Big Sister

We're expecting our second baby on August 15th. Violet is very excited to be a big sister. She talks to the baby all the time and tells her that she loves her. I tell her what a great big sister she is going to be, and how the baby is going to know who she is right away because she hears Violet's voice all the time. We'll see how she does once the baby is born, but for now all is good. Violet only has a few weeks of preschool yet. I think it's going to be hard for her to wrap her head around not going to school for almost three months. She's so into the routine now. When she goes back in the fall she starts Pre-K and will be in three half days a week instead of two. We really did want to send her for three full days, she would love it, but it's just not in our budget right now.

My baby also no longer has her long "Rapunzel" hair that she insisted she would never, ever have cut. She attempted a self-style after the scissors were left in her reach. As you can imagine, it didn't turn out to well. Daddy emailed me the photographic evidence at work, and then took her right to the salon to get it fixed the best they could. This was back at the end of March so it's finally evening out to where he took her back about a week ago and got it cut shorter and a little more even. It looks really cute. She wanted it just like her cousin Gabby, so now they're going to look like twins.

My little pre-schooler

Violet is growing up super fast, clearly my blog is not keeping up with her...
She started pre-school at the end of August. She LOVES it. We started her out with two mornings a week, both for financial reasons and to make sure she would be o.k. with being in school. We had nothing to worry about there. We brought her in on her first day and after about 5 minutes she was ready for us to go. Now when I drop her off she barely stops to give me hugs and kisses before she's full speed into her classroom greeting her teacher and her friends. She now frequently asks me why she doesn't go every day, and why she doesn't get to sleep at school (full day kids have nap time.) I have to tell her maybe next year. Today is actually the first day of school she's missed, she was up half the night with a raging sore throat and was burning up with a fever this morning. I guess better now than for Halloween. I'm not sure what it is about this time of year, but I don't want her to miss out on trick or treating or her very first Halloween party at school! She has a handful of costumes (note - stock up at Disney store after Halloween when they're on clearance for next year...otherwise they're too expensive!) so is deciding on what day she is going to be which character.

What the heck Momma?

So as it turns out, I'm just as bad at keeping up with an online journal as I am with pen and paper! I notice the last entry I made was over a year ago, and as anyone with kids can tell you that is a huge chunk of time! Violet has grown a lot, and every day she is less baby and more little person. Some things haven't changed. Every night, bedtime is the same routine - plus or minus a bath, depending on the day. It's milk & stories, brush teeth, put on the Roy Orbison CD, and down to sleep we go. I just managed to ween her off her bedtime 'ba ba' about a month ago. I know, I'm terrible. She was just so attached to that bottle that I felt bad taking one of the last pieces of her babyhood away from her. At first I made a big production out of getting her a special sippy cup for bedtime only. I found some with soft, silicone tops that were similar to bottles thinking maybe she wouldn't notice the difference as much that way. Of course, that plan backfired on me when, a few days later, she managed to chew up the top of one of them. Something she never did with her bottles. I instead changed over to using a cup with a soft, flip up straw we had gotten for her forever ago at the Rainforest Cafe and she seems perfectly happy with that. She still asks for her bedtime baba, and I remind her that she gets a bedtime big girl cup of milk now. Thankfully it was not as difficult of a transition as I thought it would be. At almost 3, she still isn't potty trained...I supposed every mother assumes their little darlings will be magically trained (by the toilet fairies maybe?) around 2 years of age and diapers will just be a distant memory by the time they turn three. Not to be for us. Every day when I ask her when she's going to use the potty, she says "Later. I'm going to do that later." Or "Tomorrow" is another favorite answer, because she can re-use that one as many times as she likes! Yes, I realize it's on us (Andy and I) to get her trained, but I feel like if she's not even interested in trying what's the point?!

She's gotten big into board games lately. We had bought Candyland and Chutes and Ladders some time ago, and now that she's old enough to play them they've become a daily staple. Add to that the Disney princess Memory game I picked up for her for Christmas and we spend a good few hours a day playing games. Which I think is good because it's teaching her to take turns, to pay attention, and to not be a sore loser (although she beats me most of the time at Candyland!)

We're planning our latest adventure to Disney World for next month. She was last there when she was about a year and a half old, and she still remembers (or at least says she does) a lot of her experiences there. For sure she remembers the Small World ride, because she's talked about it ever since. She's excited to ride that again, and to meet the characters. I'm excited to take her at this age since she's a lot more vocal than she was last time we took her, so we'll really be able to hear what she thinks about things.

The pic attached to this entry is one of my favorites from this past Halloween. She had fun trick or treating, we took her three times to make up for the previous year when she had been sick. The last time out we took her to the outlet mall up in Pleasant Prairie (which is where this was taken.) She filled that pumpkin to the brim! She was a riot. The mall is pretty decent sized, and after we were about half way through the stores after every time she would go up to the counter, say 'trick or treat,' and get her treat, she would turn to Andy and I and ask "all done yet?" or something like that. We just laughed, because what kid gets tired of people handing them free candy??

