I love my daughter. I love my daughter. I love my daughter....

This has become my mantra the last few days.

I was thinking today (while cleaning egg out of my carpet) that my boys were soooo much easier.....and then I remembered cleaning eggs out of the carpet in our other house, and an entire gallon of milk off the kitchen floor, and mud, and bugs, and gum, and olive oil....

Okay, I guess we have just hit that phase in life. The "Twos" are upon us!

At first I thought that maybe I was neglecting her. She is constantly pulling at my legs, wanting to sit on my lap, and wanting me to hold her. Maybe I was doing too many things and not spending one-on-one time with her because according to her father, she is NEVER like this with him.

So, yesterday I gave her attention.
We went to the play place in the mall.
We read books together.
We played playdough.
We colored pictures.
We played in the hose to cool off.
We snuggled together on the couch before nap time and watched a cartoon.

All of this was done BEFORE nap time! I didn't do anything else yesterday except pay attention to the little monst.... I mean Mookster.

Dallin got home about the same time she woke up from her nap and he invited a friend over. While his friend was over I played with Maura again.
We did flash cards with pictures she recognized.
We played counting with bears in colored cups.
We watched Dallin play with his Gerbil.
We went outside (ugh, it was so hot) and rode her bicycle.

Dallin's friend went home and it was time for homework. I sat Maura up to the counter to play with playdough while I fixed dinner and helped Dallin with homework. She promptly crawled on the counter knocking her drink to the floor and crumpled Dallin's important papers.

I put her down and showed her some toys and went back to help Dallin. All was quiet for a few minutes and Dallin was making progress when I start to wonder where the mookster is...I find her in the office with MARKERS decorating the back door and herself.

I don't as a rule leave markers anywhere a small child can get them. She had opened a cupboard and pulled out several tupperware boxes. One of them had crayons in them and two markers had been overlooked.

I give up. Evidently it's not attention, it's just that stage. It's time to put locks on all the cupboards and appliances. It's time to Two-proof the house. It's time for me to practice relaxation exercises.


I love my daughter. I love my daughter. I love my daughter....(note the 'lipstick' she has on her face).