My Leah - Addendum

I forgot something else I want to remember about her.

She is incredibly sensitive and tender and even raw in some ways.

I cannot yell at her. Oh I can use the "mommy voice", I can even sound upset but if I actually raise my voice? Forget it. I do it very infrequently. And always end up immediately apologizing because essentially it dissolves her and she will be crying and saying, "You're not supposed to yell. Don't yell at me." or something similar. I love it about her and at the same time it requires a great deal of self-control on my part. And I love it because it makes me - a better me.

She's even more sensitive with her Daddy. He can't even do the stern "mommy voice" thing before she's distraught.

We still do time outs. She still gets in trouble. It's not like we don't ever discipline her. It just has to be done calmly.

She also needs preparation for things. If someone is coming over, a basic description of where we are going, what a new experience will be like, etc. If not she'll be generally more clingy until she adjusts to whatever the new situation is - for like maybe 30 minutes or so. Then she's off again - but if she's really prepared it takes much less time for her to adjust.

That's it.

I think.

PS We had a wonderful birthday party yesterday and then a fun family day together for her birthday today. She got to plan the menu for today: Grits/eggs/toast for breakfast, Thai food for lunch, and Alfredo for dinner. She's got good taste!

Two posts in one day! Take that NaNoBloMo!