Sticker chart, Dance, Swim Lessons!

We fell into a busy fall routine pretty quickly! It's funny how you can go from one type of busy to another. Sometimes I feel like I barely have time to think. But it's all good stuff, a good kind of busy! 

She is always pulling the blankets out and "setting them up" as she calls it, all over. She uses them to make stages so she can dance or do gymnastics, she makes beds for herself or for her babies, or she is covering her toys with them. Her love for blankets makes me laugh. Here is she one day with a bunch of her blankets all laid out over her little couch so that she had a "bed" to read her books on. She is so good at playing by herself and being creative!

Since summer, we've been having issues with sleep during the night. She likes us to be close to her while she falls asleep, and always wakes up in the night, wanting to come to our bed, or have one of us (usually Jon because he is amazing and gets up with her in the night) sleep with her. So I decided to make a sticker chart, and I filled a basket with little "prizes" - all little dollar store stuff that I knew she would like. When she sleeps in her own bed all night long, she gets a sticker. If she also wakes up dry, she gets another sticker. When she reaches five stickers, she gets to pick a prize. She's been potty trained forever - almost an entire year, but she still wears pull-ups to both nap time and bedtime because she pees in her sleep. So we decided to take away the nap time pull-up and see how she did. I have in the past stayed away from giving "rewards" for things - I am just a big on teaching her how to do things for the sake of doing them and being proud of herself, not just to be rewarded for it. But I was at a loss here, so I gave into the prize mentality! And to be honest, it has worked SO well! She bought into it right away, and was super excited about getting stickers, knowing that there was prizes to be had!

The first thing she picked was a microphone - she spent days afterwards putting on shows for us, and signing loudly into. She sings into it and starts her songs by saying "ladies and gentlemen! Are you ready?!" and we have to respond with "Ya!" and then she proceeds with "I am going to sing a song for you, called..." and then announces whatever song she is going to sing. It is SO funny. But also drives me crazy after the 1000th time in a day :) My personal favorite is when she says " a song for you called My Little Twinkle Star" which is what she calls "Twinkle twinkle little Star" haha! The ABC's are another go-to for her. What a kid

This is the prize chart. I used a loonie to make the circles and wrote "prize" in every fifth circle, so she can see when the prize is coming and how many more stickers she needs. It worked like a charm - within just a few nights, she was once again sleeping through the night, in her own bed. I think the craziness of summer, and how all over the place we are, and the inconsistency of it made her feel unsettled and unsure. Being back home is good for her, back in routine, and feeling safe and steady. I get that, I feel that way too. I would never tell her she can't sleep in our bed - when she is scared, or feeling lonely or sad, she is always allowed to come to us for comfort. I know I sleep so much better beside Jon when I am having a hard time, because it makes me feel safe and calm. Why wouldn't it be the same for her. But when it becomes a habit, and she comes in every night just because - that is what we are trying to break. And it seems to be working! For now at least. Things are always changing with a 3 year old :)

We also did go out before her next dance class and got her a dance outfit. She picked this one and it is so cute on her! She also got ballet shoes. She gets SO excited on Wednesdays when it is time to go to dance class! She is so into it and seems to really love it. I love watching her engage and learn things!

She is so cute. My goodness! Notice the girl in the background? She missed the first class and then came to the second one wearing street clothes like we did the first time... the next class, she also came in wearing a dance outfit. These little girls and their pink dance clothes!

Jon was at Wildside for a week, running a full program for Montessori's outdoor ed students. So we were running solo that week! It was Calea's birthday that wednesday, so we headed to Victoria for dinner after dance class without him. Quinny got Calea to put on music and started dancing - Quinny kept asking everyone to come dance with her, and soon enough she had almost everyone up there dancing! This family is so fun! The night ended abruptly for us though because Q lashed out and pinched Madi hard after having enough of Madi ignoring her and walking away all night whenever Quinny came close. Both sides are so hard! It's hard for me to see my kid hurting and sad, and it is hard for me when she does the hurting! I love both of these girls VERY much, and it is a deep prayer of mine that they figure it out. I worry about the air of competition that surrounds them, being in a family together when they are so close in age - I worry about everything, the worry wart that I am :) Growing pains as these two get older! But it was a fun night, and I am very glad we made the drive down to celebrate Calea.

Quinny also started a new program at the pool called... hmm the name seems to have escaped me at the moment. But its 1030-12 every Wednesday - they do 50 minutes of swimming, and then change and get dressed and then do 30 minutes in one of the side party rooms, eating snacks, playing and doing a craft. It is pretty awesome! And she has learned so much already. She is already a little water baby, and always has been - but its good for her to learn actual technique. She can now do the "starfish" and can put her head fully in water, and can blow bubbles. So proud! Its for ages 3-5 year olds, so she is one of the youngest, but with how tall and verbal she is, you would never guess that. She enjoys going and seems to have fun, but its not the same kind of joy that she has when its dance class time. But swimming lessons are important and she does like them, so we will continue on with them!