Dear Charlotte,

When someone asks how old you are, you proudly announce, “I’m two!”  This is usually accompanied by you holding up your thumb and pointer finger instead of your pointer and middle finger.  I hear Europeans start finger counts with the thumb, and thus you show two on your hands like an English or French child.  Daddy and are proud of your worldliness with this display.  Way to go kiddo!  Excuse me, Manière d’aller kiddo !

Today you are officially 2-and-a-half.  I don’t know if I want to tell you that for fear that you will stop shouting “I’m two!” These last six months of having you as a two-year-old has been wonderful!  Two has brought discovery.  You have discovered what you like and what you strongly dislike.  You notice everything now!  Everyday you learn something new or ask another question.  Just the other day in the car we talked about the traffic lights and how they turn green and red.  You shout, “Schoo Bus!” whenever you see one.

You adore your friends and talk about them all the time.  You name every kid in your class and talk about them with affection.  Today you even hugged each one before we left.  They all shout “Bye Chalette!” When you leave.  Two-year-old’s love to shout I’ve learned.  With this adoration of your peers comes fierce competitiveness.  You are not one to be pushed around by other toddlers and will vehemently defend yourself with a returned shove.  Sharing and being nice are things you and your friends work on daily.

You still love Sesame Street but your interests have expanded.  Any book or toy with Mickey Mouse is a favorite because of the hit TV preschool show “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.”  If Daddy and I are being honest, it makes us want to drive nails through our skulls, but you love it.  Being an ever growing girly-girl you have discovered princesses and adore any book or movie with a princess.  I am weary of too much princess because of the messages that can send little girls, but I like the newer princesses in today’s movies.  Besides, your favorite princess is now my favorite too.  You love Rapunzel from “Tangled.” I mean, LOVE her!   You talk about how brave and kind Rapunzel is all the time.  I like the “Tangled” story and I’m okay with your fanaticism.  I try not to get tired of singing the song from the movie in the car over and over to you.  I know it won’t be long until you ask for some other song and I’ll miss the “Rapunzel song.”

You love your baby dolls, blocks, books, balls, kitchen set, trains, dress-up clothes and games.  You are on the move all the time.  Sometimes we can’t keep up.  You have improved identifying your colors and shapes.  I can tell your fine motor skills are getting better and better when you color and play blocks.  You are more adventurous with your food, trying new things that Daddy and I like to eat.  We’re proud of how many fruits and vegetables you love.  Sometimes we just have to tell you that “Rapunzel likes green beans” to get you to eat something.  It makes Daddy and I laugh.

The potty is still a daily learning experience, but I have a feeling you will turn the corner soon.  Especially as it gets closer to when the new baby will be born.

In the morning I ask you what you dreamed about.  It’s  always the same answer, “I dweamed about my baby sister!  She took a nap wiff me!”  That’s when my heart melts and I want to bottle you up at 2-and-a-half forever.

I love you, my darling, darling girl.

Love,

Mama

Hold her a little longer.

Rock her a little more.

Tell her another story.

(You’ve only told her four.)

Let her sleep on your shoulder.

Rejoice in her happy smile.

She’s only two-and-a-half

for such a little while. 

-Author Unknown

I’ve been a little absent and quiet in this space.  Partly because it’s been REALLY hard not to write about everything on my blog and partly because I’ve been going to bed at 8:30pm.  I.  Can’t.  Stay.  Awake.  Ya’ll.

I was going to tell you yesterday, but I decided to hold off since yesterday turned into a day of national mourning following the bombings in Boston.  My prayers are with everyone there.

If you want a little good news, I have some.  Thank you for reading Somebody’s Parents.  Is there such thing as Somebodies’ Parents?

My child sleeping in a crib meant she was a baby.  She could stand and peer over the edge and push toys between the bars, but she was still confined to an infant’s sleeping conditions.  She may be a walking, talking toddler during the day, but she was my baby by night. I would rock her in her rocking chair before letting her retire to her crib.  It was heaven.

