Boo's Bedroom Follies

Today was unusual - I was actually tired enough to take a nap! The only thing standing between me and my pillow was Brienna. Patrick has always been a nap person but me? Not so much. Brienna likes to take naps mid-morning and mid-afternoon. The weekends are like clockwork. So I was excited when she started rubbing her eyes - Mommy gets a nap!

I laid down with her for fifteen minutes until she rolled over, waved her hand, and said "Bye." (This is the cue to leave the room because she's going to sleep.) Of course I headed straight for bed after checking to make sure the light on the monitor was on. It was 3pm when I laid down and 4:30 when I awoke to the sound of my child banging on the door saying "Mama! Mama!" It took me a couple of seconds to realize I wasn't hearing her through the monitor! I saw the light glowing in the dark of our room and assumed Patrick had turned up the volume.

I jumped out of bed (as fast as a preggy can move anyways) and opened her bedroom door. Now I have to preface this with an explanation. When Brienna wakes up in the mornings and from any other nap she's taken in her life, she's sitting on her bed waiting to be picked up. Today was the exception. I opened her door to find Boo on the floor complete surrounded by bibs, burp cloths, and blankets galore! What too outrageous to believe? Here's the proof!

I was stunned, but after the shock wore off I changed her diaper and we went downstairs to wait for Omi. She arrived fifteen minutes later and was just as shocked as I was. When we finally got a hold of ourselves, we decided Brienna needed to help clean up her room. Omi kept telling her to "Clean up." Her reaction? She piled on the stack of bibs and giggled at us as if to say, "I'm proud of my decorating!"

Next was Mommy's turn to tell Brienna to clean up. I got a finger pointed at me and a big "No!" But I have had this terrible two reaction before and I learned a trick with Brienna. When you want her to help you clean up, you have to show her she's helping. She loved to be the helper. So I picked up a small stack of bibs and asked her to put them in the basket. She then got up and took them from me and she put every single one back in the basket! We cheered her on and kept telling her she was a good helper. It seemed way too easy, but in the end, she cleaned up her own mess which I think made a statement - she has yet to climb off her bed again without permission!