Let Me See You Dance

I have no idea where she learned her moves.

Potty Training

Disclaimer: Sometimes I try to think up clever titles for my posts, but this time, I want you to know exactly what you're about to read. Just in case some of you have problems reading about such things. I mean, I know everybody does it, but I also appreciate that not everybody likes to hear about it. So, use your own judgement. That being said, I'll keep the icky details to a minimum.

We are potty training today. And it is no joke. Violet is currently (fingers crossed) napping. I kind of wish I was, too. I am exhausted. My head hurts. My back hurts. My emotions are fragile.

I haven't spent this much one-on-one in-your-face time with Violet since she was an infant. We've been in constant contact and communication since she woke up this morning. I've barely taken my eyes off her. And that's intense. There have been few distractions such as tv or friends, because distractions are exactly that. They distract. And when Violet is distracted, she pees on the floor. Not in the potty. And we're aiming for potty here, folks.

As soon as she woke up this morning, she donned the Minnie Mouse "big girl pants" she picked out at the store. I set my phone to beep every five minutes and we were off. Phone beeps, she sits on potty, she gets an M&M. We probably did this six times in a row to no effect. And then she had three accidents in a row, often just a minute after getting off the toilet. Not cool. I tried not to get discouraged. I received multiple encouraging texts from my neighbor Kim.

Violet takes care of business while playing on the phone. Oh, like you've never done that.

Finally we struck gold and you should have seen my happy dance. This time, the reward was a fistful of gummy bears. That seemed rather motivating. Kim came over as emotional reinforcement and brought stickers and stamps to further bribe encourage Violet. And she brought lunch, which probably saved my sanity. We had some more success. And some more failure. Step forward, step back.

At last count, there have been nine accidents and seven bullseyes. I'm not sure if that is a good ratio or not. My biggest issue is whether Violet is truly ready for this. Because if she's not, I don't want to waste my time. After all, daycare can take up this cross when school starts again. But hey, if the time is right I want to take advantage of it.

Using stamps to count up our victories. Look how proud she is!

But honestly, diapers seem awfully convenient at this point. And the thought of continuing the effort when she wakes up in a few minutes is frankly exhausting me. Part of me wants to pat myself on the back, get a gold star for effort, and live to fight another day. Consistency - what a drag.

A friend from school gave me the best advice. When this is all over, I'm going to buy myself a present. Oh, I'm supposed to get Violet a present to use as motivation, you say? Nope, I think I'm the one that really deserves it!

Playing Favorites

My daughter is currently going through a daddy phase. Given a choice, she'll choose her daddy. Daddy gets her up in the morning, picks her up when she's sad, Daddy can convince her to put her shoes on and brush her teeth. Daddy this, Daddy that. No Mommy, I want Daddy!

Secretly, I'm loving it!

Does it hurt my feelings that she'd rather have her daddy right now? Not one bit! It gives me a little bit of breathing room, and that's good for everyone.

Besides, they're so darn cute together!

O-H-I-O

The definition of relaxing: Aunt Stephanie's patio.

So late last week the three of us hopped in the car and made the long drive to Ohio to visit some of Matt's family. It's always fun to visit a place where there are so many old memories - Matt was full of anticdotes from his elementary school days when he lived in Ohio.

The drive up was... tolerable. Violet watched approximately 87 hours of dvds on the two day drive up north. But it was worth it when we finally arrived at Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Steve's house. Their home is truly a tranquil escape - a beautiful home, warm swimming pool, cool breezes blowing through the windows, perfect patio with lovely views. Violet warmed up to our hosts right away; the fact that they have a sweet dog just sealed the deal. And I should really call Aunt Stephanie "Grandma 2"... she spoiled Violet just like my mother-in-law does!

Violet and her vacation buddy Marley. Does this mean we have to get a dog?

Uncle Steve shows Violet how it's done.

Our driving reason behind this Ohio trip was to visit Matt's grandmother. She lives in a sweet little nursing home that serves up all-you-can-eat ice cream as a treat to visiting great-grandkids. You can believe Violet took full advantage of that perk!

