On This Journey Called Life: April 2010

...in my toddler that is.

I know I've blogged about the terrible two's. Sorry if I sound like a broken record but in my life, the terrible two's are real and something we deal with constantly. Carlee's generally well mannered but when she wants something, she wants it! Maybe it has to do with everyone giving in to her, or just being a toddler. I know I've been making more of an effort to stand my ground. Its easy to give in when I don't have anyone else in the home to help out or reinforce rules/ discipline. But I've been more patient and not giving in. I refuse to let a two year old win!

In the past couple of weeks I've started to see fewer tantrums. (I hope I'm not jinxing myself). But she's also made huge leaps in her talking. I think her being able to communicate more and more cuts down on her frustration that leads to the tantrums. Or I can only hope.

But even with all the tantrums and meltdowns, Carlee has been so goofy and silly. I'm loving watching her personality really develop. I guess that's what being a mother is all about...taking the tantrums along with the moments that melt your heart.

Here are a couple of those moments that made me stop and think "Man, I love this kid":

*We were at the park and Carlee needed help fixing her sandal. I fixed it for her and asked her for a kiss. She gave me a quick kiss before running back to the playground. She got about 10 feet away before she turned and came running back saying "Oh and a bug hug!" with her arms open wide. I said "Ok I'll take a hug"! I know there will come a time when she won't want to hug me so I'll take it when I can get it.

*This weekend Carlee was insisting that she help me clean the toilet and then later do the dishes. Of course I let her help. (Although having a toddler help using means a larger mess or a lot more time spent doing the task at hand). But I let her help and she was beyond excited to do so. After the dishes I told her to remember this enthusiasm over chores when she's 13. She turns to me and says "I'm two and a half." I just laughed and said "Yes you are."

*This weekend we were also at Target. We had to get Carlee's cousin, Brooklyn, a birthday present. While shopping, Carlee was throwing random items in the basket. She kept saying "For Brooklyn's present." She picked out a cute outfit so I wasn't going to argue. Later in the cosmetics department, Carlee found a Hello Kitty display. (She loves Hello Kitty) I could have sworn Carlee was throwing items over her shoulder into the cart. I asked her what she was doing. Her reply: "I need it!" I can never keep a straight face when she says something that catches me off guard. I said "You need this?" Then she starting jumping up and down saying "I need it! I need it!" Ok, so that wasn't cute. I'm looking at what she had. Hello Kitty lip gloss, Hello Kitty face wipes, Hello Kitty eye lash curler. Eye lash curler? I asked her "Do you even know what an eye lash curler is?" She looked at me and in all seriousness said "No but I need it." OMG, I lost it! I started busting up. Even a lady walking by was laughing. Maybe she was laughing at me having that conversation in the middle of Target with a two year old.

*I recently discovered that Carlee knows all the words to several songs from the Lady Antebellum CD. The other day I caught her singing along to every song. It is the cutest thing in the world. One time she was singing and my CD player skipped (that's a whole other issue with my car), the music just stopped but Carlee kept singing. She finished the lyric. It was hilarious.

*When Carlee is away from home, I take every opportunity to clean my house. With a toddler, a spotless house is impossible. So I try to enjoy it even if it is for a couple hours. When Carlee came home, we walked into the house, she's looking around the living room and with her hands up she asks looking all puzzled, "Where'd my toys go?" I had to laugh. I explained that just because they're not all over the house doesn't mean that they're gone. Maybe we need to work on her picking up her toys so she understands that.

Carlee does stuff on a daily basis that cracks me up and reminds me what I love about being a mom. I love experiencing everything. I'll gladly take the tantrums if it means I get random kisses, funny remarks, and smiles all day long. Who wouldn't love being a mom to this little girl?

I've never been one to prank someone. Maybe because I lack the creative ability to come up with something good. I'm also kind of gullible. So April Fools isn't particularly a fun and exciting day for me. But how many adults play April Fools jokes on one another!? I'm just hoping today is uneventful. I don't have any fun practical jokes to tell you about, but I do have an April Fools story to share.

April Fools two years ago definitely wasn't uneventful. It was a normal weekday. I got off work, picked Carlee up. (She's 5 months old at this time.) We stopped by the market to pick up some groceries. While in the store, we ran into my mom. We did our shopping then left about the same time. I put Carlee in the car and lock the doors while I'm loading up the back with the groceries. When I'm done I close the back only to realize I had set my keys down INSIDE the car! I locked my kid in the car!! I immediately called my mom who had left the parking lot a minute earlier. I told her what I did and she replied, "Oh I get it...April Fool's." No Mom!! I'm not joking about this! So I hung up with her and started looking through my wallet for my AAA card. That's when I found the card that has my keyless entry code on it. I went to the driver door and entered it and the door unlocked!! Thank goodness. Carlee was locked in the car for maybe 90 seconds, but it seemed like hours to me. I have since memorized my keyless entry code. I've also heard that if you lock your child in the car, call the fire department and not AAA. The fire department will get there much sooner. I hope no one locks their kid in the car, but just in case!

Happy April Fool's!