Repeater

It is amazing what my small child chooses to repeat. The things she picks up, it makes you reevaluate the things you say and how you say them. First she started out asking Scott to cry and then saying "STOP!!!". Which is what I say to her when she's whining, but I didn't think it sounded that ugly until I heard her saying it to him. It sounded horrible!! So I broke that, then she started saying "GO AWAY", which I mostly say to the dog, whom I am not a big fan of. But she started using it when she wanted privacy to go poop. (PS-that's a rollie pollie on her nose) So, once again, I've had to stop saying that and teach her to say "privacy please", which sounds sooo much better. Now, the other day she dropped cherrios on the floor and pointed at them and said, "oh my god!!" Where she got that, I have no idea, because other choice phrases come out of my mouth when I drop things, not "oh my god!" So we've been practicing saying "uh-oh". I can't wait to find out what she picks up next. Oh here's one, Mali calls Scott, Scotty Potty. So the other day when I asked her what her daddy's other name was she came out with, "Scotty Potty" much to her daddy's disappointment. (But I know Mali's totally excited about it!)
Speaking of stuff she picks up... Lately I have been taking her with me to my chiropractor appointments since it only takes a few minutes. She sits there wide eyed and watches everything he does. Well, at home we play doctor a lot, and Scott & I have to lay down and pretend we are sick. One afternoon she started throwing her body down on top of Scott and touching her hands down his spine and throwing herself down again. We realized she was being a chiropractor. She also twists our heads to adjust our necks. It's hilarious. ( With Auntie M watching the bats fly in Austin)
I recently got a wild hair and decided to load my child up and drive 7 hours, alone, to Austin to see my sister one weekend. We weren't able to fly so I decided to see how the other half lives and drive. She did pretty good actually, except for when we stopped to eat and play on the other side of Ft Worth. When it came time to leave she threw such a fit that I had to pick up her, screaming and kicking, and a happymeal & our drinks and walk through the middle of Mickey D's while everyone literally stopped everything to watch us walk through. I was waiting for someone to stop me and make sure I wasn't trying to kidnap her, although, I'm sure they figured if I was, I would have given her by then. Once in the car she continued to scream "Go back, I want to play" relentlessly for 15 minutes until she fell asleep. The she woke up 15 minutes later and said it a few more times until she fell asleep again. Otherwise, she was perfect and never once asked to get out of her seat. She did great on the way back too.
I get all these parenting magazines that offer all kinds of advice on all kinds of things. In them, they suggest things like helping your toddler identify their emotions can help with fits. Giving them options on clothes or snacks so that they feel they have some say in their day. Or to give them advanced notice on when fun is going to end. Like "5 more minutes then it's time to go." and "this is the last time then it's time to go" and so on... Well, I have found that this crap actually works! (not in the case of the macdonald's on the way to austin though!) So not everytime, but most of the time. I know she has no concept of time, but she buys the whole 5min, 3 min, 1 min, time to go routine most of the time. Or if when we go shopping, if I tell her we are not buying any toys, or that we are only running in for this or that, she actually doesn't throw a fit for something. A perfect example is when I'm going to work. We talk about it repeatedly the whole day before so she tends to be alright with it when I leave. Actually, the other day, she wanted something and I told her I didn't have any money on me to buy it, and she responded with "mommy needs to go to work". Turkey!