Twenty Five Months

"Happy Hadley!"

This is something we now ask you to say in the morning as you wake up, afraid of who is in your bed to greet us. It could be the transition into your new room, or the new big bed, or the fact that we talk a LOT more about your soon-to-be role as a big sister. Whatever the cause, it's been WEEKS since you woke up happy, willing to get your diaper changed, or use the potty, or get dressed or do ANYTHING before having your "gummies" (vitamins) and a quick dose of PBS.

I admit that we set up your new room for a little girl, not a baby-turned-toddler who is still in diapers. My reasoning you ask? Why invest in a changing table when you're going to be out of diapers in a few months. So I thought we might as well just use your bed for now. Only this new "routine" is just as hard on you as it is on my 35-weeks-pregnant back, and you don't like getting dressed in your room anymore. So when I wake you up in the morning, we now immediately go upstairs and just bring your outfit and fresh diaper and we do the deeds upstairs.

You also have started to refuse Daddy or me come within 20 feet of your head if we're holding a brush. And yet, you come home from school with the most beautiful french braids....you're sitting still for someone!

And there's the whole food thing. You have always been a good eater - something I've actually taken great pride in. But lately not only are you lacking in appetite in general (something I've heard is normal for two year olds), you're getting quite picky. It has to be a pear, not an apple. But if you choose the apple it better be peeled. And if it's peeled, it better be peeled the right way so that there is NO CHANCE the yucky red stuff could come close to your mouth.

If any of the above, or any of the other multitude of things you suddenly have become opininated about, goes in the wrong direction - and who's to know what that is - it's meltdown city. I mean lower lip hanging out, crocodile tears streaming, cheeks turning bright red meltdown. Thankfully, your mommy taught you a little something from our natural birth class than seems to calm you down. It's called....DEEEEEEEP BREEEEEEAAATHING! And it's enough to distract you until we can figure out how to fix the problem.

And when that doesn't work, your daddy uses candy.

iloveyoumadly.
mama