14 Months and a Happy Anniversary!
14 months ago, we had a little baby girl.
Today, we have a willful, stubborn, little baby girl.
Willful is an understatement. Stubborn is a good description, but there probably is a word out there that describes our child perfectly. These are the only two I could come up with to get close!
My goodness this child is a handful. And yes, I am probably paying for all the terrible things I did to my mother when I was a child. But, don't you think it could be spread out over the course of 18 years, and not 18 months???? geez!
We have spent the past several nights listening to the blood curdling screams of a child who is trying to, apparently, let us know that we just aren't the parents she expected. She obviously went wrong choosing us! We know she's tired, she seems ready to go to bed, but get her in crib, tucked in with her doll baby, and leave the room, the second your completely out of the room, the screaming starts. And, it's not just bed time, it's nap time, too. Right now, I am listening to the screaming child in the other room.
She is fed, she is dry, she has had a bath, she has the binky, she's in a cool room, she's got all the comforts of a child who is more than loved, no, cherished, yet, still, the screaming! Oh, and believe me, I do know how to exaggerate, but I am not exaggerating when I say, they ARE blood curdling, piercing screams of a child who is NOT happy, not at all!
And, this also happens when she doesn't get her own way! We are in full discipline mode these days. We need to make sure this child understands that when we say no, we mean no (and, oh.my.god, but did I just sound like my mother or what? Someone SHOOT me now! ;-) Anyway, we've started with "time outs" on the couch...more like, sit there until I tell you to move (which is all of about 1 to 1 and a half minutes) and the screaming commences! And the tears, too! Real ones. Boy, this kid is good!
And then, tonight, she hit me! In the face! With both hands! And, she COMPLETELY meant to do it, too! And, she hit her father, too (different incident). So, I am pretty sure the kid is getting a little frustrated with the fact that she can't talk, too! She wanted to go upstairs to the kitchen, when she and I were in the living room, and I kept asking her what she wanted. We've got to start making her tell us (or attempting to make her tell us) what she wants instead of "guessing" or just doing it for her. I think that is where our problem lies. The child, she is smart, she knows what we mean when we say it. She knows what we are saying most all of the time. She just needs to start communicating with us with words, rather than screams, grunts, whining and hitting. God, I hope this part is over soon! ;-)
But, besides the obvious pain in the you know where, she's still the cutest 14 month old on the block!
Oh, yeah, the little mark on the side of her nose...a playful run in with the dog...they were playing (with Brock) in the living room and Leda was moving toward the dog and the dog was moving toward Leda and they collided with their faces...Duff's mouth to Leda's face. Luckily it was nothing but a superficial wound and poor Duff was pretty upset about it.
Oh, and gotta give a shout out to Aunt Stacy and Uncle Todd...they've been married ONE WHOLE YEAR! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! It only gets better! Love ya!
Today, we have a willful, stubborn, little baby girl.
Willful is an understatement. Stubborn is a good description, but there probably is a word out there that describes our child perfectly. These are the only two I could come up with to get close!
My goodness this child is a handful. And yes, I am probably paying for all the terrible things I did to my mother when I was a child. But, don't you think it could be spread out over the course of 18 years, and not 18 months???? geez!
We have spent the past several nights listening to the blood curdling screams of a child who is trying to, apparently, let us know that we just aren't the parents she expected. She obviously went wrong choosing us! We know she's tired, she seems ready to go to bed, but get her in crib, tucked in with her doll baby, and leave the room, the second your completely out of the room, the screaming starts. And, it's not just bed time, it's nap time, too. Right now, I am listening to the screaming child in the other room.
She is fed, she is dry, she has had a bath, she has the binky, she's in a cool room, she's got all the comforts of a child who is more than loved, no, cherished, yet, still, the screaming! Oh, and believe me, I do know how to exaggerate, but I am not exaggerating when I say, they ARE blood curdling, piercing screams of a child who is NOT happy, not at all!
And, this also happens when she doesn't get her own way! We are in full discipline mode these days. We need to make sure this child understands that when we say no, we mean no (and, oh.my.god, but did I just sound like my mother or what? Someone SHOOT me now! ;-) Anyway, we've started with "time outs" on the couch...more like, sit there until I tell you to move (which is all of about 1 to 1 and a half minutes) and the screaming commences! And the tears, too! Real ones. Boy, this kid is good!
And then, tonight, she hit me! In the face! With both hands! And, she COMPLETELY meant to do it, too! And, she hit her father, too (different incident). So, I am pretty sure the kid is getting a little frustrated with the fact that she can't talk, too! She wanted to go upstairs to the kitchen, when she and I were in the living room, and I kept asking her what she wanted. We've got to start making her tell us (or attempting to make her tell us) what she wants instead of "guessing" or just doing it for her. I think that is where our problem lies. The child, she is smart, she knows what we mean when we say it. She knows what we are saying most all of the time. She just needs to start communicating with us with words, rather than screams, grunts, whining and hitting. God, I hope this part is over soon! ;-)
But, besides the obvious pain in the you know where, she's still the cutest 14 month old on the block!
Oh, yeah, the little mark on the side of her nose...a playful run in with the dog...they were playing (with Brock) in the living room and Leda was moving toward the dog and the dog was moving toward Leda and they collided with their faces...Duff's mouth to Leda's face. Luckily it was nothing but a superficial wound and poor Duff was pretty upset about it.
Oh, and gotta give a shout out to Aunt Stacy and Uncle Todd...they've been married ONE WHOLE YEAR! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! It only gets better! Love ya!
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