Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Gratification in the smallest things - including number 2

I may have perhaps mentioned before that Toddlers are my favourite age.  Watching them learn and develop is a real joy.  They look up to you like you're the most amazing person. Hearing my daughter run up to me when I pick her up at daycare, filled with smiles screaming "daddy daddy daddy."  Well it sounds more like "da-ah-day, da-AH-dy, da-duh-dy" as her fonts steps fall on sync with certain parts of the word forcing an extra syllable.

Yes - to be real, she does have her moments where I just want to do a Homer Simpson.  The meltdowns in the store, in the driveway, in the bedroom, near the potty, at church, at daycare.  Most of the time I just want to crack up and laugh - sometimes I actually do.  Unfortunately for me she's at the age where she understands laughter and my reaction sometimes makes the situation worse as she gets even madder.

We're trying to potty train her - which is not going smoothly. I'm trying to be patient, but it's tough when she just sits there humming to herself, reading books and enjoy sitting on the toilet.  I tell her to pee, and she feigns a  push and giggles.  Nothing, no pee pee she exclaims as she hops off the potty to excitedly put back on her pull-up.

There really isn't a rush per say except that number 2 is on the way.  No, not that number, 2, but rather baby number 2.  People ask if I'm excited, not really - I guess I'm so busy I haven't had time to think about it.  I'm really focused on work, home, church, toddler and making my wife comfortable in the 8th month.  The nursery is ready, the clothes are almost unpacked (except we don't know the gender).

However - a good chunk of preparation for the new baby is the preparing the toddler herself.  She's old enough to understand, but old enough to also be jealous.  My wife and I have already made a commitment to each other that I will make an effort to spend more time with our toddler and she will with the baby (remember, I much prefer toddler's to babies).  Hopefully this will quell feelings of jealousy while she acclimates to the new addition.  The other half of preparing her is the ending of the night time bottle (done), move to the big girl room and bed (done), out of the diapers (getting there) and discontinuation of the soother (its' only for bed right now, soon to be gone).

I've heard that toddlers can regress when a new baby arrives.  I'm not too worried about that - it's normal.  What I'm concerned about is that it may be more difficult to cease certain habits and behaviours after the baby comes home if they haven't already.  Hence, that is the pressure / rush to get some of these things done.

The countdown is on - the baby is coming, just pray for me that baby number 2 comes out healthy and with few complications and that my daughter's number 2 comes sooner and with few complications :)

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