Bug in May

Bug has just recently gotten into picking out her own clothes. She always wants to wear out of season attire, such as sweatpants and sweatshirt in mid-May. She gets very upset when I tell her we can't do this because she'll "burn slam up". She always says that she doesn't mind being hot. Sometimes when we're on a stay-home day, as she calls it, I say yes to whatever she picks out, and then sometimes she'll say, "You're right, Mama. I'm too hot in long pants now!". When she can't wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, she wants to choose two short-sleeved t-shirts to wear, one on top of the other.

She was such an easy baby and toddler that I don't have any great big memory about her back then. Potty training and getting from the crib into a big-girl bed seemed to be overnight achievements for her. I try to snuggle her up and carry her as much as I can because I think she still really wants to be my baby. If Birdie sees Bug in my lap, she puts up a fight to get my lap. Bug is very patient with Birdie, always trying to say the nicest way what she ought to do or ought not to do.

So many times I've told her...
me: Bug, it happened again last night!
Bug: What happened?
me: You got even prettier and sweeter than you were yesterday!
Bug: (big smile and hug)

Also, she's starting grunting when she's really hugging me. She'll give a really tight squeeze and then make a big grunt noise. I tell her that's how I know she really loves me.

Last night she told me her own paraphrase of our recurrent conversation:
Bug: Guess what? (her two favorite words to say together - oh, she also likes to say "Look Mama!")
me: What?
Bug: Yesterday I was pretty and today I'm pretty too! (another big grin)
me: (big hug and a grunt)

Bug's future plans: Live in a house with Lou Lou in our neighborhood. She's not planning on getting married, but said she would have a boyfriend at 16 and eventually be a mommy when she grew up:).

Nighttime, the time when I'm programmed to think that everything should be calm and sweet and loving, is difficult for me. My unwinding time (time to sit down for usually the first time of the day) is after everyone is in their beds. Needless to say, my patience is not always long enough with uncooperative children. Typically, I can keep my cool, but if you know me, you can hear it in my voice that my patience is growing thin. The other night, as I answered Bug's question about her blanket for the third or fourth time, she responded by saying, "Mommy, you lose-ded your patience. Your patience is not in here with us." What made me feel good about this is that she was smiling as she said it, like it didn't really impact her and like she understood that I'm human and I don't have to be the perfect Mom for her each and every night.

Tonight, as Bear chose to play in his room rather than do as I had asked repeatedly, I said to him, "You can tell by my voice that my patience is running out. Please follow my directions." Bug piped in very matter-of-factly and said, "When will your patience be back?":)