Barking Daisy

Sorry to have to post an update after so long with a report on a pretty rotten week over here for Ms. Daisy.

No sooner had I returned from my business trip to Arizona and Missy fell sick. It began with a fever and early wake-up call on Monday night, seemed to dissipate, and then resurged on Wednesday when the school called to  tell us she had a 101 temperature again. By the time Thursday morning rolled around, Daisy had a cough, continued fever, and was more lethargic and unhappy than I have ever seen her. :( As Thursday progressed, it was pretty obvious that the cough was nothing like anything we had ever heard before. Diagnosis: Croup.

A liquid steroid came to the rescue by Thursday night and, by Friday, she was 75% better. But it sure was hard to see her like this...

Thursday morning early: movies on her DVD player, pillows, and blankets...


The barking and the wheezing made it hard for her to sleep laying flat. She couldn't really eat either, since the mucus just caused her to vomit. To the rescue: Nan.


Daddy was also a favorite for comfort. He shared his favorite "sick food" with Missy: cheerios and milk.



Today (Saturday) she is a ton better already and was back out on her trike this morning, pedaling around the neighborhood.



In other news, I have been a little freaked out this week by a leaflet I saw in my Physical Therapist's office about Sensory Processing Disorder in children.

I was waiting to pay my co-pay at the last appointment for my injured knee and, right beside the counter, was a poster about symptoms of SPD. There were stick figure drawings of two kids and, next to them, a list of symptoms. What pulled me in initially was the "Overly sensitive to sun and bright light"; Daisy screams her head off like she is being poked with a hot rod when we're in the car and the sun is on her. Once I was pulled in, to my horror, I began to recognize a number of the symptoms on the leaflet:

• Doesn't like having her hair brushed/touched
• Sits in a "w" position
• Picky eater / doesn't like to try new foods
• Selective hearing
• Highly sensitive to everyday loud noises like the vacuum or hair dryer
• Complains about tags in clothing
• Walks on tip-toes a lot
• Poor coordination gross motor skills (things like running etc..)

This was about 50-60% of the items on the list, so obviously, for a few days, I was convinced Daisy had SPD.

After further research, however, I realize that this leaflet was grossly misleading and overly general in nature. The symptoms of SPD are much more complex, varied and yet specific than those on the leaflet, which mixed many different types of dysfunction. If you're interested, you can read more by clicking on this link.

Although, I have to say, Daisy has a few of the characteristics on the website checklist in multiple categories, I'm going to guess many children do? I'm not sure this means she has a problem but then I'm not sure it means she doesn't either. I mean, she's 2! She's still learning to "be", right?  I'd love to hear other moms' perspectives.

The small things

This morning as I was getting Daisy dressed for preschool, she asked to dance around the living room to her favorite songs. I pulled up iTunes, blasted "Jump" and "Pumped up Kicks" and rocked-out with her for as long as my back and knee could muster.

Then, when I sat down to watch her, she stopped and walked slowly over to me with this pouty little mouth. She stopped a few feet away from me, kind of sulking although she didn't say a word.

I got down on my hands and knees and went over to give her a hug. She put her arms around me and rested her head on my shoulder. I expected the moment to last a couple of blinks as most everything does with a toddler, but we stayed there for five minutes, swaying to the beat of a couple of songs, her arms wrapped around me and my head buried into her sweet-smelling, messy hair.

It was one of those moments I wish I could have bottled; when I wished I had a fellow photographer close by to freeze the moment in time or one of Dumbledore's Pensieve bowls like in Harry Potter. I suddenly saw myself twenty years from now, picking that moment out of my head randomly, and wishing I could go back to its innocence and sweetness, trying to remember the songs of the day and failing.

I don't have pictures or a pensieve but I do have words and this blog; which is why I keep it going even though I don't post as often as I used to. Some day I can print all these small moments up and remember them with clarity and fondness.

