Baby Blues

The Last Week of Summer

2008-09-07T14:58:00.001-07:00

Well, Labor Day has come and gone. And the last week of summer has been exciting to say the least. Well, some parts of it were exciting. I got a good tip on a gymnastics studio in Huntington Beach and Joy did a free lesson. As you can see, she LOVED it. I bought her a leotard (which she lived in for 2 days) and signed her up for classes. Not sure when they start as she will be the 3rd girl in a brand new class.

In a previous post I showed you how well she has come along in her skateboarding. At the beginning of summer she could barely scoot along. Then she was introduced to a cruiser. Now she can zig-zag, do hills (sort of, hops off if she goes too fast), and can confidently tackle the skatepark. That was a field trip with daycamp. I have the feeling that as soon as she can swim without floaties or a life-jacket she's going to ask for a surfboard. It's the next logical step. I'm a bit relieved that she wants a cruiser more than a regular skateboard. You can't do tricks on a cruiser. :)

Let's see, we also added a new family member. Buddy :) He's awesome for an old dog, and adjusted really well to Joy's imitation of Elmyra.

Zoe has been insanely jealous, though learned the dominance game fairly quickly.

All of us (me, Josh, and Joy) all agree that this summer has gone by much too quickly. School starts tomorrow, and the beginning of another season. Josh starts High School as a 9th grader (where has the time gone???) and Joy starts 1st grade.

On Sept. 8 I start my new job at D.I.G.

First Haircut EVER!

2008-04-20T13:28:00.001-07:00

Joy and Ro. Ro rocks when it comes to cutting curly hair and Joy behaved BEAUTIFULLY for her.

Joy's been asking for a haircut for almost a year now. being my baby and having such gorgeous, curly, soft hair I wasn't too keen on it. But, I know what it's like to be tender-headed and have tangles that take FOREVA to get out, so I thought shoulder-length would be OK.

My hyperactive child sat perfectly still while she got her hair done.

The finished product!!! Joy has a natural side part and one side is fluffier (thicker/fuller) than the other already, but Joy liked it. Later in the day we bought some hair things, so now she can wear a ponytail that she does herself, and headbands. She was so happy to be able to brush all the way through her hair with no tangles.

Yup, that's all hers. Not quite as much as when Josh gets a haircut, but her hair isn't that thick yet.

My Little Gymnast

2007-10-25T22:53:00.000-07:00

She's getting really good at headstands. her next goal is to be able to walk on her hands.

my own little monkey

2007-10-07T14:11:00.001-07:00

while Zoe was playing, Joy was climbing :-)

School was fun!

2007-09-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

Joy's teacher said that she did very well her first day, fit right in with the kids, got exhausted during recess, and she has no doubt that Joy will do well this first year. Neither do I. Joy can already do a lot of the things that they are asking her to do academically, like count from 1-10 forwards and backwards and recognize and spell her first and last name, and write it.

And so it begins. Now to get her to do her homework.

Musings: first day of school

2007-09-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

Musings: first day of school
Joy is definitely ready to start school.

Limbo Contest

2007-09-17T23:44:00.001-07:00

Go Shawty, It's your birthday

2007-09-17T23:25:00.000-07:00

Musings: joy has lost her 3rd tooth

2007-09-11T11:52:00.000-07:00

Musings: joy has lost her 3rd tooth

Advanced Grammar

2007-05-04T18:14:00.000-07:00

We're going to be relocating over the summer, and last night our daughter quite plainly said:

"Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"I have a problem with moving."

Now, I was slightly stunned at her choice and use of words....but once I recovered my wit, I said "What's the problem?"

"We can't take my toys in the toy box."

Ahhh....easily resolved. I assured her we could take her toys and toy box with us....

Baby Blues: Updated Bball Skillz

2007-04-29T16:45:00.000-07:00

Baby Blues: Updated Bball Skillz

Updated Bball Skillz

2007-04-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

She can talk, walk, and dribble all at the same time. And uphill too!

Joy's Basketball Skills

Jam Session

2007-04-25T20:47:00.001-07:00

Jam session taken 4/20

It's her Special Day

2007-04-22T21:02:00.001-07:00

Left, Left, Left. Right, Left
I don’t know but I’ve been told
This Port Kid is getting old
It is a very special day
And this is what we like to say:
Ha-ppy Birth-day
Ha-appy Birth-Day
Happy Birth-DAY!

On Turning 5

2007-04-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

This morning our daughter's daycare provider told me that she had gone up to them and said "Jerry and Kathy, my birthday party is Sunday, but I won't be here. So you can ship my present to me."

As I've often told my wife, our daughter is too smart for our own good :)

On the way to daycare this morning, I told Joy that her brother had just turned 5 (the age she turns on Sunday) when I met him. Her response?

"That means mommy was a single parent..."

"Yes, mommy was a single parent when I met her."

"But how did she have a baby without being married?"

...

See my previous comment about said daughter's intelligence and it's affect on our own good.

Talk about opening a can of worms...I told her we would discuss that at a later date (like when she's 70 or so, I think) :)

Joy's Christmas List

2006-11-23T16:31:00.000-08:00

I came home from work Wednesday evening to be shown that Joy had been practicing her writing. I was able to read everything except bathrobe .. because well, the letters are on a slope :) Most of the letters Joy writes just by looking at them and then drawing. We are working on tracing letters which is why some of her letters are quite good :)

Translation
Joy's Christmas List (what she wrote, with Tim spelling for her)
- Power Wheels
- Motorcycle
-Bathrobe
(what Tim wrote while Joy dictated)
Toy Soldier battery
Rabbit Slippers

Green Eggs and Ham

2006-11-23T15:07:00.000-08:00


Joy reading Green Eggs and Ham to Auntie Kayla. She got a little tired and Kayla finished the book. (BTW, it's a 10 minute video)

Boyfriend

2006-10-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

My daughter has a boyfriend. She can't remember his name. When asked where she met him, she said "At work somehow". "At work?" I ask. She tells me it's one of the guys Daddy works with. We narrow it down to Rich. A handsome guy, tall, but married with two daughters!!!

Oh goodness! She is going to be more than a handful when she hits puberty!
--
Annette Sargent

"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea." -Robert A. Heinlein

A Show For Mom

2006-10-07T14:20:00.000-07:00


I was sick the other night and Joy decided to put on a show for me since I couldn't play with her. She started and then I asked if I could videotape her. She's a bit of a ham, so she said I could and we started over.

Monkey Bars!!!!

