gun fights during the day and watching the fireworks that night. Given RP's new-found fear of dinosaurs (and some evenings the dark) I was a little concerned that she wouldn't like the fireworks, but she loved staying up late and being out in the dark, and she "oohhh'd" and "aaahhh'd" like an old pro during the display, falling asleep mid-sentence 7 minutes after getting in the car!
The last few days RP has been out-of-pocket of sorts for a variety of reasons, and I'm not really sure why. Whenever she doesn't get her way she starts to jump up and down, "fake" cry, and flail her arms about, getting louder and louder if you let her. She KNOWS that this behavior is unacceptable, she KNOWS that it isn't going to work, and she KNOWS that the only purpose this display can achieve is to get her into trouble... yet she does it anyway. Luckily these attempts have only been half-hearted, more to get attention than anything else, and she stops when she knows Mommy isn't happy with it, but yet the next time she hears the word "no" she tries it again. Weird... and hopefully a stage we'll soon be through.
Last weekend RP spent the weekend with Nana and Papa so I could make a quick, 36-hour trip to Vegas with her godmother (and my best friend!) to celebrate our 40th birthdays, along with a host of other good news each of us has had over the last two years (RP's adoption for me, and no HD for her - life is GOOD!). I missed her while I was gone but she had a blast with Nana and Papa and was a little chatter bug on the phone each time I called. I came back from Vegas just in time to celebrate Independence Day with RP, Nana, and Papa and we had a great day - squirt gun fights during the day and watching the fireworks that night. Given RP's new-found fear of dinosaurs (and some evenings the dark) I was a little concerned that she wouldn't like the fireworks, but she loved staying up late and being out in the dark, and she "oohhh'd" and "aaahhh'd" like an old pro during the display, falling asleep mid-sentence 7 minutes after getting in the car!
The last few days RP has been out-of-pocket of sorts for a variety of reasons, and I'm not really sure why. Whenever she doesn't get her way she starts to jump up and down, "fake" cry, and flail her arms about, getting louder and louder if you let her. She KNOWS that this behavior is unacceptable, she KNOWS that it isn't going to work, and she KNOWS that the only purpose this display can achieve is to get her into trouble... yet she does it anyway. Luckily these attempts have only been half-hearted, more to get attention than anything else, and she stops when she knows Mommy isn't happy with it, but yet the next time she hears the word "no" she tries it again. Weird... and hopefully a stage we'll soon be through.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Things that make you go, "Hmmm..."
Today was just a typical Wednesday - get up and let the puppies outside to go potty, get RP out of bed and started on her day, then hurry, hurry, hurry to make it to pre-school on time since every road between our house and the pre-school seems to be under summertime construction.
RP had a blast today at pre-school. All summer they are doing day camp activities, and every Wednesday in June is "Water Day" for her class, which is her favorite thing to do. I'm not exactly sure what "Water Day" entails, but what I do know is that every time I go to pick her up after "Water Day," she is the wettest child in the room (they change into bathing suits for water time, then back into their regular clothes for the rest of the day) and she is sporting the biggest grin. Her teacher also is laughing each time, telling me that while RP is the youngest and smallest child in the room, when they pull the bathing suits out for the kids my child practically dives over everyone else to get ready, is the first one out the door, and is the first one who is soaking wet from head to toe - literally. Hmmm... perhaps we should have started with swimming lessons for her and not gymnastics...
After pre-school I took RP to the bank where she had her first interaction with the change counter (which she loved), made her first deposit into her savings account (which I loved!), and got her first sucker from the teller (again, which she loved). After popping her into the van to enjoy her sucker and a brief ride home, she promptly fell asleep right after finishing the sucker, and was sleeping so soundly that she barely budged when I removed her "Minnie's" and replaced them with a pull-up since she still isn't quite potty-trained while she is sleeping. "Water Day" certainly wore her out, because she slept for almost two hours, which these days is almost unheard of for her.