Ice cream at Great-Grandma's "house" - look at that concentration.

Great-Grandma and cool girl Violet.

Aw. (Did you know that Violet's middle name - Elizabeth - is courtesy of this lovely lady?)

Visiting with Grandma in what has to be the least child-proof room ever.

A few other scenes from the trip:

This adorable establishment has been serving up ice cream and candy since Matt's parents were little, and I don't think it's changed a lick in the years since (see what I did there?). The staff behind the candy counter wear bow ties! Adorable!

Oh instagram, you make me feel like a professional photographer!

Earning It

Remember last week when I wrote about keeping score? Yeah... should have kept my mouth shut. It's like Violet knew Father's Day was coming, knew I wanted it to be a special day, and decided to make us earn it by making Saturday a complete disaster.

Here's just a brief glimpse of what we endured:

Violet: I want a popsicle.
Me: No, you didn't take a nap today, so no popsicle.
Violet: Pooooooooooooopsicle!!!!!!!
Matt: Violet, we already told you...
Violet: Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Giant tears, throws self to floor in a dramatic display I used to swear they only did in movies. Finally, after realizing we're not impressed...)

Violet, tearstained, hiccuping, snotty faced: I want juice.
Me: You already had juice today. How about some water?
Violet: NO JUUUUUUUUUUUUICE!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

And.... repeat.

Finally Matt, my sainted husband, loaded Violet into the stroller, put on his headphones, and took Violet on a long walk while I tried to get the ringing in my ears to stop. Things were much better when they finally returned. So we rewarded ourselves with one of our favorite pre-kid pastimes - Mexican food and margaritas on a patio in beautiful weather.

Yes, she ate the rice off the bottom of her shoe.

My beautiful mess.

I earned this drink. And I'm loving this view.

And after all that drama... Sunday was lovely! Matt and his dad went golfing (my dad was out of town) while us ladies took Violet to the pool, then steaks were grilled and consumed, ice cream was procured and someone else handled bath and bed time. Come to think of it, it was a bit of a Mother's Day for me...

Happy Father's Day!

Happy family, all smiles.

Dog Days of Summer

We've been dog sitting while the neighbors are away. Violet loves these dogs. They were rescued after being abandoned in a church parking lot and they are so sweet. In my opinion, they are the perfect size, not itty bitty annoying, but not too big scary. They don't jump up (much), don't bark (except when Matt leaves the house) and although they've managed to wake Violet up before 7 a.m. almost every morning that they've been here, we still like them. Matt has been making puppy eyes about getting pooch of our own, but in my opinion, this is the perfect scenario - we have two adorable dogs... who live next door! (It's like being a grandparent - love 'em, spoil 'em, send 'em home!)

An unintended side effect of keeping the pups has been all the accessories they come with, including this lovely crate, which Violet promptly upcycled into a playhouse for herself.

I swear she crawled in by herself.

 

And then brought some toys to keep herself company.

Silly girl!

Happy Father's Day!

Violet would just like to say that she thinks her dad is pretty awesome. I would like to agree.

Gimme a D...

Gimme an A...

Gimme a D...

Matt, you really are an awesome dad. I love how you are so hands-on with Violet. I often find you two in in the playroom putting together puzzles or kicking the ball to each other. (That gives me hope for tea parties to come!) You always think of new things to teach Violet, be it vocabulary words or ball throwing technique. You are lenient enough to let her get away with skipping a bath now and then, but firm when it matters, like finishing dinner or saying "thank you".

I secretly love when she insists you be the one to brush her teeth or get her up in the morning, and not just because it gets me off the hook for a few minutes - it's obvious how much our little girl adores you!

You never seem to mind when I'm off for book club or girls' night and you're home with Violet. I always return to a happy baby and hubby, even if Violet refused her nap or begged for 18 snacks. You love sharing those hilarious details of her day and you can't hide how proud you are when she shows off her latest feats - like singing all the lyrics to Bert and Ernie's "But I Like You" song with you.

Thanks for being such a great dad - we love you! Happy Father's Day!