They completely bypassed our family. I thought we were home free, then BAM! ...then came the Terrible Threes! They are kicking our butt. We have been completely inequipped to handle it since we've been so spoiled by what an angelic toddler she has been so far.
Everything is "no, I do it" and it takes 10 times longer. Everything is a negotation to get her to do ANYTHING. And now that she's given up her nap, she's worse in the evenings which is the only time I spend with her during the week. It's a mad rush to get her dinner, a bath, jammies, teeth brushing and bed. I often have to decompress with a glass of red wine after she's asleep! Mornings are equally as hectic, if not worse. Now that I have to get her out of the house to daycare, the pressure is on and we've yet to find our groove. The good news is that she LOVES her new daycare. She's so excited to go every morning which makes things MUCH easier. The hard part is getting her to brush her teeth and her hair. I have to threaten to cut it off almost every morning to get her to cooperate. I really hope she never calls my bluff on that one. Forget about getting her dressed. I'm just lucky her babysitter is ok with me bringing her in with her pajamas on half the time.
But, she is absolutely thriving at this daycare. She is playing real hard outside like normal kids do. Every day she comes come smelling like sweat and dirt, which is what I think a kid her age SHOULD smell like. She hardly watches television anymore, which is great, and she eats MUCH MUCH better. I don't even have to hide the veggies in her food anymore. Her favorite food is broccoli, carrots and peas right now. It's crazy. Just a couple of months ago, she wouldn't touch the stuff. So, it is obvious to me that she needed a little more structure in her life and this new daycare is giving that to her. I am still eternally grateful to her nanny for her 3 years of helping out our family, but it was time for a change.
Court is still, however, painfully shy. I was hoping playing with these kids every day would help that. She's not shy with them but she wont' talk to anyone else she doesn't know. A few weeks ago, I signed her up for a little tap and ballet class. I was eagerly awaiting for her to turn 3. When I found out I was having a little girl, tutus and tap shoes are what I immediately envisioned. Well, after spending a small fortune on said supplies, I took her to the class, only to have her cling to me and scream bloody murder. I threatened to take her tap shoes back and her tutu and that just made the screaming worse. I of course, felt awful and apologized to her. The truth is she's just not ready. In the meantime, she gets to keep the ridiculously overpriced tap shoes and I have to wait for this shy phase to ease up a bit, if it ever does. I did get some great shots though before we left for the class, when she was still all excited to go:
So, that's what's going on with us right now. It's quite hectic but we're adjusting. I've purchased every parenting of toddlers book I can find and I'm currently devouring those, but mainly, I'm just figuring out what makes my newly sophisticated little girl tick. And there is some manipulation involved on both sides, but we're managing.
But, don't even get me started on the potty training thing! That's for another post. Until then, I will leave with my current fave pic of my little "angel".
How can such a sweet girl be such a handful?