So, to the future me:

• The songs were (of all things): Bow Chicka Wow Wow by Mike Posner and Last Friday Night by Katie Perry. 
• She was wearing her yellow school polo, some khaki shorts, and her favorite, pink and white animal print grippy socks. 
• Her hair smelled like vanilla and strawberries and it was a tangled mess (because she never lets us brush it, and when we do she purposefully messes it up afterward.) 
• She stroked my back absentmindedly as I rocked back and forth and, when her Dad came down the stairs, he came over and joined in the hug. When we parted, she kissed me square on the lips.

Motherhood heaven.

Daisy-wazy-wazeeeeeeee!

They say the twos are terrible - and they sure do have their moments - but I wouldn't trade little Miss. Personality for anything right now.



Her nickname for herself is "Daisy-wazy-wazeee". This comes from her Dad creating a little song of "Daisy, Daisy, Daisy" and her completely misinterpreting it. The funny thing is that, when I picked her up from pre-school the other week, one of her little toe-head friends actually called her that. I almost died laughing. Somewhere along the line she's obviously been telling kids to call her this. DYING!









The good news of the month is that Daisy is pretty much potty trained. Although she continues to have the odd accident and is not quite adept at ensuring her panties are pulled down low enough (ahem) she's 100% diaper free except for at night and during naps. Whoooheee, you say! Except, of course, as every parent who has passed through this stage knows, this just means that we now get to be up-close-and-personal with the whole peeing and pooping process. Since she can't always make it to the restroom in time, we keep the potty local. Result: every room in our house is a stand-by bathroom. Nice.

Another surprise is that she has suddenly acquired a fear of public restrooms. Now, I'll readily admit, I'll avoid the damn places at all possible costs. If I can cork it until I get home, I will. So, I'm not expecting her to be all excited about peeing in a urine-soaked, gas-station toilet or anything. However, the reason for her fits of panic (and it's Daisy, so it is a full-body fit accompanied by high-pitched screaming) is that.... wait for it... she does not like "the flushie."

This came on suddenly, however, last weekend, after some very successful and tantrum-free public restroom visits. But there I found myself, in a restaurant bathroom after she told me she had to "go", trying to avoid dropping my writhing 2 year old on the dirty toilet floor because she didn't want to sit her ass on the toilet seat. She was so violent that other patrons actually asked if everything was ok. Yes, it sounded like I was murdering her in there.

Fortunately, I had brought the small, portable Bjorn potty with me and found a way to get around her aversion: I now carry the potty in my back-pack and take it into public restrooms with us (thanks Auntie Mala for the stellar idea.) This, apparently, is acceptable (to her). Although not always convenient. This weekend we went to an outdoor event with only porta-potties for restrooms and my mother (GOD BLESS her) had to take the potty in with her, put it on the floor (gag), have Daisy pee in the potty, dispose of it down the hell-hole, clean the potty with a wipe, and return it to the backpack. I waited outside, you know, just in case they needed anything.

Other fun potty moments included this evening at a local restaurant. Off me and Missy went with our backpack to the restroom, did our thing successfully, and emerged, running to Daddy at the table, screaming: "DADDEEEE!!! I WENT PEE-PEE IN THE POTTY!" The restaurant is not formal but it is fairly quiet (kind of a senior establishment) so this went over a treat with the dining patrons. Ahem!

Outside of bodily functions, life is ticking along pretty much as expected, doing all the stuff you'd expect from a toddler girl. Except for hair bows and ponytails. Still no luck in that direction. This is about as good as it gets.







We still LOVE our books





Although ballet lessons were a FAIL, we still love to dance. Pumped up Kicks is our favorite song right now (although none of us knows what the heck it's about and, judging by some comments on Facebook, that's probably a good thing) along with a cover of the 1980s Van Halen Classic, Jump, by English girl-group, Girls Aloud. The latter of which, of course, results in A LOT of jumping.













And finally, I leave you with the many faces of Daisy, who has become quite the camera ham (when she chooses to be.) She's the perfect photo practice: always on the move, head down, and never compliant.

