Wardrobe malfunction and the trouble with the 'Terrible Twos'

Any parent of a two-year-old child more than likely possesses nerves of steel, incredible patience plus quick and savy ways to get their son or daughter to cooperate. I am now in this 'elite' club (that sounds a bit more appealing) or mommies who are battling the terrible twos.

I must say, and most who know me would agree, that there are far worse behaved children than my own. That only makes her occasional tantrums even worse, because I'm just not used to dealing with that behaviour.

That brings me to this morning.

Every morning we wake up anywhere between 8-9 am and begin our day by getting little M changed and dressed before we head to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. I then clean up and head out to the YMCA with M in tow for a workout while she plays in daycare. Now that she is becoming her own person and has a mind of her own this whole routine can get challenging at times. Until recently I could pick her up out of her crib and have no problem laying her down on her change table to change her bum. Even now nine times out of ten she will comply and not fight me. This morning was one of those few times she decided to fight me until she is free from my arms and running around the house with a stinky bum screaming "no mommy, no change bum!".  I knew we were off to a rough start. Finally I managed to get her back into her room to change her. There she was laying on the change table in just a diaper patiently waiting for me to pick an outfit out. Below her, are drawers filled with clothing ( the kid has more clothes than her father and I combined) and a closet just to the left of her also packed with apparel. I found a cute pair of jeans with a great wash, that I rolled up twice and paired them with a white tee. It features a bulldog in zebra print and reads "I wish I was a Zebra" (Joe Fresh line, Zehrs Markets). I'm thinking "So cute, you look amazing!" She very often ends up looking how I wish I looked. Casual, effortlessly chic and comfortable.

I take a lot of pride in trying to maintain my style while being a great mom and finding time to make myself look put together and fashionable. I also love dressing M to follow in my footsteps and look like a mini fashionista. I think this all stems from seeing too many parents settle for dressing their child in a sleeper all day or a t-shirt and a diaper and heading out the door. They say you need to dress for success and that what you wear is a reflection of who you are. D loves clothes and loves to shop as long as she has had her nap. She will see something in a store, point and say "Oh my goodness!" She puts her two cents in and will comment on what you are looking at or showing her with a simple "cute." She is into fashion and dressing nice just as much as her mommy is. I just hope one day she will find a style that makes her happy and represents who her true self while keeping it on budget! With all that said there are days when she won't let me dress her in what I think looks good. She will have the last word and it usually boils down to her shoes.

Like I said earlier, I had a perfect outfit picked out for our trip to the Y, then came the shoes. I was deciding on a pair of black ballet flats or a pair of Roxy white strapy flipflops. She wanted neither. She walks on over to her shoes and picks out her bright pink Crocs. She is in love with them. I think mainly because she can put them on herself and easily take them off too. I agreeed she could wear them but after she tried them on it just wasn't looking right. I quickly suggested we change her shirt and before she could say "yes" or "no" it was done. A brightly coloured tee with a bright pink strawberry in the centre. "Perfect!", I told her. She looked up at me smiled, vocalized an evil laugh and ran down the hall screaming "come on!!!"

Life with a two year old isn't always perfect but it's always fun and rewarding. She is the most amazing person I know. To be able to share mother/daughter moments about the things that I love makes me look forward to the future when she's telling me what to wear and showing me what she loves!

xo
Amber