My daughter's spin on being a little girl

Abby and her Buzz PJs

I don't know what other two-and-a-half-year-old girls are doing to act out being a mommy, but mine definitely has a unique spin on the concept.

Tonight, after Jack was asleep and Abby had had her bath, we settled down in the living room to look at a book together.

When it was time to go upstairs to read books and go to sleep, I grabbed a bottle for Jack in case he woke up and needed to eat. Abby saw the bottle, and asked if she could have one for Buzz, who she was carrying in her arms.

I made a mission to find the play baby bottles, which I knew I had seen the other day.

As I was digging through the toys, I could hear Abby behind me shushing Buzz to comfort him as I looked for the bottle. "It's okay ..." she said, mimicking what Tom and I do with Jack.

I found the bottle and we headed upstairs.

As I was reading Abby books, she was preoccupied with making sure Buzz was settling in. She was feeding him the bottle (one of those disappearing-milk ones with the companion juice version).

It was at that point I looked at my daughter - decked out in her Buzz and Woody PJs (boys), cradling Buzz in her arms and feeding him a bottle - and thought how much I loved the spin she was putting on being a little girl.

I continued reading (at which point she said, "Shh ... Buzz is sleeping" to mimic what I have to do with her every five seconds of reading time to keep her from waking up Jack), but she was more interested in Buzz.

I finally closed the second book (Buzz chose it. Superhero Me. I told her it was an appropriate choice), told her I loved her and kissed her goodnight. I then kissed Buzz on the helmet and told him goodnight. She was pleased that Buzz was acknowledged the same way she was.

Then I tip-toed out of the room, leaving my little mother to tend to her bundled space ranger.

You know you've lost it when you drive away with your iPad on the top of your car ...

Let me preface this post by saying that no iPads were harmed, lost or stolen during the following incident.

That being said ...

Please don't kill me, dear husband.

I took Abby and Jack to my parents' house today to visit. We visited Mom at work, then grabbed lunch and spent some time with Dad at the house.

The visit lasted about three hours.

I packed the kids up and drove away toward the freeway.

That's when a strange thing happened.

I was sitting at a light waiting to turn when the man next to me began honking frantically.

I immediately became irritated, wondering what this crazy man was doing.

He began pointing emphatically toward the back of my car. Was someone behind me doing something?

I looked at the car behind me in my rearview mirror, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

I looked back at the gentleman next to me inquisitively. He pointed toward the back of my car again.

That's when I saw it.

Our (::ahem:: Tom's) iPad on my back window.

My first reaction?

I looked at the gentleman next to me and mouthed, "Can you get it?"

Really, Chrissie? You're looking for this wonderful man who saved your arse to now get out of his car and retrieve your iPad for you?

I quickly got out of the car, got the iPad (which, thankfully, was hanging on to the car thanks to the cover being wedged into the slot of the trunk) and got back into the car. I looked at the gentleman next to me relieved and thankful. Good Samaritan for sure.

As I breathed a sigh of relief that my husband wouldn't be killing me today, I realized that he may have preferred the iPad go missing so he could get a new one with a camera.

Well, Tom, too bad for you, your iPad survived me leaving it on the top of my car and driving away. It actually survived my parents' block and all of Allen Road to the light at Southfield.

Let's make sure we keep this iPad cover - it provides great protection. 

Abby-isms

We have reached a new stage in development: the why-repeat-everything-need-things-now phase.

Yes, that's a thing.

It can definitely drive me up the wall. I remember thinking that the "why" phase really couldn't be that bad. I mean, you just have a little self control.

But once you hit the "why" and "repeat" phase, you recognize why people go insane in solitary confinement when they can hear a single water droplet dripping over and over and over.

The "what's that/why" phase
I thought I would be able to handle this. We're barely into it and it's driving me crazy.

"Mommy, what's that?" as she's pointing in the direction of approximately 75 things while I'm attempting to soothe a crying Jack while making her a waffle.

"I don't know - it's a ... cup."

"No, Mommy, it's a (inaudible)!"

"Yep, sure, sounds good."

Repeat phase, repeat phase, repeat phase
This one may be the death of me.

The other evening, Abby, Tom and I were playing with her Matchbox cars in the kitchen.

We were rolling them back and forth and Abby says, "Mommy? Play cars?"

"Yep, you're playing cars!"

At this point, I'm cheerful and upbeat.

"Mommy? Play cars?"

"Yep! Playing cars!"

I'm keeping it together. Haven't hit the wall yet.

"MOMMY! PLAY CARS!"

"YEP! You're PLAYING CARS!"

"MOMMYPLAYCARS?!"

Now I've lost it.

"YEP ... You're. Playing. Cars."

"MommyAbbyPlayingCars?!"

