Sunday, February 17, 2008

Final Score: Becca--20, Mom--0

Today Becca has been a bit, well, let's just say spirited. She spent the entire day purposely doing everything she knows she isn't allowed to do--climbing on furniture, standing on furniture, jumping on furniture, jumping off furniture, climbing a (now) empty bookshelf, standing on toys, coloring on clothes, putting her feet on the table, pushing her chair away from the table, dumping the humidifier water on the carpet (twice), ripping the plastic caps off the door stops, putting stickers and popcorn kernels in her mouth and generally raising a ruckus all the while looking me straight in the eye with her devillish grin.

By 10 a.m. I thought I was going to lose my mind and I couldn't stand the thought of putting her in yet another timeout. So, we went for a drive in the country. It was great! She was relatively quiet after she dumped an entire baggie of Goldfish out and threw her drink to the floor. I turned up the kiddie music and just drove. I didn't even know where I was going. We saw cows and horses and one sheep. Then, we stopped by the duck pond and fed the geese and ducks and played a bit on the playground equipment before nearly freezing to death in the bitter wind.

The rest of the day was spent napping and trashing the house. I thought I would include these pictures just for my Uncle Jim, who is always claiming my house never looks messed up (ha ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaaa). I give you proof.

Becca's new thing is that she wants to lie down with a pillow and blanket. She prefers somewhere small and well-defined, like her chair, or the bottom step. She gets all settled and then jumps up saying she needs her bear. Then, she gets settled again. I put the blanket over her (she insists I do this part) and she sits there for about 0.0002 seconds before she leaps up saying she needs her book. Gets book. Comes back. Settles in. I reapply the blanket. She is up again. She needs her school bus, and her sunglasses, and her wooden duck and her See 'n Say, and her little dogs. Repeat. Repeat. Struggle with pillow. Struggle with toys. Struggle with blanket. Yell for Mom to put the blanket on. Repeat.
I can only play this game for about 5 minutes before I want to pull all my hair out by the roots (I know. Patience does not happen to be one of my virtues.) It is like watching my nightmares come to life--all the struggling, all the futility. How is this fun for her? I swear, I will never, ever get toddlers. Good thing they are so cute.

11 comments:

Tracy said...

She has a SPIRITED look about her in the pictures today. You gotta love grandparent withdrawl! Oh and the pictures of the lived in house??? I think they were staged or maybe a fluke. I have been over there many times and those pictures make it look like you have way more toys than you really do. I think that is why God made children take naps.. FOR MOMS SANITY, not the child's well being!

Andrea and Ben said...

Oh my, she is WOUND up! Holy cow :0) At least she is cute!!

Kayris said...

Erm..so spirited is really a nice way of saying pain in the arse, right? We have plenty of those days. My three and a half year old has learned to stand on a stool to get whatever I told him he couldn't have. I'm running out of hiding places! She's adorable though...and that makes it worth it!

Anonymous said...

Dear Becca,

How about making forts with chairs and sofas and card tables and blankets and sheets...


Love,
Nana

Smitty 1, 2 , 3 and 4 said...

Spirited... never a dull moment, huh?

Don Mills Diva said...

Oh ya - there's a reason they were made cute - they wouldn't survive an hour if they weren't!

Joel and Angela said...

She is Luke would be worse than a hurricane if we put them together! I am ALWAYS getting Luke out of something he isn't suppose to be in! But I do like your description...SPIRITED!

Anonymous said...

Yea! Your house finally looks lived in!Now I know you you have a toddler.When I use to deliver for Marshall Fields (macys)note small print on macys I could never figure out how people with kids under 5 can keep a clean house.
My 2 children were very spirited some times with horns, wait they still are spirited. but not as much.Oh Becca is very cute.

Erin said...

HA HA! That game with the pillow is FUNNY. Not for you, I'm sure. But for the rest of us.

Between sick days and snow days and holidays, I've been home with the boys way more than usual. I don't know how you do it! I feel so stir crazy. A drive in the country might be in order.

Unknown said...

Olivia is like that every day. Lately, I feel like I have baby proof the house over again. And, not for Lila. She's into everything. Stands on chairs, stools, etc. Today, she took off all her clothes and turned our bed into a swimming pool. That was after she threw a puzzle on the floor downstairs and took her clothes off in random places as she made her way upstairs to the "pool." Fun fun. Sick or not, I had to get out of the house today.

Jen said...

Oh, 'spririted' is a good word for 2-year-olds. And the whole get comfy thing? SAME HERE! Cute cute pics.