Seashells, Treasure and Pirate Daddies

Oh... so much to discuss, I don't even know where to start.

This month Hailey started new swimming lessons. We moved her up into the 'Seashells' class because our last instructor told us that Hailey was swimming just as well as some of the kids in the higher class. So being the parents of a child who is obviously aquatically gifted...we advanced her. Sure...she does swim just as well...

listen...mmm... that's another story.

The big difference in the Seashells class is that her daddy is not with her, she is in the pool with the instructor and 3-4 other kids by herself. In all honesty, she is actually doing really well and it is extremely good for her to have to learn how to take instructions. It was a little nerve-wracking for me that first day...having to watch her basically alone in water over her head - literally and figuratively. However, I found that I enjoy being able to sit there with Nathan next to me (a new experience) so we can watch her together. It can be pretty amusing. I have moments where I am really very proud of her - and those are generously sprinkled between those 'that's not my kid' moments. This might seem to be an odd comparison, but it reminds me of when we used to take Harley to puppy class.

Earlier this month, I did have my first pure and 'untainted' moment of pride in my daughter's behaviour and it came at the single most unexpected of places.... the dentist! On the 12th of November, we took Hailey in for her first dental check-up. I wasn't sure what to expect - we took her to Nathan's dentist, so that was my first time even at that location. I knew that he was going to get his teeth cleaned first so that she could watch (I was there to run interference). She was interested in what the lady was doing to her daddy, but also spent a lot of that time putzing around the room, playing with a mirror. When it was her time to get in the chair, there was no real fussing - even though she wasn't too sure about the chair reclining. They gave her a pair of blue sunglasses to wear (which I had never seen done before) and she willingly..... willingly.... opened her mouth for the hygienist. She let them do everything - the metal pick, the buffing with the pasty gunk, rinsing with the suction tube (got her tongue stuck once), even flossing! I was not only proud, I was amazed! She took it better than most adults I know. It helped that the hygienist told her she could pick a toy from the treasure chest. That suggestion ended with Hailey asking if the hygienist could loan her some money (treasure chests equate to money and from there the conversation took on a life of its own).

Lately, Hailey likes to give people pretend roles. We watch a lot of Scooby Doo and she has declared that she is now Shaggy. You can often hear her saying "Zoinks!" and she is obsessed with ghosts. Her daddy is often referred to as 'Freddy', I landed the role of Daphne and of course... Harley is Scooby Doo. How I avoided the Velma label, what with her fascination with my glasses, will be my own personal mystery for years. Even one of her favorite treats are 'Scooby Snacks' (they're delicious). I'm just waiting for her to ask Nathan to paint the car green.

She also like to take on other personas. She's often a ghost, kitty or baby. Last night in the car she announced that "Daddy is a boy, Mommy is a girl and Hailey is a princess." ~Of course she is~ After we finished laughing...she changed her mind and said that "Hailey is a princess, Daddy is a pirate and Mommy is a tube." ........ A tube??

'Jinkies!' there is another mystery that will never be solved.

The comic of my life...

Baby Blues is often the perfect illustration of my life...

... for example:

This is pretty much the truth of it...except Nathan doesn't have red hair and glasses.

Holler - Ween!

Well, one of my favorite holidays has come and gone again...Halloween.

I love Halloween, I'm not sure why... (candy)...maybe it is the fact that it takes place during my favorite season of the year... (candy)...I do like a good spooky scare every now and again... (candy)...but I think it must be the (candy) creativeness of the costumes and dressing up that makes me love it so much.

Oh, the candy is nice too.

This year, Hailey dressed up as a princess. Since she already has some diva-like behaviour, 'Princess Hailey' wasn't much a a stretch. In all honesty...what she really wanted to be was (and I quote) a 'scary, dinosaur princess ghost'... but I had a hard time finding that costume at the store, so we went with just a regular pink princess.

