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Today is September 26th - this time in one month, Gaby will be THREE!!!!!!!!!!! How the heck did that happen? Seriously?!
Being completely honest, I'm having a hard time dealing with Gaby's behaviour lately - she's so... stubborn & ignorant, and at times she is just plain obnoxious. I know it comes with the age, and Gaby isn't the first child in the history of the world to drive her Mama a bit loco - but once again THIS WASN'T IN THE MANUAL! Heh... Luckily she seems to be fine when she is out with OTHER people. Jason took her out y/day morning & said she was perfect - but when she got home.. wham bam psycho girl... Obviously I just need to figure out the best way to deal with her behaviour, and then be consistent with it.
On the flipside, when she is being good, she is very very good. Her manners are coming along perfectly, sometimes she asks for something so sweetly, I have to battle the urge to give her 10 of whatever it was she was asking for! Guess this is what being a parent is about though, the good, the bad & the ugly... Mum assures me that in 15 years time, she'll start being nice again! Oh-so-reassuring!!!
Not too sure about what we'll do for her birthday yet, might just have afternoon tea with Mum, Dad & Jason, it's labour weekend so everyone will have plans to go away for the weekend, and Aunty Terri will be in THAILAND (! how exciting!). I'm going to make her a Nemo cake - I think, but she is also quite a fan of Mickey Mouse now as well, so am thinking of a Mickey Mouse cake - guess it'll depend now creative I feel like being. Jason suggested we take her to Lollipop's or Chipmunks (massive indoor play area's for kids) - which I think is a good idea, and probably something we could do in the morning - if they're open over the long weekend. I ended up getting her the LeapFrog Scribble & Write, so her birthday present is out of the way, but we might get her a couple of small things over the next couple of weeks....
Gaby has had the worst attitude this week!!!!!!! It's shocking!!! Admittedly sometimes it makes me laugh, but it is also a bit scary - she has become so argumentative - and not just with me, but with Nan & Poppa as well. First comment that made me think "what the?" was this:
Mummy: Gab, go and put your sweatshirt on please (talking about a hooded, zip up sweater)
Gaby: No! It isn't a SWEATSHIRT it's a JACKET!
Mummy: Fine - go and put it on then
Gaby: No, I don't want to!
then yesterday when we were leaving my parents house (aka Nan & Poppa), she pretty much disagreed with everything I asked her to do... Me & Mum were trying to laugh without her seeing us, and I think it worked, but mixed in with the laughter was also a little bit of fear.. lol. At the Palms I asked her to get in her stroller so that I could do her up, and her reply was "NO, I DON'T NEED TO BE DONE UP!", I told her if she sat in the stroller, that I wouldn't do her up, and that seemed to diffuse the situation - of course when she got out & Nan did her up, she acted as if we'd just told her that Santa wasn't real, or that we'd thrown away all her toys... Out at the Greyhound racing with Jason, he was sitting on a seat, and Gaby kept pushing him, saying "NO THAT IS MUMMY'S SEAT - YOU SIT HERE" (pointing to another seat). It seemed as if every second word was NO, or a bossy command. Not good!!!! I am trying to tell myself that it is just a phase, but I have a feeling it can only get worse..... and if this is any glimpse of what she'll be like as a teen, all I can say is.................... ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh save meeeeeeeeeeeee!
The joys of a child growing up & becoming their own person!!!
As Gaby is getting closer to 'preschool' age, her behaviour is changing. Yet again. Past couple of weeks she has been so strong willed, it is starting to wear me out!!! I will ask her to do something & she will tell me "no", or just pretend like she hasn't heard me - and when she does eventually do whatever it is, she'll do it differently, compared to how I asked her - almost as if to show me that she still has the upperhand! The most irritating thing though, is her continuously doing things I ask her not to - such as getting into the coffee/sugar/etc - before I wake up, and tipping it all around the kitchen, into the jug, into the toaster, into the breakfast spreads... was kinda funny the first two times, but since then, not so funny.
Today she got a box of my tampons & tipped them ALL down the toilet - shouldn't be a big deal, but due to PMS - it seemed like a HUGE freakin' deal, and I kind of lost it with her - though not inappropriately, I was just more hard than usual. I put her in timeout for her 3 minutes, took her out & explained why she was in timeout, blah blah - but the look on her face, I could tell she didn't give a damn - so I took away all her DVD's!! There is usually a DVD on the TV ALLLLL day - she doesn't really watch them for long, but they're always in the background, while she plays. But as of midday - NO DVD'S FOR THE REST OF THE DAY... and I have to say, since then she has been VERY good, I asked her to tidy up her toys, and she tidied up the shoes and clothes that were lying around as well, then she came to me & kept telling me how much she loves me, and that I'm her favourite... Greasing me up to get her DVD's back - obviously!
