Mom of the Fricking Year

Since Miss S started walking a solid year ago, I must of acquired about 500 gray hairs. However, I hi-lite my hair so you would never know. She is a wild girl. We have had our share of falls, scrapes, scratches, nose dives, face plants, etc. Good thing she is so tough or else we would of have had endless days of tears. However, since she is so tough, it is sometimes hard to distinguish when she really does hurt herself. Case in point Sunday.

I was fixing dinner (pulled pork sandwiches to be exact) when I heard her run full speed into the living and fall. Hard. So hard that she immediately started screaming but then wound up so hard that she let out no noise for a couple seconds then started wailing again. I asked her where her "boo boo" was but she couldn't tell me. She calmed down in a few minutes and acted like nothing happened. About an hour later in the bath a red line started appearing over the bridge of her nose indicating that it was the thing that took the brunt of her fall. I also noticed a little swelling. I immediately began to worry because I broke my nose in junior high and since then have a bump on it. Here she had a perfect nose and I didn't want her nose to be funky like mine. I know, such a shallow thought.

Hubbs assured me she was fine and that the doctor wouldn't be able to do anything anyways. Fast forward the next day and it was more blue. Yesterday it was really blue. Today it is better. However, taking her out in public is pretty embarrassing. People eye us up suspiciously. But I am used to that, she always has something on her. Come to think of it, this post seems very familiar. Seems like I just wrote a similar one a couple months back when she busted her lip open (which did leave a scar). I tell ya, just when I thought she was mellowing down, she starts falling again!

I definitely do not feel like the Mom of the Year.

Keep On Truckin'

So my second job this week has been finding a new daycare/preschool for Miss S. So stressful, I tell yah. Despite the stress, I am actually excited for this next chapter in her life. The options I have been looking at are with more kids her age. She is so active and smart that I want her to be constantly learning new things and not be bored. So I think things will be okay.

In other exciting news, Miss S has pee peed on the potty! The first was on Wednesday night and the second tonight! I am so excited, I really think we are on the right path!

Elmo's Potty Time

Half assed attempts at Potty Training have been taking place for about two months now. By half assed, I mean putting Miss S on the toilet right before bath time and more frequently during the day on the weekends. I also bought her "Elmo's Potty Time" DVD since really, Elmo is like her hero. So I figured as soon as she watched it the first time she would race to the toilet, pee, wipe and flush and we were trained! Not so much.

While she will sit on the toilet at night, she is more interested in playing with the toilet paper roll and tossing the paper into the toilet. If I take it away she practically tries to yank the toilet roll holder off the wall and loses focus. Needless to say, no actual pee pee on the potty yet.

Miss S has accomplished most milestones early. I guess I figured I wouldn't need to do much and she would just get it. Granted, since this process began, she has learned to announce when she is going pee pee, just not before she actually goes. My goal is to have her trained by the time she is 2, which is four months away. I know she can do it, I just need to know of a better strategy, and I guess be better at making it a habit as something to work on harder. I don't want force her, but I just know she can do it and I know I can do it.

Any tried and true suggestions? I haven't really done too much research on this topic yet, but as of now I realize that four months away is really right around the corner.

18 Months

Today you are 18 months old. I can not believe my little and spunky baby is now a year and a half! Where did the time go? You are such a wonderful and beautiful girl who never ceases to amaze me with the things you say and do.

You recently have started speaking in sentences; and will repeat commands to the dog that your dad and I bark out (no pun intended). You know when you have “pee-pee’d” in your diaper and I think you are only a few weeks away from potty training.

One of the most favorite things I like to do with you is read books. However, I prefer when you read them to me. I can’t really get what you might be saying but you deliver each sentence as though you are a conductor in front of an orchestra.

We dance together to Snow White. You throw your hands in the air and twirl during certain softer songs and I am really starting to see the Ballerina in you. During the “Work, Work, Work” song from Cinderella, you giggle when you hear the mice talking.

The fact that you are always on the go in a near sprint has caused many scrapes and bruises recently. The other day I counted five different “owies”, each of them you were never fazed when they occurred. You are so tough and make your playmates look like little wussies !

I cherish each and every moment I get to spend with you. I live for you and I love our little mommy-daughter connection. You are my girl.

