Saturday Morning Update

What a week!  I'm so glad to be heading into March, my favourite month.  I'm nearing the end of J's Saturday car nap, so I better try to get a blog in and catch up on my reading.

I still cannot stop thinking about poor Elijah Marsh (today was his funeral) and the bitter cold night he was out in only a diaper and t-shirt.  Every morning, as I walk into school fully dressed in winter wear, and thinking about how cold it is, I start to cry about how much the cold must have hurt his little body.  And when SR says "I'm cold" as she gets out of the bath, or feels it on her fingers, I now find myself telling her, "No, you don't know what cold is."  And yet, I'm always cold...always chilled....but I truly don't know cold.  So sad.  So terribly sad.

My SR had a bit of a bad spell last night.  In her defense, she was likely tired and is fighting a cold.  However, her little verbal attacks at mommy took a not very nice turn.

Lately, whenever SR is frustrated or angry with me she will call out things like:

• You're a mean mommy.
• You're a BABY.
• That's a mean voice.
• I'm going to spit on you.
• I'm going to kick you.

I mean, on one hand, she's trying to express her anger for whatever little thing I've told her.  I'm not sure where she's learning to say things specific things.  I do have to try to maintain my composure most of the time, because she's just so darn cute as she screams at me.  I can only imagine what names she'll call me when she has more selection of mean things to say....I'm surprised "baby" is an insult to her.

At one point last night, she said something to my mom that was just so grown up and my mom and I couldn't contain our delight.  Which only angered her more, as she screamed "stop laughing at me."  We were not laughing at her....just simply how delightful her expressions are.  Poor thing.

Until she threw something in my face (ouch).  Then she didn't listen when I asked her to calm down on the couch at my parents' house and she ran off screaming "I won't sit on the couch."  When I got her into the car, she slapped my cheeks as I was putting on her seatbelt and said "I'm going to call the police and have them put you in jail."  Wow...all of this was unprompted....I hadn't asked her to do something or done anything.  She was just in a mood.

I do try to use gentle parenting whenever I can.  So as we were driving home, I did not turn the music on (poor J-Bear had to suffer too), and I told her there would be no books that night.  We also talked about who goes to jail (because I didn't even know she knew about jail or police), and I asked her who would take care of her if I was in jail, or not here with her.  She didn't like that at all.  In the end, she said she was sorry and she was affectionate.  Sigh, girls and their dramatics!

I don't want to only share unpleasant stories.  My little SR is really sweet and loving.  She often goes up to J-Bear and gives him her own treats, or gives him kisses.  He just loves her.  He follows her around everywhere and does anything she asks of him.  SR is taking an interest in writing now and is using her knowledge of sight words to read.  What a personality.  

As for J-Bear, I think he's going to be an engineer (or some other job that enjoys taking things apart and putting them back together).  He now walks around with his "med med" old puffers.  He takes all of the parts apart and puts them back together.  He's got such a sense of humour and he laughs and laughs.  His daycare says he's nothing like SR was at this age - she was more serious they say.  Well, I guess so, because she wasn't moving around so much - she just enjoyed sitting and taking everything in and having philosophical discussions.  J nurses and nurses and nurses at night.  He needs my left arm to snuggle with.  How do I break this habit, or do I even want to?   

Walmart had a free photo shoot with one pose.  This was our selection.  At lease we are all looking at the camera.  

Okay, it's 2pm...I have a 3pm bank appointment.  I better do a little more work or blog reading before J wakes up.  See you next Saturday :)