There is always a big emphasis on what sort of disciplinarian you are going to be, as a parent - authoritarian, permissive, democratic - will you spank, use timeout, this that & the other thing - but what no one REALLY tells you, is that after making the decision as to what sort of disciplinarian you will be (whether it's a conscious or sub-conscious decision) - you have to continuously adapt and reassess the different methods you USE when it comes to discipline....
Obviously it's a joy to watch your child developing, reaching their developmental milestones, becoming more indepedent & their *own* person.... but sometimes, that process is dang hard, and leaves you pulling your hair out!
Gaby has been sooooo well behaved the past couple of days, it is wonderful. BUT it makes me wonder if this is the metaphorical 'calm before the storm' as far as kiddy behaviour goes? Friday and Saturday I didn't raise my voice at her once, and had no troubles getting her to go to sleep... I have praised her numerous times so she knows that I'm really proud of her - hoping that perhaps she'll realise she should be that way all the time.
Ha. Ha. Ha.
I must be an idiot, being worried about good behaviour?!!!!! Funny how too-&-fro toddlers behaviour can be. She can be a total devil for a week, have me at the end of my tether, and then all of a sudden she is being a little angel - and I don't think butter would melt in her mouth! She has really been a total joy the past couple of days, it's lovely!!! Guess it's these sort of things they do to keep us on our toes - can't let us get TOO used to one sort of behaviour! That'd just be too easy after all!
my lil' Mama, giving Georgia a cuddle
... crazy monkey!
Yesterday Gaby was being a toad.... and she got me right to the end of what I could handle, so I put her in her bedroom - where she could play with her toys etc, while I took a bit of timeout so I could settle down. Many tears were shed, but eventually I felt better & went in to apologise to her and to get her dressed so we could go out. I saw her and started crying & she came and sat by me & said "Mummy sad" - and her little bottom lip was trembling and SHE was going to cry, then she gave me a big cuddle & said "I love you"....
Ironic that the person who had made me angry to begin with, was the one person that could make me feel better so quickly...........
Mischief: Gaby Styles.Moisturising Mummy's bed....
Here Mum - join in, it's fun! 
can't get enough of that hot chocolatey powder goodness
The terrible two's really can be terrible! Seems I am ALWAYS cleaning up some mess of Gaby's, or washing something she's drawn on/pooed on/spilt something on - and as for the time-out's I'm issuing? I think her record for one day was about 15!!! Shocking little monster! BUT she is getting more and more adorable by the day, and I love her to little tiny bits & pieces. Nothing cuter than her coming in in the morning and saying "have good sleep?" to me, or when I am putting her to bed at night & she asks for another kiss. Seeing her with Fluffy is also another thing that makes me love her a little bit more each day - she loves that cat SO much - she has to kiss her goodnight before bed - & give her a hug, then in the morning first thing she does when she gets up - and what I usually wake up to, is her checking the door & seeing Fluffy & squealing with delight! She's also just becoming more & more loving toward people and seems to be developing a little bit of a sense of empathy, which surprises me!
What else can I say about lil Ms Gaby... Tonight she is spending her first night at her Dad's - he is having her Christmas Day/Night & Boxing Day - and I'm going to Temuka with Mum & Dad, so I decided it would be a wise idea for her to have a night or two at his house before then, so that when Christmas Day does come - and i'm 90 minutes away, there is less chance of it going badly. I'm pretty sure she'll be just fine, but I guess it'll be a good confidence builder for him, and it'll reassure me some, so I am not stressing all Christmas! It'll be sad not having Gaby for Christmas, but he has as much right to have her on Christmas Day as I do - & his family have as much right to see her as mine do! That said, it will be nice to have some time without having to worry about her - and maybe I can even have a few Christmas Drinks with the 'rents & Deb/Mark!
Tooth #18 is through, so now there are only #19 & #20 to go! This teething thing is almost over! If I believed in him, I'd be praising the lord right about now! Trying to think if there are any other new developmental milestones she's reached.... she seems to be growing a lot, but that's to be expected isn't it! Her language still blows me away. She says a lot of numbers now, just not in order - and she always mimic's the Daily Keno draw - which is so cute, I still don't know where she learnt the number 92 - but she says it regularly!!! She's starting to enjoy books a bit more, sat through a whole story that Nan read her yesterday, and did the same for me earlier in the week - I guess that comes with the age though, her attention span is getting a little longer. She's still on the go all the time - never ever sits still, but that's not so bad! Gymnastics is over for the year, so I might start taking her swimming once or twice a week so we can still get out & do something 'special' together. Although school holidays now - the pool will be busy as heck.
