So, let me tell you about my day with the girls today. It was a pretty good day, but had some memorable moments of the kind that happen spontaneously as life is rolling along.
I had the day off as I do every Friday. We got up this morning, and Tom and I got the girls through their AM routine, getting K1.0 ready for school as usual.
Now, by way of background here, I have to tell you that B2.0 is extremely picky about her clothing right now. There are about 4 things she'll wear, she refuses to don a coat, and half the time won't put on shoes either. She does like her jammies though, and will often wear them to the bus stop with K1.0, for simplicity sake. I actually cancelled the cloth diaper service this week because she absolutely refuses to wear them anymore; she barely tolerates Pampers. Honestly, she'd really like to be naked all the time...and if it were summer, I'd be less inclined to fight it.
Back to today...about 15 minutes before we are due to leave for the bus stop, B2.0 decides to strip (crap), which initiates the process of coaxing her into something that will adequately cover her for the conditions (overcast and 45 deg.) She got into the shirt on her own, but refused every single pair of pants that I showed her, twice. So, 2 minutes before we must leave, I tackle her and put pants on her (pants on a rooster?!?). Then, I muscle her into the stroller, she screaming the whole time. Not fun, but not out of the ordinary, either.
Of we go to the bus with the dog and K1.0. Once K1.0 is on her way, B2.0 and I head off for our usual Friday morning walk with Delli. She still refuses to wear a coat, or let me put a blanket around her. At one point, she even removed the slippers I had surreptitiously slid on her feet, but then put them back on again after about 10 minutes...I guess cold feet are not OK with her. After a brisk 40 minutes, we pull into the house, and B2.0's lips are blue, but she's happy, I guess. It's not cold enough for frost-bite, right?
The morning progresses with this and that, and pretty soon it's time to get K1.0 again. Damn, B2.0's got her pants off again!
Re-pantsed (is that a word?) I decide to skip the stroller this time and head out with the dog and B2.0 holding my hand and struggling against it for the 3 or 4 blocks to the bus.
We make it home, me trying to keep B2.0 from committing suicide by car, holding onto the dog's leash, and trying to listen to K1.0's running commentary on her day.
Lunch.
Naptime...or that's the theory. On Fridays, K1.0 is often so tired from her week that I can convince her to rest too, but that is hit-and-miss. So, I send her to her bedroom after reading a few books with an admonition to lie down in her bed, hoping she'll doze off for a bit. Meanwhile, B2.0 and I settle down to sleep in my bed. About 5 minutes after B2.0 is asleep, I hear K1.0 leave her room and head for the front of the house. Oh well...she is old enough to amuse herself for a little while without getting into too much trouble, right :-). Anyway, I'm exhausted, and sleep is overtaking me.
About 20 minutes after that, K1.0 creeps into my room with a "snack tray". She has prepared a tray for me with a soda, cup of yogurt, a slice of toast on a plate, the butter dish and knife, and an apple. "Mommy, I made you a snack because I love you!" If I hadn't been so tired, I would have sat up right then, but we negotiated for me to go back to sleep for a little longer. So, when both B2.0 and I awoke about an hour later, K1.0 presented the tray again, and she had carefully covered the toast on its plate and told me she had put the soda back into the fridge so it would be cold for me...I nearly melted with cuteness! She told me she wanted to spoil me. (super rewarding parenting moment #1)
I had decided earlier that we would head for the mall after naptime. Tom had plans to have dinner with a friend after work, so I thought the girls and I would run a few errands then have dinner there. At least B2.0 still had her pants on this time, so I only had to negotiate shoes.
I had a coupon for the Build-a-Bear Workshop, and since both my girls have a stuffed animal from there, we stopped in to select some holiday items for the toys. After much consideration on K1.0's part we picked out a frost-blue skating outfit for her animal. I picked up a second of the same for B2.0's toy as well. We also picked up two pairs of tiny panties, which I intended to use on B2.0's bear as a potty training tool (she's showing a lot of interest in this, much earlier than expected).
We spent about an hour doing this-and-that, then headed to an Italian chain restaurant for dinner. K1.0 ordered the kid-sized pepperoni pizza, which she covered with salt before I could stop her -- I was busy keeping B2.0 from climbing out of the booth and into the prep-cook area on the other side of the 1/2-height wall. B2.0 and I shared the chicken marsala. At the very end of our "lively" meal, she worked the lid off her water cup and dumped it on the two of us for good measure.
On the way out of the mall, I decided we should make a pit-stop in the family restrooms before strapping everyone back in the car. At this mall, the family restrooms have 2 toilets -- the usual sized one, and a lilliputian version for the kiddies; pretty cool, actually. So, K1.0 and I check out the plumbing, with B2.0 watching from her stroller...then she says "potty, potty, potty." So I set her on the little toilet...(warning...potty talk here)...and after about 5 minutes, she pees, then, with a little more patience and encouragement, she poops! This is a very very very big deal, especially since she's not quite two! (super rewarding parenting moment #2)
We negotiated our way back to the car (I mean that literally) and headed for home. The entire time, B2.0 insisted on holding the Build-A-Bear shopping bag that contained the tiny underwear and skating costumes. At one point, she removed a pair of the panties and was attempting to put them on herself. "Interesting," I thought to myself, "Must get training pants."
We arrive home, and even though it's essentially bedtime, I suggest that we find the stuffed animals and get them decked out in their new duds. K1.0 was all onboard with this, and had it accomplished in no time, but there had been a basic misunderstanding with B2.0. When I started to dress her teddy bear, she got rioutously upset. It seems, in her mind, that the outfit and panties are for her (duh, Mom). She actually stripped naked and tried futilely for 5 minutes to pull on one of the pairs of diminutive underwear, asking my help the whole time. I am laughing to myself and trying to explain that the panties are too small for her and are really for her bear. When I tried to dress the bear in the skating costume, she grabbed the clothes and tore them away, then attempted to put them on herself. At one point, she was standing in the bedroom, clothed in nothing but a tiny frost-blue chiffon tutu...and me with no camera, I am so so so sorry to say (super funny parenting moment #3).
Eventually everyone ended up in appropriate undergarments, pajamas, and headed off to bed. And here I am, smiling to myself about this "normal" kind of day.
Love to all!
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