All Smiles in the Morning.....

Doug has been gone again this week (gets back today yay!!!) so we are back to taking our "Good- morning-Daddy" picture everyday. Emery Kayt now has our mornings down to a science. Milk and cuddles on the couch, put the sippy in the sink, get chased by Mommy to her room, get dressed, tell Baby Doll bye, tell Lola bye, and stand and give the cheesiest-gap-toothed grin she has for her Daddy. And they crack me up every time.  

Monday morning: Scrunched up nose.

Tuesday Morning: I do not really think this even looks like her...looks too old!!

And this morning. Elmo "purse" and all. I also just realized she is wearing the same bow all three days...must be the color of the season! And while she is so sweet and smiley in the morning.....the afternoons and evenings have been something else around here. And I need any advice I can get!

I have a bossy-grouch on my hands all of a sudden. Do not get me wrong--it is not all the time and she can be her sweet little self too, but cross her once and the whole evening might be spent in tears and "nooooooo"'s. And while I would like to blame it all on the fact that I think she has allergies and is a little bit sick and she was sleepy coming off of the weekend, I also have to be honest and realize that Miss Em is getting too smart and my old ways of parenting are going to have to change with the times. Not to mention Baby #2 is going to be here very soon....I do not even want to think about that combination....newborn tears and big girl tears. Yikes.

I never wanted to be the Mom that gave in. But after only 20 months of this motherhood stuff I know that that is simply impossible all of the time. So she wants to watch Elmo for the 4th time since we have gotten home.....do I want to deal with crying or do I want to cook supper and have a little girl behave for 30 more minutes? Does she really need her bunny paci, right now, outside, taking a walk? No, but the neighbors are probably just thinking give the girl her bunny and make her stop crying!! So sometimes you give in. You have to to stay sane.

Quick fixes and distracting her used to work like a charm. She could and would behave-always. But now she understands soooo much and remembers everything. We do something one way once, and that is how it has to be until the end of time for this girl. I do love that about her. I love her little routines that she makes for herself and I love knowing that she knows Mommy and Daddy will do this and this and this for me and I will always feel loved and comforted. That is what we are suppose to do.

But I know that we are also supposed to teach her to understand that tears do not always work and at two years old that is going to be a very hard lesson to learn. Why don't we try saying please or ask nicely....I would be glad to give you bunny. Or when Mommy says "No, you cannot just have french fries (her new fav....she is totally Doug's daughter) for supper" we do not break down and yell "fryyy" the rest of the night. So that is what we are working on....getting our almost-two-year old to understand something that even adults struggle with. We want what we want when we want it, don't we?

Emery Kayt, you are the sweetest little girl and do not get us wrong, we love your spunky side too, so would you please bare with us as we try to learn with you. And if any readers have any advice, please, please let me know!

Or maybe she just wanted her Daddy all this time and all will be grand at my house tonight;)