2006-08-27T16:29:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to a BBQ hosted by one of Tim's co-workers. They have a decent sized backyard and a playset. Joy watched one of the girls on it and then tried by herself. Tim said (loud enough for Joy hear) "Oh no she didn't!" and in such a tone that I had to double-check that a black lady wasn't standing next to me :) Joy heard and almost immediately dropped. But a few minutes later she made her way all the way across the monkey bars, all by herself, and for the first time! (and me without my camera)

Now I just know that she will want to try it at the park the next time we go. And those bars are a lot higher off the ground and spaced farther apart than the ones last night. Well, she has to heal from her blisters first, so it might be a while.

{Annette}

Skates! Finally!

2006-08-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

Joy has been wanting skates since her 4th birthday, well, before. She has wanted skates since I started working in January, or maybe before then since I promised to get her skates ... finally got her some. She's easily upset that she hasn't picked up skating as fast as she picked up bike riding ...

Swinging

2006-08-07T18:20:00.000-07:00

I just had to get this shot of Joy pushing Tim on the swing. I joined them a little while later and Joy managed to push both of us.

"Can we go higher?"
Joy: "No, it's dangerous and you might fall out." That girl listens pretty well, but it's funny when she turns it on us.

Daddy Time

2006-08-02T18:16:00.000-07:00

Joy got in some good Daddy time this afternoon at the park. She loves to swing, and Tim can get her pretty high. Higher than I can, and I thought I was getting her pretty high. My phone camera is not as agile as my digital, but I thought it was a cute photo op anyways. (and that's my 2 cents)

I Want My Two Dollars!

2006-07-24T11:14:00.000-07:00

My wife calls me at work this morning and says "You won't believe what your daughter just asked for."

"Do I want to know?"

We had recently taken off the door to the linen closet (said door being warped by a cat who has no concept of what a litter box is for. Said cat is now living in the backyard under a tree - no she's not dead) and saw the bag her Strawberry Shortcake sheets came in.

She goes into our room and asks "Where's my blanket?"

Annette: "What blanket?"

Joy: "My Strawberry Shortcake blanket that you guys promised me!"

Good grief - that was over a year ago!!!!!!!!!!! It's not right that her memory is that good.

Reminds me of the paperboy from Better Of Dead (a movie from the 80s for all you young uns out there). It's a sub-theme - the paperboy is constantly showing up chasing the main character of the story shouting "I want my two dollars!"

I have this vision of my wife and I running through the hills, with our daughter in hot pursuit (on her bycicle) shouting "I want my blanket!" :)

asleep?????!!!!!

2006-07-19T16:05:00.000-07:00

my daughter fell asleep during a playdate. Technically, that means she got a nap in. Go figure. Sleeping. On a play date.

Sun goddess in training

2006-07-14T13:39:00.000-07:00

It was apparently too hot in the house, too hot in the backyard, but ok in the front under a tree with a blanket. I didn't get a shot of her baby bear in a similar situation, but the bear was in the middle of the (hot) sidewalk.

Look what I can do!

2006-07-05T06:31:00.000-07:00

Joy (at just over 4 years old) can ride a two-wheeler with minimal help from mom or dad.

New Photos

2006-06-30T12:19:00.000-07:00

New photos posted at the photo gallery

Doh! A Dear...

2006-05-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

File this under the things 4 year olds say....

So the other night we're eating dinner, sans older child who was over at a friends. My wife asks me something and in the process refers to me as dear (always a good thing :)).

DD pops up and says "Daddy's not a deer! He's a husband!"

Ah, the things a young child can come up with. Today, coming home from daycare, she told me that she, for her birthday, wants a motorcycle...with training wheels. I can just see me at the local Harley shop. "Um...yeah...do you have any hogs with training wheels?" :)

And finally, in the Daddy's not ready for this category, we have the following conversation while brushing her hair after bath:

"When I grow up, I'll find a husband, go to a park and get married, like you guys."

(How she knows we got married at a park I have no idea...)

"Yes, we got married at a park. You weren't here yet."

"I wasn't born yet. You guys had to make me."

"Yes, we did."

"How did you make me?"

...

the blazers????

2006-04-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

Tim's been coaching Joy behind my back again :)

Randomness from a 4-yr-old

2006-04-26T23:29:00.000-07:00

it's a 9-minute video, so make sure you have time on your hands and a good understanding of "toddler-ese"

Joy's Birthday Videos - in no particular order

2006-04-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

FW: For All You Parents Out There

2006-03-20T22:10:00.000-08:00

-- Forwarded Message --

HOW THE BIRTH ORDER OF YOUR CHILDREN CHANGES THE WAY >THINGS ARE DONE:
>
>Your Clothes:
>1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon >as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.
>2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as >possible.
>3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular >clothes.
>
>Preparing for the Birth:
>1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.
>2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that >last time, breathing didn't do a thing.
>3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth >month.
>
>The Layette:
>1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's clothes, >color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the >baby's little bureau.
>2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are >clean and discard only the ones with the darkest >stains.
>3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?
>
>Worries:
>1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a >frown--you pick up the baby.
>2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten >to wake your firstborn.
>3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to rewind >the mechanical swing.
>
>Pacifier:
>1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put >it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.
>2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you >squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle.
>3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it >back in.
>
>Diapering:
>1st baby: You change your baby's diapers every hour, >whether they need it or not.
>2nd baby: You change their diaper every two to three >hours, if needed.
>3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others >start to complain about the smell or you see it >sagging to their knees.
>
>Activities:
>1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, >Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.
>2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
>3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and >the dry cleaner.
>
>Going Out:
>1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a >sitter, you call home five times.
>2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you >remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
>3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to >call only if she sees blood.
>
>At Home:
>1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just >gazing at the baby.
>2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be >sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or >hitting the baby.
>3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding >from the children.
>
>Swallowing Coins
>1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush >the child to the hospital and demand x-rays.
>2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you >carefully watch for the coin to pass.
>3rd child: When third child swallows a coin you deduct >it from his allowance!

videoblog

2006-03-03T09:54:00.000-08:00

2006-02-13T08:42:00.000-08:00

Joy is so cute! Just the way she looks, the way she talks, her little hands. Yes, I am gushing about my almost 4 yr. old daughter. WHERE DID THE TIME GO????

Today, she comes up to my room after about a 1/2 hour downstairs watching Jakers, or maybe it was DragonTales. Anyways, she comes up (with her trains) and says she wants to spend time with me. She gets her train set up, with Thomas in front and then says "I'm going to get the big box" and comes back with her case of tracks. She spends about 10 minutes telling me she is going to build a circle track, but then discovers all the shapes and letters related to a circle. She showed me one and I told her it was a 1/2 circle. She then proceeded to show me a "J" ("Look Mother! A J") and a "C" and then another 1/2 circle, and then turned it on it's ends and showed me a rainbow.

I love seeing her learn. It's so cool!