At three years old, Hailey can finally physically go Trick-or-Treating, even though she still doesn't quite get the concept of the holiday. Halloween fell on a somewhat chilly Saturday this year - the best of all days for running around the neighborhood. We quickly ate dinner at home, answering the door for the first wave of daylight candy beggars. Hailey got very excited at the idea of other kids coming up to her house. She anxiously watched out the window for Trick-or Treaters. When the rang the bell she ran to the door and asked them all ...'Who are you?'

We decided we would go to my parents' neighborhood for Trick-or-Treating and make their house the first stop. Hailey didn't want to put on her costume until we got to her grandparents' house, so we made sure she had warm clothes and off we went.

Then she fell asleep in the car on the trip to my parents....great.

What's the problem with that you ask?

That means we had to wake her up to go Trick-or-Treating. In our household, anyone who doesn't wake up naturally, on their own... is in an instant bad mood. Instant....bad.... it's a quirk we have obviously handed down to our only offspring. We almost didn't go to any houses for Halloween this year.

It was the classic argument, I don't want to wear:
* a shirt under my costume - or-
* a jacket over my costume.

I understand that argument from the kid side, I wouldn't either. In fact I remember having that very same fight with my mother (I'm sure she's smiling right now). But have you seen how cheap the costumes you buy from the store are?!? The fabric is one step above wearing a sleeve of air!

So...Hailey had a meltdown and we almost went home. Fortunately, we decided to go out to houses we knew wearing street clothes and holding a wand. We ended up at the Browns' house (our wonderful, close friends) and Hailey donned her costume and ran around for the rest of the evening. Thank you Browns (all of you we visited on Halloween) for helping to save our holiday!

Everything turned out fine in the end. In fact...now that it's over, I'm glad the abbreviated door knocking led to having less candy in the house.

Mmmm...candy. It just might be one of my few *cough, cough* weaknesses.

for more pictures of Hailey at Halloween go the 'The Y Spot Photos'

Independence in Autumn

Whew...October is always so busy, it's hard to find time to write. I have been working with the high school marching band again this year and October is our competition month...it's almost over and yet there is still so much to do. Our show this year is great and I am really involved on a more personal level this year...we may even have the opportunity to make state finals *crossing fingers*

Nathan and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary this month. I can't believe it has been that long already. To celebrate, we both took the day off, dropped Hailey at daycare and went to the casino to lose money *we are really good at that* - it was a lot of fun regardless. Daycare offered to keep Hailey overnight for us (her first overnight away from both Mom and Dad) - so we got to spend some super rare, one-on-one time with each other. I didn't even realize how much I missed being together like that until we were able to have that time....thanks Jamie! Maybe I don't express how I feel about my husband enough on this blog, but I can't imagine raising a child or sharing my life with anyone else. We are far from being a perfect couple, that is for sure - there have been some serious rough spots in the last 10 years. However, when I think back to who we were when we were married... and the ways in which both of us have grown since then... I realize what being in a relationship is really about. I can honestly say that I love him even more now then I did 10 years ago, because I understand both of us so much better.

Flu season has hit hard, schools have been shut down because of the H1N1 flu and people at work are dropping like flies. Fortunately, it has not visited our house *knock on wood*. However, I am getting over a nasty head cold. As a result, I've been in a heavy fog lately and so many things now need my attention...for example:

Halloween is right around the corner.... and our annual Pumpkin Carve is this weekend! The house is a disaster area and I need to clean and pull out some of our decorations. Last week, we went to the pumpkin patch, so now Hailey has her own pumpkin to carve this year. I can't wait to see how she reacts to pumpkin guts - will she be girly about it or will she dive right in? My money is on being girly simply because she doesn't like to have her hands dirty. Hailey's costume is purchased...although there is some 'tweaking' and accessories that have to happen. Many of you already know what she is going to dress up as, but I will again defer announcing her costume on this blog until I have some photos to share.

Speaking of photos to share.... I have one to post here from Hailey's latest adventure - SWIM CLASS! We started taking swim lessons last month at the Health and Fitness Center and she is really enjoying it! Both Hailey and Nathan get in the pool and she practices things like kicking, jumping in and pushing off. Daddy practices things to...like how to grip a wet, squirmy 3-year old. They end class by getting into a circle and singing songs - it's a 12 out of 10 on the cuteness scale. I think I am most proud of her behaviour at the pool, she is patient when she has to wait to get in the pool and fairly well behaved getting dressed. Her last class was yesterday, but we have signed her up for the next level -'Seashells' - in which she will be by herself (with the instructor) in the pool. I don't know how comfortable I am with that yet...I'll have to wait until the first class to see.

