Animal Rescuer

Charlotte & Ruby love the Wild Kratts (Chris & Martin).  Real life animal rescuers, documentarians and adventurors.  Their show comes on PBS.  Squeals and circle-runs fill the room when that show starts. 

A common car-ride conversation with Charlotte frequently starts with this:

'Mom!  Do you think we'll see any animals that need rescuing today?  Maybe a horse?  Five baby deer?  A baby bear without his parents will need our help.  Can we help them?  I think a baby horse would fit in our car...and a pony.  He can sit in my lap.  Alright mom?  Alright?  We have to help animals that need rescuing!  MOM?!?!'

I have assured her that yes, in fact, we will save a baby bear lost without his parents should we ever encounter one.  If there are five baby deer we will act.  We'll help the abandoned pony as long as we're in the sequoia. 

Once, I did turn around, my bluff finally called, because she saw a dog in a big parking lot.  He was playing garbage.  But having a really good time, or so I convinced Charlotte.  We agreed it would make him sad to be pulled away from all that styrofoam.  Another time the wet dog out in the rain at the railroad crossing was "following the tracks home - car's can't go that way so we best let him stay on that rail trail".

We did help a handful of dogs on the park in Lakebottom.  One lady even sent us pink roses as a thank you. 

Sunday morning...we had our big chance.  There was a big rain the night before and the parking lot was filled with...

...worms. 

So, Ruby & I got Charlotte out of bed and we went worm-rescuing.  We saved 100 worms.  I used a cheese spreader to scoop them up and plop them in Charlotte's palm.  Ruby stood watching over us, eating a bag of popcorn.  Then she'd run and scout out the next squirmy innocent, hollering over at us with a mouth full of popcorn.  Adam didn't want to get his new shoes dirty.

Three days later Charlotte & Ruby were in gymnastics together, where they liberated about 10 ladybugs from the gym.  The poor coach. 

You gotta start somewhere.  There aren't a lot of baby monkeys around that need rescuing 

Ruby vs. Potty

Ruby could have been potty-trained at two. 

Yes, this is a potty post. 

She showed all of the signs of "readiness": had long periods of "dryness"; did not like having a wet or dirty diaper; was very interested in the elmo potty; wanted to do what Charlotte did,  followed directions; took a lot of pride in her accomplishments.

 However, there was one that was holding me up:  Ruby has a tendency towards contrariness.  She wanted to go to the Elmo potty when she wanted to go.  If I tried persuading her to go she would grab on to her pants, scream, swat at me then run away.   

So "potty trained" became a condition we would arrive at with as little work on my part as possible.  And pull-ups were so easy.  SO convenient.  We could pull them down if she wanted to go, leave them on if she didn't.  Then I could fast-track a diaper change.  Run up to her yank her pants down, wipe her bottom and run away.  Run back up after she calmed down a little and put the new one on.  It worked pretty well.  I mean, who wants to get into the car with a panty-clad, contrary two year that is capable of going potty but only on her terms.  Leaving the house with both girls is already something I have nightmares about.  I wasn't about to throw in PRE-LEAVE POTTY FIGHT and/or CAR SEAT ACCIDENT.  I loved pull-ups.  And was happy to bide my time. 

A day after Ruby turned 2 1/2 she refused to put on her pull-ups.  They were "TOO TIGHT!"  And she ran to the toilet, not to the elmo potty which I tossed during the move, but to the toilet, much more mature and refined I think.   I put her in a pair of size 6 panties, not too tight, and we never looked back.  Ruby potty trained herself in a half hour.  I mean it.  She doesn't even wear pull-ups to bed. 

Easiest potty training experience ever.  Ruby rocks.

Ruby wins!

Happy Valentine's Day

Love,

The Wilsons

Belle of the Ball

A couple of weeks ago Charlotte's class learned about kings & queens, knights & maidens, princesses & frogs. 

Charlotte wore her old faithful blue ball gown, Cinderella couture. I forgot to take a picture, blasphemous. I knew there was going to be a 'Royal Ball' that afternoon. They even practiced dancing at school...well, they watched the dancing scenes from Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella.   Apparently that qualifies.

Her teacher walked her to the car that afternoon and told me that Charlotte was the "belle of the ball".  She danced the afternoon away, she danced with just about everybody. Then she noticed a little boy from the other class that wasn't dancing; he was standing by himself. The teacher told me Charlotte ran over and grabbed his hands, pulled him onto the "dance floor" and spent the rest of the afternoon dancing with him.

I knew exactly what little boy she was talking about. He is a very sweet little boy but a little boy that's had trouble fitting in. He's new to the school, like Charlotte is, but has special needs.

Charlotte treats everybody like they are a gift. She has this ability to make everybody feel good, especially those that need a little lifting up.

When I think about what I want most for Charlotte: I want her to be compassionate; yeah, at the forefront of it all. The first time I said that out loud to a friend, I kind of admonished myself.

What?! Compassion?! The world will eat her alive.  People can be mean.  There's pain and there's suffering...we will afford her every opportunity to be whatever she wants.  Her name means 'strength', are you sure you wanna go with "compassion?"

But yeah...I do...

Charlotte is strong, from the inside out.  She is brave and she is kind. Adam and I don't care if she is the most brilliant or most athletic. We don't care if she makes people laugh. Her daddy & I don't care if she always wins. We don’t care if Charlotte is chosen first or chosen last.  Daddy doesn’t care if she is teacher's pet or best dressed or class clown. Mommy doesn't even care if Charlotte's got the coolest haircut.

We don't send her to school to be the best at anything at all. Not in preschool, not in kindergarten and (I hope) not even in middle school...or (GOD FORBID) in high school...

...no...Charlotte and Ruby are our heart. They don't have anything to earn. They already have it. 

In our eyes, in our hearts, they already are the best.  Neither one of them have anything to prove. 

We get them ready for the world...and then (deep breath) out into it: to practice being brave and kind.

"Kind people are brave people. Brave is not a feeling that you should wait for. It is a decision. It is a decision that compassion is more important than fear, than fitting in, than following the crowd.

"When God speaks to you by making your heart hurt for another, by giving you compassion, just do something. Please do not ignore God whispering to you."
-Glennon Melton

Both girls play with the little girl on the playground that has thick glasses.  They include the boy with the club foot and I have seen Ruby hug a Mexican Hairless (dog)with the long tongue disease and call him "cute".

Charlotte saw a little boy on crutches at Target and hollered out, 'what happened to your leg?!' 

The little boy was excited to tell her.

She saw a man at the dog park with an exoskeletal prosthetic leg wearing shorts.  She was on Adam's shoulders.  Charlotte, an inquisitve, extroverted and observant 5 year old, hollered out to him, 'hey!  I like your cute dog!  ...wish I could get down and pet it!'  She responded to him just like she would have to anybody with a cute dog, or any dog for that matter (she doesn't discriminate there either).  She wasn't afraid.  She wasn't rude.  She just was Charlotte.  And she treated him like she treats everybody: like they are to be celebrated.  Because we are all gifts from God and that's exactly what he has intended.

Genuine kid.  Both of 'em.  Charlotte & Ruby are our dreams come true.  Whether they're the belles of the ball or not.