Nothing we say or do seems to resonate with her, and I know that ultimately we must rely on time, patience, and Abby's own evolving emotional maturity to really see a change occur, but Tom and I keep plugging on with our discussions, reminders, and time-outs in the hope that perhaps some amount of behavior modification will start to stick. Thus, we've found ourselves discussing today's upcoming birthday party (a combined celebration for the daughters of some good friends) at length, reviewing proper behavior, the importance of listening to Mommy and Daddy, and the reward for doing so: cake.
All this talk of cake gave Abby a bit of cake-on-the-brain.
As we prepared to leave this afternoon, we talked up all of the good food that we would have when we got to our destination. "Are you going to eat some of the yummy food, Abby?" Tom asked.
"No, just cake," she said, rather matter-of-factly.
Abby discovered, to her great delight, that there were many exciting things to enjoy at the party, however.
There were wagon-rides (Abby had one, too, but I missed my photo op with her)...
... never-before-seen toys...
... yummy things to eat (this was Michael's first experience with corn-on-the-cob, and he polished off about three little cobs by himself)...
(He also did incredibly well sitting on that bench alone, until he dropped a cob and fell off of the bench trying to retrieve it. All was well after the tears were wiped away, however.)
... party hats...
... picnics on the lawn...
... big blue balls...
... Pin the Tail on the Donkey (unfortunately, I missed my shot of Abby getting her turn as I was chasing her maniac brother around the yard, but you get the picture)...
... a pinata...
... and, of course, the obligatory cake.
Abby did fabulously, and got a generous helping, to be sure.
I harbor no illusions that tomorrow will be a hitting- or pushing-free day, but I'll take the little wins that I can.
If only I could have cake, too...
