Wednesday, March 10, 2010

getting cheeky.


countless times a day leah and i have disagreements.

"leah, no! don't pull the laptop charger out!"

she smiles up at me and continues to tug on the cord.

...3 minutes later...


"no! leah, don't touch the outlet!"

(the outlet which prior to this had been plugged into our laptop charger that i hadn't popped the outlet safety blocker into yet.)

she looks at me defiantly and continues to reach out a chubby finger, heading straight for the outlet.

...5 minutes after that...

"leah! no! stop bending the blinds!"

yet she continues until i have to once again stop what i'm in the middle of doing and pull the blinds up halfway so that she'll stop.

...20 minutes later...


"noooooo....leah, please don't shove your apple into dad's xbox."

this time she looks up, stops for a second, then lets out a defiant yelp and resumes the attempt at cramming the slice in.

this is how my days go. i can't leave her alone for a second because she is attracted to danger and is curious about everything. even though saving her life and preserving household items from going the ways of the dumpster countless times during the day can be exhausting, i'm grateful for her curiosity and determination.

what i don't appreciate?

her sassy attitude toward her mother.

the lack of communication is difficult. she sees me as someone who's not allowing her to explore the world of possibilities around her, when all i'm trying to do is make sure she lives to see her 2nd birthday.

more often than not i have to physically pull her away from whatever new kamikaze act she is attempting, and when i do i am faced with her looking me straight in the eye, yelling at me and then throwing herself backward to try to stop me from taking her away.

sometimes she'll literally yell out, "nononononono!" which at first was funny and cute. and now is not so much funny. or cute.

good heavens. if this is the way things are going and she's just turned 1, i don't want to imagine what the terrible 2's look like. and don't even get me started on this girl as a teenager! my life immediately flashes before my eyes.

one of the owners of the group home we managed often told me that she felt like through her experience working with difficult teenagers was God's way of preparing her for her own son (who was giving her a hard time as a teenager). and maybe that's something i can chalk that year in north carolina up to.

preparing me for my cheeky daughter.

something tells me that time-outs for this lady are just around the corner.

7 comments:

kitty said...

Hey.....something seems familiar here. It may be that cute chubby cheeky hanging out her diaper......or it may be her attitude that's ringing a bell. Both of which seem to be fitting for a GIRL!

Brandon and Emily said...

Thanks for the chat the other day. I feel so much better now. As for cheeky girls, I will get your advice on that later... much later.

kitty said...

Okay... I just got your post on my blog. Let's talk. You shouldn't feel silly about being on that show! You were fabulous. If there is a "reality show" stigma out there - I certainly don't know about it.

Although, I have a video recording of my wedding day luncheon speech (why didn't my mom prep me for that?) I can't even bear to watch it - I was such an idiot. Or..... a video of my Miss Utah interview that I swear needs to be burned. So...... if I were to ever be on TV, (WHILE TALKING) I might have a hard time feeling proud of myself.

But not you! You are beautiful and smart and funny. The life experiences that you shared were really inspiring! Do you feel that people look at you differently because you did it? If they do, it's only because they are jealous that you are interesting enough to be on a show and they are too boring to inspire anyone!
(Or they are TOO OLD to appreciate a good reality show) ha ha ha

I have a problem with my pageant background because I married into a VERY large, VERY conservative family. All my sister in laws went on missions. My mother in law once stated that her boys needed to marry returned missionaries because they had "MORE DEPTH". (Except for Trev of course, who married a pageant girl)! HA HA HA

Although, my background is pleasing to her when she is asked to speak (she's a Women's Week regular) Then, she exaggerates the details of my story to fit her need. The problem?

Last year I enrolled my kids in swimming lessons. I was enjoying a peaceful sit in the sun when the lady next to me decided to strike up conversation. She quickly realized who my mother in law was and asked me which son of hers I was married to. I said... "the good looking" son (yes, he belongs to a family of labels) She responded with "No.... I thought the good looking son was married to Miss Utah" *Silence*
She twisted her face and said "Is that you?" I laughed and said "Well... sort of. I was never Miss Utah". *Silence* Then she said "No seriously, I thought the good looking son was married to a beauty queen."

Hmmmmm. Maybe my mother in law should write a book about Developing Depth. That kind of book would be a MUST read for me ;)

(do you think anyone reading this might know her?) pffft! :0

Sorry..... back to the subject. You should feel proud of the way you conducted yourself on the show. We all thought you were amazing!

ps. I think I just vented a little. Is that allowed in the blogging world? Obviously I don't have enough class to write a well worded, sugar coated diddy.

kitty said...

Okay Okay, I've let some time pass.
And now.........Jocelyn's comment revised.

Lynsey,

I suppose we've all participated in things that aren't always accepted by others. This sometimes hinders our ability to feel confident in our personal performance. I suppose the best thing we can do is try to evaluate the good things we learn from any given situation and try our best to file box those valuable lessons.

I know I personally struggle to feel accepted by my own family because of their shared opinions with society's stigma's. Although, I'd be lying to myself if I didn't admit to my own insecurity's. Those destructive thoughts that creep up to the forefront of my mind inhibiting my ability to accept myself and my past performance as a valuable part of who I am.

Thank goodness we can find love and acceptance all around us if we truly look for it!

The end
;) (Now.... should I delete my last comment?)

Rachel Chick said...

LOL! it's a second child thing . . . just wait. eventually she just gets sneaky. :)

Me said...

OH MY HECK you seriously take the best pictures ever. That picture is the best. I want it on my calendar, along with several others you have taken of Leah. Is that weird?

And I totally know what you are talking about, what is it about 1-year-olds and DANGER?? And YES I get screamed at just for trying to keep Logan safe. Come on. He should be way more appreciative.

Hev said...

Lyns everything you said I am doing with Paitynn right now. I am running around like a crazy woman all the time. It was comforting to hear that this is all part of our kids growing up. Know that you are NOT ALONE! :) Love your blog girl! :)
Love ya!
Heather