Piece Out

We made it. The first week of our transitions back to work and solo daytime parenting is over. The key to success - rolling with the unpredictability and reminding myself to be extra patient with Amari because these major changes must feel confusing.

For her part, Amari kept me on my toes. Monday was a breeze - busy, fast-paced, and gone before I knew it. After that, it was anyone's guess when Amari was going to turn from a cave toddler into a whine-o-saurus. Tuesday she was an angel all morning, but a nightmare when she woke up from her nap. And by nightmare, I mean a mildly bad dream where you've been attacked by one of those koala bears with the Velcro hands or a piece of fabric softener that didn't work. Wednesday, however, she switched it up, finally returning from her morning visit to planet Cling-On in the afternoon. Thanks to the sun and a $20 Rite-Aid swimming pool, we spent a good chunk of Thursday and Friday in the back yard.

Amari's language develop continues in leaps and bounds, surprising me daily, and reminding to both watch what I say, and say whatever it is I'm watching. The more we give our children a narrative for our shared experience the more quickly they understand the world we live in. I want to mention a couple of the moments I've found most endearing.

1. Wednesday morning, when everything that could go wrong did, left me without telephone, Internet, and patience. Late nights of work had caught up with me, and when I not only couldn't solve the technology problems without assistance but somehow managed to make them worse, I muttered "Fuck. Fuck," to myself within earshot of Amari. Keen on saying the first and last words of my sentences, she jumped at the opportunity to mimic this very short one by saying, "Fook. Fook."

2. I love it when Amari uses words in context that she learned on another occasion. The other day, as I placed her in her car seat, I asked aloud, "Where's your binky?" She promptly responded, "Pocket." I don't even remember teaching her that word. It's pretty cool.

3. One time, while sharing a carbonated beverage with Amari, I let out a little burp, said "burp," as it escaped, and then giggled. It became Amari's favorite game for the next ten minutes as she took sips of the drink, said "burk," and then instructed me to do the same again...and again. A week later, with the game a distant memory to me, Amari took a sip of my juice spritzer, smiled at me and said, "Burk."

4. I love how she says coffee - Foffee - and waffle - Faffle. I love how she loves coffee, but I don't love how much she'll drink it if I let her.


5. Potty Training: I can't even call it training. As Carrie pointed out, it's more like Potty Availability or Potty Opportunity. Amari gets it, she likes it, and now she has added pooping to her repertoire. Two things amaze me: how quickly it has happened and how quickly we as parents get accustomed to these amazing accomplishments.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings...