"Mama 'oves Pat!"

It's already Thursday.  Somehow I missed Tuesday and Wednesday.  I am not sure how this keeps happening!  It's even more frustrating when I think about what an "interesting" week it has been.

Tuesday, we were headed to school and I was talking to my husband on the phone.  From the backseat, Brent squeals, "'appy 'ines 'ay, Yaya!!!"  I think I might have turned around and glared at him...but maybe I just glanced in the rear view mirror.  I was driving...but I can't remember.  Seriously?  I asked Brent to say it again.  He did.  (Happy Valentine's Day, Dada)...  This is one of those mommy moments that I love him so, so, so much but really want to throw something at him.  So, now rewind to that morning.  Brent gets out of bed and even though I am NOT a morning person, I struggle each day to act cheery because I want him to grow up to be a morning person.  "Good morning, love!  Happy Valentine's Day!!!" and I proceeded to tell him how he was going to have a Valentine's Day party at school and how the day was all about love, blah, blah, blah.  Fast forward two hours and he tells his DAD (who he is NOT even talking to on the phone) Happy Valentine's Day!  Are you kidding me?

Now, let me explain something else that makes me want to throw things at my beautiful child.  He will say, "I 'ove Yaya" (I love Dada)...and he will say, "Yaya 'oves 'e!" (Dada loves me!).  However, despite the fact that I tell him SEVERAL times a day, whenever I tell him OR Matt "I love you" Brent immediately interrupts to correct me and spats, "No!  Mama 'oves Pat!"  (No!  Mama loves Pat!)

Did I mention Pat is one of our dogs?  Not even the dog that was my baby before Brent - she's just one of our outside dogs.  She is sweet, and a big lap dog, and I do love her, but where he is getting the idea that she is my favorite is beyond my understanding.  Matt and I both have tried to explain that you can love more than one person...and animal...but Brent will not be deterred from the fact that I do not love him, or anyone, other than Pat.  Is he seriously old enough to do this crap to bug me on purpose?  I can't imagine anything we could have said or done that would make him think anything other than I love him and Matt!

Why am I a stay at home Mom?  No respect, appreciation, or "love" from this preschooler.

Speaking of no appreciation, Brent made it through the night on Monday (when he slept in underwear), his bed, however, did not.  Tuesday, he went through 3 pairs of underwear in an hour and a half and I told him I was done.  Today, a friend suggested keeping him in the underwear and continuously cleaning it up.  By putting him back in pull-ups, I am just reinforcing the fact that I will let him do just that.  Huh.  That makes sense.  Maybe I'll start that next week...

Note:  IF I have another child, plan to start potty training during warmer weather so they can run around outside in underwear...