Thirty-Seven Months

Dear Peeper:

You are thirty-seven months old today. Yeah, yeah, I know. I don't actually say that, I usually just say that you "just turned three," although I suppose the time limit on that one is getting close.

This has been a huge month for you, developmentally.

A month ago, you were wearing panties at home when we remembered to put them on you, and you slept nice and cozy in the middle of our family bed.

Today, it's been a month since you've worn a diaper in the daytime, you've not had one on - even at night - in three weeks, and it's been a couple of days more than that since you've slept in the big bed (except for one nap with me this week, which was quite an accident).

I am so proud of you, and so glad that both of these things happened on your time-table, but I am also a little sad about them, because - Hello! Who stole my baby!?!

Actually, I don't have too much ambivalence about the potty thing, except that it was easier to stick a diaper on you and go than to stop at every potty we pass and make you "try," and now that you seem to be committed to the big girl bed, a couple of times when you seemed to be wavering (both were when you weren't falling asleep in there and you got back up) I found myself really wanting you to get okay with staying in your bed, because I was a little worried that if you went back into our bed for a night, you'd be there to stay.

Of course, you usually aren't all alone in there all night long, nor are you usually holding it all night. Generally, you wake up once or twice, and I take you to the potty before lying down and nursing you back to sleep. Sometimes I fall asleep with you and stay until morning. That's not so bad, now that we have a real twin bed for you (well, a mattress and box springs) instead of that damn youth bed.

Morning stull comes kind of early, though. No matter what time you go to bed, it seems that you're up and ready to go at eight. When you were in our bed, I could usually get you to nurse and sleep a little longer, and that works for a little while if I'm waking up in bed with you, but if I'm running in from our bedroom, you're too awake by the time I get there.

A couple of nights, you have actually slept all the way through with no wake-ups and no pees. That was very nice.

In other news, your latest obsession is with the Nutcracker, and we are enjoying watching you fall in love with something new. We listen to the music in the car all the time, and you can now identify at least three or four of the songs by name, and can sing a couple of them.

You have a Nutcracker and a Mouse King, and a couple of different things that you've called the Sugar Plum Fairy - a beanie baby bear, dressed like a pumpkin, wearing your tutu wrapped around it several times, and a panda bath puffy (when you saw it you said, "Oh! She is a ballerina!"), as well as two different Nutcracker books.

I've also ordered a DVD, but I don't know when you'll actually get it, because I made a deal with you last night that when you finally fill up the Elmo column on your Sesame Street potty chart - which is for "Uh oh, gotta go!" you can have it.

That's seven times that you have to tell us that you need to go potty.
I've given you the first two of the seven stickers for progress toward what we're really looking for - 1- I asked and you said yes, 2- you were trying to get the bathroom door open, and right after that you pooped in your panties - but at some point, I have to hold out for an actual "Mama! Pee-pee!" before the pee-pee starts flowing.

I really hope that the incentive helps, because if you're just not developmentally ready to do that, then I'm going to feel like a real jerk for holding out on the DVD.

You are already quite into Christmas, but you seem to be more concerned with the candy that Santa's going to bring than the other gifts. (That's my girl.)

Today, for the first time, you told "Santa" (I was wearing your Santa hat) that you want "some truck toys and some car toys." He may have to put in a special order to the elves on that one.

Several times, though, you have put on the Santa hat and told me, "I am Santa Claus. What I could bring you for Christmas?"

You're full of the funny these days.

The other day you told Mommy, "I wanna go outside with clothes on Mommy, with you," (turned to me) "and with not you."

 
You've been all about Mommy lately. If she's home, you don't want much to do with me, until it's time for goody. I just love watching the two of you play, and I don't mind the break, so my feelings aren't too hurt.
 
She's had several days off work in the past week, so you've had lots of time to play together. She's been giving you most of your baths, and I have gotten quite a kick out of listening in on your conversations.
 
A few days ago, you declared that your bubbles were "dipping sauce" (ranch dressing, of course), and you lay back in the water, with just your little face showing and say "Oh no! I fell in the dipping sauce!"
 
I have no idea where you got that, because we usually just talk about "dips" not "dipping sauce."
 
A lot of times you say something that one of us can't figure out, and then the other explains the Sesame Street sketch that it came from, but you come up with some pretty good ones on your own, too.
 
Several of which I will remember as soon as I hit the "publish" button on this post, of course.
 
Which I need to do, and then go get in bed, because either you are going to wake me up before long, or you're going to sleep through the night and I'll be kicking myself for wasting it by staying up late.
 
So, happy monthiversary, kiddo. Enjoy your big girl bed, and I'll see you in the morning.
 
 
I love you,
Mama