So I peed on a stick.......: if you can read this you're as crazy as me

Yesterday we had swim and no tears!!! I'm hoping we are done with the full melt downs and separation anxiety. I'm not getting too excited but fingers are crossed. I'm not sure if this is helping but I've been really talking about swim to Olive like all the time. We talk about all the fun stuff she did with her teacher Miss Staci and I get her really excited about it and animated when I tell the story. I don't lie I just really embellish the story and keep telling her over and over how good she did and how fun it was when she got the princess toys and when she pushed the water and bla bla bla. Most of the time she will add things to the story and explain how she blows her bubbles or how she pushes the water. I think it may be giving her more confidence about the experience or it was just a lucky day, I dunno.

Anyways on this topic I've been reading a really cool book called The Whole-Brain Child and I love it! I can't say too much yet as I'm only half way through the book but the whole story telling thing was something they touched on in the first few chapters. Before I read the book I noticed how much Olive loved telling stories. Some of her stories are with words mixed in with hand motions but I know exactly what she is saying. She fell and hurt herself last month at the fair and cut her knee up pretty bad. She likes to tell the story over and over and I always help her and add things and make sure I am very sensitive to her. She loves to show how she fell and that Hen (Uncle Evan) was there to help her. She talks about the hugs we gave her and then we talk about how we went to the Rodeo after and how fun it was. She talks about her Dora bandaid as well which is now a big deal cause we are officially Dora obsessed in this house. But at the end of the story she always says she is ok and I always make sure we talk about how we all gave her hugs and she is all better now. She still tells the story at least once a day. I know this may seem silly but its amazing how she goes into details with the story. Obviously its such a little nothing I mean she cut her knee open and its not a big deal but to a almost 2 year old this is HUGE. The point of this is in the book she talks about the importance of retelling stories and not just letting kids forget things or saying it's ok (when they have a scary experience). In the book she uses a much bigger example of a 2 year old who was in a car accident and was totally fine but obviously this is a scary thing. It's just all about not holding on to any fears. Anyways I figured if we told positive stories about swim and built it up then it might work. Are you following? The book makes way more sense than I do and a must read for anyone with a child. I am totally opposed to books that tell you how to parent as every single kid is different and with toddlers every day is different but this is totally based on science and how the brain works. I think most moms with toddlers can agree that toddlers are the most unpredictable critters ever (unless you have one of those good ~~boring~~ kids) and while some days one thing will work it won't necessarily work the next. I guess I want to make sure my mom bag is packed full of ideas and while I help to discipline I'm also nurturing her.

Welp I'm officially exhausted from talking all over the place. Hope you kinda followed along.......