I must ascertain that Sassy is, indeed, still two...

After going through a grueling 48+ hour labor with multiple unsuccessful epidural attempts and an eventual c-section, you would think that I would never forget those days. That I would never forget holding my sweet baby girl in my arms for the very first time. This would seem logical.

However, I have found myself looking back to late April of 2006 and asking myself, "Did I really enter the hospital to have her on April 29th? Was she truly born on May 1st? Am I remembering these dates correctly?" You may wonder why I am questioning the very thing that no mother ever forgets. Ever.

Well, based on outward actions around the Sweet Pea household lately, it surely seems as though someone has entered the terrific threes a few weeks early [insert sarcasm]. Dear Lord.

Sassy has been a CHALLENGE and a half as of late. I'm nearly at a loss for words. It's pretty bad when my most stated phrase has become, "Speak with your words, not your whines, please." It's like she has created an entire alternate language that consists of nothing besides high-pitched squeaks, unintelligible run-on sentences, and other sounds generally unpleasant to any human ear.

We are having meltdown central several times throughout the day. The worst part... it's over nothing at all nothing I hold to any level of importance. I try hard to remember that she is trying to find her voice in this world, but it's relatively hard to do when I know she has had a strong and powerful voice for so long. A voice projected by sweet sounds, songs, and loving words to her mommy.

I do think part of the problem has been that she has had a very hard time taking her rest in the afternoon ever since the bippy fairy came. Poor girl- I think she is just so used to that comfort to soothe her to sleep. The fact is, she is just not ready to lose the nap completely. It's a sure bet every day: skipped naps equal meltdowns at dinner time and beyond. Big ones.

I do love my Sassy dearly, though. Tantrums and all. I also try to pick my battles, a skill that I am still very much developing. Still being a relatively new parent, I have found that possessing this ability is paramount to the balance of our family life.

So, last night, we were getting ready for bed. I had Sassy looking forward to all of the exciting things we would be doing over the next few days. We got the teeth brushed, and I sent her in her room to pick out her jammies. We keep her pajamas in her bottom drawer, and it's something we always let her choose. Well, out she comes with a little pair in her hands. After taking a closer look, and then having the epiphany that Tyler put away laundry last time, I realized that she had a pair of Little A's pajamas in her hand...

I tried to make a joke out of it. "Oh, you're so silly," I told her. "Those are Little A's mermaid jammies." "Notheyrenottheyrem-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-ne!!!" she wails. "Sweetie, I think they are Little A's. Look," I said, placing the shirt up to her chest and showing her how small it was. "I don't think they will fit you, babe." General chaos ensues, including Sassy wedging herself into the darned pajamas.

Battle-picking time. Since I hadn't told her outright that she absolutely could not wear the pajamas, but instead suggested picking different ones, I wasn't going back on my word. Since she had gone to the trouble of figuring out how to get them on, and since they were sized 12 months instead of 9 months, I just let it go. The funny part was, they weren't nearly as small on her as I thought they were going to be.



Truth be told, she was pleased as punch with her pajama selection.



Oh, have I mentioned to you all that Sassy has come into our bedroom every.single.night since the bippy fairy came, too? Hey, it's a process...

Well, anyway, this is what I saw when I called for Sassy to wake up this morning for preschool. I had to run and get the camera. Holy hair!



Oh, and here's a super-cute one of Little A right after we dropped Sassy off. She was still in her car seat and just smiling and cooing away. Love it!



Have a great Thursday, everyone!