Who allowed her to grow up!

Things that Amelia showed me she could do today...

1) Clean her room all by herself

While I was cleaning the living room and kitchen after dinner, I told her that she needed to put all her toys away. Then she came in and said she was done, I checked and she was not, and I gave some more specific instructions. Then I found few lurkers in the dining room, sent her back in with those and a few minutes later she comes in and tells me she is done again. So I go back and check. Her shoes are neatly in the cabinet. Her dolls are all in the crib. And all her toys are put away. Except for one leap pad book. So I told her to put that in the toybox, and she told me "no momma, it don't fit" and she was right. So we put it on top of the bookshelf. She did such a great job all by herself. Next up, labels on the drawers so she can help put her clothes away.

2) Read Pigeon wants a Puppy

Of course, she started telling me the story of Pigeon wants a puppy while looking at the Don't let Pigeon drive the bus. Once we got the right book. She read me the one page that I knew she had learned. And proved to me that she actually understood the story. It went something like this. "Pigeon wants a puppy" "Oh, I get it, you don't wanna me be happy" "Oh, I change a my mind" "I want a walrus" Which actually is the basic story line.

3) Read Leonardo the Terrible Monster

Then she wanted to read me Leonardo...It went about like so
"Leodardo bad monster..."
"Leodardo not scare"
"More teef dan Leodardo"
"Big elenor"
"Weird like hector"
"Leodardo, perfect books, find sam." (Which really says that Leonardo researched until he found the perfect candidate, Sam"
"Sam Cries...'my mean big brother pooped on my head, dat's why."
"Now dey friends momma...its otay sam"
"Leodardo scare sam."
"Deee End"

4) Understand the consequence of bad behavior

Earlier in the day she bit me, on purpose after I specifically told her do not bite me. I saw it coming. So I put her in timeout. Later during a diaper change she reared back and kicked me...the following conversation was something like this...

"Amelia did you just kick me?"
"Yes"
"Where do you go when you kick"
"Time out"
"Ok, go then"
*Stands with nose on wall for two minutes...hears timer...*
*Comes running to me*
*HUGE HUG*
"I sorry mommy...I no kick"

5) Understanding good manners

While we were in the bath/shower (next point) she finally got all clean, and I said, okay, lets get out and get a towel on...to which she answers in the 'reminder voice' "please" Yes, Amelia, you are right, please can we get out of the shower and get our towel on... "Otay momma" Guess what skill we have been working on...

6) Bath/Shower time.

Until just recently, my child has been deathly afraid of the bath. Everytime was a struggle to get the business part of the bath done. She did not want water on her face, her hair, really no where but her feet. And it was a constant battle, because she would NOT sit down. She HAD to stand up...which of course, made me very nervous. Well, about a month ago, she decided that water was her friend. And all of the sudden bath became a full contact sport. Splashing craziness everywhere. So, tonight, she desparately wanted the shower on. So I turned it on, thinking the most that could happen was that it would freak her out that water was falling on her. OH NO, she loved LOVED loved it. She played in the shower and then played with the shower head. She squirted herself in the face, and everywhere else. HILARIOUS! (I have video, though its nakey baby in bath, so I am a bit cautious about finding somewhere to get it uploaded.) Following her bath post water, prior to towel, she was dancing with her shadow...ladies and gentleman, her shadow dances too!

7) Funny Funny Child ... Amelia quotes

"Momma, if you donna cry, you do to your room"

Guess where she goes when she needs to cry and I need to maintain my sanity? Actually, I was not crying I was laughing so hard that I had my head in my hands over something else she was saying...and it sounded a bit like crying I suppose...

"Mommy, you make a mess on Aunt Sarah" As we were putting things in Amelias room after her new big girl furniture got here. I dropped the box of doodles (hair holders...they are all doodles) on aunt sarah and they went everywhere. The part of this that was the best was the total freeze frame that she did right before she said it. She went stiff and her face froze in a look of horror... Other things she has helped with!

She washed dishes over the weekend, actually washed them for the first time with soap and all. Girl's got skills. She got everything she washed perfectly clean. Hopefully this will end the finding dirty dishes in the cabinet thing. She has put away a dirty dish in the cupboard only to be found much later, and I pulled a dirty baby fork out of the silverware drawer. I love that she wants to help, though I will be glad when she gets all the concepts! Needless to say, she had a wonderful day!

Alright folks, I volunteered to review the following book and place it on my blog, and I am glad that I did. It was an "enjoyable" read, not only because it was information that I am comfortable with, but it really did cause me to think hard about the things that I do and do not have in place for the Tater...and any tots to come.

The process of putting together wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney's, and the like is daunting (even to me) and this book gives a wonderful overview of the specific (we all know the general) reasons why it is important to get things in place.

While the book provides great advice in a specific sense, it also does a great job of reminding you that state laws differ, and that it is important to find someone you are comfortable with who can provide you with legal advice about what is required to get your affairs in order.

There are lawyer jokes, and jokes about drowning lawyers, and tons of kits to help you avoid having to see a lawyer. But despite all of the website and information touting how great the do it yourself legal kits, there are few resources to tell you why accessing and using those is a bad idea.

This book outlines the many things that can go wrong in do it yourself kits for wills, trusts, guardianship documents, or the various and sundry other things that you need to have in place if something were to happen to you creating a situation where you could not be there for your children.

Fortunately, Always Wear Clean Underwear also looks at the really important non tangibles that we as parents want to leave for our children and simply assume that we will be there to give them.

An easy to read book, which will not knock a large chunk of time from an already full day, you can get ideas about the kinds of things that you should have in place for your children. In fact, I read the whole book in an evening.

While it will not teach you how to do these things on your own, it will most certainly provide you a good basis to be able to ask intelligent questions and to be prepared to meet with someone who can help you prepare all the documents that you should have in place in case of an emergency.

Thinking about no longer being there for your children is a painful process and one that most parents *including me* choose to ignore. BUT, one of the most disturbing things for me in reading Always Wear Clean Underwear is that while I could answer all the questions of what happens when you do not make arrangements for the long and short term care of your child, none the less, I have no written plan in place for my child.

You all know what I do which means that I know what happens when children are left to the system and the decision making power of the Court. Each section of the book provides a specific scenario in the Choose your own adventure format and gives suggestions for solutions and specific working solutions to problems and issues that could happen to any family.

The book provides information for you to access worksheets and documents that will help you in planning for your future and the future of your children either with or without you!

While, ethically, I cannot tell someone that they need to hire a lawyer, I can indeed say that when I need a root canal, I call a dentist.

As a bonus, you get access to lots of extra things if you buy this book on the launch date...May 7...
http://www.WearCleanUnderwearBook.com

You can find information there from people who are much better with words and reviews of books than I!

P.S. The one thing I would like to remind any of you who are not married, but rather live in some sort of a domestic partnership which is not sanctioned by law is that you have to get Durable Powers of Attorney in place so that your significant other can be the one who makes medical decisions for you, and not your oldest sibling or something similar.