Nope... NOTHING like me at all.

Parents vs. Toddler (it's a tie)

This evening Daisy had a MEGA fit. A tantrum to be reckoned with. And like always, it came out of nowhere.

In the car on the way home from school:

DAISY: "What we doin' today mumma?"
ME: "We're going to go home, get changed, and go to Trader Joes."
DAISY: "Oh, I LOVE Trader Joes!!!!!!! Yay! Trader Jooooooooooes!" (Said with high-pitched excitement that could only be mustered by a two year old when presented with an opportunity to grocery shop.)

At home:

ME: "Ok Daisy, let's get changed so we can go to Trader Joes."
DAISY: "Nope."
ME: "Well, do you want to wear your school clothes instead?"
DAISY: "Nope."
ME: "So let's get changed then."
DAISY: "No. I DON'T WANT TO go to Trader Joes!"

(Repeat in some form or fashion for 15 minutes, with increasing emphasis on both sides.)

Next step: sheer force. I begin stripping her pants and diaper off. She begins bucking me like a donkey. She is now flailing her bare ass and girl bits around the floor in a full-body roll-and-jerk. I can see that, in reality, I'm not going to get very far pursuing this tactic.

ME: "Ok, well, if you won't go where we need to go, we're not going to play with you."

(This was a mistake, I realize. Bargaining and leveraging NEVER works, plus it didn't really further my goal: getting to the grocery store. Man, kids are great at sending you off track!)

Then follows about half an hour where we ignore her, I take a shower, and hubby kicks back on the couch, studiously refusing to participate in games or read books.

When I'm done with my shower, I come down the stairs and announce ever-so-boldly to Ms. Daisy's half nakedness: "Ok, so here's what's going to happen. We're going to get changed -or not - and we're going to Trader Joe's."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! I don't want to go to Trader Joooooooooooooooooe's! I don't WANT to!"

Again, repeat with multitude of rephrasing along with soothing interjections from Hubby, who still believes that if you can just find the right combination of words to ask nicely, it will get us somewhere. (He is so the optimist!)

It's now an hour later and we need food. We don't have basics like milk and eggs. We need to go to the store and as much as it would be delightful to go on my own and leave her to sulk at home, I refuse to be bested by a two year old.

This is a hill I am plainly willing to die on.

So I go in, diaper in-hand. Bucking, jerking, rolling, flinging ensues. I am completely unable to get two legs into the diaper alone. I get one in and, as I'm forcing in the other, she's pulled the first one out. I don't have enough hands, legs, knees, and elbows to simultaneously pin her down, hold the line on diaper leg #1, and get diaper leg #2 in the hole. Hubby attempts some form of gentle restraint but it's like wrestling an alligator: the only sure way of success is a sedative and we're all out.*

At some point she writhes across the living room floor, us in hot pursuit, pushes her legs against me and smacks her head hard into the legs of the entertainment center. (An effective delay tactic. Kid's smarter than I give her credit for). Now we feel bad and do indeed delay the proceedings to comfort her. We do have the diaper on, though. (Score!)

A further fifteen minutes of soothing later and we're up one diaper but still down a pair of pants and shoes. So still no closer to the front door. I make the executive decision to go as we are: school-uniform t-shirt and diaper only. (I lost my pride a long time ago. Right about the time I lost my flat stomach.)

Ms. Daisy walks willingly out the door but, when faced with the prospect of actually getting in the car, FLIPS OUT. The voracity and volume of screaming should only have been appropriate to being filleted alive. How hubby eventually pinned her into the car seat, I'll never know.

"What do you think we should do?" he asks me.

"Keep going," I say, stubbornly. "We need to go to the store."

And in the car? She sang all the way there.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And, just to prove we did, indeed, traverse TJ's in nothing but a t-shirt and diaper...

(Note: Hubby is not about to smack her, he's feeding her jerky.)

She may look like a peanut but don't be fooled, Daisy is a power house.
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* to be clear, I jest. Benadryl doesn't work fast enough.

