Balance and Helpfulness

OK. I am back, and better than ever. :o) My patience has returned, and with it my sense of humor. Today I was canning again, and Jake was working on the beams for the cabin. I have some Adventures from today, but first I had better finish yesterday's...

Isabela and Maya's Adventures!!!!

So, back to yesterday. I will try and remember. Hmmmmm. I am always telling Isabela that patience is a virtue. Yesterday it was certainly not one of mine. Maya Bear was cranky and wanted to be held. Isabela wanted to be a mouse, and mice must not have to listen to their mothers. And I wanted to get a bunch of stuff done in the kitchen. None of our wants were compatible, which led to inevitable conflict. Yes, I could, and should have shifted my paradigm. I am after all the adult. There are many times that I wish that I wasn't. Sigh. Too bad we are all stubborn. I think what irritated me the most though was Isabela's eating habits. Normally, it bugs me but I can handle it when she takes a tiny bite of her lunch or supper and then announces that she doesn't like it. Or when she eats just a few bites and then says that she is full and wants to be excused. But yesterday, she did that twice(!) in a row and then got up to bed and said that she was hungry! Aargh! It is making me lose my patience again just writing about it. I thought that if I left her alone for a while about eating certain things (vegetables) that she would come to them of her own accord eventually. I didn't want to set her against vegetables for life by forcing her. However, she has become Carbohydrate Girl. Since she is growing, and developing this is very worrisome. I am afraid that her tastebuds are becoming too accustomed to refined carbs and she will never develop healthy eating habits. So, no more! This is one area in which I don't intend to regain my patience. I don't know if she could sense that or not, but today she voluntarity ate a bunch of vegetables without any prompting. I don't know where that came from, but I like it!

Kling-on Maya was not clingy today. Jake said that he could feel bumps under her gums. She won't let me stick my fingers into her mouth anymore. Ususally I am tying to get out something that she tried really hard to get in. I spoil everyone's fun! She napped very well, and was cheery the rest of the time. I am so glad to have my happy girl back again, teeth or no teeth. She is so much fun. She absolutely loves her sister and crawls after her as fast as she can, making delighted little noises. She is saying, "Mama" and "Mum" pretty regularly now. When I tell her to say "Daddy" she blows a raspberry. Maybe that is because he gives her zerbits all of the time. Anyway. She is getting so good at balancing. When she is concentrating on something else she will let go of whatever she is hanging onto and stand for a few seconds before grabbing back on or falling back onto her butt. She has no difficulty at all eating her vegetables. In fact, there is very little food that she doesn't like. Hooray! I just hope that she keeps it up.

Isabela spent today making up for yesterday. I took her dress up clothes away yesterday after she wasn't listening and head-butted me when I was putting her into time-out. This made a big impression since one of her favorte things to do is play dress-up. She still managed to change her clothes several times today. She wore a jumper without a shirt underneath, a spring dress with big red flowers, a striped pink shirt with pink pants and (aaargh!) her mouse costume. She found it in the launry when she was supposed to be napping. I came upstairs and she was on the counter in the bathroom digging in her fish tank and wearing her mouse costume. She knew that she was in trouble and didn't even object when I stripped it off and put on more normal clothing. So far it doesn't sound like it was a particularly good day, but actually it was. We told her right away that she couldn't be any animals today since she had been so naughty as a mouse yesterday, and she was really good about it. She also helped Jake in the shop and me in the kitchen. She sat on beams and supervised Jake, and kept her ear protection on. She also played in the sawdust and made a house for her "snake" (actually a coiled air hose). In the kitchen she used the apple peeler/corer/slicer for a long time. She prepared a lot of apples while I put them on drying trays. She kept at it even when it got hard. She also has been using the bathroom all by herself. Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I don't even have to remind her to wash her hands most of the time. She played nicely (for the most part) with Maya Bear and even left Oberon alone.

I know that there are more funny stories, but if I want to have patience tomorrow (today, I guess), I have to get some sleep. Good night all!

Laura and the Helpful Human and the Balancing Bear