I feel like a new parent

Just when I think I'm kind of getting this figured out-- my kids up and change on me. I have the feeling this cycle will continue for a really looooong time!

Leeann has suddenly become very communicative, complicated in her thought process, and all around just a little bit harder to keep happy!

It's like she turned from a toddler to a little girl over night. She was in time out today for asking me over and over again for more cereal. I had sat down to help a lady (she was one of the students in the digital photography class Eroica and I taught for the Senior center) get some of her pictures printed out to put in the fair. I had given Leeann a bowl of cereal just before this lady came over and about 10 minutes into it I gave her another full bowl. About 5 minutes later she ran in and threw a nearly full-on temper tantrum because I kept telling her to be patient, that I would get her some more cereal when we were finished. The tantrum continued and Leeann found herself in time-out. When Leeann got out of time out (she gets out once she's done crying and she says she's sorry) I asked her what she did wrong. "I need be patient" she said. "I sorry." She usually doesn't say what she got in trouble for. She might say one small word to indicate that she knows what she's in trouble for, but that statement was far more articulate than I expected.

Then just now she was upstairs. She's supposed to be sitting on her bed reading a book (with hopes of it turning into a nap, which it usually does). Well, I opened the freezer door and although she can't see me from her room she knew exactly what I was doing. "I want who-ha's" she said. Who-ha's are our name for Andes mint baking chips that I keep in the freezer and snack on for fun. Sometimes I share with her. She's come down twice to have her pull-up changed, once because she wanted something to eat, and now she's telling me that she wants to dance because the "music" (ice cream) truck just drove by. She's asked me to get down at least 30 times and has had several conversations with her brother by yelling from upstairs.

Life gets more complicated when they grow up. You have to start answering questions like "why"? And, "where are we going"? "What time is it"? etc. You have to start explaining things in detail and you have to start watching what you say to other people because these little ears are always around!

It's gonna be tougher, but I think I'm going to enjoy this new stage. She's getting more and more fun everyday because her personality is developing so fast. She makes us laugh--a lot! I think she's going to be a funny little girl full of giggles and smiles. I guess we're all going to need to learn to be a little more "patient" as we venture into this new stage of our lives!