Hailey is essentially totally potty trained - we have even stopped putting on pull-ups at night. In fact a few nights ago, as Nathan and I were falling asleep (Hailey had been asleep for a while), we heard her waking up. We almost got out of bed, but then we saw her from behind as she walked past our door to the bathroom (with an awesome case of bed-head). We listened as she went potty.... followed by a long, long silence. Nathan and I were actually concerned that she had fallen asleep on the toilet. After a minute, she started crying because she wasn't quite able to finish by herself and was still half asleep. We calmed her down and helped her finish. It was almost a major milestone. I think that if she had been able to go all by herself...it would have been me that was crying.

She is getting so independent now...part of it is liberating relief - like being able to take the Diaper Genie out of her room - but it is also tremendously bittersweet. I can see the day coming soon where she will no longer want me to put outfits together for her or help her with puzzles. That thought gives me a dull ache in my heart. I knew that feelings like this would come at certain stages in her life - the big independence moments like the first day of school or leaving for college...but I didn't expect them so soon. She's still just so...little. I can't even watch kids getting onto their school bus without a small pebble of anxiety. I know that between Nathan and myself, I have the role of the worrier - I'm trying to curb that now while I can (heck, before she can drive!). Things I never would have thought twice about are now major concerns. I just can't help being continually reminded of how much changes within yourself when you become a parent. I realize now how much growing up I still have left to do myself.

"The hardest part of raising a child is teaching them to ride bicycles.

A shaky child on a bicycle for the first time needs both support and freedom.

The realization that this is what the child will always need can hit hard."

~Sloan Wilson

Letter to Hailey on Turning Three

Dear Hailey -

It's time again for my yearly birthday letter to you.

You turned three this year, which means we technically made it through the 'terrible twos'. While most of the year was pretty easy, there were some very trying times when you tested your limits with your dad and me. We were constantly trying to teach you right from wrong or keep you from hurting yourself as you demanded your independence. I admit that those times were a struggle, but somehow...you always made up for it with your sense of humor and that amazing giggle.

Are you the best behaved child I have ever seen...? Well, no. You are stubborn, determined, focused and you have your own agenda - which is sometimes hidden to everyone but you. You want things your way and are often a little impatient and demanding. Most of the time when you are in trouble it is for not listening...you want to be the one to make the decisions.

In other words...you are a leader.

That is what I see when I look at you now. I don't see a wallflower..a 'cookie-cutter' child. Hailey, your personality is too strong to be a follower. I see a child unafraid of new things, a child who is not going to be satisfied until she has tried everything for herself. You will never want to sit by and watch things happen, you will be in the middle of life, waving your arms around screaming.

• Is your behaviour sometimes tiring or embarrassing? Sure it is...you're three years old.
• Are there moments when your dad and feel completely overwhelmed? Absolutely!
• Am I proud of who you are becoming? Yes I am...every second of the day.
• Do I love you regardless of your behaviour? Words alone could never express how much I love you.
  

Even though you like to push your limits, you are also a very loving and caring child. You love your friends and family and are gentle with all the animals you meet. The polite and sweet side of your personality is just as strong as your independent half. You show your tenderness often and sometimes unexpectedly - these moments stand out for me like precious jewels in my memory. The simplest hugs and cuddles are more important to me then I ever dreamed possible.

You do so much for yourself now, that every triumph is somehow also bittersweet as well. Every thing you learn to do for yourself is exciting and exhilarating, and one less thing you need me for. Sometimes I feel like I can watch you grow before my very eyes and I'm often torn between excitement and sadness.

So now you are three, and I have a much better feel for what to expect this coming year: tantrums and arguments, bittersweet moments of independence, embarrassment, frustration, intense laughter and love beyond anything I have ever felt before.