After her nap I told RP that we could go outside and play and that I would set up her "big blue whale" sprinkler for her to play in, and with that I changed her back into the swimsuit that she had worn at school that day (which literally had just finished drying on the patio - what great timing!). Despite the fact that she told me that she only wanted to play in the sandbox, she got great use out of the swimsuit as she ran back and forth between the water and the sand. Hmmm... good thing I didn't listen to those protests about putting the swimsuit on.
RP has been doing really well with potty-training lately but had an "accident" today as we were heading outside to play. She told me that she pottied in her swimmie diaper (actually swimmie pull-up, but diaper is much easier to type, hence the reference to "diaper" throughout the rest of this story...) because she was just too busy getting her shoes on to go outside that she didn't feel she needed to go and sit on the potty. Needless to say Mommy wasn't too happy because I discovered that swimmie diapers don't really hold the same as regular pull-ups do and as such RP had to sit inside and wait an extra 10 minutes before heading outside to play. Nope - NOT a happy camper, but she sucked it up and waited (im)patiently for the 10 minutes to lapse, then ran outside like a crazy person.
The relevance of that last part of the story? After RP was soaked head to toe, and covered in sand, she told me she had to go potty. Hmmm... traipse all through the house in that condition? Mommy just cleaned up one mess, and is not feeling like cleaning up another, so I told her to just go ahead and wet the diaper. You would think this child won the lottery - her whole face lit up and she screamed "T'ank you Mommy!" as she patted my cheek and gave me a huge kiss. Now, between standing under the sprinkler for a long time and wetting in the diaper this diaper was now about hanging down to her knees and she was literally waddling through the backyard yelling, "Help me Mommy! Help me!" to the point I was in tears laughing. We had to find a secluded spot in the yard where I could pull her suit back and flip the diaper inside out, then right side in again. The relief on her face was priceless, as was the fact that every 20 minutes or so she told me she had to pee-pee in her diaper as she proceeded to squat in the middle of the yard, laughing the entire time. Considering the child has a bladder of steel and pretty much only sits on the potty 3-4 times a day, this was a lot of drama and fun for her but I'm 99.98% convinced that she wasn't doing anything but pretending - and having a lot of fun at that.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know - not the greatest mothering move I could have made, especially since she got in trouble for doing exactly the same thing earlier in the day, but I'm pretty sure that she isn't scarred for life because of it, and she had fun with the drama of it all. The look on her face when told she could go potty in the swimmie diaper was almost as priceless as the look on her face today when I set up the Cinderella tent that she got for her birthday (which I almost forgot that we had) and gave her the baking set for the sandbox that she got for her birthday (which I DID forget that we had - it was still sitting in the garage in the original bag!). Her squeals of delight and the "T'ANKS MOMMY!" screams made my day, probably more than the toys made hers. Hmmm.....
RP had a blast today at pre-school. All summer they are doing day camp activities, and every Wednesday in June is "Water Day" for her class, which is her favorite thing to do. I'm not exactly sure what "Water Day" entails, but what I do know is that every time I go to pick her up after "Water Day," she is the wettest child in the room (they change into bathing suits for water time, then back into their regular clothes for the rest of the day) and she is sporting the biggest grin. Her teacher also is laughing each time, telling me that while RP is the youngest and smallest child in the room, when they pull the bathing suits out for the kids my child practically dives over everyone else to get ready, is the first one out the door, and is the first one who is soaking wet from head to toe - literally. Hmmm... perhaps we should have started with swimming lessons for her and not gymnastics...
After pre-school I took RP to the bank where she had her first interaction with the change counter (which she loved), made her first deposit into her savings account (which I loved!), and got her first sucker from the teller (again, which she loved). After popping her into the van to enjoy her sucker and a brief ride home, she promptly fell asleep right after finishing the sucker, and was sleeping so soundly that she barely budged when I removed her "Minnie's" and replaced them with a pull-up since she still isn't quite potty-trained while she is sleeping. "Water Day" certainly wore her out, because she slept for almost two hours, which these days is almost unheard of for her.
After her nap I told RP that we could go outside and play and that I would set up her "big blue whale" sprinkler for her to play in, and with that I changed her back into the swimsuit that she had worn at school that day (which literally had just finished drying on the patio - what great timing!). Despite the fact that she told me that she only wanted to play in the sandbox, she got great use out of the swimsuit as she ran back and forth between the water and the sand. Hmmm... good thing I didn't listen to those protests about putting the swimsuit on.