Outsourcing Big Brother

2006-01-26T21:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday on the way home from our friend's house (said friend watching our daughter while my wife works the closing shift), something came up about Garrett, one of my wife's former daycare kids.

She said "Garrett's my little brother, and I'm his big sister."

So I asked "What about Josh?"

Darling Daughter: "He's not my brother. He's somebody else's brother."

Raised eyebrows..."Oh? What, are you outsourcing Josh now?"

"Yeah!"

"To where?"

"Fry's!"

The conversation then turned to Mickeldonalds (McDonalds), and how she wanted regular fries, chocalate milk, a hamburger and a toy.

My daughter...the corporate CEO addicted to McDonalds....

Darth Vader

2006-01-26T21:24:00.000-08:00

The other night my wife wasn't feeling well, so I was trying to negotiate with our daughter over bedtime, because she really wanted mommy to read her stories. So I told her "How about I brush your hair, then read you three stories, and then put you in mommy and daddy's bed with mommy?"

She gave me a thumbs up and said "That's my daddy!"

So then I replied with "Yep. Just call me Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Negotiator."

Which I then followed up with (in my best Darth Vader voice....James Earl Jones I am not):

"Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father, did he?"

(Whiny Luke voice) "He told me enough! He told me you killed him!"

"No, Joy. I am your father."

My daughter's response?

"Don't copy Darth Vader!" :)

My ever-lovin' daughter

2006-01-26T10:49:00.000-08:00

So, this morning I slept in till about 8:30, then got up and processed my hair and did all that making myself presentable type stuff. It's now about 10:30 and I came downstairs to see if I could hunt up some food worthy of the crock-pot since my family has not had a proper home-cooked meal in about two weeks. I look in the living room and what do I see? The tub of butter (ok, margarine, Country Crock Churn Style) sitting in the middle of the living room floor with a knife sticking out of it and the lid placed precariously atop. And not more than 6 inches away a crust of bread and a smear of butter on the carpet. Well, I know what she was up to before she came back upstairs to keep me company (and wonder about the green stuff on my face). =)

{Annette}
Genius might be described as a supreme capacity for getting its possessors into trouble of all kinds.
- Samuel Butler

Shopping

2006-01-22T00:56:00.000-08:00

According to Tim, Joy is quite the little shopper. They did some grocery shopping today and she kept reminding him of things that we needed. While at Costco she was quite happy to try and get her own 10-pack of tissues (we’ve been going through a lot) and while getting dairy products she reminded him that we need yogurt and ice cream. They then went to WinCo and I have a feeling that she helped him pick out the fruit (and ice cream). Tim told it to me better, but for some reason he doesn’t like to contribute to Joy’s blog =)

Insomnia?

2006-01-16T09:24:00.000-08:00

Insomnia? [x-post]

I am either becoming slightly insomniac, or the WB is really screwing up my sleep cycle. Last night I woke up at 4 am and could NOT go back to sleep. And my mind was going a mile a minute about all sorts of topics, things that need to be thought about and things better left alone till I am more … sure of myself, more protected, more something. Joy’s cough finally woke her up around 4:50 AM, so I gave her some more cough medicine with codeine (good stuff that!) but it doesn’t knock her out. So we were awake till like 5:30 when she quietly, finally fell asleep. I was awake till about 6. And her fever was back. So I decided to let the fever ride out and just use cold cloths and see how she was in a few hours. I think the uninterrupted sleep helped. She woke with nary a fever and her cheeks are white again. YAY! Hopefully this is a full breaking of the fever. 7 days is quite worrisome. Tim and I are doing the split-shift parenting thing today since Josh also feels icky and it’s MLK Day so no school and no daycare. He’s at work right now till about noon, then it will be my turn to go to work, from 1:30 to 10:15 PM. I hope the lack of sleep doesn’t affect me too much. But, back to the kids. They have been sick for going on almost two weeks now. I will be so glad when they are better. And me too, I think being coughed on constantly in the last two days has given me whatever Joy has. Sore throat and ears. Here’s to Airborne.

Ok, I’m just babbling, and you think I could get out all those interesting and captivating thoughts that I had in the middle of the night, but right now I can just remember the mood they created, frustrated and uneasy and torn.

Time to take meds, shower and entertain kids.

I Stand Corrected

2006-01-14T11:12:00.000-08:00

So I told Joy that I disciplined her because I love her, which is a concept she probably won’t understand till she has her own kids, after she gets married in 60 or 70 years. Joy says, “I don’t want my own kids! I want to watch other kids while their mommies go to work”.

--Tim

Jobs, Joy, and other stuff [x-post]

2006-01-13T17:20:00.000-08:00

In case some of you actually saw Joy on the webcam, she’s been sick all week and Tim has been an absolute DOLL by staying home and taking care of her so I can get my new- hire training done. I did miss one morning and this afternoon, but my supervisor understood. I mean, I told her the truth, my husband NEEDS to go into work. He can telecommute when he needs to, but he does need to get in for a bit. He’ll probably be working late, but that’s ok. Probably working this weekend too … ah shizz, I need a sitter. He wants to take me out as a celebration for getting a job ( (aside, I am going NUTS without chat this afternoon. I have no desire to clean house and boy does it need it! I have a raging headache. Been getting one every afternoon. I think it’s the WB (not the channel, the med.)

ANYWAYS!!!! Joy and I are just hanging watching Little House on the Prairie and PBS Kids. Lots of cuddling and hugging, and nose-wiping. Josh has a sleep-over tonight and went there right after school, so that helped. I wonder if I can get another snooze in …..

Please pray that Joy gets better, she’s been sick since Monday night, and this thing only had Josh down for 4 days. She’s had a fever off and on the whole time ( and that I don’t get sick. I get to work on Monday. I have the WEIRDEST schedule. I have Sundays and Tuesdays off. Well, at least this coming week. I was told that your schedule is usually set with very few changes. Our family schedule is going nuts, but if my work schedule doesn’t fluctuate too much, we should be able to work things out. Oh yeah, I have a afternoon/closing shift, so I get mornings with Joy. YAY! The manager was a tad upset when I changed my availability hours from what I had on my application, but gave me the schedule I want. And from this week, even though I like the morning customers, once I am certified, I will make more money (read commission) from afternoon and evening customers. There’s more of them than in the morning. I wanted the later hours so I wouldn’t have to deal with the commute, takes just over 30 minutes with no traffic and almost 1.5 hours with morning traffic. I hate traffic. It gives me a headache. And I am already taking Bayer to deal with the WB headache. Though the other day when I took Aleve before the WB and my morning headache wasn’t so bad. But I don’t want to be taking pain killers everyday. My liver and tummy might start to get mad at me. When I was in high school, one of my friends used this Chinese balm on my temples and my headache went right away. I need to find some of that stuff. Love stuff that I don’t have to ingest and works practically immediately. Like magic ( (gab gab gab gab someone talk to me!!!!!) Oh yeah, a job is a good thing. A job OUTSIDE the home, with adults. Long hours, long commute, but no need to search out people to talk to. I get my fill. Sigh. Missing some of my friends though. Y’all give me a shout out and let me know how you are doing!!!!

