Shasay, Shante

Maria, at the Barbie runway at the Children's Museum. She had a great time there today but I am worried that all she'll remember is the way she screamed bloody murder for 30 minutes - all the way walking out (which takes forever), all the way home in the car, until she cried and coughed herself to sleep. Mike was with me today, but I told him, just picture her leaving that way, with only sweaty old me carrying her and pushing the stroller, and that's every other time we go. She is ... difficult.

Friday

Oh this child.  She has had such a big week!  We moved her into her toddler bed on Sunday night, she asked to sleep in it and she just - did - and it's been great.  Her crib is still in there, I guess our plan is to move Veronica in it but maybe we will wait a little while, until Maria gets used to being in her bed.  She has been terrific about it, about 90 percent of the time, which I think is really good.

She also has her nuk only when she is up in her bed, which has also been going incredibly well.  She gets up and puts that nuk in the basket and boom! that's it.  Except when it's NOT okay and she wants to have it just because she feels like it.  Last Saturday she wanted her nuk and we told her not until naptime and she told us she wanted to TAKE A NAP and we sent her up, at 10:00, ha!

The toilet training is going very well, she is getting a little lazy about it, kind of pushing her luck.  She wants to know if she poops a "little bit" is that okay?  Um, no!  But I can't complain, she is really doing well and she has no example of what to do, we are both kind of doing it for the first time, so I am proud of us.

She can be super bad.  SUPER.  BAD.  She is the most impatient person I have ever met, and I know me, even!  But someone just told me, I think my friend Emily, the difference between three and four when it comes to instant gratification is very big.  So I am hopeful.  I am hopeful that she will continue to grow and thrive and be super cute and kind and love ballet and swinging and all sorts of stuff and she will start to dislike being a horrible shrew.

My parents came home this week and everyone is happy to see them, but especially Maria.  She really actively missed them, I think and it's nice to see her with them.  It would be even nicer to see her LIVING with them for the next two months.  Ha!  Kidding!

Toddler Bed/Pacifier

Maria went to the dentist yesterday and although she had no cavities, she only got a B for teeth brushing and the dentist said she could tell Maria used a pacifier, although she didn't tell Maria to never use it again, which I would have appreciated.  Maria did VERY well  at the dentist, according to Mike, and I'm glad he got to take her.  It's nice to have some experiences with Anthony and then right after with Maria, because Anthony of course hates the dentist and is now getting really smart about even being there and being difficult about going back to the room, while Maria, I guess, opened her mouth WIDE and was very cooperative and good.  So.  That's nice.

I have to get rid of this nuk.  Anthony chewed his to bits and then stopped using them but Maria isn't too rough on hers.  Today I told her that she was going to only have it in her room and she's been pretty good about it.  Well, in fairness, she was good for the morning and then sort of forgot.  I am going to leave it room-only for a few weeks and by the end of April take it away completely.  It's ridiculous, it's not medicine, she doesn't need it, she can live without it, so we are getting rid of it.

I would like to move her to a toddler bed too, by the end of the month.  Anthony broke his, which I have had for a LONG TIME waiting for Maria, so that's a bummer.  I was trying to find a used one but couldn't, so I bought one at Target for $80.  Then this woman came up to me last Friday at ballet and she said she heard me yakking (my words, ha, not hers) about wanting one the week before and she didn't mean to eavesdrop but she had one, and did I want to see it?  She wanted $35 for it, and I said great.  I gave her my email address and then I had to run because OF COURSE Veronica was running out the door.  So I haven't heard from her, which is a GIANT pain in the ass because I want to get going on it but I don't want to open the one from Target if I am going to return it.  So now I have to wait until Friday and hope I see her again and she just had my address wrong or something.  So.  Pain.  As usj.

We only have a few more weeks of taking Maria to the other side of town for preschool and although I am not excited at the prospect of nothing to do all damned summer, I can't wait to be done with this stupid drive.  There has been construction going on on the way down there since Anthony was in therapy down there, YEARS and YEARS ago and I hate driving in it.  I hate that Veronica and I have to hang out down there for more than two hours.  Veronica is starting to hate it too and she was super bad today.  I went to Kohl's and I had to go to the bathroom while we were there, which Veronica HATES - she literally screams and cries the whole time I am in there, which is a total pain, plus there were like FIFTY people outside the bathroom there today (does anyone have a job?  What the hell is everyone doing at the Kohl's at 9:30 on a Wednesday morning?) and I am afraid they think I am beating her or something.  We are coming out of the *bathroom* and she is wiping tears and - oh, it's just weird.  I feel like I have no home or something.

I don't know about this summer.  There is a playgroup in my 'hood that we can go to, I can continue to go to my old playgroup from before Maria had preschool, so there will be stuff to do and not as far away.  So it will be a nice summer, once it starts.

Happy

She was happy because she stole the dress off of her sister. We have had a long week. I shouldn't post on Friday but it's the first time, it feels like, that I've sat down all week. Maria is fine, she is sleeping fine, she is toilet trained, except for a very rare occasion. She is enjoying ballet and we are signing up for another session as soon as this one is over. Now that I have my Flip, hopefully I'll be able to take some video of her 'recital' this coming week. Hopefully Mike will still be home because of the Government shutdown (of which I am fully in favor, and I don't care about anything like money so I can't be reasonable about it) and he can watch Veronica so I have a chance to actually watch Maria this time. She has two little friends in ballet, Charlie and Emma, and she loves them both. They are very cute, holding hands and being friends. Anthony is yanking on my hands so that's it!