Fasten Your Seatbelt

I was dropping Alice off at daycare (before heading to the park for a FREEZING workout - so not like yesterday) and her teacher and I were having our usual morning chat.  I think it's really special, the relationship parents have with their child's caregiver, because they are arguably the only other person on earth who knows your kid as well as you do.  The good and the bad. The DETAILS.  I love Carine.  But more importantly, Alice loves her.

Everyday Carine tells me how Alice slept (always 2 hours), how she ate (always like she doesn't get fed at home) and then I get the anecdotes about her wee personality.  Recently it was about the fuss she put up about the sleeping bag thingy on the stroller.

This child has clearly been drugged because the Bundle Me is TORTURE.

I didn't even think to warn Carine that I had not yet used the Bundle Me with Alice.  Which I should have since my children seem to be, um, INFLEXIBLE about new things.  She told me (with very wide eyes and much hand gesturing) how strongly Alice DISAPPROVED of the Bundle Me.  She eventually got over it once Carine told her she would zip her in there completely if she didn't calm down.  Because it really is a plush and cozy straight jacket.

Alice got over it and she hasn't had a problem since.  Well played, Carine, well played.  

Liliane, on the other hand, still eyes the Bundle Me with suspicion.

ANYWAY, this morning Carine was telling me about another one of Alice's special reactions and she says (translated into English), "it's rare to see such a strong personality on such a little kid.  Usually it doesn't show itself right away."

I couldn't stop myself from laughing.  You think THIS is bad?  She's the EASY one.  Liliane, now she was tricky.  But Carine didn't really believe me since she sees Liliane everyday. 

 "But Liliane is an angel!"  

My heart warmed because don't we love it when people compliment our kids?  I stopped myself from guffawing again because it made me realize, yeah.  She IS awesome.  I sometimes get so caught up in describing her as "strongwilled" or "spirited" that I forget that she is just plain sweet most of the time.  

ANYWAY, you've heard me talk about that before.  Back to Alice.

Then Carine says, "you better tighten your belt with Alice!"  

Which I think is the equivalent to "hang on to your hat, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!"  But I just laughed again.  It can't POSSIBLY be as bumpy as it was the first time around.  Although Alice does have veerrrry strong opinions and likes to broadcast them loudly, she also sits still for a long time looking at books or watching a movie.  She is curious but not unrelenting.  

When she wakes at night, it only takes a quick diaper change or hit of Tylenol if she's teething and maybe an extra cuddle before she goes back to sleep.  Three minutes, tops. 

These enduring qualities of my youngest child give me hope.  

Also the whole "we didn't break the first one so we must be doing something right" perspective helps, too.

Maybe it's the Bundle Me.

Contents of this package may be deceptively trickier than they first appear