Candace W.'s Diary Entries Diary Navigation: Choose A Diary Entry -------------------- Latest Entry: 12/26/02 -------------------- 10/27/02 9/29/02 9/10/02 9/1/02 8/18/02 8/12/02 6/29/02 4/14/02 3/18/02 3/3/02 1/11/02 12/21/01 12/4/01 11/20/01 11/13/01 10/21/01 9/12/01 9/5/01 8/29/01 8/22/01 8/6/01 7/24/01 7/16/01 7/3/01 6/26/01 6/11/01 6/3/01 5/1/01 4/22/01 4/9/01 3/6/01 3/1/01 2/19/01 2/15/01 2/6/01 2/4/01 1/24/01 1/15/01 1/9/01 1/1/01 12/26/00 -------------------- Candace W.'s Introduction

September 1, 2002

Routine isn’t all it’s cracked up to be! Alexandria hasn’t really coped well with all the changes that have taken place in her schedule. I guess I don’t blame her, but I bear the brunt of her less-than-ideal behavior when I get home. Here’s a run-down of how a typical day looks now.


I get up at anywhere from 5:30 to 6:15. Alexandria gets up around 7:00. She does not wake up happily, and she’s very crabby. I usually carry her to her bedroom (she sleeps with me, another habit I hope to break, but after the dust settles) and dress her. This is met with varying degrees of resistance, from whining to an out and out tantrum (“I want to wear my pink pony shirt!”). Then, it’s off to school for me.


I start classes anywhere from 8:00-9:00 a.m. Most days I am finished by 4:00. There are a few exceptions: I finish by 5:00 on Tuesdays, and by 3:00 on Fridays. Al has usually spent the day taking Alexandria to the park, letting her watch one video, letting her play her Disney Toddler computer game, and taking her to the park again. Also, she takes a nap (in the car, of course) for around 1 and a half hours, which is too much, in my opinion.


I then am picked up. Lucky me, because this is when the fun usually starts. Alexandria begins to act just awful. Whining, throwing things, unbuckling her seatbelt on the way home, refusing to listen, spitting, spitting food out of her mouth, spilling things deliberately, etc. I begin to regret coming home, because it feels like the second I come home, to when she goes to bed, I am the “bad cop” and I am constantly reprimanding her, taking away toys, or yelling. That’s not to say Al isn’t doing his part, but I am already mentally drained to begin with, and I have a short fuse. This back to school thing hopefully will get more ironed out, and run more smoothly in a month or so. I just don’t understand why she has to go haywire, when basically all Al has done with her all day is cater to her whims. In my opinion, she ought to be ready to settle down for an evening of jumping on the furniture and playing with her toys. You’d think she’d be tired, but instead she’s wired. And I am exhausted, and the last thing I feel like doing is being a jerk and punishing her for bad behavior. So, in short, I’m tired and frustrated, and wouldn’t mind a little relaxation time when I get home. I’ll live, but it’s not going to be easy. I see that now! LOL


Tuesday Alexandria starts her preschool. She is really looking forward to this. I managed to get her a (half price, woo hoo!) Tigger backpack at the Disney store, and she loves it! I put some pens in there for her, with a pencil and an eraser, as well as some notebooks and folders, so that it’s just like Mommy’s. She was very excited to have one just like mine, and proud! We all went to the preschool to meet the teacher and check out the facilities, and it looks like it will be a lot of fun. While we chatted with the teacher, Alexandria checked out all the play equipment, which I think met her approval. I told her a few times she would go there by herself, and she doesn’t seem bothered by it, but I am not sure she grasps that whole concept yet. She is remarkable at selective hearing. LOL We also told her she would get to bring a little lunch, and eat it with the kids, just like Mommy does at school. Also we told her she would use the potty, just like Mommy does at her school. There’s a recurring theme here: “just like Mommy does at school”. Al said the night I filled up her backpack for her, she brought it right downstairs, opened it up (showing it to Al) and gave him the smuggest look, as if to say, “Look at this bag, and all my stuff in it!” He thought it was so cute. She is always poking in mine, so I am happy that now she has one she can call her own. I hope preschool turns out to be a good thing for her. I think it will. I really think she needs stimulation, and to be kept busy. She is enrolled for 5 days a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30 to 11:15, and the rest of the week, from 11:30 to 3:15. It will give Al a much needed break, as well. My only hope is that he doesn’t fritter all his time away.


You know, I had to sneak out of the bedroom tonight to come and write this entry. Alexandria wasn’t going to sleep, and I gave up, and just came in here to type it up. I laid in bed for over 30 minutes, too. I told her I had to go potty, and she told me, “Mommy, you go potty in Mommy’s and Daddy’s bathroom. Rats. I finally settled on, “I need to get some work done.” And I took off. It’s a sad day when at 10:30 at night, you can’t even do your own thing. And I know why this is. She took a nap today for around 1-½ hours (again), but it started at 5:00. She’s in that awful in between stage where she needs a nap, but if she takes one, then she’s up until all hours. If she doesn’t get her nap, she gets kind of like I described above. You can’t win. I am looking forward to having a 3 year old. LOL I know that will bring different challenges. I also know she is “asserting her independence”. And I know when she’s a teenager I’ll wish for these days, but I’m not so sure. Ask me then.


Next week, I’ll have a full report of how preschool is going! Till then…


Candace and family