A belated 4th birthday to Juliette...
Here she is, riding the scooter her Nonna Uncle Michael bought her. A-OK, dude. She's cool.
Juliette is very observant, and pretty articulate, but she seems to have extremes of emotion. She is really happy, or really tired, or really angry. She can flash through all of those very quickly. Her teacher says it is normal, at this age, to not understand that there are degress of emotion, but I think it is a little scary. Greg has come up with his own way of handling it (other then walking away and leaving it to me). When Juliette starts to flip out, he'll say:
Greg: "Calm down Juliette. What do you have to be?"
Juliette: "Cool" She gives a thumbs up.
Greg: "Cool like who?"
Juliette: "Cool like Fonzie"
Juliette still won't poop on the potty. In fact, for a few weeks, she wouldn't poop. Period. When nature called, she would go running to a far corner of the house, and lean against a wall, and hold herself stiff. She was literally squeezing her butt shut. And it worked for a few days, but after a few days it would become harder and harder to keep things in. Then it would become an all day event; her trying to hold it in and me coaxing her to relax and let it out. Greg and I have both been seen, on several occasions, at home or in public places, squatting down and demonstrating how to relax and let it out. I put her back into pull ups; I said I didn't care where she pooped as long as she did it; I tried bribery. Nothing worked; it seemed that Juliette had forgotten how to go poopy. I had a brief hope one morning after Cosette went pee on the potty (for the first time ever, like a pro!) (But that is another story), and as soon as Cosette was done Juliette announced that it was her turn and she was going to go poopy. So she sat and sat and.... nothing. Then I bought a new potty, one with a really soft seat. I told her it was soft and squishy so it wouldn't hurt her butt when she sat on it. She promptly tested it out. Twenty five minutes later, she stood up, put a pull up on, and pooped. And there was much rejoicing in the raising mommy household. So now, at least, she is pooping again. I'm afraid to push the whole potty thing on her, so my four year old is back in pull ups, while by two year old is beginning to get trained out of them.
Other then that, though, Juliette is great. She has a very active imagination. She is very adventurous, and she loved testing out the spiderman rollerskates her Auntie Ally bought her for her birthday present. She strapped on the knee pads and elbow pads, and made her way around the house. While rolling on hard wood, she would call out for someone to hold her hand; but as soon as she'd hit the carpet she would let go and do it "all by myself". Then, just for fun, she would "fall" onto her knees, to demonstrate the rugged utility of the knee pads.
I have been encouraged, lately, by glimmers of girlishness. The dress up costume trunk that Cosette got for her birthday somehow ended up in Juliette's room, and Juliette loves putting on the dresses and butterfly wings; only occasionally does the spiderman costume win out over the princess costume. She has allowed barettes and ponytails in her hair more times in the past few weeks then in the past year (well, it is easy to improve upon never.). She asked when she could start wearing earrings, and in the morning when she watches me get ready, she tries to put make-up on herself. Then she runs to her room, puts on her Thomas the tank engine shirt, her blue sweatpants, and her Diego sneakers and runs away when I try to brush her hair. Her public persona is still a tomboy, but I know there's a little girl in there.
