This Stage

Every family goes through them.  Every kid has theirs.  Every parents dreads a particular one.  I can't say that I have too many that I don't look forward to.  Two or three hour stretches of sleep is one stage I'm not particular fond of, the other stage is the raging two year old stage, or the potty training stage which probably has something to do with my loathing of poo and pee outside of the toilet or diaper.

Elena still gets up a couple of times a night, usually hollering for a drink of water or her blankie.  Even with the sippie cup right beside her, she still needs a parent to come.  And sometimes colchita is dropped outside the crib and oh! the angst and turmoil.  I'm regressing because I was up twice last night.....

We're in the Take-Off-My-Clothes stage.  It started subtly with taking shoes and socks off in the carseat while we were driving.  Though it was slightly annoying to have to find the socks before we could get on our way, it wasn't that big of a deal.  The shedding of clothes then became an activity inside the house when she discovered how to take off her pants.  Then the shirt.  And without pants on, the diaper is a cinch.  Oh my.  Sometimes she prompted to whip off all the clothes when she sees someone head to the bathroom.  Either because she's obsessed with baths, or she wants to sit on the toilet.  Yes, she calls it Toilet.  And I'm slightly annoyed at this point when some sibling happily says, "Oh look Mom, we're potty training Elena!".  Not we, just me kid, and by the way this isn't potty training, this is just her getting out of her clothes.  I've been down this road 3 times before folks.

Now she's ramped it up a level by doing this disrobing thing in her crib.  She's giving up sleep just in order to strip down to her birthday suit.  And then she pees in her bed.  Or even worse when we had a babysitter, pooped.  It was a bit traumatic for the sitter, and we had just arrived home, so I shoved an extra $10 into her hand and told her I would take care of it.  Maybe she'll come back?  Hopefully.

I've put tight underwear over the diaper.  Nope, doesn't work.  Tried putting a one piece bathing suit on.  Ha!  She was out of it in 4 minutes.  So now we are putting zippered up pyjamas on backwards for the night.  And that seems to have done the trick, for now.  Hopefully she grow out of this stage before she learns to undo her pyjamas.  Someone I know tried duct tape to keep their kids clothes on.....