RP has been doing really well with potty-training lately but had an "accident" today as we were heading outside to play. She told me that she pottied in her swimmie diaper (actually swimmie pull-up, but diaper is much easier to type, hence the reference to "diaper" throughout the rest of this story...) because she was just too busy getting her shoes on to go outside that she didn't feel she needed to go and sit on the potty. Needless to say Mommy wasn't too happy because I discovered that swimmie diapers don't really hold the same as regular pull-ups do and as such RP had to sit inside and wait an extra 10 minutes before heading outside to play. Nope - NOT a happy camper, but she sucked it up and waited (im)patiently for the 10 minutes to lapse, then ran outside like a crazy person.
The relevance of that last part of the story? After RP was soaked head to toe, and covered in sand, she told me she had to go potty. Hmmm... traipse all through the house in that condition? Mommy just cleaned up one mess, and is not feeling like cleaning up another, so I told her to just go ahead and wet the diaper. You would think this child won the lottery - her whole face lit up and she screamed "T'ank you Mommy!" as she patted my cheek and gave me a huge kiss. Now, between standing under the sprinkler for a long time and wetting in the diaper this diaper was now about hanging down to her knees and she was literally waddling through the backyard yelling, "Help me Mommy! Help me!" to the point I was in tears laughing. We had to find a secluded spot in the yard where I could pull her suit back and flip the diaper inside out, then right side in again. The relief on her face was priceless, as was the fact that every 20 minutes or so she told me she had to pee-pee in her diaper as she proceeded to squat in the middle of the yard, laughing the entire time. Considering the child has a bladder of steel and pretty much only sits on the potty 3-4 times a day, this was a lot of drama and fun for her but I'm 99.98% convinced that she wasn't doing anything but pretending - and having a lot of fun at that.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know - not the greatest mothering move I could have made, especially since she got in trouble for doing exactly the same thing earlier in the day, but I'm pretty sure that she isn't scarred for life because of it, and she had fun with the drama of it all. The look on her face when told she could go potty in the swimmie diaper was almost as priceless as the look on her face today when I set up the Cinderella tent that she got for her birthday (which I almost forgot that we had) and gave her the baking set for the sandbox that she got for her birthday (which I DID forget that we had - it was still sitting in the garage in the original bag!). Her squeals of delight and the "T'ANKS MOMMY!" screams made my day, probably more than the toys made hers. Hmmm.....
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Hopefully God has a sense of humor
Today I decided to take RP to the 7 p.m. Mass. Yesterday was eventful in that things with my next door neighbors finally came to a head, and I was a basket case, with RP doing everything in her power to stay up late and "help" the situation (which, cutely enough, warranted her "reading" to me from her Big Book of Animals). I have been woefully remiss in attending Mass regularly and knew that RP and I needed to get our butts to church, so this seemed to be the perfect solution.
All in all we had a great day today - a nice long walk through the forest preserve this morning, followed by some highly anticipated fun with Play-Doh, lunch, and a brief nap - which was followed by a great dinner with Nana and Papa, and Mass with Nana. I knew that going to church later in the evening would pose a risk for RP - she is normally in bed at 7 p.m., although most nights she doesn't actually fall asleep until close to 9 - but I was willing to take it.
I have to say that for the most part she was very well behaved in church, especially considering they didn't have the "Crying Room" open and we had to sit in what I affectionately call "General Population." She was fascinated with the Mass books/hymnals and flipped through page after page. She loved saying "Amen" with everyone every time she heard it, and was interested in watching the priest and everything going on during the Mass.
That being said, two things about Mass tonight stand out for me. First, RP also LOVES to sing. It doesn't matter if she knows the words, she just makes up her own and sings her little heart out, no matter what genre the song. The more she likes it, the louder she sings. From the sounds of things tonight, she LOVED "Joyful, Joyful," which was the closing song for Mass. She LOVED that song a LOT, and sang it loudly. VERY loudly. Off-key, wrong words, and all. Have I mentioned how LOUD she was? It wasn't even being naughty for the sake of being naughty loud either - it was a genuine "I want to sing with the rest of you because this is a cool song" type of singing, coming from her heart. I almost bit my tongue off trying not to laugh, and Nana wasn't so lucky - she was shaking and crying from laughing so hard at the poor kid (although I'm not sure others around us felt the same way!).
