Sleepless Pt.2

So I know I promised myself and mom and dad that I would try my hardest to not get upset when it was time for sleep but it turned out to be a lot harder than I thought.

Just like last night, and all the nights before that I can remember, everything went according to plan. Dad picked me up from school, I got my ladybug lunchbox we drove home where mom had dinner waiting for us (and it was my favorite - gnocchi and peas!) After dinner we went upstairs and I had a nice bubble bath and sat on the potty and brushed my teeth and got dressed for bed. Dad and I read out three books and mom sang my songs.

But the second she put me in the crib I started to freak out. And freak out uncontrollably. I don't know if it was because I just wanted to look at her or if I wanted her to hold me or what but I did not want her to go. She told me that she had to go but that dad would be up in 10 minutes to check on me.

She told me she loved me and left the room.

And there I was. Alone in the dark. And I just started screaming and crying and wailing and I was just so sad. After what seemed like an eternity but what really must have been just 10 minutes, dad came in and picked me up and we sat in the chair and he gave me warm milk and it was good and it calmed me down. We rocked for a few minutes but when he put me back into the bed, I started to cry again. He told me he loved me and that he would be back in 10 minutes to check on me.

Well, I screamed for 10 minutes straight. Before I knew it, dad was back in the room carrying a blanket and a pillow. I desperately wanted him to pick me up but he said no, I was a big girl and needed to go to sleep. He was willing, however, to lie on the floor next to my crib so I knew he was a around.

It wasn't the best arrangement as far as I was concerned seeing as how I wanted him to hold me but I was able to look at him through the slats of my crib railing. And it was comforting to know he was right there.

And I fell asleep.

Sleepless

I've been having a little trouble going to bed the past few nights. The routine is pretty much the same. I eat dinner, go upstairs and get my clothes off, go sit on the potty, wash my hands, brush my teeth, get my nighttime diaper on, get my jammies on, Dad reads me 3 books then it's lights out and snuggle in the chair with Mom for some songs. All that goes fine. But when it's time for Mom to put me in my crib and say "goodnight I love you" I get really sad. I cry and scream and hold on to her so hard that she can't put me in my crib. Last night, when I wouldn't get in my crib, Mom put some blankets and my pillow on the floor and laid down there with me. I calmed down and almost fell asleep. But when she put me in my crib I got upset again. After a few minutes of crying for her to come back, Dad came in. He snuggled me in the chair and I cried and cried and cried. It was the hard kind of crying where it seems like you will never catch your breath. He got me calmed down and put me in bed with the promise that he would come back in 5 minutes. He kept his promise. I laid there quietly for 5 minutes with my hands behind my head. When he came back in he wasn't sure if I was asleep. He whispered, "are you ok?" I nodded. I wasn't REALLY ok, but I was comforted that Dad really came back. He promised to come back in 10 minutes. But the next thing I knew, it was morning and Mom came in to get me dressed.

I am gonna do my best to stay calm tonight, but I have to be honest. Snuggling in the chair with Mom is way better than laying in my crib.

Cock of the Walk

Just jumping on to leave a quick post.

We went to the park today. I got to wear my special dress that has my name on it.

And, I saw a rooster.

I also saw a red bird and a black cat and Mom says that if we lived in a David Lynch movie it would all mean something very important. But, we don't so it just means there are some crazy things in the park.

Nap? Who Needs a Stinking Nap?

I think that I might be having a little bit of difficulty get back into the swing of things, what with Christmas and New Years and MLK day all being back to back to back.

For example:

This morning I slept in which meant I had to take my waffle and ice water in the car with me so I could get to Room 5 on time and not make dad late for work. And it was a pretty good day, I played with my friends and built this pretty kick-a** tower that I showed my teachers but for some reason I just didn't want to nap. I laid there and I even closed my eyes but I just couldn't sleep. I don't know if I was excited about something but the sleepiness just never made its way to my eyes.

On the way home I started to feel it, though. Dad put on my favorite Alison Kraus playslist and I just sat there and listened and I just started to nod off when we got home which meant it was time for dinner. That kind of screwed things up because I was ready to sleep but first I had to eat and so I got pretty cranky when we got into the living room. But mom knows how to calm the situation and she took me outside to look at the squirrels but they were all asleep but that didn't matter because now I was feeling okay again.

I had my dinner of whole grain pasta and chicken and then went upstairs and undressed myself and sat on the potty (sorry, just a little pee. No poops!) and then got in the tub and took my bath.

Before I knew it, dad was reading me my books, mom was singing my songs and it was time for bed.

Not a moment too soon!

Duece for Two

In an effort to keep you all up to speed on my bathroom advances, I want to let you know that I pushed out another poopy tonight. Now I know I just did it the other night, but the big difference tonight was that I felt it coming. I may not have known I had to poop when I sat down on the potty but after a couple of minutes I felt that familiar rumbling deep within me, like a gathering thunder cloud on the horizon of my large intestine, a brown storm front moving in from off the coast.

I needed to alert mom.

"Mommy, my poopy's coming," I declared.

Mom nodded nicely but she didn't seem to really believe me. But I knew we were in for something spectacular so I bore down and started to push that poopy out and before I knew it, there it was! My poopy in the potty.

Mom cheered and called dad who came running and and they told me how great I was and since I like hearing how great I am I figured I should spend more time on the potty and show them what I could really do. It took mom and dad a couple of minutes to convince me that my business was complete and that there wasn't anything left inside of me that needed to get outside of me but just to be sure I sat for another couple of minutes.

