last night, the fam was in Sam’s club looking around and Ellie was getting a little punchy. 
Punchy = whiny, done with the whole thing, tired, finished, etc…

Luckily, the night before we had checked out “llama, llama, mad at mama” from the library, on a recommendation from a friend of mine. If you haven’t read the book, its all about llama llama shopping at the shop-o-rama with mama and how he gets slightly punchy too.

i simply asked her if she was like the little llama in the book and if his mama liked that. she settled down a bit, and we continued shopping.

a few aisles later, this gentleman stops us and says “i just have to say something. you hear all of these parents yelling at their children to behave and it doesn’t work. you simply referred to a book you read together and that diffused the situation perfectly. so, bravo”

what a guy…my new hero…and way to make a mom feel like she’s worth something.

i did not mention to this gentleman that this was in fact the first, and only time, that i can recall my daughter listening to me in public. i also failed to mention that i had most definitely raised my voice with my child before…and probably will again. no, i did not mention these things…i just let myself bask in the glory of having someone recognize that i’m trying…and for once it worked.

i do not know this gentleman…but if he ever happens to stumble upon this blog…i just want to say thank you, mr. random for making me feel awesome!~

A few weeks ago, after giving Ellie a bath, we were in her room to get her into her jammies and all of a sudden she starts to go to the bathroom…stops herself…runs into the bathroom and goes potty. We were thrilled…this was the evidence we needed that she was in fact ready to start wearing underwear…and never turn back. We waited to start, however, until after the janesville/chicago trip. I didn’t think wet car seats and peeing in my sister’s house would be elements of a fantastic vacation…

We started hardcore potty training on the 2nd. This first night, it did not go well. She was exceptionally tired from a birthday party we had gone to that afternoon (and the non-nap she took on the way home). She had three accidents that night, including one on our neighbor’s steps. (They weren’t home…but i’m not sure that makes it better…I’m just hoping they didn’t come home, bend down to find out why their steps were wet and do something like touch it or smell it) The next day went much better…and the subsequent days after that too…she was really catching on! And minus the few accidents we’ve had since then, she is doing pretty well…

through this experience, my patience has been tested many times, and I am constantly afraid she’s going to pee in the van, or in a store (Oh, I’d be horrified), and have become familiar with more public restrooms that I had ever seen before. I now know which stores have them and which don’t, which parks have them and which don’t, and which parks clean their toilets, and sadly, which don’t.

I also have now started keeping tabs on which restrooms have automatic flushers…that petrify my daughter. There is no experience quite like holding your screaming two year old on the toilet at McDonald’s because you know she has to go, although she is letting you, and everyone else in the restaurant, know that she “doesn’t have to go” as loudly as her little lungs will allow.

I hesitate to say she is potty trained. It sounds so final…and after working with loads of three year olds in the past couple of years that were “potty trained” I have a whole new respect for the distinction…and the finality of it. But, we’re getting there – we’ve made more progress than I thought we would while I was home on maternity leave…and we’ve lived through it – so far…

Mother’s day has caused me to be reflective this year…I have a two year old…one that gives me fits sometimes (okay, a good part of the time), and quite honestly, sometimes I find it easier to just not be around her for awhile…but although she’s a pistol most of the time, it is definitely worth it to me to have her.  She makes me laugh.  She is so smart sometimes that I stare at her in wonder.  There are definite things about being a mom that I like.

Yesterday morning, Ellie and I road tripped to Cedar Falls to purchase tickets for the Gallagher Bluedorn 08-09 season.  I had been looking for a place to drop her off so i wouldn’t have to take her to potentially stand in a line full of people who may not find humor in a 2 year old being there.

I hadn’t been able to find someone to watch her, and not being able to justify dropping her at daycare for an hour in waverly and pick her up again, only to do that again when I went to work, I decided to suck it up and take her with me.

She was an angel.  She was talking to everyone there…the people next to us ordering tickets, the lady behind the counter…she was charming…and she did beautifully. Sometimes I guess I fear being judged by other parents for not being able to control my always active child that I don’t give her enough credit for the things I know she is capable of doing.

She taught me a lesson today…I should trust her more…I should let her do more things…I shouldn’t hold her back…and I definitely shouldn’t care what those “other moms” think of the job I’m doing.  I mean, as long as my child isn’t causing damage or something of that caliber, she’s probably fine.  We’re probably harder on ourselves as parents than we need to be most of the time.  I guess we just keep telling ourselves thats how we’ll have children that turn out alright.

Friday, Ellie and i went on a shopping trip after work to Wal-mart. We were on a mission to pick up some big girl underwear for her. We’re trying it this weekend – we’ll see how it goes.

Anyway, after picking out her very first big girl underwear and showing them to everyone in the lingerie department, I picked out a couple of bras and took them (and ellie) into the dressing room to try them on. I tried them on, and when I was done, Ellie holds one up and says “my try it on”, followed shortly by “coat off mommy”, “shirt off too”. I convinced her that she should leave her coat and shirt on and we’d just try them on over her coat.

So there I am in the dressing room at Wal-mart trying a bra on my two year old daughter over her coat. All she could say was “ooh, pretty”, “my underwear, like mommy’s.” It was quite a moment.

This weekend Nathan and I were having a conversation about Ellie and how she seems to be a fairly courteous, caring child. For example…there are mornings, and sometimes even still at noon, that I don’t feel well when we’re eating breakfast or lunch and I’ll sit there for a minute and try and catch my breath…and decide if I need to run for the bathroom…and Ellie will stop eating, look at me and say “my okay?”

Her beautiful little caring way of asking mommy if she’s okay.

Nathan thinks perhaps its something we’ve taught her…to be concerned for other people…I say we just got lucky and I hope it sticks. We’ll take it either way.