Life is hard when you're a toddler.

I just posed the question "Food or Nap?" to Teagan and it occurred to me just how difficult her life can be. Neither was optional. I just thought I'd let her choose which came first. She loves both anyway. 

Cheeky College Savings Plan

I've decided that instead of our standard savings for Teagan each month, it may serve her better for me to put a nickel in her account every time I squeeze her cheeks. The girl was born with chipmunk cheeks and has held onto them for nearly two years now. Since the first time I met her, I couldn't resist squishing them and it only gets more fun with time. So droopy, so squishable, so darling. If I were true to my word about the nickel, med school tuition would be no problem. Feast your eyes on my cheeky little baby.

 

You Know You Make Me Wanna Shout

Dora requires her viewers to shout at the TV multiple times an episode. We don't quite have the Spanish down yet, she certainly has the form down. While the hand placement is a few inches too high, it just makes her "shouting" that much cuter.

Teagan's Triple Threat:

Reading Dora while watching Dora from the comfort of her Dora chair. She's loved Dora for some time now, but she's starting to respond more than dancing to We Did It...which has been adorable for months. She counts, she names all of the characters and follows them across the screen. She stands up and marches when Dora asks. When Dora says "salta" she asks "How high?" And of course, we always tell Swiper "No swiping!"

It doesn't get better than this for our little miss...without food, that is.

Mystery Date.

We thought Teagan's date with Keaton to Chuck E. Cheese's was going well, but he refused to be photographed with her. At the very last second, he jumped out of what was going to be the world's cutest picture...TWICE. He must have known that her crazy mother would post the pictures all over her blog :)

Dr. Seuss to Victor Hugo.

I was inadvertently logged in as Teagan when I reserved Les Miserables from the library. A far cry from the "There's a Wocket in my Pocket" she's used to.

I get it.

Facebook posts, photos, tweets. I always wondered what was so exciting about a child doing their business on the toilet for the first time. As of today, I GET IT.

The beam on their face, the look of pride. I get it. I wish I'd had a hand free to snap a photo of Little T on the big toilet for the very first time. As it was, I hadn't planned on any sort of potty training any time soon, so I was woefully unprepared. No training seat, no potty, nothing. Not that it hasn't been on my mind since the doctor asked me how potty training was going at Teagan's 15 MONTH appointment! Now, I'm a first-timer, but I don't know a soul who started potty training at 15 months...if you know someone - please don't introduce us, it will just depress me. Since then, I snagged some Pull-Ups at Target that were on sale at AND I used a coupon (that always feels good). But they're collecting dust in the closet. 

When it comes to #2, Teagan wears her heart fart on her sleeve. Since Day 1, it's been easy to tell when she's taking care of business (click HERE for examples). Poor thing.

We were just hanging out today and her little face started to get read and something told me to pick her up and give it a try. "That's silly," said I to myself so I waited. "Why not?" I said back and so I scooped her up with a little difficulty (she is NOT a fan of being touched while she's working) and ran for the bathroom. Let's just say I was late. But we emptied her diaper into the toilet and she sat there for a few minutes, enjoying the view and beaming with pride. In due time, I hoisted her off and waved "Bye poo poo!" as I flushed. She's never said "poo" before, but it didn't take her long to pick up on it. She spent the rest of the day waving to "Bye poo poo!" Luckily, we didn't run into anyone we knew. Seeing her excitement got me excited about potentially starting soon. But after a messier second try this afternoon, I'm happy tabling that idea for the time being. (shudder)

Thor vs. Jesus

Does 'Thor' count as a Sunday-appropriate family movie if your daughter has Chris Hemsworth confused with Jesus?

We were watching Thor today and every few minutes, Teagan would run up to the screen, tap on it and say "She-she"...which, for the record, is Jesus. While it's more than a little inaccurate, I can't help but feel a little proud that Jesus is on the radar.

For a few months we've been giving her a photo of Jesus to hold while we sing "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" at bedtime, in hopes that she'd be able to recognize Him. We started with a framed pass along card, but it seemed a little small to sit up on her shelf. So we upgraded to a 5x7 and nearly killed Brandon. I forgot the small fact that she likes to pop her arms up when we sing "SunBEAM". Going from a 2x3 to a 5x7 makes a big difference when it's coming at your face. He's been hit a few times, but now he knows to lean his head to the side whenever he hears BEAM coming.

Black eyes and smashed noses aside, we're just happy that she can recognize the Saviour...unless she's faced with a Norse God.

Have you embraced YOUR heritage today?