The roller-coaster life

Dang. I don't get on here enough any more. No excuses: I just have not make it a priority. I figure it's more important to spend time with Daisy than write about time spent with Daisy.

But she's napping right now, I have a glass of wine, and have just finished editing some cute photos of her. I'm feeling the warm glow of motherhood that comes from a happy child. (Oh, ok, the wine IS helping!)

Daisy is... all things right now: funny and not-amused; loving and dismissive; independent and co-dependent; observant and oblivious; good-humored and ill-tempered...I could go on-and-on but you get the picture. Having studied child development at some point in the distant past, I remember vaguely that this has something with her trying to moderate the emotions she is feeling. At this age, everything just comes out unfiltered and unfettered. (I kind of envy her that. If you know me, you know how much I hate "filters".)

So, I call life right now a roller-coaster ride. One moment I'm having THE. BEST. TIME. with her and the next minute I'm ready to drop her off at her Nan's house and never return.

Here are some photos from life with Daisy...

FUN BEFORE SCHOOL
(In case you missed it on Facebook, she's in the official "Pre-School class now. It's called "The Explorers" which pleases her no-end because it's "just like Dora!")

TRASHING THE HOUSE IN THE MORNING

TRYING NEW TREATS

PLAYING WITH HER GIRLFRIEND, KENZIE

SWIMMING WITH DADDY

Oh for the love of being 2

Where taking care of a baby involves nothing more than balancing them on your head


Where your only "baggage" is a suitcase of books


Where walking around talking to yourself is not yet considered "crazy"


Where a wind-up ballerina can still inspire awe and wonder


Where "taking a bike ride" means sitting back while your Daddy does all the hard work


Where picking your nose is still considered (somewhat) funny


Where mornings start out with joy vs. trepidation



Where looking cute is as easy as standing still

Ahhhh....what's Daisy doin'?

She's taking swimming lessons in a pool without Mummy and Daddy. Her teacher's name is Ms. Ariel. How appropriate, huh? She cried the first week she went because she's always done lessons with one of us in the pool with her but now she's loving it. In fact, she's progressing much further/faster without us to use as emotional crutches. She'll even float on her back now, which would induce mega-fits before.

Plus side: neither Mumma nor Daddy have to endure wearing a bathing suit or getting wet!



She's doing GREAT at school! We've moved on from screaming, crying, sulking, and bargaining. We now have... wait for it... friends! Elyse and Geegee are the two girls she talks about the most. Geegee is a doll of a kid, about a year older than Daisy, who always runs up and greets you whenever you arrive at the school. She's like the unofficial hostess. Elyse looks almost exactly like Daisy, so much so that it's sometimes hard to tell the difference from afar when they're in the playground.

Today, Daisy's report said that she is doing great following along with circle-time and that she is doing an awesome job of putting things away after she's finished with them.

Yes, we checked to make sure we picked up the right slip of paper.



Her #1 love is still books. She hasn't blinked an eyelid about half of her toy collection disappearing from the living room. Definitely the right decision there. We spend money on books. No more toys. With few exceptions, they're just five minute wonders around here.

What are the exceptions? Tambourines, maracas, and stuffed animals.



She's become a bit of a Daddy's girl. Yup, the pendulum has begun to swing. I think it has a little to do with the fact that I have been working more which has not just made me literally more unavailable but emotionally/mentally also. I feel sad about this, of course, but at the same time a little glad that it's forced Ms. Daisy to learn what a wonderful Daddy she's got.



The cutest thing they do right now is at bedtime. Daddy has a habit of saying "I love you more!" and now Daisy responds. So, as he backs out of her bedroom at night, they yell and giggle at one another: "No, I love YOU more!" It's awesome and makes my day.

She's developed a picky attitude toward clothes and shoes. Some are just off-limits. Others are favorites one day and then apparently, the next day, they hurt, are too small, or are too big. It's hard to keep track. It sure makes me glad she has a school uniform because it leaves us with a limited number of options to fight over. Not that I usually fight too hard. Meh, you gotta choose your battles and her having matching shoes isn't a hill I feel like dying on any time soon.



Things that have not changed:

She's still a nut. Running in circles, jumping up and down, and generally behaving like the Energizer Bunny. I want just a LITTLE of that, please!





She's still a Nanny's girl.  Although she loves school now, by the time Thursday comes around she's asking when she'll get to see Nanny. "I WANT her!" she'll pout. On Friday mornings, she'll squeal like a nutter yelling "YAY! Nanny and Grandad day!"



And last but not least... we are nowhere even close to being potty trained, although everyone is soooo over changing those nasty diapers. But Ms. Daisy is on her own schedule and, despite Nanny's best efforts, she has no desire to even venture down this path right now. I guess this is the new battle ahead...

Time for a Daisy update

I'm long overdue for a Daisy update. The delay has been two-fold: first, we went to England for two weeks (for more on those exploits, head over to Ms.Ranty Pants) and second, life is crazy busy right now. There's barely enough time to take personal pics, let alone edit them and write a blog post around them.

But I'm fitting in some time this evening. Lucky you!

What's going on with Ms. Daisy?

She's a chatterbox. 


Her favorite phrases right now are questions:

• "Ahhh, where we goin'?" 
• "What ya doin' mum-mum?"
• "What ya havin'?"

We have yet to make it to the "why" phase but I'm sure it's not far off.

I can't believe it but, at just a little over two years old, you can now have a fully-fledged conversation with Daisy. I mean, real exchanges of value. It's crazy how fast they learn!

She's a ballerina.

Daisy just loves to dance. We enrolled her in a local ballet school this past week and she had a blast prancing around. The standing-on-one-spot-and-paying-attention part? Yeah, that needs work.

Of course, this means that she likes to practice at home now. This can mean we alternate between all sorts of cute (as above) or all sorts of hilarity (as seen below) when she insists that Hubby or I join in.



She's getting more adventurous.
Especially since our trip to England, she is getting less afraid of her own shadow. Which means that she had actually begun to truly enjoy her jungle-gym, just in time for summer.











She's a cooker but NOT an eater.

Missy loves a mixing bowl and a fork. She loves to whip-up eggs and pancakes. She has a blast smooshing cookie-dough shapes in the the counter top.

What she doesn't do is eat most of it. Kid is a spotty eater at best, as evidenced by her slight frame. You'd think with her being so active that she would need to chow but I swear that most days she barely eats one meal. We're trying not to obsess about it because toddlers go through stages but it would be really nice to know she's getting nutrition.

Saving grace is that she is apparently eating at school. Where she also apparently naps... without coddling. Kids!





What's in and what's out:

• Sit-down restaurant meals are out. Sitting down of any kind is out. Wriggling, almost falling off chairs, laying down, kicking, running around, standing, and squealing for effect are in. We heart Chipotle, Panera, Smash Burger, and the like.
• Tantrums are in. (SHOCKER!) They're usually not directed at us, though. For instance, the other day she was picking up books to read them in her room and then shouting (at nobody in particular) that she didn't want that book - as if someone forced it upon her! Crazy child.
• Baths are out. They are more like wet tantrums. 
• Mummy is in - still. When-oh-when will this phase end, folks? Some days I swear this kind wants to share my own skin with me. And I feel so sorry for her poor dad, who tries to bestow kisses and love on her but who she frequently rejects while wailing my name.
• Potty training is out. She 100% gets the concept, 100% knows what's what and when it's going to happen and 100% refuses to be any part of it. We've tried potties and now a Dora seat for the adult toilet. All to no avail.
• School is in. There is now happy talk around school. Phew!

Two, as expected, is proving to be an equal mixture of joy and frustration. As Daisy's little personality develops, it's wonderful to expand and deepen our relationships with her. But the tantrums and impatience are mind-bending to be sure.