I Love you Hailey Bug!
-Momma

Vacation - Final Chapter

[continued from previous post]

The next day was Sunday and our final day at the hotel. We finished up our MagiQuest game, claimed her arcade tickets for a prize and headed out, stopping at her grandparent's house on the way. We picked up the dog from her other grandparents, and finally got back home around 7:00 PM. She was a good girl for the whole day.

Then night came.

I mentioned in a previous blog that we took the side off of Hailey's crib to make it a toddler bed that she can get in and out of. That was the key factor in our final story The Poison Control Phone Call.

At McDonald's (gah, that place keeps coming back) she had gotten several Lego cars from her Happy Meals. Well, when she went to bed Sunday night she wanted to play with them in her crib and we told her no, because she needed to go to sleep. She was apparently not happy with that answer because as soon as we left her room, she grabbed them anyway. That was not all she grabbed. I was barely 10 feet away in the doorway of our computer room when ninja Hailey decided she was going to go into our room, climb my dresser and get two bottles of (expensive) nail polish. Neither Nathan nor I saw or heard any of this happening - which is odd because the giggles usually give her away.

I walked past her room and saw her hide something behind her back. I saw one of the Lego cars in her bed and assumed that was what she was hiding...not the case. Hailey apparently decided she wanted to paint her toenails. Nathan found it and we descended on her like a pack of wild animals...patting down her crib, bedding, countless stuffed animals in bed with her, her pajamas...everything. The only thing she got polish on was a water proof pad that I was considering throwing out anyway. She had painted the pink on the pad, and successfully replaced the brush without getting any on the bottle. The clear polish wasn't as neat. I saw she had unscrewed the top and gotten polish all over the opening...without spilling it or even getting it on the sides of the bottle. We were really lucky. Until we looked at her face. Pink and clear polish...on both cheeks, right by her mouth.

Um...not good. I asked her if she had put in in her mouth and she replied in her unreliable three-year-old fashion that she had. I looked at the bottles...no poison info...that didn't surprise me as most people don't try to polish their tongues. I went online and Googled 'nail polish ingestion'. The bits of information that I found online did not make me feel good. But it was hard for me to concentrate on what was really out there and I knew better than to panic over something I read on the Internet. So I looked up the phone number for poison control.

Those people are ridiculously nice...and calm. I gave her the brand name of the polish and in less than a minute, she told me I had nothing to worry about, particularly because Hailey was acting just fine. We gave her water and watched her for a bit. Honestly, neither Nathan or I thinks she really put it in her mouth, we would have heard a 'Yuck!' Regardless, it is not the kind of thing that you just brush aside. I don't think I excessively worry, but it's when I don't feel informed that I get stressed out, so I was glad I called.

My nail polish has all been moved, and the door to our room is now shut. I still feel some guilt over it. It was in a place she shouldn't have been able to reach, but I should know by now I can't underestimate my daughter and her ninja skills.

Of course, the next day, her birthday, we scheduled her three-year-old portraits. We spent the morning getting her ready and had to pick dried nail polish off her cheeks before we went in for photos. Never a dull moment.

And that, dear freinds, was our vacation....let me say that again, slowly....va -ca - tion....our relaxing vacation with our, bathroom barging, water-spitting, beagle puppy, nail polish eating three-year old.

I honestly can't wait to do it again next year!

[for more pictures of our Trip to Great Wolf Lodge, go to the Y Spot photo page...here]

Vacation - Part Three

[continued from previous post]

The next day was relatively mild, in terms of Hailey behavior. We hit the extremely tasty breakfast buffet at the hotel and went into the arts and craft room they call 'The Cub Club'.

When we made our reservations, we also bought a special pass that allowed us a lot a freebies. One of these was a color-your-own item from the Cub Club area. We chose a t-shirt for Hailey to color. The attention span for shirt coloring lasted about 10 minutes (I had to finish it up for her). While I sat in the micro chair and colored, she had a good time exploring the play areas and talking to the wonderful lady running the crafts - the same lady whose quote started this series of blogs. She ran to a plastic fort-like house they had and as soon as she closed the half-door behind her, she turned to her Dad and said "Can I take your order?" Hmmm... have we taken her out for fast food too often? That's o.k., I won't be going to McDonald's any time soon.

