3 Days to 2

This day will further more be known as the Great Broccoli Showdown. And let's be clear, I didn't win this one. As I've mentioned before, Natalie is currently not eating fruits or vegetables ... with very few exceptions. Can you tell that I am a little perturbed by the situation? My inner control freak is going nuts with every failed attempt to get this almost-two-year-old to eat something more nutritious than Veggie Booty! After tonight's incident, I even pulled out the Deceptively Delicious cookbook, a gift from my thoughtful friend Tammy, with the best of intentions but a lack of enthusiasm when I realized that all of the recipes include at least 10 ingredients - that's not my kind of cooking.

Enough about my kitchen shortcomings and back to the Great Broccoli Showdown ...

The plate of food I prepared for Natalie had bits of chicken strips, ranch dip, pieces of focaccia bread, a slice of Havarti cheese, and one floret of broccoli cut into smaller chunks. She ate one bite of chicken, bread, and cheese, and then pronounced that she was "all done." With a full plate of food on her tray - a meal that I had spent time planning and preparing - I was more than disappointed by her feeble efforts.

Natalie: "All done. All done. All done."

Me: "Ummm. No my sweet girl you are not 'all done' - you need to eat two more bites of chicken."

She gave into that request and picked up two pieces of chicken and shoved them both in her mouth. After chewing for about 20 seconds, she spit her mouthful of chicken puree onto the plate. I was all but furious at this point. I was really letting her get to me.

Natalie: "All done. All done. All done."

Me: "Ummm. No, Natalie, you are not 'all done' - you need to try one bite of broccoli."

Natalie: "Noooooo. Noooooo. All done. Down. Down."

This is where things got interesting. I was not about to give up this little fight. She was going to eat a bite of broccoli and that was all there was to it!

At first I remained calm and repeated the choice she needed to make, "You may get down after you try one bite of broccoli."

And Natalie replying, "No. All done."

And my reminder, "If you don't try the broccoli, you may not get down."

This exchange went back and forth for a good two minutes when Chad said, "Well, you can't back down now." So true, so true.

In a weak moment, one I am not even remotely proud of, a moment I am fairly certain would qualify me for MckMama's "Not Me Monday," I picked up a piece of green mush and put it in her mouth while she squirmed and protested.

So not the right move. I know that. She cried and I felt awful and mean and sad. I wiped her face and hands, let her down from her chair, and hugged her close.

Broccoli is so not worth it!

4 Days to 2

Kid's Hamburger - $1.99

Water* in a "special" cup - Free

This face - Priceless

*Chad says an asterisk is required because I put a splash of lemonade in Natalie's water cup ... without paying for it. He's hoping I'll finally do a "double feature" with him at the movie theater ... a request he's been making for the past 15 years. It's not going to happen!

5 Days to 2

We took an impromptu (and one-night) camping trip last night. More details about that in another post. But I have to tell you that my sweet almost-2-year-old was fairly easy to entertain at the campsite. A container of Little People, a handful of books, and a baggie of crayons did the trick ... well, almost.

While we made dinner, Natalie decided she wanted - more than anything - to be in the back of the car. She was in there for at least 20 minutes. She sat in the cargo area and read books and then climbed into the backseat to chat with her baby doll (wish I had a photo of that). I kept checking with her to see if she wanted to get out ... you know, to play in the great outdoors.

Once she did decide to get out - just as I was about to take the first bite of my roasted hot dog. Within about 30 seconds, Chad and I were wishing she would go back in!

She did take advantage of the opportunity to play in the great outdoors ...

climbing on every unsafe surface she could find,

getting closer to the fire than the 15-foot radius we established,

falling off the picnic table bench, running around with sticks,

and putting rocks in her mouth ...

to which Chad proclaimed, "This child won't put a bite of fruit in her mouth, but rocks - sure, why not?"

6 Days to 2

So earlier today was tough. If you didn't read this post, you may not know what I am talking about ... but trust me, it wasn't pretty. Neither one of us - me nor Natalie - were at our best.

However, I did have the chance to spend some really sweet time - just the two of us - at an outdoor concert this evening. I packed a delicious picnic, grabbed a blanket and the stroller, and headed to one of our favorite parks. Tonight was the first concert in the summer series, and I am definitely looking forward to many more. Chad wasn't able to join us because he's not feeling well. At first, I was really disappointed not to be going as a family. But after hanging out with Natalie ... on this gorgeous blue-sky evening with big band music playing in the background and happy kiddos running/dancing all around and lots and lots of snuggles from my beautiful, happy daughter ... I wouldn't change a thing. It was a really special time for us, and I can't help but smile thinking about it now. I just wish I had taken my camera to have a visual reminder of a simple memory.