I'm fine

This past weekend was Violet's second Thanksgiving. She wasn't a newborn for her last one (9 months) but she still wasn't as independent last year. This year she got to run around with the bigger kids a little bit - at least until they ditched her to go play hockey in the basement. She's also really getting Christmas this year. She loves Christmas trees and snowmen. I got her a Frosty stuffed animal from Build a Bear (which I think may be her favorite store). I think she may have been traumatized by the guy stuffing Frosty, though. We were about three people back in line, so I let her hold on to the un-stuffed Frosty while we waited. When we finally got up to the guy that puts the stuffing in, I asked her to hand him over - which she did, no problem. But when she saw him put Frosty up to the big metal pole and start the stuffing machine she started screaming. I kept telling her "no, honey, he's not hurting Frosty!!" She calmed down a little once she got him back. Now he sleeps in her crib with her, along with Emma her teddy bear - also from Build a Bear. I think maybe their dolls just make really good pillows for her. As for the Christmas tree part, I can now distract her in the car telling her to look for Christmas trees. After we've passed some, though, she'll make the sign for 'more' and say "More Christmas trees!" which is too cute. Santa - well, we'll see. Last year she cried when she got her picture taken, but this year I've got her saying "Santa" and when I ask her what Santa says she'll say "ho, ho, ho!" She saw the mall Santa and looked interested enough in meeting him, but looking over the prices of the photo packages they were offering we decided it would have to wait for another day - highway robbery I tell you!!
Oh - and as for the title of the post - the other day we were in Target and her feet got a little ahead of her and she fell in the middle of the aisle. Even when she doesn't cry, I always ask her if she's o.k. when she falls - this time she answered "I'm fine" and went on her merry way. I cracked up laughing. She did it again at my parent's house the next day and my mom and I were in tears we were laughing so hard. It's good that she can answer that question, it was just totally unexpected because she usually doesn't answer me.

Sickie

Violet is sick. AGAIN. That's now twice in the past three weeks. First Swine Flu, over Halloween Weekend of all times (sorry little one, trick or treating will have to wait until next year) and now a sinus infection. I think it makes little ones angry, too, because she doesn't seem to understand why daddy and I can't make her feel better immediately.

Poor little girl. Hopefully the antibiotics will work quickly.

My little parrot

It's been awhile since I posted anything new. Here are the latest updates -

Our trip to Disney World in Sept/Oct was a lot of fun. Violet had a blast. She loved meeting the characters - especially the Little Einsteins who she stalked at our character breakfast - and enjoyed the rides she could go on. She loved It's a Small World, so we rode that several times (and she will still sing along - or attempt to - when prompted). She did better on the plane than I expected. The flight out to FL was great, she slept most of the way. The flight home was a little touch and go. We had an early flight, which meant we had to be up super early to be at the airport. She slept a little on the plane, but when she woke up halfway through the flight it was hard to keep her entertained. She wanted to get up and move around. Thank goodness for short flights!!

As for recent updates, she is now learning to repeat pretty much anything you'll say to her. If she's looking at something and I tell her what it is, she'll usually at least try to say it back to me. She's got a really good memory, too. I'll tell her something once or twice and after that she'll remember what it is. She's learned most of her letters, numbers, colors and shapes. It's so much fun watching her learn. On the other end, the more she's learning to talk and how to communicate what she wants she's getting a little more pushy. Sometimes when I'm watching her I just let her play and do her own thing while I relax, but now she'll come over to me and say "momma play!" If she wants something, unless she's already really worked up about it and crying, she'll tell us what it is. We don't always understand what she's saying right away, but she tries!

I'm looking forward to how she'll enjoy Christmas this year. I think she'll have a lot of fun.

Chatterbox

Little miss is starting to talk a lot more every day. She picks up words super fast (and as I type that, I hear the Little Einsteins in my head saying "Super fast!!!") Sometimes after I repeat them to her once, maybe twice. She's learned purple, yellow, Olivia (although she'll say "O libliba") - yesterday she said "pea" because she was eating peas and kept holding them up and looking at me. So I told her "Pea" and after she held a few more up to me she repeated it back. That's one thing that has become a little more challenging - she's starting to get a little more picky about what she eats, and tends to prefer things that are familiar rather than trying new things. I thought we had it made, she's usually a really fantastic eater, but lately she picks at things more often than not. Unless it's mac and cheese, or fruit, or cookies, or apparently peas. Some nights she'll just throw stuff off her tray, and I know it's naughty but she's so enthusiastic about it that I have to turn away as I bust out laughing. Same thing when she splashes me with water in the tub. She has a little cup that she'll fill with water, she'll turn and give me a smirk, and then she full on throws the water right in my face. Then she laughs her head off. I'm trying really hard to teach her it's naughty and that if she does it a second time bath is over, but sometimes I can't help but laugh. I have to work on my poker face I guess.