Tralee's Attention Tactics

I think sometimes Tralee needs a little more attention than I'm giving her. I try to have a little alone time with her during the day, but once in a while her behavior lets me know she might need a bit more one-on-one. Her attention behavior usually comes out when I'm doing something with Hunter -- feeding him, rocking him, kissing him.

For instance, yesterday Hunter fell asleep on the couch while I was nursing him. I was quite comfortable, and really enjoying just holding and staring at my baby. It was at this serene moment that Tralee announced that she went potty, and needed my help. I didn't want to get up, but Tralee kept yelling for my help, so I laid Hunter down, and went to take care of Tralee. When I got to her potty there was no evidence of her using it. I came to the conclusion that Tralee just wanted some attention, and since she always gets positive feedback for using the potty, she thought she might as well take advantage it. We ended up reading books after this while Hunter continued his nap.

In another instance, I put Hunter in the stroller to go for a walk. I told Tralee she could walk too and help with Corky. Our double stroller needs new tires, so we were just using the single. Tralee was adamant about riding in the stroller too, so she came up with a new system. It worked, and everyone was happy.

Tralee also knows she gets attention when she's cold or tired. She's been coming up to me and saying, "Mommy, I'm cold." Then she starts fake shivering until I get her all wrapped up in a blanket and give her lots of kisses. It works every time, so she's cold or tired A LOT everyday.

Lastly, I think Tralee sees all the attention Hunter gets while he's in the high chair. She doesn't get such one-on-one attention anymore while she eats. So, the other day I walked into the dinning room and this sight met my eyes:

She was all bibbed up and ready to go. I laughed, then took this picture. And p.s. keeping this one in clothes is an impossible task. We're working on it everyday.

After she was done eating, we found another activity we could do together.

Sometimes Tralee's attention tactics don't work. Like, if I'm doing something that can't wait. However, when I can oblige Tralee, I do.