Oh how the tables have turned...

Oh how the tables have turned…
The whole time Hayden was sick, I prayed I could take her pain away- that it could be me going through her pain. Well, this week I have a stinky cold. I’ve been healthy for so long that I forgot how annoying it can be to get sick. My runny nose just drips and drips… very attractive, I think. My husband is very supportive. He keeps looking at me in disgust and saying that I better not get him sick. He’s very sympathetic. I don’t think anything is more horrible than getting a cold in the summer. It’s a total oxymoron. When Hayden was sick for those awful two weeks, I did everything in my power to comfort her. And even though this stupid cold is nothing like what my little diva went through, it’s amazing how the tables have turned. I just cuddled with her for an hour today while she watched her cartoons. (and yes, I am one of those Mom’s who let their kids watch TV and I’m not afraid to admit it.) Normally, during TV time, she’s running around, playing with her toys while I sit on the couch with my laptop in my lap doing work. Today, I think she knew that Mommy needed her. And I just sat there holding her and she comforted me. Funny how that works.
Anyway, we’ve been working really hard this past week with her “issue” with my name. She keeps calling me “Anna”. It’s not cool. I mean, it’s cute, but not cool. I’ve noticed she only does it when she wants my attention right away. So, if we’re playing, I’m “Mama” but if I’m on the phone, working on the computer, or doing something that doesn’t involve her, she calls “Anna” (in my Mother’s Italian accent, no less)- I’m sure she picked it up from my Mom. She listens to her call me that and that’s how she gets my attention. We have a routine now. When she calls me Anna, I point to myself and say “Mommy”- and then she points to herself and calls herself “Mommy”. Sigh. It’s a work in progress. She has no problem with “Daddy” though- or “Nonna and Nonno” (Italian for Grandma and Grandpa)…
I feel like my baby isn’t a baby anymore. My sister was visiting from California and she said “Hayden’s like a full blown kid”. And I realized that it was true. She’s a little person. She’s always had an attitude but now it’s in full blown diva mode. My Mom said to me “She’s becoming a little monster”- I’m sure it has nothing to do with the amount of spoiling that happens at Grandma’s house. Today we were at Stepping Stones Children’s Museum. She loves the water area. She refuses to wear the water smock that all the children wear. Today, I was determined to get it on her. She had on a nice outfit and I didn’t want it soaking wet. I grabbed her, strapped her into the smock while she squirmed and squealed- and she broke free and ran away. I smiled in my small triumph… until I watched her rip the smock off of her and literally throw in on the floor. She waddled her little self right over to the water and began to soak herself. I looked around, not one single other child had a problem with the smock.
This seems to be an ongoing power struggle I’m having with her. She won’t stay in her stroller for more than ten minutes- she won’t hold our hands when we’re walking in public and regularly runs off laughing in hysterics- she hits “Anna” aka “Mommy”… but then… but then there are those small moments… This morning I was working on my laptop while she ran room to room playing. All of a sudden I heard “Nee Nee Ohh” (This is an Italian song that we’ve always sang to her at bedtime or naptime) and I walked into her room. Sure enough, she had pushed the ottoman to the rocking chair, climbed up on the chair and was rocking… clutching her precious Orange. She was singing “Nee Nee Ohh” to her lovey toy and putting him to sleep. It was beautiful. Then she screamed for fifteen minutes because it was her naptime too. I’ll take those small moments at any chance I can get.