Brooklyn's New Year's Resolutions

Being that Brooklyn is now 2, and it's the new year, we've decided it's time to help her set some New Year's Resolutions, or rather goals to strive for in 2008.

Losing Pappy
Pappy is Brooklyn's coined phrase for her pacifier. They have been together since Brooklyn was really little, like 2 weeks old. It is by far her most precious and treasured thing. She has gone through a lot of pacifiers, due to size, them getting old or losing them. This past Easter, she had an Easter egg hunt, and four of the eggs were filled with new pacifiers. She loved them all! She loves to carry them around with her, one in her mouth, and one in each hand. She swaps them out almost every other minute. She sleeps with it, rides in the car with it, plays with it, goes shopping with it, she has even showered with it...the only thing she doesn't do with Pappy is eat with it, and that's because Daddy and Mommy ask for it before she gets her food. She has become a bit addicted to Pappy, so much so that we really feel it's time to start breaking her of the habit. We started yesterday, only allowing her to have it during naptime and when we put her to bed. She asked for it a couple of times, had a couple meltdowns, but then with our fast redirection of her attention, all was forgotten. She even went to bed without it last night. She slept almost 9 hours before waking up to realize she needed it. Daddy gave it to her, but this morning Mommy asked for it back, explaining that she is indeed a big girl now! It went with a few tears, but she was and will be okay without it.

Potty Training
Brooklyn has become the all-too-predictable-go-to-the-potty kind of girl. Potty in the sense of her diaper. She is very private about this matter, and will most of the time go under her new Dora tent, under the dining room table or in a closet to take care of business. But, before she does, she says "I poopy." She has been doing this for some time now, and in fact, I know when she has to go before she says anything because I'll ask her and she'll run to a spot and take care of business. Now, I don't have a clue when she goes Number 1, and she doesn't make any kind of announcement, so we'll learn together how that will work. The question has come up if I am going to buy a potty chair, one where she can watch TV in the family room while drinking her "bucha" aka milk, and my answer has been "No." I want her to learn to use the real toilet. They have those little kid toilet seats that you put on the actual toilet seat, and I think that is what I plan to go with. I know my mom used the potty chairs, and there is really nothing wrong with them, I just feel like potty training has to be right for the family for it to work. Brooklyn knows that Mommy and Daddy go to the bathroom to take care of our business, and I want her to learn the same thing. I don't want her going poop in the kitchen while she's eating crackers. That just seems yucky to me. Maybe I'm wrong and will change my mind when we actually cross that bridge, who knows!

Getting Dressed & Undressed
Brooklyn is quite the fanatic of checking for toe jam, and has become all too interested in pulling up her pants after I change her diaper, or when they are falling down a bit. So, this last resolution/goal should be fun. She loves to pick out an outfit to wear, and loves to get all dressed up in it. And, as I have said before she loves the prospect of being independent and doing things all on her own, so I think she will love learning to undress herself before bed or a bath, and getting herself all dressed again. She knows how to work a zipper, can put her own shoes on - even on the right feet some of the time - and definitely knows how to take off her own socks, so learning this skill should involve some fun and laughter on all parts.

Here's to 2008!! Happy New Year everyone!!