$25 popsicle [x-post]

2006-01-12T02:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know it's late, but suddenly I can't sleep. Joy has had a fever hovering near 103 when not being taken out by Tylenol since late Monday night. Tim hasn't really been able to go into work because Josh was sick on Monday and Joy has been *really* sick since Tuesday morning, and I have this frigging training. *Guilt*

Well, my dd has not pee'd since like 3:30AM yesterday, so the advice nurse wanted me to take Joy to the ER to get some fluids into her. The doc said she was definitely dehydrated, but not enough to require an IV. Unless, of course, I really wanted her to have one. So he says "You have to drink this juice unless you want a shot." No child in her right mind *wants* a shot! So we start drinking the juice, and watching Beauty and the Beast. And then another nurse offers her a popsicle. Oh yeah, Joy also got a strep test, thankfully negative. But as the nurse comes to discharge us, she looks at Joy, throws up her hands and exclaims "I forgot your popsicle!". So she get the treat and we watch more B&B as Joy contentedly and happily sucks on the wonderful coolness of a popsicle. Daddy gets to go to the store tomorrow to get more and some Motrin. They want her alternating Motrin and Tylenol every three hours to control the fever.

Ok, my Airborne is done. I have to be at work by 8. blegh. 1 hour commute. I get 3.5 hours of sleep tonight.

Joy likes to sing

2005-12-17T13:43:00.000-08:00

I wish I had gotten the second part of the song. She started improvising verses. Who let the lion out ROWR/Who let the cat out *meow*/Who let my animals out (all sorts of animal sounds).

Joy's Abridged Version of Empire Strikes Back

2005-12-17T13:06:00.000-08:00

My li'l baller

2005-12-16T22:17:00.000-08:00

and so it begins

2005-12-06T09:39:00.000-08:00

So, I let Joy watch too much TV. It's a sad fact. But she is turning into quite the cinephile. This morning's choice (beating out reading to her dolls and Sesame Street) is .... drumroll please, "A Charlie Brown Christmas". She's laying on the couch watching it contentedly.

SW addict redux

2005-12-01T08:39:00.000-08:00

Nope, SW II it is. She doesn't like the little kid Anakin apparently (he doesn't show up soon enough for her tastes) -- and Ep. II has something I doesn't, lots of footage of Yoda.

star wars addict

2005-12-01T08:26:00.000-08:00

So, it's freezing outside and kind of a "pajammies day". After scarfing down my breakfast my daughter announces that she is going to watch Star Wars. As I get the toddler that I watch cleaned up from breakfast, she gets the DVD, inserts it into the player, uses a chair to get the DVD remote and settles in to watch. I ask "Star Wars I?" and she answers "NO, Star Wars II. Star Wars II, Star Wars II" starting to croon it. And now she is telling the toddler "SHHHHH!"

Though, reading the beginning lines, I was right, it's episode I. There's just something about Tatooine.

the gym

2005-11-12T11:34:00.000-08:00

Said this morning "Mommy, I want to go to the gym with you so I can get stronger and stronger and stronger like you"

2005-11-11T17:06:00.000-08:00

No more Lion King for my daughter, my backroom, the playroom, is now the Pridelands and there are hyenas all over my house. She's screaming "hyenas! hyenas! Hide from the hyenas" Hyenas in the backroom!". And now "You should kill the hyenas" <-- that statement should not be coming out of the mouth of a 3.5 yr old. And she's telling the little boy I watch to hide from hyenas, sometimes in the same place that the hyenas are....

FLASH TRAFFIC - UCO SIGHTING - IMMEDIATE:)

2005-10-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Sargent
Sent: Sunday, October 23, 2005 4:36 PM
To: 'Annette Sargent'
Subject: FLASH TRAFFIC - UCO SIGHTING - IMMEDIATE:)

FLASH FLASH FLASH

23OCT050025Z

SUBJ: UCO SIGHTING

CONFIRMED UCO (UNIDENTIFIED CLEANING OBJECT) SIGHTING AT PRIMARY RESIDENCE.

INITIAL REPORTS INDICATE UCO RESPONDS TO IDENTIFIER “JOY”.

WHEN QUERIED AS TO THE UCO’S ACTIVITIES, RESPONDED “I’M CLEANING MY ROOM”.

CINCHOUSE SENDS.

Translation: Your daughter was putting her books away all by herself and told me she was cleaning her room J

Of course, now she’s back in our room wanting to know if I can help her….oh well…the illusion was nice while it lasted.

I’ve got the paper of the floor and my desk, and the dresser almost cleaned off….hoping for fridge and hopechest and my pile of paper in the right corner of my desk by evening’s end, plus Joy’s room.

I’m on disc 4 of B5 season 3 – when is it due back? Monday?

And YDD wants Mickel Donalds – Regular Fries….

Tim

WHAT A MORNING!

2005-10-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

My daughter woke up early, poked her head out of her room and stated "I'm getting dressed for school!" -- She was dressed before I was and has done nothing but exclaim vociferously about getting on the bus and going to school. She had me make her a lunch (peanut butter and jelly) cookies, and chips, and a Capri Sun. THe girl knows how to make a sack lunch.

Then REI calls to let me know that my son's new sleeping bag is in. And I have a few other errands to run, but I am waiting on another dck to arrive. (dck=daycare kid).

AND I am still burning DVDs for my trip

I feel frazzled already!

Just call Him up, and tell Him what you want

2005-10-12T16:34:00.000-07:00

annettesargent: your daughter has been talking for at least 5 minutes to Jesus on the phone
[Wednesday;04:30 PM] annettesargent: the play phone
[Wednesday;04:30 PM] annettesargent: while watching TV
[Wednesday;04:31 PM] annettesargent: she's having a very detailed conversation....
[Wednesday;04:31 PM] annettesargent: now she's asking him where he lives
[Wednesday;04:31 PM] annettesargent: lots of "yeahs"
[Wednesday;04:32 PM] annettesargent: and she just hung up to tell me that she was talking to Him

Depression (malaise, ennui, whatever) is not good...

2005-10-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

i gotta go, my daughter has been waiting patiently for me for like 2 hours
[Tuesday;11:31 AM] annettesargent: and now she's running around the kitchen naked and making juice and formula for her baby dolls
[Tuesday;11:31 AM] annettesargent: and drinking out a of a bottle. she hasn't used a bottle in 2 years!

