"i do it!"

"I do it!" happens to be Ana's favorite phrase these days. And sure enough, she means it. She wants to do everything... well, almost everything... by herself and gets very upset if we try to help! I wonder if I was as independent as she is at 2¾ ...

She insists on dressing herself: she knows which of her cubbies hold the tops, bottoms, socks, panties and tights. And, I made sure they are within her easy reach to encourage her. Easily dictated by her moods (which change by the minute, of course), she manages to put on her overalls, or skirt and tights, or pants with her tops.

She persisted and mastered how to pull and hear the click of the rivet buttons on her overalls! Of course, the only times she needs help is when the snaps, zipper, or buttons are on the back of the dress, and thankfully, she has only a couple like that.

Most mornings, she gets out of bed, rushes out to greet us and get some coffee juice (Ovaltine in milk), chugs it down and rushes to brush her teeth; then, starts the tedious decision of picking what to wear to daycare. She manages fine most days. Unless we are in a hurry, we let her get ready on her own, while D and I go about our morning chores before heading out for the day.

After the peeing in installments phase, we got her a small step stool which she loves. Best 2.99$ we've ever spent. It is light-weight, easy for little ones to carry around and place where they want, yet sturdy and solid that it won't slip or topple over, and just the right height for her to reach the light switch in every room.

One fine evening, I had seated her at the usual spot at the dining table, served her some food and quickly stepped into the garage to grab something. When I came back, she was not in her spot or anywhere in the vicinity.

Boy did I panic and within a span of 5 seconds worked up about half a dozen awful scenarios, none of which logical or rational.

Then, I heard the flush of the toilet. Phew! She had gotten down from her chair, turned on the light in the bathroom, peed in her potty, poured the contents into the big potty and flushed!

All that was left to do was to get on the 2-step step stool as usual and wash her hands! This was a beautiful moment for me for some reason... she didn't need me for her potty visits anymore and she didn't care for her treats after the potty visit anymore either. The nagging sore spot for me still is that she won't poop in her potty. She completely understands the concept, has seen many DVDs, read many books on the subject, and she even goes so far as to pop in to encourage me when all I need is some privacy! All in good time, I suppose...

Oh, and, she loves to dance to music - mainly run around in circles and jump to the music, talking and giggling. And, she loves to sing. Sometimes it is just a catchy tune with "tra-la-la" forming the sole lyrics, sometimes it is one of her favorite nursery rhymes in a loud and confident tone...

She plays independently for the most part, except when her daddy is around. She seems to want to monopolize his time and attention if she spies him. I don't blame her. I am sort of morphing into this monster/bad-guy in her eyes, setting limits and not giving in just because she cries vehemently, and I suspect she is beginning to resent that.

Whereas daddy dear tries to reason with her and just gives in most of the time thus avoiding any clash of wills, I end up giving her a hug and telling her clearly No, that isn't going to happen, Ana, no matter how hard a tantrum you throw...

Sometimes, it seems like she just quietly tolerates me, secretly hoping daddy was around to make it more fun... Well, I guess it is better that one of us firmly establishes who is the adult at home rather than none of us.

It's been a hectic Q1 at work so far, deadlines to meet and objectives to set and adhere to for the rest of the year... but, crocheting, knitting sewing, and reading give me the much-needed diversion and am grateful for that...