Serious potty talk

We've been slightly busy around here, with half-written blog posts, t-ball, spring activities, and roof estimates. But we had to pause to pay tribute to a trusted friend who has been with us for years, worked hard to help us, and who we are thrilled to send into retirement!

Thanks for the memories, Diaper Champ!

that would be EMPTY. Which equals POTTY TRAINED!

And another exciting milestone - potty at the park! Bitty Girl has spent the last few weeks holding it if we were out in public or somewhere with an "icky potty!" But at the park today - she did it!

Big relief as summer approaches: rest stops, gas stations, here we come.

Note to self: Buy more hand sanitizer, and those travel toilet seat covers.

Genes and jellybeans

Sometimes two worlds collide. In Bitty Girl's case, it's a collision of heredity.

Tonight in the kitchen:
"Mommy, I went pee on the potty three times at school! Can I have jellybeans?"

(background: I finally caved and started giving her 2 jellybeans every time she went on the potty. I know, I know... don't tell the dentist.
I was originally against it, but guess who came home from daycare with the last of her pull-ups because she no longer needs them?? Sometimes you have to do whatever works!)

Forgetting that I'm talking to an almost-3 yr old and not Mr. Kindergarten Math Wizard, I said, "Well, if you went three times, then how many jelly beans would that be?"

And she said, "SIX!"

After we picked up our lower jaws that had flopped open in disbelief, I gave her the jellybeans.

Coincidence? Or maybe just a case of a serious sweet tooth on Mom's side combined with the human calculator gene (and a love of jellybeans) on Dad's side caused her brain to work overtime. Or else she's some sort of a genius.

But now when we say "You do the math," I think we may have more than one volunteer.

Disney's version of Jekyll & Hyde

Bitty Girl is thrilled about her latest hand-me-down.

In her own words:

If only we had a Wicked Queen costume to represent her the other 75% of the time.

Does Disney have a character who is stubborn, refuses to sit on the potty when she's supposed to, hits her brother, and orders everyone around? I feel a movie deal coming on.

The Very Bossy Patient

Tonight. Bedtime. Bitty Girl's room, right as Daddy is about to read her a story.

Daddy: What books should we read?
Bitty: You choose. I too tired. I SICK. I can't choose a book. You choose.
Daddy: How about this one? (holds up a book)
Bitty: No. Choose George.
Daddy: (shakes head and sighs, with the all-knowing smile, and the eyes directed at me that say "This comes from YOUR side of the family!")

At least Daddy knows his place already.

**She is sick, stayed home w/a cough today. But nothing keeps the Boss down, not a nose full of snot or a chest-rattling cough.

Hold the 's'

We have noticed that 2 yr olds tend to drop the beginning letter "s" from their words.


Bitty Girl's droppage has been a source of much entertainment around here.

"I need a _poon!"

"The Boy _pit on me!"

"I want _prinkles on my cupcake"

"The water _prayed on me"

"That is too _cary" (usually about one of her brother's movies or books)

"My _paghetti looks like a _pider"

"Santa going to put presents in my _tocking"

"I dizzy because I _pin around and around"

"I got a _ticker for going pee on the potty!"

"This ribbon is _parkly"

"Papa _teve pulled weeds with me"

"_top it, Lance!"

"I want to _pread the butter all. by. myself!"

"Twinkle, twinkle, little _tar!"

"At _chool (pronounced cool), teacher Crystal rub my back for nap"

And another random but darling one:

"I want to see Maggie's picture on the ___puter" (computer)



But by far the best one of the day... almost made me forget about the 5 day snowstorm...


Bitty Girl to me as she surveys the living room, trying to figure out the best baby doll napping placement:

"This needs to be a all baby place. Why you put all those toys here?"

(Said accusingly, as she points to her brother's twelve birthday gifts that are under the Christmas tree, for lack of a better place until we sort things out, post-Christmas carnage)

Me: "Where should I put them?"

Bitty G: "In the SAMILY room!"

Samily. A room for hugs. And toys. I should have known. Silly Mama.

Stone cold Bitty Girl

Yesterday I told Bitty Girl it was time to clean up her dolls in the living room.

See previous references to the group sleepovers that have been a regular occurrence--all of her dolls and stuffed animals, placed neatly face-down on various pillows and each covered with a blanket, COVERING my living room floor.

This is definitely from my side of the family--my sister and I had weekly "birthday" parties, where all the stuffed animals would be lined up on the couch.

Bitty examples:

Who me?

Naptime with the babies


Story time

Aerial view - Daddy says this reminds him of Jonestown

Her response to my request? "No, you clean them up."

I patiently explained that it was her job to clean them up, and if she didn't, the dolls would be put in "time-out" for today and she couldn't play with them.

She looks me right in the eye, 100% stone cold serious poker face, and says,

"I find them. I sneak."

SNEAK? A 2 year old? Who does she think she is? And where did she learn that word?

I stayed calm, masking my horrified giggles, and explained that she would not sneak and that I would help her clean them up. Before she had any dessert.

Mommy has to save her trump for the end.

Big Three-O

Bitty Girl, you are 2 1/2 today. Thirty months old.

Thinking (or reading, since who can remember that long ago?) back to your birthday seems like ages ago, but you are still doing all those things I listed. Just more of them.

