Friday, January 16, 2009

Its all about Adaptation...

I'm sure we all know about Darwin... and his theories of survival of the fittest, natural adaptation, and evolution.

I couldn't help but think of him this morning as I cleaned my upstairs bathroom.

In typical fashion, Rowan refused to come downstairs this morning. I generally shower, come down, make her lunch... drink coffee... get myself done up and read my blogs. She likes to hang out in my bed and watch Handy Manny.

Every day I have to yell up the stairs at least five times which usually ends with threats of leaving her home alone while I apparently go off to preschool to learn my alphabet.

This morning, after numerous such threats, she finally yelled down the stairs..."Mama, wipe me!!!" I yelled back... "did you poop?"... and in response..."yessssss".

So up the stairs I went. Now, we were late for school of course... nothing abnormal. So being such, I had to rush around. I quickly got her off the potty, wiped the rear end, and rushed her down the stairs to get her dressed and out the door.

Now, being a few hours later, I went upstairs to grab my laundry and clean up a bit. The scene I found before me was quite perplexing, and I felt a bit like a modern day Sherlock Holmes as I walked around attempting to solve the puzzling I observed.

First off, I headed to her room. I was putting her jammies away and making her bed.... I also had to put a package of pull ups away in her closet. That's when I found my first clue.

I keep Rowan's socks in a small basket on her floor. I do this because its easier to have them out than stuffed away in her chest of drawers. I found however, that the basket was missing, and instead a large pile of scattered socks lay in its place..... hmmmmmm *queue scratching of the head* Now, I know that that basket was there this morning when I grabbed her socks for the day... so where the heck did it go?

I did a quick survey of the room.... no basket?? Did someone rob me??? Passing up all my electronic equipment and costume jewerly to steal my much covetted small white recycled Easter converted sock basket?? Bizzaar?

I continued around the room, and noticed that Rowan's pink over sized throw pillow is also missing...... oh wait..... and a large portion of books from her book case.

At this point, I'm beginning to get a bit frantic... what on earth is going on??? I head to my room to see if anything else is missing....nope... nothing.. hmmmmmmm

Finally I got to the bathroom... and the scene I see before me, that which I did not notice in my haste earlier in the morning.... reminds me a bit of Darwn and Goldy Locks.

How might you ask? Let me explain.

When Rowan used the potty upstairs, she has to use a stool. We do not keep a small potty in that bathroom as there is no space. Instead we have one of those small removable child toilet seats that she can put on top of the regular toilet seat.

Rowan loves her stool. She carries it around the house and up and down the stairs... to reach various objects she might want.

It just so happens that today the stool in in the downstairs bathroom.

So, in typical Charles Darwin, adaptation style, Rowan went in search of an object she might use to replace her stool.

I see...

A stack of books on the floor, that slide off of each other... obviously not stable enough for a perch.

A white small wicker basket, slightly crunched in at the top.... nope, not stable or strong enough...

A pink polka dot over stuffed throw pillow.... just the right amount of height and stableness to help a 34 1/2 inch toddler to climb up onto a potty.... hanging out in front of the toilet... ahhhhh perfect.

And so....Little Miss Rowan adapted quite nicely this morning.... and she was able to get up on the potty after several failed attempts and no doubt much brain storming on her behalf.

The creativity of a child never ceases to amaze.

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