This morning I left Kaiya playing in the living room and headed into the kitchen to wash our breakfast dishes. I could hear her chatting away and making various noises that sounded like normal play. I heard her go to her room and back to the living room and back to her room a couple of times, all very normal. As I was finishing up I realized that things had gotten way too quiet and I should probably peek in to see what she was up to.

This is what I found!

Mama Kaiya2 Mama Kaiya

Little Mama Kaiya was in the process of changing her beloved Bear's diaper. It must have been a messy one, as you can see the amount of wipes necessary to clean his little bottom. As mad as I wanted to be at her, I couldn't help but laugh and be a little proud.

The reason being that back in December I started keeping my dear friend Trisha's little baby girl two days a week as she headed back to work part-time. This has been a valuable learning experience for me in preparing for being a mom of two little ones in just a few short months, plus I get to help out a friend and love on her little baby. However, the experience has not been so good for Kaiya. Often when I pick up baby Braylen or prepare her bottle, Kaiya goes into meltdown mode and stands at my feet crying huge crocodile tears screaming, "Up, Up, Up!" Then while I'm giving the baby her bottle Kaiya continues to cry and scream, "Mama. No, No! Mama! Up, Up Up!" It has been really difficult and frustrating for us both, so in an effort to help Kaiya through this I've tried to make her a part of each step in caring for the baby.

When I feed Braylen, I get Kaiya all set up with a bottle to feed her baby or bear as well. When it's time to burp Braylen, I let Kaiya pat her back. I ask Kaiya to bring Braylen various things like toys and blankets, and she happily does so. When it's time to change Braylen's diaper, Kaiya hands me a clean diaper (or three) from Braylen's basket under the changing table.

Well, yesterday I decided to change Braylen's diaper in the living room as she was playing so well on a blanket on the floor. I asked Kaiya to please bring me a diaper and the wipes from Braylen's basket under the changing table. She did and then watched me intently as I changed Braylen's diaper. Usually, I change diapers on the changing table so inevitably Kaiya really doesn't get to see what all takes place. She just hands me the diapers. Anyway, after I finished changing Braylen's diaper, Kaiya took the wet diaper and put it on top of the diaper pail and helped me return the wipes (and the three other diapers she brought) back to the changing table.

This morning Kaiya had pretty much mimicked my entire process from yesterday. She put the blanket on the floor, collected the diapers and wipes and got to work on Bear. I just don't know why she had to pull out ALL of the wipes. After I snapped the pictures, Kaiya and I had a little talk about her changing diapers without my help. She knows not to touch the things in the baskets under the changing table, but I'm sure I've confused her by asking her to retrieve things from there lately. It was hard not to laugh as we cleaned up the mess and Kaiya finished by putting what I only assume was the "dirty" diaper on top of the diaper pail.

I'm proud that she has really taken to the whole mothering thing and will definitely be a big help once the baby arrives. I would just be a little prouder if she would help when asked and not help herself.