Here are the little snapshots I have of our time at the concert:

• Natalie gobbled up hummus by dipping (and double-dipping) carrots, picked every pretzel out of her snack baggie, and refused to eat watermelon by saying, "No," with her mouth in a perfect O-shape.


• She looked up at me and said, "No skueeze. In mouf." when I handed her a juice box.


• Her enthusiastic clapping and "yaying" and dancing were appreciated by a small audience near our blanket.


• Natalie practiced gentle by rubbing my face with such sweet affection ... and then she gave me a few harder taps just to test the opposite of gentle.


• We shared a drumstick ice cream cone. After every bite, Natalie said, "More-more. Gain." She preferred the vanilla bites to the chocolate, which worked out great as far as I am concerned :)

I feel so blessed to have time with my baby girl. I just hope that tonight (and this post) will serve as a reminder to really cherish the few months we have left as just a mommy and her baby girl.

7 Days to 2

I was getting Natalie dressed after her - four hour - nap today, and as I pulled her super cute jeans (thanks, Grammy) up over her almost-non-existent bootie, she said, "Apple Jeans! Dan-sing. Dan-sing."

Let me be clear that this pair of jeans does not have any sort of apple applique or stitching - of any kind. No, friends, my almost-two-year-old is referencing one of our favorite dance jams from way back ... "Low" by FLO Rida and T. Pain. That's totally age-appropriate, right? Of course, Natalie's "apple jeans" are also a little nod to my boy, Nelly ... because his clothing line makes Applebottom Jeans ... umm, and that would be a clothing line that I will never be able to wear because I am very lacking in the bootie department.

Anyway, this is how Natalie sings Low ...

Ap-ple Jeans. [Applebottom Jeans.]

Boo-hoo-hoo. [Boots with the fur.]



... and what she lacks in bootie, she makes up for in dance moves. That girl can shake it :)

8 Days to 2

Guessing that today was a glimpse at those "terrible twos" I've been hearing so much about. Thinking that's not a good thing. Hoping this doesn't last long. Wondering if perhaps she's not feeling well.

After today's swim lesson, I had plans of eating a snack and then heading to Trader Joe's ... because according to my meal plan for this week, I need to get some groceries. Natalie had other plans. She refused to share even a single pretzel with our buddy Oliver. I know sharing is hard, but come on, a pretzel? Is that really worth all the tears? Oliver was looking at her like, "what a girl!"

Before we even got to the car, Natalie was asking for her binky. I am being pretty firm about only allowing the binky when she's in her crib. My refusal and distraction techniques did very little to calm her. I resorted to my Jack Johnson CD played at a volume a few notches above her fussing. She eventually quieted and zoned out.

I waved the white flag on the idea of TJ, but still needed to grab a few "must-have" groceries at our neighborhood market. Natalie was a big mess in the cart. She didn't want to read any of the books I offered. She didn't want to sing a song or hear me sing a song. She was making me crazy ... just about that time, we ran into Tammy and Owen, which put her - temporarily - in a better mood.

Checking out and getting in the car was another struggle. Natalie just couldn't hold it together.

Back at home we had a quick lunch and a quick rinse off shower and I put her down for a nap at 1:20.

She didn't get out of her crib until 5:20. I tried waking her at 4:30, but she insisted that she needed "mo nigh-nigh." Who am I to argue?

If there's a four-hour nap involved, I guess the terrible twos might be bearable after all!

9 Days to 2

Today we had our first experience at the community center swimming pool. The first of many, apparently, because I signed up for two weeks of lessons. If you didn't already read about our locker room "fun," click here.

While dodging a multitude of wet, grouchy people and cringing from the whines of tired kids and snaps of impatient mothers, I attempted to get myself and Natalie out of our wet suits and into something dry enough to get the h-e-double hockey sticks out of there. Natalie didn't seem at all bothered by the chaos around us ... with one little exception ... she was a little bewildered by all the nakedness. You could just tell her "parts of the body" store of vocabulary was working overtime.

Which explains why she kept staring and saying, not so much in her quiet voice,

"Nakey. Nakey."
Yes, Natalie, people are changing out of their swimsuits and into dry clothes - just like us.

"Nakey bootie."
Yes, Natalie, that woman isn't wearing any pants.

"Boobies."
Yes, Natalie, those are boobies.

Oh, the power of observation of an almost-two-year-old. Oh, the joys of replying to her not-quite-appropriate commentary without sounding like an idiot myself.