Grocery Shopping

Grocery shopping these days is either a good experience or a stressful one.  Kiana doesn’t always want to sit in the cart.  She goes from sitting in the basket, to standing in the basket, to whining to get out of the basket, to trying to climb out of the basket, to wanting to push the cart, to wanting to be carried, to running away from us down the aisles.  

Well yesterday we were at the store and my husband strapped her in the seat of the cart.  She protested, but he had to go do some banking and she needed to be left with me.  Once he walked away she stopped trying to get out.  Her and I went over to the produce section to start our shopping and she was perfect.  I pointed out different vegetables and asked her what they were and what color they were.  She was fine... until Daddy returned.  Then her arms instantly went up and she started to whine to get out of the cart.  I think she knew I wasn’t able to get her out of the cart so she didn’t bother to ask me.  It made me wonder if I would be able to brave shopping with her alone.  Maybe she wouldn’t be such a handful?

I still don’t take her anywhere alone because I’m so worried she will run away from me in the parking lot, run into the street, and I wouldn’t be able to catch her.  Or if I did catch her that she wouldn’t willingly walk back to the car with me.  I suppose I could just use the stroller...

Behavior modification

We were not even in the house 2 minutes one afternoon and Kiana was already finger-painting with diaper cream on the walls.  When I went to take it away from her she ran away from me.with a big gob of it in her hands wiping it along the hall wall as she ran and then into the bedroom.  I knew it would be easy to clean up so I wasn’t going to get upset about it but I still needed to get it off of her hands before it was everywhere and I had to backtrack too much.  I asked her to wash her hands.  She loves to wash her hands and make bubbles with the soap so I thought this would work.  When I got a firm “no” in reply I had to think quick, because I’m not able to just chase after her, pick her up, and carry her to the sink.  I had to figure out what to say to get her to come to the sink.  So I said very calmly, “do you want to go to your room?”  I had never used this before, or have never sent her to her room so I was surprised it worked.  She came directly to the sink and washed her hands. 

Twin bed

A few weeks ago we took down Kiana’s crib and upgraded her to a twin bed.  This has helped tremendously in re-establishing a set nap time and getting her to sleep in her own room.  And I haven’t had any frustrating afternoons since with her with an over-tired toddler and an over-tired mommy.  

She got used to sleeping in our bed since I was never able to easily put her in her crib.  It was just easier for me to put her down for a nap and for bedtime in our bed and then my husband would move her to her crib.  Now I will lay down with her in her own room and at nap time, if she is not quite ready to settle down she can quietly play or read books.  It is so much easier.  She also likes her new bed.

She still comes into our bed occasionally at 5am, and I enjoy the cuddle time with her.   This morning I woke up to the sound of little feet pitter-pattering down the hall.  She came over to my side of the bed and stood there, sleepy eyed and still half asleep, holding her pillow, blankie, Bearbear, AND Dolly.  How she manages to remember and carry all that while half asleep is beyond me?  But she does it every time.