Sadie is reaching an age now where holding her while we're at Church can no longer be described as "easy." She has four modes during Mass. 1) Quiet and Well Behaved. (my personal favorite.)
2) A Little Bit Wild (squeals at key moments and an occasional giggle.)
3) Wrestling with a Bear Cub (there's usually a great deal of back arching and reaching for the ground at this point.)
4) Wrestling with an Octopus (she suddenly seems to have eight arms, all intent on escape. I'm not entirely sure that she realizes that she wouldn't hit the ground running.)
Today she started out Quiet and Well Behaved. She was sitting on Daddy's lap (she seems to pretend that she's Quiet and Well Behaved whenever Daddy is there, at least to begin with). However after reaching for me and being handed over, she became A Little Bit Wild. A Little Bit Wild started out with her hanging around my neck and ended with her reaching for the hymnal on the back of the pew. We were half way through the Mass before she really started trying to wrestle her way to the ground. She would also occasionally throw her arms out to Daddy to indicate that she would be just as happy sitting with Daddy as she would if I set her down on the ground (Mommy refuses to play Pop goes the Weasel during church, but she's got Daddy wrapped around her little finger and he'll do pretty much anything to get her to smile, including Pop Goes the Weasel during Mass).
I finally caved in and let her stand on the kneeler (she had already spent more time with Daddy and was still feeling wild). At this point standing on the kneeler still defuses the Wrestling (either with a Bear or Octopus) situations. She's so fascinated with holding on to the back of the pew and gently touching the hymnals that she holds perfectly still.
Well, not perfectly still. She does stand on her tip tip tippy toes, while trying to do a pull-up so she can still see what's going on.
She would also periodically wave at Father Lito at the front of the church (she doesn't remember how to wave all of the time, but she's getting better and better at it every day). And of course, she got her tiny smudge of baby ashes on her forehead to start off Lent.
Now I'm off to convince her that it really is bedtime. I'm afraid that after a half hour "nap" (which was supposed to be bedtime) she seems to think that it's morning.
Oh, I feel your pain! Don't forget the football pass. Back and forth, back and forth between mommy and daddy. We still put Peanut in the nursery. She's happier there and I can listen (at least in theory)!
ReplyDeleteDiva loved her ashes so much she wouldn't wash it off for a couple days. Oops, did I just give away that I don't bath my children every.single.day? Shh, don't tell anyone, k?