So Thursday its snowing like crazy outside & Kyle got a snow day from work. We had been out in the snow with Hayley for the morning: making the first footprints through a field, sliding down slides to clear away snow. Now we were home, had stripped off the snowpants & various layers, given Hayley a hot bath & eaten a nice warm soup for lunch before putting her in bed for her nap. About 10 minutes into cuddling up on the couch in blissful silence with our hot tea, Kyle hears an odd sound on the monitor and we both jump up and dash down the hallway to see what the munchkin's gotten into now. And the verdict: TUMS. Since we're waiting on our house to be finished being built & are living in a 1-bedroom basement suite we share a room with the princess. And since I am 24 weeks pregnant TIMES TWO I keep me some tums close-by at all times. So she'd climbed up on a pillow, onto our bed, used the bedside table for balance and fished them down from the upper ledge. Who wouldn't? They're smoothie flavoured. We still occasionally have first-time parent moments: this was one. I dash to the phone to call poison control while Kyle fishes in her mouth and tries counting how many she's had all while coaxing as much water as we can down her throat! By the time I get through and begin to explain, I realize its funny and she's probably just fine. And now we're over the shock enough to be a bit miffed with miss pop out of bed for funny business. The lady on the other end (In British Columbia because apparently Alberta's is out of order at the moment which is totally acceptable, right?) very graciously told me she may have some tummy troubles and not to feed her dairy for a bit- and push fluids- and from the nurse a little: ps be glad this was your only reason for calling, but put things away and keep this phone number on your refrigerator. (With a hint of "because clearly you have a live one on your hands!")
And that we do. I can only imagine the plans already brewing in the twin boys' heads as they grow in my belly and accompany me as I chase their big sister around. Hayley will seem like a piece of cake soon.
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| Peacefully sound asleep just minutes after the tums fiasco had wrapped up. |
But for now she's certainly doing some testing of her own. We found her with the tums again the following day. Because clearly no must also mean yes. Don't let them fool you, moms & dads, they're smarter than you think! As I blogged Hayley opened the same "no no" bin of items for the twins 3 times. If you don't learn to insist on your yes being yes and your no being no, forget it- the toddler has won and will forever be in control.
I do intentionally leave "no's" at her level sometimes. I don't reccomend tums or anything harmful, of course! This way we have a chance to practice over and over again listening and obeying (and I get a lot of practice being patient which is probably real good for me). The books Kyle and I read when expecting Hayley {Preparation for Parenting, "Along the infant way" & "The babyhood transitions" by Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo} suggested this: not to babyproof your house so that they learn to listen and not touch the "no no's" so that when you're in someone else's home that isn't babyproofed they do just fine. We do that with things that aren't breakable or harmful to her and that are easy to clean-up for our own sakes!