More picnics with your dollies sleeping under blankets
More adamant and bossy and independent
More beautiful and spunky and funny and delightful
More entertaining, as you try to tell jokes and then say, "I just teasing!"
More shrieking and screeching at your brother's transgressions, real or imagined
More of a need to be the center of attention
More interested in Mommy holding you, Mommy putting you to bed
More delighted with potty talk, especially our reaction to it
More silly at the dinner table
More dramatic play, telling stories about monsters and school and your family


You drop the beginning "s" off words starting with "sp" or "st" just like your cousin: (s)Pider, (s)tar, and your favorite.... (s)pit
You say "franwich" for sandwich, and "Auntie Caff-erine" for Catherine
Pink and purple are somehow your favorite colors, and you remind us of this daily. Many times.
If you don't like the clothes I choose, you say, "I don't match!"
You might have more of a sweet tooth than your brother and me - oops!
You repeat everything we say, including your brother's less-than-appropriate items
You are very independent, like to try to get yourself dressed and undressed, gave up the highchair long ago, and barely tolerate the stroller
But you go along with our craziness, don't mind being woken up from your nap to pick up your brother at school, or missing a nap on a busy day.

Our favorite funnies this week include:

You want a piece of me?

I freezing cold

Wrap me around (wrap a blanket around me)

Hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me (when you want to be picked up)

Happy Half Birthday, Bitty Girl! We love you!

And the Boss goes on....

Tonight at bedtime, after stories and brushing teeth

"I want a song."
"How do you ask for a song with polite words?"
"Song, please, Mommy." (complete with smirky smile and head tilt for emphasis)
"Which song should we sing? The Boat song?"
"Yes."
I start singing, only to be interrupted...
"No, Mommy, don't sing. I SING!"

Hmmmmmph.

Still snickering

This really isn't funny. Not if you're trying to rein in some 2 yr old "testing the limits" behavior and if you're a tired Daddy giving a slippery girl a bath.

And it's not helpful for Mommy to laugh about it. But sometimes it just slips out.

When I arrived home after work today, Bitty Girl was upstairs getting a bath. I went in to say hello, she smiled and announced that she was getting clean. The funny part is what she said next. To her Daddy, who had just, dealt with less-than-stellar dinner behavior from her. (Read: throwing noodles, spitting, and other things that warrant losing your chance for a cookie for dessert). So she was harboring a little animosity.

She looks him right in the eye, smiles sweetly, and says, "You HIDEOUS!"

I'll admit it. I laughed. I couldn't help it, and The Boy was on my lap so I couldn't exit quickly.
So she said it again.... "You HIDEOUS Daddy!"

If you're going to be rude and sassy, at least use a good adjective!

Actually.....

That's Bitty Girl's new term.

"That's my cracker, actually."
"Actually, my dolly goes here."
"I want some i-fream (ice cream) actually."

She uses it with this funny little finger point with her head cocked to the side. Hysterical. And sometimes she gets the context right too.

Last night we had dinner with my grandma, in the dining room of her retirement place. We always create a stir since most of the people light up like 200-watt bulb when they see kids. And all the ladies nod in appreciation when we introduce her--they like the good old-fashioned name.

Bitty Girl sat in a big girl booster chair like she was on the royal throne, barking orders at us through dinner. When the server came to take our order, she grabbed a menu and really seemed to read it, pointing her little finger and running it over the letters. She responded emphatically "RICE please!" when asked for her side dish choices and "PINK I-FREAM" for dessert order. She had to hold her OWN chocolate milk and get the ice out of her water glass BY SELF!

Next morning when she told Daddy on the phone about her dinner, here's what she said she ate. Jellies (jelly beans), chocolate raisins, i-fream and brownies. I had to throw in that she ate some ham and a breadstick with a pound of butter, clam chowder, sunflower seeds and croutons from the salad bar, and a little fruit. No wonder she stayed up chatting to herself in her bed for an hour before she fell asleep. She was flying on a sugar high, actually!


And on Sunday, when she was digging in Papa's garden and I tried to take her picture, she ACTUALLY held up her finger (see below) and said, "No pictures, Mama. Busy digging!"
Hmmmph.

To Too Two

A letter to Bitty Girl on her birthday...

Bitty Girl, you are TWO.

You have actually been "two" in spirit for months, with all the sassiness and shrieking and "No, Mommys" and changing your mind and random crying fits. But also with the explosion of language, words just pouring out of your mouth, and the capable way you can feed herself and decide what you want to eat and play tea party and feed your babies and feed us pretend food.

You amaze us daily. You can do so many things at two, many that just happened upon us, almost suddenly.

-climb up and down stairs (often with your hands full like Mommy)
-entertain yourself
-play outside
-ride your push trike
-spin around and make yourself dizzy
-repeat EVERYTHING we say
-feed yourself
-pretend that you're feeding us or eating pretend cookies or serving tea, or putting your dollies at seats at your tea party table
-setting a picnic on the kitchen floor, complete with picnic tablecloth, play dishes and food
-remember tiny details, like the fact that we said you could have a cookie after your nap or that you saw the neighbor's cat on the roof yesterday
-be ADAMANT that you want to play at the park, or have your OWN cup or PICK your own snack or do JUST.WHAT.YOUR.BROTHER.DOES
-tolerate being schlepped around in the car to take your brother to school, pick him up at school, go grocery shopping or Target shopping
-play hide and seek with Daddy and your brother (although your hiding quietly needs work)
-pick out your own clothes (mostly dresses and your rain boots)
-light up with an ear to ear smile when Mommy or Daddy gets home

I feel guilty that I'm wishing this stage away. I'm always whining about how hard this is, and how "I think I'll be better suited to being the mom of a 5 and an 8 yr old, rather than a 2 and 5 yr olds." I just think I will be able to handle the craziness of coordinating soccer games and homework better than I can handle naps and potty training and the "everyone needs Mommy and to touch Mommy and to have Mommy hold them and listen to them all at once."

But I can still barely believe it's been two years. Two years since we became a family of four, since The Boy became a big brother, and since the real craziness began.

Happy Birthday to the girl who makes it all worthwhile.....