2005-10-11T09:36:00.000-07:00

Either I am sick, exhausted, or depressed, or a little of all three It's just past 9AM on a beautiful sunny morning and my daughter had to get me up. She had already made her way downstairs, gotten herself a bowl of Cheerios and poured the milk on them (from a full gallon no less!) before she decided that she wanted my company. And she's been talking nonstop since. Oh yeah, a full gallon of milk "is not so heavy, see Mommy" -- as she takes it off the table and puts it back in the fridge.

Oh goodness ... "Mom, I'm ready to get dressed. After I get dressed can we go to the park, the one in our neighborhood?" -- Yes, she has to differentiate because there are about 3 different parks that we go to. I really should get dressed and take things to Before and After, a local consignment store. I want to ask the lady if I can display my Discovery Toys catalog and a few cards. Not to mention get store credit for some of Joy and Josh's clothes. I need a JOB!!!! I think that's it. I only have one dck and it's not bringing in nearly enough to pay bills. Though I doubt that I could jump into a job paying $16+ an hour these days. Well, I have to get dressed, get job applications filled out, and take my daughter to the park. She's being incredibly patient with me this morning.

Mood: kicking and screaming -- I don't wanna get out of bed!!!!!

Star Wars addict to boot

2005-09-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

So, I don't do well in total silence unless I am reading or trying to sleep. And even when reading I like some background noise. So, after about 30 minutes of blissful silence and watching my daughter play, I asked if she would like to listen to some music. Joy says, "I would like ..... " while hunting through videos. I said, "Joy, I didn't say watch, I said listen" as she pulled out her Wiggles Dance Party Video (well, it is music). The girl is stubborn and I just wanted her occupied so I could shower. She then picked Spy Kids 3D, but some of our glasses seem to be missing. So she put that away and pulled out Star Wars, Episodes I & II. She's watching Ep. II first (Yoda has more scenes and I think she likes the older Anakin). We'll see if we get to Episode I before I have to run errands.

Jesus Music (Joy's Quotes)

2005-09-29T13:59:00.000-07:00

I started a mix CD of kids Chrisitan songs that I had made for Joy.
Joy: "oooh ! is this Jesus music"
"Oh! Does it have Abraham?" [Father Abraham] so I listed most of the songs on the CD, and she knows most of them already. She's happy.

[Listening to: Hallelu, Hallelu - Songtime Kids - Sunday School Songs (01:20)]

Starbuck's addict

2005-09-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

I think I have inadvertanly created a Starbuck's addict. There is a park about two blocks from the nearest Starbuck's. We call it "the park behind Starbuck's and New Season's". I asked my daughter if we should take a walk to Starbuck's. She got ready in less than 2 minutes, I swear. She grabbed her shoes, put them on and said "Mommy, I'm ready to go, see! My shoes are on". Then she said "Wait a minute" and in about another minute had her stroller, baby doll, and one teddy bear ready to go too. I said she needed a sweatshirt and she ran up the stairs to her room to get one. I have never seen her act so quickly nor so obediently.

Once we got outside she started walking to Starbuck's. She's got the route memorized. Barely waiting for me. Usually we get something to drink on our way home. Not this time. She wanted her "hot chocolate, WITH whip cream" before we got to the park. At least she's not into mochas yet. And DON'T forget the whip cream! Then it was ok to go the rest of the way to the park.

2005-09-29T11:06:00.000-07:00

As I watch my daughter come out of the bathroom after washing up from snack I notice that her shirt is off. "Joy, why is your shirt off?" I ask. She replies, quite frankly, "I wanna be Superman". "And why do you want to be Superman?" I inquire wonderingly. Her reply, " Because he wears underwear!"

I try to explain that Superman wears tight clothes, but they are not underwear, even though it looks like it. She consented to put on a new dress and is now trying to find various safe places to jump from so she can be Superman .....

I think it's going to be a long day. I need to get her outside.

YUM!

2005-09-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

I think my daughter could give Elvis a run for what's weird to eat. Since we are out of Frosted Flakes (her all time fave cereal), and she doesn't want eggs, toast, cheerios, or any other breakfast item we have, she opted to make her own. She opened the fridge, got out two hamburger buns (one for herself, one for the boy I take care of) and then proceeded to ask for butter AND mayo. She is now sitting placidly watching Jakers and enjoying her creation, a butter and mayo sandwich. At the first bite she declared, "YUM! This is good!" and her drink of choice this morning is apple juice.

The first day of school

2005-09-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

Well, Josh is off for the his first day of school. He screwed up a few weeks ago, hasn't finished a punishment I gave him, so we have yet to go school shopping. I told him that we would go after he finished, thinking that would spur him on .... Honestly, that boy finds more ways to distract himself. But, he did do his laundry. He chose to wear some of his rattiest clothes that still fit the dress code. At least he's comfortable, and fits the dress code.

After 2.5 days of cleaning the living area is starting to look livable (time to really, honestly, truly get my little black ass in gear with FlyLady), my kitchen is clean, and I am so happy to have a day off!!!!

Now, I am debating if I should also make this Joy's "first day of school". She already knows most of her letters, and informally I am teaching her their sounds. She knows quite a few numbers, and loves reading to her babies. She picked up more form the little bit of preschool that I did last year with the daycare than I thought. She never seemed to focus....

But, she also loves having her own workbook. I gave her one of Josh's old ones and she loves to practice her writing. She's been able to hold a pencil the correct way since 9 months old. I kid you not. She was watching Josh draw one day, picked up the pencil and perfectly mimicked him.

She now LOVES Sesame Street (as well as George Shrinks, and Mister Rogers has an amazingly calming effect on her) .. but I digress. I ordered a free trial of some curriculum called Brighter Vision, it's a workbook curriculum, so we'll try it and see. There's only one craft project, but I also subscribe to Mommy and Me to get new ideas. I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with her and working on her education. We have Muzzy and Sign language to work on to, both things that she is interested in (almost every day she asks me for a new sign). I gotta get a decent schedule down, that's the most important thing.

Ah well, she's eating breakfast and asking for Elmo, so I am going to get myself ready for the day. I can't believe that an hour and half has passed since I got up!!!!

Joy can draw now!!!!!!!

2005-08-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

I let her play on my Palm and she likes to draw on the notepad part. She drew a kitty cat, called it a kitty cat, then drew 4 legs and it's recognizable!!! (well, almost heart shaped face, eyes, nose, ears) and then 4 legs under it. On my palm! but it's NOT a scribble! -- which up until this morning is all she really "draws".