I am Angry, Hear Me Roar

Yesterday the weather was gorgeous. It reached way over 80 degrees so to celebrate my mom and I took Miss S to the main park in our town. Once we got into the playground area a little girl came running up to Miss S, and I quickly realized that it was her friend from daycare who we will call “Hillary”. Hillary is just under 2 and quite bigger than Sonya. Miss S was so excited to see Hillary at the playground. I greeted her mom and introduced myself. She acted kind of aloof and then referred to Miss S by the wrong name which kind of put me off. We sat there watching the girls say hello when all of a sudden Hillary grabs a huge handful of damp sand and through it full force right into Sonya’s face. Seriously, Hillary was not even a foot away when she did this.

I sat there shocked. In fact we all sat there shocked. I then noticed that Sonya had clumps of sand in her mouth and in her eye. So I swooped in and picked her up and headed towards the stroller to clean her up. Meanwhile, Hillary’s mom didn’t do anything. She told Hillary to “Apologize to Sonya”. Like she even knew how to do that. She didn’t even discipline her or anything. Miss S is really tough and only cries from pain only rarely. I am not sure that since Hillary’s mom saw that Miss S wasn’t crying that she didn’t think it was a big deal. Either way, I was so incredible pissed that Hillary was not punished. The worst part of the incident was seeing Sonya’s face right after she took the sand to it. She looked at Hillary and you could tell her feelings were really hurt.
It breaks my heart thinking about that face. I stewed over it all day yesterday. My mom and I could not believe Hillary’s mom’s lack of punishment. I know she might have been embarrassed, but if Sonya did it to Hillary I would be of been checking to see if Hillary was okay, and would of then marched my daughter up to the car and left because Hillary knew EXACTLY what she was doing.

So this morning I told daycare what happened. Unfortunately, the main lady wasn’t in the room at that moment but I still told the helper and I will tell the main lady this afternoon when I pick her up. And if I see Hillary’s mom in passing, I don’t plan on giving her the time of day. Maybe that is immature. But this is about my daughter and she pissed me off. No one puts sand in my baby’s face.

The Naughty Corner

The Terrible Two’s are fast approaching; however, I just can’t see myself putting Miss S in the “terrible” category, ever. Sure, at 17 months old, she displays moments of anger and frustration, but even when she launches into a mini-fit, I can’t take it too seriously. When she has a mini tantrum (because they really are mini compared to others I have seen), she wails, plops herself on the ground and her face gets bright red. Then I distract her and we move on. I think she is just so cute when she has these, I know, I must have a serious face, but it’s so hard.

Last week at Daycare, she was put in the naughty corner for pushing a boy. I was mortified, especially since this came right when she has displaying some hitting. Just to me, before bed time. At first she thought it was funny when I held her arm down as she tried to lift it and thought it was a game, so she didn’t get it. Now I tell her to “Be Gentle” and then she lightly brushes my face with my hand and says “Shen Tall”. No more hitting for her, hopefully.
While I know there will be more days of her in the naughty corner, I just keep on hoping she won’t be one of those kids in Target having a meltdown. I was when I was her age. My mom is convinced I will have my pay back. Guess that’s part of being a parent.

Easter Ideas

Aight, folks. I need some ideas on what to put in an Easter basket for a toddler. Growing up my Easter baskets were chalk full of goodies, mainly of the chocolate form, but usually I would get one legit toy, namely a doll. The toy would usually be hidden a la an Easter egg hunt. One year, my mom hid a Cabbage Patch kid in the oven. It wasn't on, of course. I remember bartering with my older brother to exhange his Reese's egg for my Peeps. It never seemed to work out in my favor. The Reese's eggs were prized possessions in my household and it would usualy be the first thing I consumed.

So now that I have a wee one to make holidays magical for as they were for me, I need some ideas. Miss S is too little to eat Whoppers, Jelly Beans, etc, so what kind of sweet treats are good? I was also going to toss in some new barrettes, maybe a bathing suit (although the reappearance of our wintry weather brings no indication that Spring will be back anytime soon, thus swimming in a pool is a bit far out).

As far as the Easter bunny is concerned, there will be no visits to see him this year. Each sighting so far at the mall has brought looks of terror and panic that I have had to beeline into a Disney store just for solice.

Word.