July

Well, we are a few days into July and I am seriously doubting whether or not Maria and I are going to survive this summer.  I'll say some cute things she does, first.  She says waterfall for water fountain.  She said swimming soup for swimming suit.  She sings and makes up songs and is pretty charming and fun, with a real joie de vivre (sp) most of the time.  But when she is bad, I'm telling you, she is HORRID.

HORRID.  It's Tuesday, right?  So.  Here's how our week has been.  Monday morning she woke up, first at THREE, just to be sure we are on our toes.  Then she woke up at 6:whatever the hell, too early, then she demands to know if it's a GOOD time or a BAD time.  Let's face it, it's ALWAYS a bad time!  But if it's past 7:00, I have to smooch her ass and tell her how GREAT it all is, OH, GREAT, I have to say!  It's a good time!  I have no need to worry about such insincerity lately because she has been up well before 7:00 every ding dang day.  Anyways, Monday morning we hung out while the baby napped and then we went to my neighbor's house to play.  Maria wanted to ride her bike so I said she could, but then she started saying to Veronica "I AM RIDING MY BIKE BUT YOU DON'T HAVE A BIKE, SO YOU HAVE TO WALK!".  I told her, Maria, cut it out, just let it be!  I went to put a diaper in the laundry room and I heard her say to Veronica, really, 'quietly', VERONICA!  I AM RIDING MY BIKE AND YOU ARE WALKING!  I had to take the double stroller so Veronica could ride in something.

Then we went to the neighbor's house and it was really fun, the girls are good at playing and all was well.  Then, invariably, we have to leave and Maria started freaking the freak OUT.  She cries and cries and throws herself to the floor and I can't do anything but wait it out.  I am holding the baby, my neighbor has three kids, it's just RIDICKALOUS, as Maria would say.  Eventually we wound our way home.  Last night before dinner, Maria was out in the backyard and started talking to our neighbor kids.  My neighbor has four kids too, they are all about the same age and the Maria-aged neighbor is a girl and she and Maria fell deeply in love and started making PLANS about spending TIME together.  Maria verrrry reluctantly came into the house to take her bath and then ran back OUT to the yard to play before bed.  Both last night and tonight, she has come screaming up the stairs, while I'm trying to put the baby to bed.  It is rough, to understate it.

OK, so last night she goes to bed, and starts talking about meeting her new best friend tomorrow, once she calmed down.  She woke up at 6:20 this morning and I can't remember if it was today or yesterday but she was FURIOUS because she woke up ALONE in her ROOM!  Veronica had woken up early, like 5:30, and I took her downstairs because I didn't want her to wake everyone up.  It's just - it's so strange that she gets so mad so fast!  She's like a four year old Scarlett O'Hara.

I was still sleeping this morning but Mike told me that she wanted to go outside to meet her friend at 6:50 this morning!  Time means nothing!

We went to swimming this morning and she did really well, she held the door for me when I was pushing the stroller (Veronica was in it and I was wearing the baby, Veronica is STILL MAD about the stupid bike thing yesterday).  MY PLEASURE!, she'd scream at me when I said thank you for holding the door.  She did great at her lesson and we played for a few minutes after.  I told her we were going to Grandma and Grandpa's and we'd stop and get a donut on the way.  Everyone fell asleep on the way there and when I got to the stupid Dunkin Donuts, there was a broken down van in the drive thru so I couldn't get a donut.  I drove to my mom's and parked and I got out and Maria woke up and screamed WHERE IS MY DONUT?  I told her what happened and she was okay about it.  We hung out at my mom's for a while and then had to leave because I had a friend coming over for a playdate.  We went home and played and then she went back to the fence to see her BEST FRIEND.  My neighbor ended up coming over, which was great fun, actually but .... Maria does this thing, WHILE she is playing, where she misses the friend with whom she is playing.  She started SCREAMING that she wanted to go to Lorelei's house to play.  She HATED our playset, it was BORING and STUPID!  So we all stood about for a while as she screamed, then everyone left and we went to get Anthony.

She fell asleep on the way home and woke up crying and screaming, which in turn makes Anthony cry.  It is HEARTBREAKING the way Anthony cries, and you want to know why?  Because he is crying because he is sad, not because he is trying to win the Oscar for best actress in a dramatic role.  She cried again and again, finally she ate and was better.  She went out to the yard and came back and asked me if she could go into our neighbor's yard.  She asked me like this:  "Mom.  I have something to ask you and I really don't want you to say no, okay?  OKAY?"  I asked her, did Rachel say you could come over and she said YES!  Then of course Mike went out and Rachel said she just appeared at her back porch!  Sheesh!  It was horrible to get her back for the bath, horrible to get her back after she went out again.  She screamed and cried up the stairs again, kicking the door and crying.  I went in and said if I have to come in again, you are not going to Grandma's tomorrow and you are NOT going in the yard!  I hate to threaten her like that, but man.  I have to exert some control here.  I feel like we have really glimpsed the future of Maria and I do not like what I've seen.  She puts that hand up on her hip and tells me what she wants me to do and I just want to go lie down somewhere and take a long nap.

Tomorrow she is going out with my mom and then I am just guessing but I think she will head out to the yard at some point to see her friend.  Ha ha ha boo hoo I'm not guessing I know she will.  I feel like it's been the longest week of our lives and it's Tuesday.  Tuesday!