mr. flea discovers the trials of the 2-year-old...

Poor daddy rabbit! I'll have to tell him about the effectiveness of the threat of a time out for fit-stoppage.

via email:

I had a lot of problems getting Casper dressed this morning. I was
giving her the choice between outfits the way we do and she didn't want
to wear anything. Even the things she supposedly chose. I explained
to her that we wear clothes when we leave the house and told her that I
needed her cooperation to get dressed and that I would come back in a
little bit and we would get dressed then.

I came back in 5 minutes and she was uncooperative, she insisted that
she wanted to leave the house in her diaper. I lost my patience and
forced her into a tee shirt and overalls. I choose overalls so she
wouldn't be able to take them off easily by her self. She kicked and
screamed and threw a fit.

She cried and screamed as we were getting ready to leave the house. I
called because I was hoping to get a little support and reassurance
from you. I apologized to her, which was a mistake, because she took
it as an invitation to cry and scream that she wanted her clothes off
more loudly. Then I told her that I understood that she was upset and
that when we got to [the nanny-share] house we would work something out so she
would be happier with her clothing situation. This seemed to work so
at least there wasn't any screaming in the car.

When we arrived at the house [the nanny] and Ellen were both dressed and I
explained to Casper that everyone else was wearing clothes. She seemed
like her happy old self and this point. Having to force her and all
the crying, screaming, and fit throwing made this morning very
difficult.

amusing kiddage

(well, amusing to me...)

Casper was throwing the alphabets off the fridge and cackling last night, and when I crouched down next to her she handed me something, saying, "What's that?" It was, of course, a piece of shit, pulled from her own diaper.

Ellen apparently has an imaginary friend she consults now, named Garlic.

Ellen and Casper both say "buffalo" a lot, but Ellen's mother today cleared up for me what it means - Ellen says, "It's so buffalo," when something is cool. I'm wondering if they got it from my singing Home On The Range a lot?

Yesterday Alexander shocked and upset the nanny (as was his goal) by pulling down his pants. Since he is a reader of Captain Underpants, I suggested to his mother that she tell him that C. U. keeps his underpants ON.