College Bound?

It's no secret I was taken completely by surprise by some toddler behavior that my friends assured me was "normal." Especially considering the fact that Margot was hitting two and a half (I have friends who SWEAR the halves are the hardest part. One and a HALF, two and a HALF, three and a HALF...) and she got a new baby sister, all in one fell swoop.

And I remember sitting at our little kitchen table here in Kansas, nine months pregnant, reading texts from my friend Sarah. We share our honest, open mamma moments, fears, triumphs via text (we're busy! No time to chat! No, you cannot run outside naked, young lady!... I digress). Anyway, as I read a text about how challenging it was to have a baby and a two and a half year old big sister, I nodded my head in sympathy. Meanwhile, Margot was playing quietly in her pretend kitchen, being charming as all get out. Oh, dear! That sounds rough! I thought. But Margot seems pretty well adjusted to this move, and she LOVES babies. Maybe we'll be al-


BAM!!! Fast forward 8 weeks, and out of the blue, Margot started to exert her little will, and I was ill-equipped to deal with it. What was a mamma to do? Someone really should have warned me! So we had three weeks of what I can only assume the Marine Corps boot camp is like. They tear you down, rip out your guts, spit down your neck, and if you're still somewhat alive, they back off and see if you can get yourself to your feet.

After that, they beat the shit out of you only occasionally. Okay, I'm getting most of my information from G.I. Jane- the movie, which I'm pretty sure is not even the Marine Corps. Whatever. You get my gist.

So I think we're in that "So you survived and call yourself a mother of two" stage right now. And I'm even walking with a little swagger. (Please don't disillusion me. I do realize I'm just one nap shy of having the rug pulled from my beneath my feet).

But here's the thing I want to focus on today, this little victory:
Since Margot started back to school (euphemism for daycare) on Monday, she's a much happier little girl. And all of a sudden so grown up!

This morning at 6:00, Bob and I heard Margot's bedroom door open. Now, usually this is when she starts screaming and/or slamming her door. But today she padded down to the bathroom, and a few minutes later we heard the toilet flush.

We held our breath. Bob said, "I guess she went back to bed...?"

An hour later she came in my room, and was wearing a dress. -A clean one, ready for school. "I dressed, Mamma!" she said.
"I see that. Do you have underwear on?"
"Nope."
"Okay, well you can't go to school without underwear. Go get some on, and we'll go downstairs to eat breakfast," I answered. Then I held my breath. It could go either way. Screams or acquiescence.
"Okay, Mamma."And she trotted back to her room.

Then I got up and was changing Sabine and getting dressed for the day... while Margot went downstairs (fully dressed WITH underwear) and ate breakfast. She found a yoghurt she wanted, opened it, got out a spoon, put on her bib, and ate breakfast in the dining room!

Then she came upstairs for me to wipe her face. And you know what? Thank god she did, because if she didn't need me for something this morning, I think I'd believe she was leaving this afternoon to enroll at University.

I'm proud of my little lady, and I'm damn proud her half toddler stage hasn't eaten both of us for lunch.
Together, my little Margot-Mia and I are a pretty good team.