Mommy's Mistaken Identity

In light of yesterday’s post where I shared how my well-meaning-2YO reminded me that I’m overdue in renewing my ProActive Solution membership, I thought it would only be fair to share a very special compliment that I let her indulge me with last year:

It was only a month after I had given birth to baby #2 when I bought myself a subscription to a fitness magazine with hopes that it would motivate me to melt off the lingering blob of baby fat that wrapped itself around my waist. But who has time to read a magazine when your nursing hungry-little-man every two-three hours, dodging diaper eruptions, wiping a constant flow of churned milk off your shoulders, and chasing after a 1.5YO who believes she’s talking to Grandma when dialing the police  on your cell phone!

So there on the coffee table it collected dust until one day little girl comes running up to me with the widest smile and the biggest passionate eyes I’ve ever seen.

“LOOK, IT'S MOMMY! IT'S MOMMY!” She exclaimed, pointing to this svelte supermodel on the front cover.
So, I did what any self-respecting non-supermodel Mommy would do and replied, “YES! That IS Mommy!” 

Unfortunately, little-toddler-girl’s issue with mistaken identity didn’t work out so well for Daddy: “Look, it’s Daddy!” She shouted with glee one evening after dinner. Who could she be pointing to? Surely it would be his celebrity look alike Vin Diesel. You can imagine the disappointed look on Daddy’s face when he discovered his daughter was pointing to a picture of Elmer Fud. 

Posted by Laura 

NONpliment of the Month: Mommy’s polka dot

Initially when my little girl declared with such enthusiasm, “We match!” it seemed a great compliment. She loves to be just like Mommy. But, as I looked at her pink polka dot dress, I felt confused. I was not wearing any pink and definitely no polka dots. Instead, I was sporting an all black don’t-mess-with-me-I’ve-been-chasing-around-two-toddlers-and-barely-have-time-to-pee-let-alone-get-dressed classic Mommy attire.

“How do we match?” I ask her, just in case there was some confusion in her knowledge of colors. I was doing that Mommy thing where you try to make everything a teachable moment.

“I wearing pink, Mommy! See …” She pointed to several pink circles on her dress.

“Yes, you are wearing pink. But, Mommy is wearing all black, Sweet Heart. So how do we match?” I respond.

“Mommy, you have pink too!” She says with the purest sincerity and sheer excitement and lifts up on her tippie toes jumping up with an extended little pointer finger aimed right at the zit on my chin.

“See Mommy, you have a pink pokadot just like me!”

How do you respond to that?  Do you have any nonpliments to share? Also, don’t forget to vote for me above right; vote once per day.

Posted by Laura

Hello Kitty, Goodbye Nursing

Well, it's time to wean. And, no, I'm not referring to weaning my 10-month old. That wonderful and successful transition actually occurred two weeks ago; finally, after almost four continuous years of a constant flow of being pregnant and nursing, both at the same time, then nursing again, my body is finally now my own. No, the weaning I am talking about here involves my 2YO who in watching me nurse my son, decided that when her little baby, "Kitty Kat" (a jumbo sized Hello Kitty) was hungry the ONLY practical solution was to also attempt to nurse.

The first day I saw it, I, indeed, did a double take. I had just finished nursing my baby boy and walked into my bedroom to find little-toddler-girl sitting on my bed and staring off at the wall with her shirt half up and her gargantuan Hello Kitty doll being pressed up against her chest. "What are you doing?" I asked thinking, surely this isn't what I think it is. "I nursing Kitty Kat!" She proudly declared ever so matter-of-factly and looked back at the wall to continue focusing on feeding.  "Oh," I said, and turned away so she wouldn't see my jaw drop as I tried to hold in a chuckle. This was an imitation I didn't expect.  I just assumed that little girls feed their babies a bottle, not thinking that she never saw us feed baby boy one.  Though, it was quite intriguing to me that of ALL the dolls she had to choose, she overlooked the authentic looking little baby girl and instead choses a white, hairy, not to mention LARGE, Hello Kitty.

And how do you respond to that? I facebooked about it in contemplating that very question.  One friend suggested I get her her own boppy pillow, and I even considered a nursing cover.  What better than to embrace my toddler imitating what really is a beautiful and natural and healthy gift we can offer our children.

But, all things are perfect in their own time. And today showed that it just might be time for weaning: Earlier, as Daddy was playing with 2YO in her princess tent, they were laughing and singing when she  abruptly pauses and I guess decided that it was time to nurse Kitty Kat.  Leave it to a daddy to be completely oblivious to the hunger cry of a baby--even if the cry was silently imagined by a toddler and the baby a stuffed cat! So, right in front of him, she lifts her shirt and shoves the white, plump animal up to her chest to "nurse." I'm in the bedroom getting ready when hubby comes in and tells me that it was a hilarious but awkward daddy moment in seeing your little baby girl attempt to nurse her cat.  And that's when the lightbulb went off for me, as Oprah would call it, an "Ah-ha" moment: It's time to teach little-toddler-girl how to wean Hello kitty. After all, how would this cute imitation look if it happened in the middle of Target, at church, dance class etc.

Thankfully, I have already bought 2YO girl a baby doll feeding kit for Christmas. All that's left is a short and sweet conversation about how now that Kitty Kat is older, she needs more nutrients from the bottle and even food, just like her baby brother.  It's ever so sweet that my 2-year-old is following in my footsteps--though I must admit, I never thought I'd have to teach my daughter to wean of all things, her stuffed cat. Maybe she and I can have a weaning tea-party to celebrate, during which we can both declare: Hello Kitty, Goodbye nursing.

Posted by Laura