Joy's 3rd birthday

2005-04-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

Joy's 3rd Birthday -- I wanted a seperate webpage, but Picasa is being fussy

Josh and his friend had a lot of fun blowing up balloons

Balloon Lightsabers

After the party, we went to the Wiggles concert. Perfect timing this year to coincide with her birthday

Lights ...

Camera ...

Popcorn ...

WIGGLES!!

Action!

Murray Wiggle (Cook) .... plays a pretty good "Stairway to Heaven"

Do the Monkey ....

and elephant, and tiger .... the Wiggles music is designed to get you moving

I forget what song this one went to

Joy's newest brother -- she tried to call Wags to come home with us

more Wags

Joy finally got up and started dancing around the 3rd song.

There's Murray

balyoons -- according to Anthony

The dinosaurs from the Cave man song fit right in with Joy's current fascination -- dinosaurs

She loved dancing to Eagle Rock

more dinos

Eagle ROck

Daddy is pretty cool

Posted by Annette

She has a new saying ....

2005-04-23T00:25:00.000-07:00

So, Tim has been teaching Joy "Who da man?!" when they play basketball. And they say it to each other throughout the week. So I tried to catch it on video. So between "Who da man" and "Whazzup" (Josh is teaching her that one) ... I have a semi-ghetto little girl, who's very cute about it right now.

2005-04-18T01:02:00.000-07:00

"I'll clean the ants up".

We have an ant problem. I think my way of dealing with them is rubbing off on Joy. After her initial "Mommy, there's ants on the floor!!!" she got the soap and water, drenched them and started picking them up with a paper towel.

That's my girl!
Posted by Annette

Spring at the Farm

2005-04-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

I took Joy to the zoo for a mommy/daughter bonding time. The Trillium Creek farm was having a special program that day. We got to see a sheep shearing, get her face painted, and of course, see the elephants. Ever since I took her to the circus she has LOVED elephants. The first photo is of Joy watching a spinner who knows a friend of mine who also spins and dyes some awesome yarn.

petting a mini-lop

petting a very large chicken

riding a John Deere tractor

we watched the sheep shearing twice

my serious little elephant

I asked her to smile. It almost looks as if she has real tusks ...

riding on an elephant sculpture. I think that she would have MUCH preferred to ride a real one.

They brought out 4 elephants at once. I missed them waving to us. Joy had a blast watching them.

We got to watch them being hand-fed and then brushed. This was the baby elephant. Joy tried to hop the fence to get to them. She really loves elephants.
Posted by Annette

Joy's New Preferred Babysitter

2005-03-22T18:18:00.000-08:00

Tonight Tim was having a converation with Joy and Jesus (Christ) came up. First she wanted him to come and scare away all the monsters. Then she wanted him to stay and rock her to sleep. So Tim asked, "Well, what will Mommy and Daddy do if Jesus rocks you to sleep?" Joy answered, "You go on date!".

Works for me .... though I did ask if Sara (her former fave sitter) could help Jesus.

She is at this moment demanding Jesus. I'm trying to explain that he's in her heart, and in heaven, but he can't be here physically until he comes back for everyone. That one is hard for most adults to grasp too.

She's really focused on this one, at least 10 minutes non-stop including pouting asking for Him. She even had me pray for Him to come.

It's all kinda my fault. The other night I told her that Jesus might send some angels to protect her through the night from the monsters. The next morning she said that she saw Jesus before he left. At least she slept through the night that time .....

I don't want to destroy her faith, but how do I get around (through) this one?

OH NO! and YAY! another I did it

2005-03-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we were flushing monsters down the toilet (short story -- Joy is having nightmares, so yesterday afternoon we went to her room. She vanquished the monster that was eating her bed all by herself and then I was going to take him to the bathroom to flush him -- she wanted to do it. Apparently there were a few more monsters, so this process was repeated). The "OH NO!" came when I (against Tim's advice) let her flush the monsters herself. I had a pair of her underwear soaking in the toilet (bad accident) and had shown her how to hold them out of the way .... she let go though. I heard "Oh NO! My purple underwear" ....... and no underwear anywhere in the bathroom :(

Tim was very good about not saying outright "I told you so"

This morning's coup de acompli -- she can start a DVD on her own. Not just put in in the player, she's been able to do that. This morning she was watching the previews on one of her Wiggles daftest, got tired of them, *realized that she had the wrong remote*, got the correct DVD remote and pressed the correct button to start it. Now, all this didn't even rate an "I did it!" from her, but I was certainly surprised!

*sigh*

I DID IT!

2005-03-03T09:20:00.000-08:00

Is fast becoming Joy's theme phrase. This morning's cause for celebration, the pouring of milk from the gallon into a cup all by herself.

She likes to have chocolate milk, just about any time of the day. This morning, instead of asking me to get her some, Little Miss Independent goes into the kitchen, uses the stepstool to get a sippy cup, opens the fridge, gets the milk out, takes the cap off the milk and THEN looks at me. I ask if she needs help. She doesn't answer. She next complains that the milk isn't coming out. I again offer to help and then tell her to try again. She does, the milk comes out and she pours just the right amount. The she says, "I did it!" (and no, we don't watch Dora)

Next she adds a dollop of chocolate syrup. I put the top on and shake it to mix and hand it to her. Joy says, "It's COLD", on the borderline whine voice. But she also knows how to fix this. She opens the microwave door, puts her milk in and we set it for 30 seconds. She counts to 5 before pressing the start button. Apparently it's not hot enough for her, so she repeats the process without my help a few more times, stopping the microwave about every 10 seconds to check her milk. Soon enough it's warm enough for her and she leaves the kitchen.

Most Embarrasing Moment

2005-02-23T13:31:00.000-08:00

Last night was the Cub Scout Blue & Gold Dinner. It was going great, until I was trying to capture Josh's "crossing over" from Cub to Boy Scout. Joy had gotten herself more food and I told her that she had to sit down to eat it. I meant at a table. She figured anywhere would be fine so long as she was sitting down.

So she sat on my feet. Then moved over to Tim's feet. That wasn't comfortable enough so she moved back to my feet. And proceeded to have a very wet accident. Tim and I watched this puddle grow between my feet. It took all of 5 seconds to figure out what it was, but by then it was too late. We then had to quietly and quickly grab as many napkins as possible to sop up the mess. Tim crabwalked and got the wipes while I kept piling napkins on the puddle to soak it up. One of the den leaders and another mother were right next to me. We were trying not to laugh, and I was trying not to turn red. Joy was trying to do the "accident waddle" and keep her pants from touching her too much. Apparently wet corduroy isn't comfortable. All in all, it was quite embarrassing, more for me and Tim I think, than for Joy. I'm very glad that I was wearing the shoes that I was, otherwise *my* feet would have been soaked too.

