"I Yittle"

Not sure if I've blogged about it before but Anna becomes VERY attached to her clothes on certain days.  So attached that we usually end the day with a temper tantrum about a certain shirt that she does not want to take off or sometimes we start the day that way because she likes her pajamas so much.  There are days when I don't make her change and just let her wear the same outfit for two days in a row which includes sleeping in them.  But there comes a time when I am tired of seeing her in the same clothes or the clothes are just plain dirty and I need to wash them.  On these nights we go through the screaming and crying and thrashing around which includes dragging the clothes out of the hamper after I've wrestled them off of her and had Brice sprint to the dirty clothes hamper with them.  I literally end up holding her with arm and washing her with the other because she is pitching such a fit that I'm afraid she will slip and crack her head on the tub. (At this point of the story, I know my mom and dad are throwing their heads back and cackling because this is exactly how I used to act, just not over clothes).

So, I then wrestle her out of the tub and threaten time-out and pick one of the two pajama options.  She usually will pick one of the options and the next minute is calm and sweet and lying in our bed watching The Good Night Show.  We go through this probably four times a week.

A side story real quick:  Justin had been out of town for about three days and the night he got back we all went to Cracker Barrel for dinner.  Anna had "one of her shirts on" and I think was on Day 2 of the shirt.  Justin looked at her and said, "Anna, how many days have you been wearing that shirt?".  Brice, answered quickly and wittily saying back to him, "How many days are in the week?"!!!

Tonight was no different.  Because Mother Nature has done what she usually does and given us a few more days of dreary cold, I've had to pull back out some of the worn out winter clothes.  Anna was thrilled when she found her brown corduroy pants and her "green ballerina shirt" as one of her options today!!  She wore it all day and then came bedtime.  I told her we were going up to take a bath.  She freaked.  "Wear zis, wear zis shirt nigh-nigh.  No jammies, Mommy".  It was just me and her home so I knew it would be a battle.  Up the stairs we went with her crying and moaning the whole time.  Again, we had the wrestling match and quick bath.  I decided that she hadn't really been outside today and the shirt now just has old stains on it, nothing new from today so what would it hurt for her to get one more stretch of wearing it.  I was picking my battles but the crying and whining was really getting to me. 

Not only was she pushing my buttons with the clothes but then I didn't wrap her up in the right towel and she didn't want me to put any lotion on her.  I got frustrated and told her to "please stop crying over the stupid shirt".  I got her re-dressed in her ballerina shirt and brown pants and sent her into my room to watch TV (where she then was telling me to "no brush hair").  As I was putting my rings back on and hanging her towel up, I was thinking, "she is only two, this is normal behavior for a two year old". And right at that moment she turned to me and said, "I Yittle".

I said, "I know you are sweet girl." and then I felt super guilty and reminded myself that soon she will not be "yittle". She will be the big sister and I only get to experience a little girl once.

Here she is in the "green ba shirt" not to be confused with the "purple ba shirt"!  This picture is from November if that gives you any idea how tired I am of looking at it.  Once the weather warms up for good, I will be putting these shirts away and when she gets married, I will cut the ballerinas out of the shirts and sew them under her dress!!!!