It was a little bittersweet removing that front part of the crib to make a toddler bed.  She suddenly seemed so grown-up in a bed instead of a crib.  We made the change just when Charlotte turned two back in November.  I had no idea, but this turned into the most delightful little surprise in my mommy life.  Every night for the last five months I have gone upstairs to check on her before going to bed.  Sometimes I have to arrange her ever lengthening limbs to keep her from falling eight inches onto the carpet.  I cover her with a blanket.

I’ve found I absolutely love not having the front of the crib on her bed anymore.

I sit on the floor and lay my head next to hers and let my fingers get tangled in her curls.  I listen to her breathe.  I rub her back and feel the rise and fall of each of her breaths.  I brush the back of my hand against her  cheeks and thank God that this beautiful healthy child is ours.

This is usually when she startles and pushes my hand away.  Then I smile because I really know she’s mine. I hate to be touched when I sleep, too.  I give my little independent sleeper one more peck before slipping out of the room.

I wonder what other bittersweet milestones will end up being very sweet, after all?

WARNING!  THIS POST CONTAINS EXTREME BATHROOM DISCUSSION.  IF YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE POOP, GET OFF THE CRAPPER!

I know kids don’t usually go to Kindergarten crapping their pants.  I also know kids don’t move into a college dorm still wetting the bed.  Well, they might.  That would be a time to talk about drinking in moderation.  But, I’m starting to think I started my daughter potty training too early.

We followed the pediatrician’s advice to buy a potty for a little girl when she turns 18 months.  We did.  We talked about the potty.  We brushed her teeth on the potty.  She pushed the buttons on the potty that made funny noises.  She thought the potty was great

When she turned 2 in November we bought Pull-Ups and she was delighted.  She didn’t want diapers anymore.  She was psyched.

After the holidays, when Santa brought panties, it was on like Donky Kong.  Potty training.  Boo yah!  She wears panties at school except for her nap.  At home we try to keep panties on until it’s time for bed.  When we go somewhere, though, it’s back in a Pull-Up.

Number one is usually not a problem.  Number two.  Ugh!  Still a battle EVERYDAY!  I feel like I’m always dumping little turds from Minnie Mouse underpants into the commode.  I lead a glamorous life, lemme tell ya.

We’ve tried the “one M&M for pee and two for poop.”  We’ve tried the “one sticker on the chart for pee and two for poop.”  We’ve caved in to poor parenting tactics and bribed her with toys.  She has only pooped on toilet a handful of times and it was really just good timing on our part because we detected a pre-poop fart and ran her in the bathroom.

I’ve heard of 3 1/2 year-olds who still won’t take a crap unless it’s in their Pull-Up or diaper.  I don’t want that to happen to us.  I know she can do it, she just doesn’t want to stop playing long enough to go.

What am I doing wrong here?  Should I ditch the Pull-Up for naptime and bedtime too, and hope when she wakes in her own filth she’ll get the picture?  That seems cruel and like something they would do to prisoners in captivity, you know?

Where are we going wrong?  Should we have just done the extreme roll-up-the-rug-and-let-them-run-naked method?  Is she just too young?  What did you do?

Thanks!

If you don’t already read my friend Erin’s blog, you totally should.  She came up with a fun idea for a link up and I’m all about it.  Why?  Because it has to do with sparkly stickers.  Let’s face it, I love sparkly stickers about as much as my two-year-old loves them.

Her idea?  Parents should get gold stars for being awesome, or simply for doing things that aren’t terrible.  Agreed.

• My little potty-trainer said she needed to drop a deuce.  Yes!  We’ve been working on that.  I hurried her to the commode.  I helped her pull down her pants and a turd fell out and rolled on to the bathroom floor.  I did not groan and grimace.  Nope.  I plastered a shit eating grin on my face and said, “Uh oh!  That’s okay!  You got really close to the potty!”  I helped her do her business and cleaned up.  My little one then reminded me “You no eat poo poo, Mama!  Is yucky!”  I had my shit eating grin on for nothing.