When Tim returned with her, she was wearing a pull-up and only wanted her blanket to cover her legs. Luckily she was wearing an oversized shirt. Later she was content to run around like she had before. *sigh* This daughter of mine .....

Poopy Days

2005-02-23T13:11:00.000-08:00

In my daughter's quest to make herself unequivocally understood, she decided to poop in her underpants. She announced to me as I was changing someone else's diaper and while the downstairs bathroom was occupied, "Mommy, I went poopy in my underwear". She even turned around and pulled at her waistband while saying this. My plaintive reply was, "Why did you do that? Why didn't you tell me you had to go?"

She replied, "I want to wear a diaper" and proceeded to pull one out of her diaper box. *sigh* Well, at least all the children are down for their naps now and without argument :)

And I thought we were doing so well! She stayed dry all through the morning, through her nap, and most of the afternoon yesterday.

Hallelujah!!!!

2005-02-11T15:33:00.000-08:00

Joy put herself down for a nap for the first time EVER!!!!

Well, I told the girls that they had to nap. I thought for *sure* I was going to have to take Joy to her room and rock her (eventually) like I do almost every other time I tell them it's nap time. Today, she asked for 5 more minutes of Lego play (getting good at that -- the asking for 5 more minutes), then she wanted 5 minutes of feeding the baby. I said "No way" to that request. So she went to the back (play) room and got a sleeping mat and the "shoe pillow" (it's the Boppy). She arranged herself at least three times, then complained that the mat was cold. I got a cover for it, got her settled and ... her blanket wouldn't cover her feet. So I went to her room and got the quilt that a friend had made. Joy covered herself from head to toe and .... I haven't heard a peep out of her in at least an hour and a half!!!! She has NEVER put herself to sleep before!

I wish I had a recorder

2005-02-10T08:53:00.000-08:00

You know the song "I've got the joy joy joy down in my heart (where?!) down in my heart" .... it's on one of Joy's favorite CD's. She JUST realized that there was a song with *her* name in it on Monday. Since then, she's been singing that song instead of "Hallelu, Hallelu". And the she asks "Me? Down in the heart? Me?" sometimes while pointing to herself. It's cute. And she can carry the tune pretty well too. Anyway, she was singing it this morning, mostly to herself while she waits for me to start crackers and Wiggles. Ah, a mother's job is never done :)

Indoctrination

2005-02-02T10:41:00.000-08:00

Well, with minimal kids here, I kinda let Joy do whatever to entertain herself. This morning she played on the computer a little, helped me put away groceries, learned how to cook eggs (with supervision), watched Wiggles Safari, had me read to her two books ... and then ... when the Wiggles video was over, asked for another movie. The movie? Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones. I asked her three times if she was sure this was the movie she wanted. Each time she said "yes". She has wandered away from it, but I know the second I try to turn it off she'll tell me to put it back.

Oh well. Her daddy will be proud.

Bath Time exchange

2005-02-01T20:24:00.000-08:00

Tim:You do your front, I'll do your back
Joy: No ...I'll do my back
Tim: you can't reach your back
Joy: Yes, I can (reaches hand behind her) I reach my back *smile*

Can Boots Read to You?

2005-02-01T18:06:00.000-08:00

The last few days we have been teasing Joy by asking her if Boots (one of our cats) can read her bedtime story instead of us. Her emphatic answer each time is "No! Boots doesn't have any hands!" Sometimes she says it in a voice like "Mom, Dad, are you dense? What part of "doesn't have hands" don't you understand?" and then she smiles.

I finally got it on tape. Though she saw me with the camera .... that last phrase in case you don't understand toddler-ese is "I wanna see me" ... and yes, she is saying "Cheese" while waiting for me to take a picture

Enjoy!

OH MY GOSH! Just before hitting publish Tim says, "Hey Boots, read Joy a story." Joy says, "No, Boots can't talk".

Baby Queen

2005-01-24T14:17:00.000-08:00

For all of you with babies, you can relate to this one BabyQueen.pps

EIOWWWWW

2005-01-24T10:22:00.000-08:00

You know, you have to wonder if it's worth it to grow your daughter's hair out when it takes half a bottle of detangler and a half hour or more to just comb out the tangles. not to mention the ow's and other yowls. Though she does look incredibly cute when her hair is done.

The Cost of Kids (a forward)

2005-01-20T19:14:00.000-08:00

I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice, really nice!

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into $8,896 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.24 a day! Just over a dollar an hour. Still, you might think the best financial advice says don't have children if you want to be "rich." It is just the opposite.

What do your get for your $160,140?

Naming rights,--- First, middle, and last!
Glimpses of God everyday.
Giggles under the covers every night.
More love than your heart can hold.
Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
A hand to hold, usually covered with jam.
A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sand castles, and skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.
Someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to finger-paint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek, catch lightning bugs, and never stop believing in Santa Claus. You have an excuse to keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh, watching Saturday morning cartoons, going to Disney Land, and wishing on stars. You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, taking the training wheels off the bike, removing a splinter, filling a wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless. You get a front row seat to history to witness the first step, first word, first bra, first date, and first time behind the wheel. You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there with God. You have all the power to heal a booboo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost.

ENJOY YOUR KIDS AND GRANDKIDS

On the Road to Potty Training

2004-12-15T12:39:00.000-08:00

I've mainly given up on having the time to properly and quickly train Joy. She's getitng the hang of it though. Yesterday she went the *whole* morning without an accident in her new Winnie-the-Pooh underwear.

First, she disobeyed me because I told her that she could wear the Pooh underwear *after* she was potty trained. She managed to open the package, take off her diaper, and put on the underwear. I told her that if she had an accident, pee or poop, I would take away ALL of her underwear. With her usual determination she said, "I won't poop. I won't pee." I re-emphasized the importance of going to the potty and NOT going in her underwear.

Throughout the morning I asked her a few times if she had to go. Each time she said "No." We then had an outing to the library and she stayed dry the WHOLE morning! The whole morning! She didn't do anything until I put a diaper on her at nap time, close to 1 PM. close to 5 hours dry !

I'm so proud of her!!!!
We'll see if I can get a repeat performance out of her today or even later this week.
Annette Sargent
Open Arms Family Daycare
http://openarmsdaycare.home.comcast.net
Discovery Toys: http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/mama_nette

2004-11-12T07:03:00.000-08:00

I HATE YEAST INFECTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They are making my daughter's life miserable and now ours. Have you ever taken one hour to change a diaper? Just because your child is in so m uch pain! And old enough to tell you about it?

The doctor says to keep doing what we have been doing, acidophilus and monistat. I think I need to take her back in. She gets a new one almost as soon as the current one clears up. It's more than frustrating.

