Her Highness

The picture above shows the "outfit" that Matine had to wear while making Valentines.  Let me tell you.  Nothing this kid does is by accident, coincidence or happenstance.  Everything is METICULOUSLY thought out and planned.

I am enjoying a day to myself today as Peter took Matine with the Rogers' family to Showdown Ski Area for the day. I am relishing the quietness of our house and piddling on projects that need to get done.  Clearly, one of them being "do a blog post!"

Dish towel and princess dress . . . the possibilities are endless!  

Everytime I finally have 2 moments without Mattie, all I can do is think about her (ironic).  She makes me laugh ALL THE TIME!

Yesterday's moments:
We went to Chico to soak and after soaking we were having lunch in the Grille with Sally, Brian, Audrey and Camille.  She just sat there so sweet and big at the table, using her manners, her napkin to clean her face, just coloring away.  All of a sudden Audrey bit her tongue and started crying (poor girl).  I watched Mattie's super concerned face contort and change as she looked at Audrey with such sympathy.  After about a minute of her crying, Matine reaches her hand over, starts rubbing and stroking her back and very quietly and calmly saying to Audrey, "it's ok Audrey, did you hurt your tongue, I'm sorry, it's ok" - all while just laying her hand on her back.  She soon started stroking her hair and being the sweetest friend I have ever seen.   She would occasionally look back at me with her "concern look" that she has down perfectly motioning to me "mom, what do I do?  I feel so bad for her!"  She is just the sweetest kid!

Take a picture of me! 

On the way down there, I had a lemon-lime gatorade.  Of course, she misses NOTHING and any new object, outfit, expression, route, change of plans is ALWAYS brought up by her and these days is met with 1,000 questions.   So it began:  "mom, what is that you are drinking?"  "it's gatorade." "oh, but what is it?" "Well, it's kind of like juice.  It's a lemon lime flavor juice, similar to lemonade."  "Oh, like lemonade, but what is it?"  "Well, have a sip and try it, I think you might like it."  "Oh, thanks mom." She holds it in her hands, repeating, "but what is it?"  I keep urging her to just try it and see.  She barely touches her lips to the rim and says, "but what is it?"  "I repeat the name, Lemon Lime Gatorade, it's like juice"  Finally she gives in and takes a swig, "It's good mommy!  Hmmm... Gatorade, like Lemonade!"   As soon as we arrived at Chico she made sure I didn't leave the bottle of Gatorade in the car.  "We need to bring that Gatorade to the pool!"

Now that she is "potty trained" and tells everyone she wears panties and sits on the potty, she is BIG STUFF.  She acts like she's been doing it for years and as if she is an old pro.  I actually overheard her telling someone the other day, "when I was a baby and wore diapers"  - ha!  She has been out of diapers for 2 weeks and already refers to the past as "when I was a baby."   In the dressing room at Chico yesterday Sally was mentioning to Audrey that Matine now wears panties and uses the potty, trying to entice her to do the same soon.... Matine grabs Audrey's hand, tilts her head like a teacher would to a student, and in "teacher voice" says, "come here Audrey, do you want to come with me to the potty, I will show you how to use it."    I think she is ready to be big sister!

She is also very into "negotiating" right now.  Of course, we are careful to not let her have too much power with her negotiating, but as we all now, some is inevitable and harmless - like "Go pick out 1 book to read before bed."  And her reply is usually, holding up her hands, tilting her head with sure authority, "how about 2 books."
She does this with time related things like last nights request before bed, "Mom, I want to cuddle for just one more minute."  And when I ask her to come to the dinner table or get her jacket on to go, "Just one more minute mom, I'm almost done _______."  So far, this makes me chuckle because it has been kept to a minimum, but man, this gal has it figured out.  It also is used quite often when she wants to watch "one more Dora" (Dora the Explorer).  That one we don't budge on much but she never ceases to try for "one more."

"Tie it in the back, now take a picture of me!" 

Last night she tried a new stall technique for bedtime.  She didn't want to go and now that she nows her powers with the potty, she exclaimed from bed that she needed to pee.  Of course when you are in training mode, you have to respond on some level because, what if she really needed to!   So, out of bed she comes and she sits on the potty, convincing Dad to read her "one more book" as she sits there (not peeing).

After a few minutes and no pee it was back to bed.  Then of course we hear, "I have to poop!"  Hmm... now we suspect this is all a ruse as well, but again, what if it's not!  We tell the kid to tell us if she needs to go.  So, up she goes again, on the potty, asking for books.  I don't give in to that, I tell her now books, just do her business and it's back to bed.  As she sits there, she starts negotiating her time on the toilet.   Out comes the words, "Just 5 more poops!"  I thought I was going to lose it... Oh no, ONE poop and it was back to bed for this little manipulator!

Don't let the angelic face fool you.  She's no fool!