"DUDE! TAKE THE CAR!"

I-needed-it-a-minute-ago phase
This is typical.

Abby: "Mommy? Abby want crackers?"

Me: "Sure!"

I walk to the cupboard. Before I even get there ...

Abby: "Mommy? More water?"

Me: "Yep, let me get your crackers first."

Abby: "Mommy watch TV?"

Me: "Babe, I can only do one thing at a time."

I still have not successfully retrieved the crackers.

Abby: "Mommy? My finger hurts."

Me: "OHMYGOSHGIVEMEAMINUTE."

Medicine and Abby
Since she had to take antibiotics for an ear infection and because she has three molars currently breaking through, Abby has taken a lot of medication lately.

She now requests it frequently.

Abby: "Mommy? Need medicine?"

Me: "What hurts?"

Abby: "My foot."

Uh huh.

Abby: "Mommy? Need medicine?"

Me: "What hurts?"

Abby: "My finger."

We're working on it.

Manipulation milestone

Abby asked me for M&Ms this evening. She'd already had plenty so I told her we were done with M&Ms for the night.

I hadn't realized that the bowl of M&Ms were on the counter, easily within reach for Abby.

I turned around and she had grabbed the bowl and was smugly walking toward the living room.

Recognizing my defeat, I told her that she could have one and then we were done.

She sits down on her chair, looks up at me and a big smile spreads across her face.

She says, "I looove you."

Her manipulation development is right on track ... in case anyone was concerned.

I want ...

Abby asked for an apple.

I got an apple out of the fridge and peeled it.

Then I cored it.

Then I sliced it.

I asked Abby if she wanted a Buzz bowl.

Yes, she said.

So I put all of the peeled, cored and sliced apples into the bowl and handed it to her ...

She says, "I want an orange."

A 'boy thing' or just an overprotective Mommy?

This is obviously my first rodeo as a mom, but it's even more so my first rodeo with a boy.

I did not have a brother and have never really been around baby boys until Jack.

Therefore, I have no idea if what I'm seeing with Jack is normal "boy behavior", just his temperament, or I'm a paranoid mother.

I'll let the readers decide.

Abby loves her brother. Loves him. It's so sweet that she actually will say (unprompted), "I love you, Jack!"

She also wants to hug him, kiss him and roughhouse with him.

The latter makes me nervous. He is 6 1/2 months old. She is 2 (and huge).

This evening she was playing with him and there were a few times she got rough with him. I would get stern with her and tell her to stop, fully expecting her force (she had put all her weight on him laying across his stomach; she had inadvertently kneed him in the stomach; she put him in a headlock in an attempt to hug) to make him cry.

But when I would separate them, he would be laughing gleefully, enjoying the playtime and interaction with his sissy.

I'm now wondering if I'm a wuss or if I'm just not accustomed to boys.

I asked Tom and he said, "It's just roughhousing."

Yes, but I didn't "roughhouse" as a girl growing up.

The other amazing thing is the bond between siblings. To be able to witness it as a parent is awesome.

As stated above, she will be physical with him and he loves it. The same thing happens the other way around. She will try to hug him and he will reach for her and grab her hair, keeping it in his clutch. This can't feel good.

But she laughs hysterically, so happy to be with her brother. This floors me considering the girl flips out over the smallest thing (she's two, after all).

I should mention that Abby also flips out when Jack tries to touch her sippy cup, so it's not like he has a free pass.

Our two-year old is masquerading as a kindergartner

I really didn't think I would have to deal with this stuff yet.

My daughter is barely two. She's been two for two months. That is all.

Yet I am already dealing with sibling irritation.

On Saturday I ran upstairs to grab something and heard Abby screaming from the living room.

I run downstairs to hear, "Mooooom! Jack's touching my socks!"

Really? A six-month old is touching your feet.

This leads to me battling practicality. My two-year old does not have any sense of reason. She doesn't care that Jack is an infant. She simply cares that her feet are being infringed upon. She wants her personal space.

Fine.

Jack pretty much reaches and grabs for anything and he is quite resourceful and innovating when it comes to getting from Point A to Point B. I envision Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible making his way through the lasers. Jack uses a multitude of moves to get to Abby's coloring desk, M&Ms, her Jessie doll, etc.

I thought I had at least a year before I would deal with the pesky little brother thing. Alas, it is already upon me.

Also upon me is my daughter's defiance.

We were sitting at the table eating and she took her fork and started hitting the table forcefully with the metal side.

I told her, "Abby, no!"

She looked at me coyly and then began tapping ever-so-lightly on the table with the fork.

I said, "Abby, I said no."

She responds (as she is still lightly tapping), "I'm not doing it."

Wow.

Just wow.