The second memorable event at Mass tonight was RP insisting that she needed to "eat" in line with everyone else - i.e., take Communion. She tried to run away from me to the priest when she saw him handing out Communion, her little hand up in the air like everyone else's, ready to receive the host. Luckily I grabbed her and folded her arms across her chest for the blessing, then took Communion of my own. When she realized that no host was forthcoming for her, she stopped dead in her tracks, looked up at the Eucharistic Minister, and cried, "HEY!!!" Yep, I hustled her little tushie back down the aisle as fast as our legs would carry us, then tried to explain to a three-year old that she couldn't have Communion yet, and that it would be a very special celebration on the day she finally could. When that didn't work, I gave her some yogurt-melts, which seemed to do the trick. Ahhh...
Our adventure at Church tonight ended when we all got in the car, Nana and I still chuckling over RP's rendition of "Joyful, Joyful." As we waited in line with all the other cars to leave the parking lot, a tiny voice perked up from the back seat and cried out, "Let's GO people!" Nana and I busted out laughing, as we both knew all too well exactly where she got THAT from, and Nana remarked, "Yep - she does spend WAY too much time with you!" Yes Nana, that's true - she is truly a chip off the old block!
All in all we had a great day today - a nice long walk through the forest preserve this morning, followed by some highly anticipated fun with Play-Doh, lunch, and a brief nap - which was followed by a great dinner with Nana and Papa, and Mass with Nana. I knew that going to church later in the evening would pose a risk for RP - she is normally in bed at 7 p.m., although most nights she doesn't actually fall asleep until close to 9 - but I was willing to take it.
I have to say that for the most part she was very well behaved in church, especially considering they didn't have the "Crying Room" open and we had to sit in what I affectionately call "General Population." She was fascinated with the Mass books/hymnals and flipped through page after page. She loved saying "Amen" with everyone every time she heard it, and was interested in watching the priest and everything going on during the Mass.
That being said, two things about Mass tonight stand out for me. First, RP also LOVES to sing. It doesn't matter if she knows the words, she just makes up her own and sings her little heart out, no matter what genre the song. The more she likes it, the louder she sings. From the sounds of things tonight, she LOVED "Joyful, Joyful," which was the closing song for Mass. She LOVED that song a LOT, and sang it loudly. VERY loudly. Off-key, wrong words, and all. Have I mentioned how LOUD she was? It wasn't even being naughty for the sake of being naughty loud either - it was a genuine "I want to sing with the rest of you because this is a cool song" type of singing, coming from her heart. I almost bit my tongue off trying not to laugh, and Nana wasn't so lucky - she was shaking and crying from laughing so hard at the poor kid (although I'm not sure others around us felt the same way!).
The second memorable event at Mass tonight was RP insisting that she needed to "eat" in line with everyone else - i.e., take Communion. She tried to run away from me to the priest when she saw him handing out Communion, her little hand up in the air like everyone else's, ready to receive the host. Luckily I grabbed her and folded her arms across her chest for the blessing, then took Communion of my own. When she realized that no host was forthcoming for her, she stopped dead in her tracks, looked up at the Eucharistic Minister, and cried, "HEY!!!" Yep, I hustled her little tushie back down the aisle as fast as our legs would carry us, then tried to explain to a three-year old that she couldn't have Communion yet, and that it would be a very special celebration on the day she finally could. When that didn't work, I gave her some yogurt-melts, which seemed to do the trick. Ahhh...
Our adventure at Church tonight ended when we all got in the car, Nana and I still chuckling over RP's rendition of "Joyful, Joyful." As we waited in line with all the other cars to leave the parking lot, a tiny voice perked up from the back seat and cried out, "Let's GO people!" Nana and I busted out laughing, as we both knew all too well exactly where she got THAT from, and Nana remarked, "Yep - she does spend WAY too much time with you!" Yes Nana, that's true - she is truly a chip off the old block!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Fight or flight...
