If You Can't Beat Them....Join Them.

The sound of Ladybug repeating “Dad” started at 5am and lasted until I finally rolled myself out of bed at 6am for our morning feeding. I flipped aimlessly through the TV channels hoping for something entertaining. On a typical Saturday morning we'd have both girls fighting for space in our bed while Bean watched early morning cartoons. Today was different. Bean was gone as she had spent the night at her Mamo and Papo's house {nicknamed by Bean – these are my parents} and Brett was out of town for work. I turned the TV off in disappointment. I wondered if she would be awake already, describing to Mamo her cupcake and cookies dream she claims to have nightly. The morning came and went with no phone call. I decided to be strong and just let it go. Besides, I knew she was in good care so I may as well enjoy my alone time with the Ladybug.

The day was slow, actually sort of boring without my talker around. I had forgotten what it was like to only hear myself talk with an occasional grunt, “mama and dad”, and screams for a response. I kept looking at my watch as the minute hand seemed to never rotate. I'd look down at my watch, then up at the clock as if I were an eager child waiting for the school bell to ring....wait..... something had moved....LADYBUG! One second, or minute I should say, she was sitting next to me and obviously a few minutes had passed because she was already a few feet away from me! She had started to crawl! Her left knee was firmly down on the ground, her right knee up in the air, and her right foot was the motor helping her to push off the ground. The crooked crawl, I like to call it. I immediately jumped to my feet, started to scream, and ran to her side. This reaction made her cry. As I tried to calm her with my laughing kisses, the phone rang. They were finally back home and at the front door.

After retelling the crawling story to Mamo we sat down for some “show off” time. I couldn't stop praising Ladybug. Bean retreated to the sofa and started to suck her thumb as Ladybug followed and began to cry when she couldn't figure out how to pull up on the sofa.

“Etta, let's lay off the thumb sweetie”, I said nonchalantly while peering out of the corner of my eyes.

“I'm tired of playing this game...no, don't tell me that. I'm tired of this game”, she snapped.

“Etta, I need you to lay off”, I said in retaliation.

She looked at me, mouth wide open in shock, thumb dripping with saliva....”I'M ONLY 2 yrs old! I don't understand things! I don't know what you are talking about!”, she yelled then started to suck her thumb even harder, as if to actually believe her own statement.

She was upset and jealous. She was used to getting all of the attention and wasn't used to her little sister being in the spotlight. I took her hand and pulled her next to her easel in our living room. “Hey, I bet you forgot to show Mamo how you can draw a quatrefoil”, I reminded her. Her eyes grew bigger with excitement as she jumped off the sofa and ran toward the easel and started to draw. Ladybug crookedly scooted as fast as her little knee could take her and nearly sat on top of Bean's foot. “Perfect!”, I said while giving her a big hug with one arm and patting Ladybug on the back with the other. I continued to praise both of them namelessly as Bean mastered the backwards crab walk across the living room with Ladybug following at her toes.

The praises continued as we had a remarkably perfect dinner. Both girls ate everything presented to them. Not one substitute or alternative menu option was requested. After finishing dinner I kindly requested a little clean up help before heading to bed. She looked at me with that blank stare and repeated that she was only 2 yrs old and didn't understand what I was saying. I calmly repeated myself, hoping that she would take note of the seriousness in my tone. She looked at me, slowly looked down at Ladybug on the floor, and said in a calm, but demanding voice, “Come on Sissy. Follow me”. As my eyes widened and mouth dropped, I watched Bean with my little crooked crawler head down the hall. Backs {and one diaper} in my face, they both rode off into the sunset together...and never looked back.

The Screamer

It has been weeks since Ladybug has slept through the night, so it was a pleasant surprise when I woke up at 7:30 this morning. I had actually slept for 10 hours straight! This was the first time in over a year that I've had sleep like this. Ah, things were looking good for this glorious day. Our daily morning routine {showers, diaper changes for both girls, breakfast feedings, and a 30 minute lesson plan in the playroom} went smoothly. "The stars must have been aligned last night", I thought as I glanced out the window to the brightly shining sky. It was no sooner that Ladybug started screaming from the top of her lungs and nothing, I mean NOTHING could stop her. I tried singing, cuddling, Mr. Binky, I changed her clothes and diaper, took her temperature, and even tried feeding her - all unsuccessful. Finally, out of sheer exhaustion her eyes became heavy and she fell sound asleep. Normally I would have panicked and called the pediatrician, but I decided to let her sleep and see how things went throughout the day.

The rest of the morning and early afternoon seemed to be better. Ladybug woke up happy as a butterfly, cured of whatever seemed to be ailing her. We all ended up going outside after lunch to play with bubbles and sidewalk chalk, and Ladybug laughed and squealed when Bean blew bubbles near her head. I've never seen a bigger smile come from that adorable little face. The excitement, joy, and innocence beaming through her bright blue eyes was incredible. The sound of both girls laughing warmed my heart and I was so content in this little moment. We decided to head back to the playroom for an afternoon snack and some coloring when out of nowhere, the screaming started again. It was uncontrollable and loud. Bean and I were like ants that had been disturbed in our ant pile...scrambling and looking around for something or anything that could be bothering her. I quickly placed her on her tummy time blanket and ran to the bedroom to call the pediatrician . I peered out from the doorway and saw Ladybug on her tummy, reaching for her little rattle that was delicately hidden underneath one of Bean's stuffed animals next to her mat. You have got to be kidding me. She wanted her rattle!? Two seconds later, more whining.

This time it was Bean screaming uncontrollably. She was trying to open the purple paint container, twisting and turning the lid with all her might. "Maaaaa-maaaaaaa, pleaaaaase! Open it! Open it!" I quickly ran to her side and opened the paint while explaining that all she had to do was ask nicely. "Whining and screaming is not the right way to ask. You just need to ask me and I'll help you", I said as calmly as I could. Then I looked back at Ladybug to see if she was OK and she was glancing up at me with a biggest smile on her face, as if to say, "Ha! I learned it from my big sister"! Yes, yes, yes....lesson learned. Babies:2; Me:0.