Thursday, May 1, 2008

my daughter is a toddler


My daughter is currently in her bed because that's where the paci lives and she couldn't seem to function without it this morning. There was a fit because after mom said this was the last baby einstein video, mom still wouldn't put another one on. And there was a fit because she wanted baby brother to sit in his bouncy seat on the kitchen table rather than on the island in the kitchen. It was helpful to choose between apples and pears for breakfast, but then baby brother was still sitting on the island rather than the table, and mom still said no more tv. So to the bed we go.

This is a new stage, which is to say we've entered a new realm of the cosmos. It's different here, the air a little thinner and everyone's patience shorter because of the lack of oxygen. Luckily the baby doesn't seem to notice. We've decided we've got to work on having F see other people holding the baby, because the level of distress she experiences whenever anyone but mom holds him is way out of proportion to the situation. Nearly everyone who comes over is going to be asked to hold him for at least a moment. Yesterday when grammy was here it went surprisingly well, at least the 2nd time.

I can hear her talking with her fingerpuppets in her bed right now. Having the paci confined to the bed is a wonderful trick because it creates some built in down time when she needs it. But the risk is that she'll fall asleep in there before her nap, which is what happened yesterday. On the one hand, one hopes an early nap may mean a 2nd in the day, but the reality is that it only means an early nap and the evening dinner routine is more disastrous than usual. So do I go in and get her up if she starts to fall asleep? Do I leave her and hope for the best? If the baby goes to sleep soon also, then I could get a nap too, but that's risking an awful lot these days.

1 comment:

rachel, danny, henry, claudia, and walter said...

That is a CHARMING picture of her. How sweet! xo