Top 10

Here are the top ten things I've learned from Natalie today:

1. Someone can both torture and love our dog, Mocha. Mocha will continue to return to you either way.

2. You can either brush your teeth the traditional way, moving the brush back and forth in your mouth, or to spice things up, you can hold the brush in your mouth and move your head back and forth. Both will equally clean your teeth. One leaves you a bit dizzy.

3. I am shocked at how many times she can ask, "was daaat?" I am more shocked when she repeats whatever answer I just said.

4. Miss Hazel at day care is an angel who probably answers "was daat?" more often and more patiently then I ever will.



5. Everything is new, every morning, every hour, every minute. Just because you get an answer to, "was daat?" does not mean you should stop pointing at the same object and asking again.

6. I am not the Mom I thought I would be. She does scream in restaurants, Target, the parking lot, and at church.

7. Polite comments from onlookers explaining to me what she wants are not helpful. I know she wants to eat the mac and cheese with her hands. Your right that is why she is upset. My job is to teach her to use her spoon. Yes, she does know how. Yes, she eats with it at home. Yes, if you leave me alone I can continue ignoring this tantrum.

8. If you don't feel like using your spoon, just wear Minnie Mouse Ears, no one will notice your eating with your hands.




9. Natalie is her father's daughter. A flashlight can double as a microphone, and when she starts singing into it, you had better dance.

10. Two tiny little fist grabbing onto mine, with her head bowed to say bedtime prayers followed by a slobbery wet kiss, makes me think, for just a second, that I might, just might, survive this.