Negotiate or Dictate?

This morning when I walked into Joseph's room he made a noise that was part whine part scream. (and not because I woke him up, he was already awake with the light on) When I asked him if he wanted me to leave, he said yes, I left, and the noise stopped. Easy peasy.

Some things are not as easy to resolve. Like not wanting to go inside after playing outside. Or wanting to watch Nemo everyday. And so the question is, which method is better.....reasoning or forcing? I tend to lean towards negotiating tactics when confronted with a tantrum. "If you put on your coat, then you can have a vitamin" (side note: whoever came up with the idea of gummy bear vitamins was a genius).

Joseph picks up new words every day so it is getting easier to communicate. His favorite phrases of the moment are:
"Apple Juice" (he gets very happy while drinking it, and lets you know by wistfully repeating the phrase after each sip)
"Rosco no Rosco stop" (clearly he learned this from me)
"Mommy sit" (usually accompanied by Joseph pointing to the exact spot he wants you to sit on)
"Daddy up" (translation: Daddy pick me up)

The Irish Soccer Player

The kid is part Irish so we had to put him in green today in honor of St Patrick's Day(I had previously dressed him in red, black, and white and when we were changing him into his more festive attire he kept crying "no....black.....no.....black" Translation: No, I want to wear black). He's looked like a little boy for a while now, but his haircut, height, and use of words all makes him seem so old. This morning while having his diaper changed, he happily sang "Patty Cake", rolling and kneading included. Patty Cake is much easier to understand than Joseph's version of the ABCs and Farmer in the Dell. He was actually singing the real words and not just the occasional C and Q or repeating of the word "dell" to a familiar toon. :)

A View of the After....

Sometime between 1938 and 1986 someone thought it would be a good idea to incorporate Cerulean Blue (a not so subtle turquoise) into our bathroom (since our house was built in the 30s I'm wondering if it was actually the original color). In 2009 we decided to rid our lovely home of the nasty color, and thanks to "Uncle Pat-ric-cak" I think we now have a color that will stand the test of time. (White has been popular since 1883) You can't help but no so much about toilet colors when living not too far from the toilet capital (Kohler) of the country. In addition to the spa and golf courses they also have a very nice toilet museum. Maybe we should have donated ours....

If you don't recall what our bathroom previously looked like, you can catch a glimpse of it here: http://conwayupdates.blogspot.com/2008/06/turn-my-back-for-minute.html

And yes, Joseph is wearing a pair of my slippers. Or as he like's to call them "momma boots". :)

Joseph and Rosco Finding Nemo