Today was unseasonably chilly for June in this part of the country, and while we never got any rain today, it looked ominous to say the least all day long. RP let me sleep in this morning, after waking me up at 2:15 a.m. for a random " 'nuggle," and then again at 6 a.m. when she thought the sun should be up (luckily I convinced her that since the sun was still sleeping, and Mickey Mouse wasn't on TV yet, she should go back to bed - she must have been tired too because I didn't see her again, or hear her playing in her room, for another 2 1/2 hours!). Since it was cold and crappy out, I struggled with what we would do today, then decided that after a leisurely morning of cleaning the kitchen I would surprise RP with a trip to the carnival portion of our local "Taste of ---."
I told RP to grab her shoes and sweatshirt and that Mommy had a surprise for her, and after she convinced me that our trip to the gas station was just NOT a surprise meant for her (smart girl!), she was beside herself excited when she saw all the rides and what she thought was a blow-up jumpie as we pulled into the parking lot. She could hardly contain her excitement as she pulled on my hand and practically ran to the gate of the carnival, jammering excitedly on about going on the jumpie (which wasn't there, but hold that thought) and seeing everything else she could.
That ALL changed about 15 steps into the carnival. RP discovered that the giant gorilla she had seen from the back was just a big blow-up "monkey" - not a jumpie after all, and needless to say she was disappointed. However, nothing could prepare either of us for her reaction when she saw the blow-up that was 20 feet away from the gorilla - a giant, inflatable, red T-Rex dinosaur with huge teeth. My normally fearless child took one look at that balloon and came unhinged. She started screaming and crying that she did NOT like the dinosaur and that she wanted to go home - now. I remembered that a few weeks ago they had a Dino Jump at school and the teacher told me that she was afraid of it until she got closer and got to go IN the Dino Jump, after which time they had a hard time getting her out, so I tried to use the same tactics. I showed her that it was just a "balloon" and that it was tied down - it wasn't going anywhere, it wasn't real, and it wasn't going to get her. She shook her head at me as I carried her closer and closer, and then refused to look at it, crying the whole time.
I tried another tactic. I hid her head in my shoulder as we moved into the carnival area and tried to show her all the rides she could ride - the merry-go-round, the choo-choo train, etc. Everything she normally would have LOVED and begged me to ride over and over and over. Nothing. She kept glancing back toward the dinosaur and begging me to leave. When I put her down so that we could talk it over again, the child literally BOLTED away from me - thank goodness for her monkey harness that I had wisely put on her before we left the van! She was screaming and crying, and literally running for her life, with me in tow not three feet behind her! When we finally got to a fence, I picked her up again and she was shaking and crying, sobbing that the dinosaur was going to get her and that she wanted to go home - now.
Needless to say we left, although I did try to ply her with carnival games where she won her first two stuffed animal prizes ever (we, however, came home with THREE new stuffed animals because one of the carnies felt so sorry for how pitiful she looked crying and carrying on that he threw in an extra one to try to make her feel better - what a nice guy!) but nothing dissuaded her from leaving. We went out to lunch afterward, and all through lunch she kept asking me where the dinosaur was now and was it going to get her. I must have convinced her that the dinosaur wasn't coming anywhere near her, because she finally seemed to relax and stopped asking about the dinosaur, enjoying her lunch and the ice cream that followed.
As "Plan B" for the day we visited the local library for the first time ever, and RP now has her very own library card! She had a BALL in the library (I'm not sure if it was all the books, or her ability to incessantly tell me to "Shhhh" in the library every time I tried to tell her something!) and came home with SIX books, all of which we HAD to read immediately. I am so happy that she has a love of reading already and had such a great time at the library, especially since the day really didn't pan out as I had anticipated, although I now see at least weekly, if not bi-weekly trips, to the library in our near future as she gobbles up all the books she can off those shelves!
