Friday, January 15, 2016Everybody Needs a Somebody
Ever have one of those days that leaves you sitting in a corner crying? Alexis had one of them today. The reason isn't important, but do know that she wasn't the only one who had that sort of day and everyone told the same story, so. So ... something will come of it.
ANYWAY.
Alexis had a very bad, no good, awful day. As she piled into the car when I picked her up at her after-school program, she told the story of why she had a bad day. Relaying the tale brought about a new round of tears.
So many tears.
All of the tears.
As Alexis was trying to pull herself back together, Mila sat buckled in her car seat. Miss Mila usually spends that time yelling at everyone because nobody ever lets her eat. I mean, seriously. We pack her a lunch every day, but she swears that she will pass out dead from hunger the very second she gets in the car because FOOOOOOD. NOBODY GIVES HER FOOOOOD. EVER. (Not even 10 minutes earlier when it's snack time at daycare. Just because I sometimes see food entering her mouth doesn't mean anyone lets her eat. Obviously.)
Today, however, Mila was silent. Then, instead of yelling about how she wanted to eat, Mila looked over at her crying sister and asked, "You okay?" She asked it again and again, parroting the words she often hears when she is upset and crying.
Alexis, of course, couldn't help but smile at her baby sister's concern. A smile led to a "yes, thank you" led to a "you're welcome" led to a bigger smile led to a laugh and before you know it, they were both laughing so hard tears were running down their faces.
Happy tears. Not the other ones that were hanging around when we started the drive.
I'm so very glad the girls have somebody who can turn a terrible day into non-stop laughter. I'm even more glad that their somebodies are each other.
One Isn't So Stupid
I know I've sad it before, but it bears repeating: one is not my favorite age. It's the age of pure chaos. There is no common sense involved with decisions because so much about common sense is acquired through experience. It's an age filled with defiance and stupidity and just plain trouble.
Mila fully embraces all of these things.
But, the end is in sight. I'm starting to see the defiant little piranha consider paying attention to instructions. I'm not saying she stops when you tell her to stop doing things like feeding the dogs her dinner, but she does pause now more than she did before. A tiny bit. Sometimes Miss Mila hesitates before she runs into traffic, which is a definite improvement. She even looks over her shoulder to see if she's going to be in trouble when she tries to destroy the house.
It's a start.
Where the end isn't in sight, though, is in all manners stubborn. That child. That child has very strong opinions and absolutely no interest in hearing your thoughts about much of anything. That means that she has ripped me to shreds about a dozen times today about trying to take her pacifier. It long ago became a "in the car and in bed only" thing, but she is not budging on those two safety zones.
And she's upping her game.
We started a morning routine a long time ago where Mila loses her pacifier when she wakes up in the morning. I used to pluck it out of her mouth and throw it into her crib, but a few months ago, she became self-sufficient. She began to pluck and throw it herself. I think she was into the plucking and throwing because she knew she would be able to find the pacifier in her crib later in the day.
But then I took the pacifiers out of her crib. There was nothing to pluck and throw, and there was nothing to find later.
Except, ever since Christmas, our house has looked like someone broke in to rob us. It appears they tossed the place, found nothing of value, and left. It's TRASHED, is what I'm saying. There are so many things that need put away that I end up frozen with indecision about where to start and just don't. It's easier to pretend I don't see the mess.
But Mila sees the mess.
And she keeps finding treasure beneath it.
This morning Mila found a pacifier hidden amongst the piles of toys in the living room. SHE WAS SO EXCITED. She vibrated wth happiness right up until I told her we needed to leave. Then she hugged her precious little friend, sneered "MINE!" at me, and ran away.
"It has to go in your bed, Mila," I said. I figured we would find our way to her room, drop it off like we have so many mornings, and then I would discard of it later.
Mila pondered my statement, then toddled her way to the stairs all by herself. She climbed her way all the way to the top, toddled to her room, and headed straight for her crib. But, just when I thought she was going to throw the pacifier into the crib, she took things up a notch.
She carefully reached through the slats then tucked the pacifier under her stuffed monkey's shirt. With a pat, she covered the monkey with a blanket and happily walked away. She had hidden her treasure so carefully.
When I went to steal the treasure later, I found them. The stash. You guys, Mila had THREE pacifiers hidden with the monkey. I had no idea. She has been sneakily enjoying them, it seems.
This kid. She's three steps ahead of me and absolutely proving that one isn't as filled with stupidity as I thought it was.