They were right. It was done. Now I can't wait to eat my banana for breakfast. That's sure to make things interesting!

Milestones

***WARNING***
This post contains graphic pictures and descriptions of bodily functions that may only seem adorable to parents of toddlers or toddlers themselves.

OK OK OK. I know I am supposed to write everyday - thus the title "A Day in Her Life." But, come on, have you ever been a 2 1/4 year old? I mean, stuff happens. Lots of stuff happens and, well, I get busy and priorities are made, and well, all I can say is I will try to do better.

Speaking of stuff happening, it has. Oh, indeed stuff has happened.

First. I love to swing. I didn't always love it. In fact, I used to kind of hate it. But last week we were at the park and something came over me and I asked my mom to push me on the swing. She looked at me as if I asked her to give me a shot or a spoonful of caster oil. (I don't actually know what caster oil is, but my mom said the analogy would make sense to some of my readers.) Anywho, she obliged and picked me up and put me in the swing. There I was, sitting in this funny little rubber seat overlooking Lake Balboa and suddenly I was flying. It was the greatest thrill. So great that I wouldn't let Mom and Dad stop pushing me for almost, well, a really long time. They finally had to take me out of the swing to let some other kid have a turn. It was OK, though, because there were a bunch more swings on the other side of the playground and I got to swing a bunch more there. Since then, I have swung and swung and swung every chance I got. Including today when Mom and Dad took me out to Venice Beach. This is me flying through the air and, as you can see, I am really good at it.

Now, the swing isn't the only new seat I have mastered. Nope, I've been sitting on potty seat too. Now, you may recall that I wrote about the first time I peed in the potty back in December. Well that was last year! It's 2009, boys and girls and let me just say that the stuff hit the water today. Oh yes, I did it. I was just sitting there and all of a sudden...BAM...it just came right out bang zoom. I screamed to my Mom that "I did it!" She thought I meant that I went number 1, but I kept pointing to the potty and finally she looked. She screamed, she high fived me, and then she called Dad and told him to bring the camera. For your viewing pleasure, I give you my number one NUMBER TWO!

First I pooped.

Then I flushed.

Then I used the toilet brush because that's what my Dad does.

Then I washed my hands.

After that, I took a nap.

Ought Nine = Ougt Fun

So far I have very few, if any, complaints about this new year. Friday, I got to sleep in and have breakfast with Mom. Then she took me to school and played with me in the kitchen area for a little while before I pushed her out the door so she could go pick up her new glasses. Right after I woke up from my nap (which was a victory in itself as I haven't been feeling much like napping at school of late) my Dad showed up to take me home early. Bravo, pops. We got home to find Mom finishing up a skirt she was making for my friend M's birthday. Then, we all piled in the car and headed up to have pizza with I&B and their mom and dad J&D. I got to play with all the babies' new Christmas toys and J played me a lullaby on the xylophone that didn't make me cry this time. I think it's because he was wearing stripes like me. Stripes are the best pattern, you know.

Today was Saturday and I was pretty excited because I was invited to a birthday party at M's house. She's my friend from school and it's neat to see my school friends in their real houses. Her house was real pretty and my mom said she was jealous and wished we lived in a house like that. I wish we lived in a house like the one that was in the backyard. It was a BOUNCE HOUSE. Now, I have seen a bounce house before at L's party, but it was full of big boys and I was too nervous to really enjoy it. Not today, though. I got right in their and bounced and bounced and bounced. It was great. Plus, all of my school friends were there and even some of my teachers. It was like being in room 5 but in a really nice bungalow in Pasadena. After eating some super tasty hummus, pizza and cake, mom and dad dragged me out of there to go home and take a nap. I admit, I was pretty wiped out from all the bouncing, but I still didn't want to leave. After my nap (and a big melt down about Dad changing my diaper) I went down and sat on mom's lap and watched the Elvis '68 Comeback Special. Then, I went into Mom's office where Dad was watching football and he gave me some cool gloves to wear. I kept walking back and forth between the two rooms so I could see both mom and dad and it was fun. For dinner tonight, we had Chinese food. I am not sure if I LOVED it, but I ate it. I am reserving judgment on it for now. I'll let you know.

So, after this long and fun day, I am off to bed. My voice is a little horse and mom said she would put my frog humidifier in my room and rub some medicine on my chest. I like when mom puts medicine on my chest, it makes me sleep all soundly.

Good night.

Two thousand zero zero nueve

Well, it's a new year. I haven't blogged since last year. He he. That's fun to do. See, it's a January 1 and it's a new year and...this joke isn't as funny to everyone else, right?

So, we rang in the new year and celebrated D's birthday at a really neat fish place right on the beach. But I didn't have fish. I had chicken fingers. They were good.

Oh, wait. I have something really important to say. I have a new cousin!!! Ava's mommy, my Auntie Lisa, had a new baby on the day before New Year's Eve. I saw a picture of her on my mom's phone and I kissed her. I can't wait to meet her so I can kiss her for real.

Today we took down all of the Christmas decorations. Dad said Christmas is over and that we will put them away and see them all again next year when Ellie comes back. I helped by taking the colored balls off the tree and putting them in the bucket. I didn't want to help. I wanted to leave the tree up forever (and I think my mom did too). I got to kiss the angel on the top of the tree and, when Dad put my nativity set away, he set up my new Noah's ark. It's pretty fun to put the animals in the boat. There's two of each of them, you know.