A Complete Sentence

2004-11-08T07:56:00.000-08:00

This morning at 0 dark thirty my daughter comes into our room and climbs into bed. I ask her, "Do you want Mommy to take you back to your bed?". She succinctly, clearly, and emphatically replies, "No, I don't", and promptly falls asleep against me.

Joy's First Home movie

2004-10-31T14:43:00.000-08:00

Well, not exactly the first, but the first that I have been able to edit. She finally figured out how to open doors. Now, more than ever, we need to babyproof all doors. She hasn't figured those out yet. You can click on the photo or click here to see the movie.

Joy spent at least 5 minutes just going between her room and Josh's. Josh even came out of his room to watch her. Now, in the middle of the night, if we don't hear her, she just opens her door and comes to our room. So much for privacy :)

Fearlessness

2004-10-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

That's an apt description of Joy. This morning, on our usual trip to the park she successfully went down the fireman's pole by herself. I was helping the kids down it and giving them pointers. Joy actually listened and then some! She reached out with one hand and then said "Hands off!", her way of telling me she can do it herself. She reached out with one hand, swung a leg out around the pole, swung the other leg out, and then let go of the play structure with her other hand and slid all the way down.
She was so happy, saying her little "Yay!" and clapping her hands, and then running around to the stairs to do it all over again.

I can't believe that she went down the fireman's pole by herself!!!!

Potty Training for Real

2004-10-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

And so it begins. We've gone through 2 pairs of "Dora" underwear and 2 pairs of vinyl pants. We've gone to the bathroom 3 times, but nothing ever comes out. Not till ten minutes later when she's gone on to something else. My poor little daughter came to me after lunch, just about 15 minutes after our last try, and kept mumbling "diaper". I didn't catch on to what she was saying for almost a whole minute. We'll go back to the underwear after nap time. And I just love doing laundry.

2004-09-25T22:44:00.000-07:00

Joy's First Circus -- I'll post the other pictures later, but we all had a ball and she is *totally* into elephants now.

2004-08-20T17:57:00.000-07:00

Even her feet got the royal treatment.
Posted by Hello

2004-08-20T17:55:00.001-07:00

Look ma, what do you think of my new toenail color?
Posted by Hello

2004-08-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

My little artist, before the body art started.
Posted by Hello

2004-08-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

Finished the other leg, now for this one....
Posted by Hello

2004-08-20T17:53:00.001-07:00

Gotta make sure every inch is covered.
Posted by Hello

2004-08-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

My little Picasso, or perhaps Mary Cassat or Dali. After finger painting Joy started her typical body art but really got into it this time. She got her face, had a minor fit because some got into her mouth. After we got her cleaned up, she went right back to it!!
Posted by Hello

First Poop

2004-08-09T10:42:00.000-07:00

Joy did her first poop in the toilet last night!

I know thesilly little things we get excited about.

2004-08-04T14:20:00.000-07:00

Joy is growing by leaps and bounds and so is her understanding and speech. Just a snippet from today. I told her that I would finally get dressed and then we would go for a walk at a duck pond. She runs into her room, I ask "Are you getting your clothes?" She absentmindely nods yes, but walks into my room, not with jeans, but with one of her duck books. And then repeats "Duck pond". She does need to work a little on enunciation, but hey! she knew where to find a picture of a duck with a pond :)

2004-04-18T00:07:00.000-07:00

So, the other day I signed "hurt" or "pain" for Joy. She copied me. It's the same sign she uses for "nurse". I guess "nurse" and "hurt" sound a lot alike to a two-year old. Almost two year old. She'll be two this week. Where the hell has the time gone?

2004-03-30T15:27:00.000-08:00

Today Joy showed me a new sign. It's sort of like her sign for "book" and she signed it while trying to say "nurse". So I asked her to show me her sign for "nurse" and she repeated her new sign. I've been trying to wean her by doing timed nursing, it sort of works.

But yeah, she's good at making signs andas of today has added a new spoken word to her vocabulary too. *sigh*

2004-02-17T18:42:00.000-08:00

Update on Joy and the Wiggles. She made up her own sign for them and requests one either their tape (the only one we own right now) or one of the CD's I've borrowed from the library daily -- sometimes two to three times daily. Usually three. They've even superceded Sesame Street and Between the Lions.

TIme to take Josh to Cub Scouts.

2004-01-26T13:49:00.000-08:00

Joy's new words for today are "Yes" and "Wiggles" ...well, she can't fully say "wiggle" but she can grab their video and make a two-syllable sound that starts with "w". And she even watches for a few minutes before being distracted by something else. She's also still picking up signs. I taught her "paper" the other day, so now she can ask for that with her colors (crayons). She kinda mixes "please" and "hungry" but at least she says "please" now. For about two weeks she absolutely *refused* to say it. Would rather wait us out. I wonder where she got that from?

Her favorite words it seems are "Elmo" -- no longer "momo". About a week ago Sunday she clearly said "Elmo" and rarely uses "momo" to talk about the red monster. She also says Ernie pretty clearly. Can't get her to say Big Bird or Cookie Monster yet. Her fave sign is "cookie". Go figure on that one, huh.

And boy can she work the VCR. Time to move it up out of her way.

2004-01-11T16:01:00.000-08:00

x-post with Musings

The Big Melt

Well, it's been a fun few days the last week. We usually get a little snow here on the valley floor, about 1/4 of an inch or so, just enough for a good snowball fight. We didn't have any last year and Mother Nature more than made up for it this year. We were snowed in! And asked by the local authorities to stay off the roads as much as possible.

Tim braved the weather and went to work. My home inspection has been reschuled a few times, but we are finally melting. Joy is not happy about it, not happy at all. She practically through a hissy fit the last few days because I didn't want to let her go out and play (well, it was ICY and she doesn't have the best balance).

A light dusting began on New Year's Eve. On New Year's Eve Josh showed Joy how to make a snowball. She was all for getting out and doing that some more during the whole time it snowed. We thought that was cool and that it would be gone by morning, latest, the next afternoon. Boy were we wrong! It snowed all night long and stuck. I took a picture the next morning of our car. It was at least two inches, which, belive it or not, is a lot of snow for this area. Really, the City of Portland began to shut down. Don't laugh. It finally melted by the 4th and we were able to get out of the house to run some errands and get some groceries. Good thing we did. The snow came back the next day. With ice. And Joy wanted even more to go out and play in the white stuff. This storm had wind and freezing rain to go with it. Our porch was covered. I thought it odd that none of our neighbors (on the same block) had snow on their porches. Wednesday Tim had to stay home. It was too icy for him to walk safely and by the time he got to work it would have been time to come home again.

Pictures can be seen in my online photo album