I honestly don't know what prompted her recent fear of dinosaurs, or her violent reaction to seeing it today. When I asked her where she was running to when she tried to take off on me, she looked at me like I was an idiot and said simply, "Home, Mommy. I needed to go home." She didn't seem to know, or care, that I was running behind her at the time - all her little body and mind knew was that she needed to get back to the safety of her home and away from that dinosaur, and I anticipate that we will have several more dinosaur-related discussions here in the near future.
Whew - for a slow-starting day, what an eventful Friday it turned out to be!!!
I told RP to grab her shoes and sweatshirt and that Mommy had a surprise for her, and after she convinced me that our trip to the gas station was just NOT a surprise meant for her (smart girl!), she was beside herself excited when she saw all the rides and what she thought was a blow-up jumpie as we pulled into the parking lot. She could hardly contain her excitement as she pulled on my hand and practically ran to the gate of the carnival, jammering excitedly on about going on the jumpie (which wasn't there, but hold that thought) and seeing everything else she could.
That ALL changed about 15 steps into the carnival. RP discovered that the giant gorilla she had seen from the back was just a big blow-up "monkey" - not a jumpie after all, and needless to say she was disappointed. However, nothing could prepare either of us for her reaction when she saw the blow-up that was 20 feet away from the gorilla - a giant, inflatable, red T-Rex dinosaur with huge teeth. My normally fearless child took one look at that balloon and came unhinged. She started screaming and crying that she did NOT like the dinosaur and that she wanted to go home - now. I remembered that a few weeks ago they had a Dino Jump at school and the teacher told me that she was afraid of it until she got closer and got to go IN the Dino Jump, after which time they had a hard time getting her out, so I tried to use the same tactics. I showed her that it was just a "balloon" and that it was tied down - it wasn't going anywhere, it wasn't real, and it wasn't going to get her. She shook her head at me as I carried her closer and closer, and then refused to look at it, crying the whole time.
I tried another tactic. I hid her head in my shoulder as we moved into the carnival area and tried to show her all the rides she could ride - the merry-go-round, the choo-choo train, etc. Everything she normally would have LOVED and begged me to ride over and over and over. Nothing. She kept glancing back toward the dinosaur and begging me to leave. When I put her down so that we could talk it over again, the child literally BOLTED away from me - thank goodness for her monkey harness that I had wisely put on her before we left the van! She was screaming and crying, and literally running for her life, with me in tow not three feet behind her! When we finally got to a fence, I picked her up again and she was shaking and crying, sobbing that the dinosaur was going to get her and that she wanted to go home - now.
Needless to say we left, although I did try to ply her with carnival games where she won her first two stuffed animal prizes ever (we, however, came home with THREE new stuffed animals because one of the carnies felt so sorry for how pitiful she looked crying and carrying on that he threw in an extra one to try to make her feel better - what a nice guy!) but nothing dissuaded her from leaving. We went out to lunch afterward, and all through lunch she kept asking me where the dinosaur was now and was it going to get her. I must have convinced her that the dinosaur wasn't coming anywhere near her, because she finally seemed to relax and stopped asking about the dinosaur, enjoying her lunch and the ice cream that followed.
As "Plan B" for the day we visited the local library for the first time ever, and RP now has her very own library card! She had a BALL in the library (I'm not sure if it was all the books, or her ability to incessantly tell me to "Shhhh" in the library every time I tried to tell her something!) and came home with SIX books, all of which we HAD to read immediately. I am so happy that she has a love of reading already and had such a great time at the library, especially since the day really didn't pan out as I had anticipated, although I now see at least weekly, if not bi-weekly trips, to the library in our near future as she gobbles up all the books she can off those shelves!
I honestly don't know what prompted her recent fear of dinosaurs, or her violent reaction to seeing it today. When I asked her where she was running to when she tried to take off on me, she looked at me like I was an idiot and said simply, "Home, Mommy. I needed to go home." She didn't seem to know, or care, that I was running behind her at the time - all her little body and mind knew was that she needed to get back to the safety of her home and away from that dinosaur, and I anticipate that we will have several more dinosaur-related discussions here in the near future.
Whew - for a slow-starting day, what an eventful Friday it turned out to be!!!
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