The tyranny of toddlerhood

It's been a good six weeks since I've posted anything. My good friend in Amsterdam filed a complaint and so I figured it was time for an update. Uma is doing great. She's such a trip. She sings all day long, yodels off tune, states her needs emphatically, and delights in dancing.

She has so many little sayings now- if she does want something, she'll say "I'm good", she knows how to bargain for just "one more time", and she will have an entire conversation with you about her day. One sweet thing she started doing recently is telling other kids or animals that's "it's okay, you're mommy will be back soon". When she talks to her friends, she tilts her head and crouches down, talking to them like grown-ups talk to her. She uses the same intonation as adults do when they talks to kids. It's pretty damn cute. She always refers to herself as Uma Kucera. In her pretend phone conversations with her friends she'll say "Hi! How are you? It's Uma Kucera. you good?"

She has started clutching onto books like they're stuffed animals, going to sleep holding one tight. Her facial expressions are hilarious. She has so many funny little faces.
She is incredibly athletic, at the park she's climbing ladders, rock climbing walls, etc. The girl isn't afraid of anything. She loves her scooter, yesterday she went around the whole block, scooting away.

Uma continues to be incredibly intense as well. From infancy, the girl has had the ability to throw a massive fit. When she was tiny, she would go nutters in the car, worse than any other kid I've met. I know that other kids can throw fits, but dear Uma takes the cake. These days it's usually around getting dressed. She would live in her purple skirt or rainbow dress if she could. Getting her to change clothing has become incredibly challenging. She insists on wearing sandals with socks. She refuses to do anything with her hair. If you even sneak in a ponytail, as soon as she sees it in the mirror she'll freak. Hopefully this will pass, but once she sets her mind on something, you better watch out. It's hard to know when to engage in battle and when to let it go. To engage means setting yourself up for 45 minutes of torture. To let her have her way is dangerous too. Ahhh- the tyranny of toddlerhood. The good news is that for such a pretty girl, she is certain to be strong as hell.

Having taught school for many years, I've seen what happens when kids see how well their tantrums work and I know I've gotta hold the line- but it's never easy. We do time-outs which I really wish I believed in more. It's usually (almost always) around the issue of calming down. She just builds and builds, and although the time-outs get her into even more of a state, when she comes out she is ready to be human. It breaks my heart, but I honestly often don't know what else to do.

Some confessions....Although I'm shamed to say it- she loves chewing gum. Yep- I give the girl gum. It was a weak moment that now has turned into a habit. Also, much to my chagrin, she would happily watch movies all day long if given a choice. I think it's because her molars are coming in that she just wants to be entertained sometimes, but the girl begs for Mary Poppins. She adores it. I battle with this as it is certainly easier to have her quiet in front of the screen, I can actually do things that need to be done, but it racks me with mommyguilt.

As for me, I've decided to start taking small steps to get my little dream progressive kids bookstore/ radical mamas cafe/ community resource center going. I was pretty depressed about it after going to the workshop, realizing that the start up costs were huge and the profits could be tiny, but I still love the idea and want to move forward with it. I'm about to embark on the task of writing a business plan, hoping that I can find some angel investors to back me up. That's the only way it's going to happen, but I feel pretty optimistic.

Either way, come this fall, Uma will be ready for pre-school and I will be totally ready to pour my energy into something creative. Wish us luck!