Wanna buy a 2-year old?

That's what my mother asked me when I answered my phone yesterday..."Wanna buy a 2-year old?" I laughed, she laughed and said she was just kidding. I'm thinking a small tiny itsy bitsy part of her may have been serious.

Tracey and the kids are in Newfoundland right now visiting Grandma and Poppa and so continues the crazy shenanigans otherwise known as "Isabella".

Before I begin, here's the theory broken down into sections:
a. Isabella is a Middle Child....I am a Middle Child...I completely relate with the syndrome.
b. Erykah couldn't be like this because she was the first child and always had someone watching her back and front and sideways and upsidedown...Someone always guiding her to be "a good girl"..."No, don't touch that". "Oh please be careful". "Don't do that" etc.
c. Isabella CANNOT be watched constantly because she now has an infant baby sister who requires a great deal of attention.
d. Isabella has that glint in her eye telling of a natural mischievious (sp?) nature.
e. Isabella is actually acting in an age appropriate way: Exploring her world, being curious about the things around her, climbing, jumping, running, pushing the boundaries, etc.

And with that explanation I will now recount what has happened by way of Isabella so far on vacation:

1. She has locked my mother out of the house (she inside, my mom outside)
2. She has, without crying or sulking or any signs of discomfort, seriously scraped and cut her knees while playing outside.
3. She has to be watched constantly outside rather than be content to just play in the yard. As Dad put it, "If you don't watch her, she'll be up da Roy's or down da Don's" (interpretation: She would be walking BY HERSELF ON THE ROAD either one way to the convenience store or the other way to the Gas Station).

And the craziest of all (to which I laughed hysterically when my sister told me because it's one of those things that's so bad that you just have to laugh out loud):

Isabella flooded her grandparents basement!!! Yes, that's right...
How? you may ask...
Simple: She plugged the bathroom sink and let the water run.
When it was finally discovered the cupboard door of the bathroom cabinet was ruined and the water had spread almost to the back corner of the basement!
My sister was so mad she said she didn't even know what to do with Isabella.
So, she decided to put her in Uncle Darren's bedroom downstairs to sit for time out.
My sister then closed the door.
The door then locked (which I'm not certain was done by accident by my sister or purposely by Isabella)
Either way, my sister goes to get Isabella out of time out and the door is locked.
So, they go around the side of the house to peek in the window to Uncle Darren's old bedroom to make sure Isabella is okay, "Isabella, are you ok?", "Isabella, can you try and unlock the door please?!"
And what is Isabella doing?
Sitting on the bed watching TV
And how does "punished" Isabella respond to her mothers request?
Hands over ears saying "I can't hear you!"

Honest to Goodness, I totally laughed my ass off. And really, what do you do? My poor sister had no idea, not the slightest clue. I mean, you have to punish her because what she did was wrong, right? but how? And did she try to do that on purpose? Probably not. But still it's wrong. So how do you discipline a two-year-old for being two? I dunno...And I'm no help at all in the discipline of my nieces cause I always laugh at their "bad" antics. tsk tsk tsk! I guess a part of me hopes that Isabella will continue to be her silly and happy and curious self with safe and moral boundaries, that her personality won't be stumped because we don't know what to do to bring out the best in her, that she'll just be "Isabella", the one with the gleam in her eye of mind-turning mystery, that she'll always give me stories to tell and laughter to share.

And how can I possibly be upset at a little girl who wants to call her auntie on the phone and then hugs and kisses the receiver to say bye because it's the closest she can get to me right now. How? How? How?

All I can really say is this: God give my sister patience and understanding and give Isabella an extra angel to keep her safe and sound.