We quickly got her a stuffed animal wolf...the hotel's version of 'Build-A-Bear'...which was also free from our kid's pass, then we headed to the arcade. I think there is a lot you can learn from watching what arcade games people gravitate to. My chivalrous husband tended toward the Skee-ball game as that seemed to produce the most tickets for Hailey, but also indulged in the occasional sword fighting game. I tried a classic circa 1980's arcade game and skee-ball as well. Hailey however...is no longer allowed to try skee-ball - we couldn't seem to convince her that an over-hand toss into the other lanes was not the best technique for amassing points. Car driving games were also not her style - watching her, I was vaguely comforted by the fact that a learner's permit is still years away. We did, eventually find Hailey's perfect arcade niche, the game so incredibly tailored for her that it should have her picture on it - 'Whack-a-mole'. Big soft mallet, whomping things on the head...it didn't get much better. She could have scored higher, but she was giggling too much.

After the arcade, we played an interactive game called MagiQuest until she fell asleep. It was fun game, which was included with the pass, but a lot of walking - it tired us all out.

Nathan and I made a bargain that we each got an hour, to ourselves, to go to the hotel's spa. I got a wonderful pedicure and he opted for a relaxing massage. It was really the only moments of peace for either of us all weekend.

After dinner we headed back to the water park. Kiddie Pool Incidents #2 and #3 are more amusing than embarrassing, so I will lump them together.

K.P. Incident #2 consisted of Hailey finding a girl, close to her age (maybe a little younger) being friendly and then splashing her until the girl literally ran away from Hailey. Hailey, however, would not let this little girl alone..like a kiddie pool stalker. We were right there telling her to stop splashing and leave the girl alone, but she was determined to get this kid wet. I was a little embarrassed around the other girl's dad - he obviously didn't know how to protect his daughter from our little predator. Eventually Hailey left her alone and 20 minutes later, the other girl started following Hailey around like a puppy. Toddlers. Who understands them?

It is important to note that the entire weekend, with the exception of the 4 hour drive up, Hailey was totally without any kind of diaper or pull up, and she didn't have a single accident - even when sleeping. K.P. Incident #3 does not count as a potty accident. The three of us were standing together in the kiddie pool, when Hailey suddenly gets up, walks out of the pool and over to a drain in the floor - a drain which was in front of a large group of tables and chairs filled with people. She proceeded to assume a mini-sumo wrestler stance over the drain and as she did...more 'water' emptied from her swimsuit bottom than it would naturally hold. Nathan and I looked at each other and laughed. She wide-legged it back to the pool and continued playing.

Hey!! She didn't pee in the pool!! She peed in the pool drain - it's kind of like a toilet. It doesn't count!

At least that night, she was so exhausted from not having a nap and playing at the pool, that once she fell asleep, she stayed asleep.

[to be continued...]

Vacation - Part Two

[continued from previous post]

So we got to the hotel and signed in. We had time to kill before our room was ready, so we walked around the hotel for a while, getting our bearings. If you have never been to a Great Wolf Lodge before...let me tell you...there is a lot of stuff to look at. Plus, we didn't even glance at the outdoor things because the whole weekend was overcast and rainy. We got into our room around 4:00 and decided to go down to the indoor water park.

The water park is awesome.

There was so much stuff to do there. Hailey gravitated to the 'kiddie pool' area which was maybe a foot and a half at it's deepest point. That area became our base of operation because even though Hailey often went running willy-nilly through the park, she always came back to that place, with it's 'kids only' slides and waterfalls. it was a nice place, parents could sit in the pool and see their child from almost any point in the pool. It was the there that Kiddie Pool Incident #1 occurred.

Hailey is a brave little kid...the type of kid that will go up to anyone and say hi. It really didn't concern me when she started swimming up to a small group of 'kiddie pool wading' moms. She kind of crab walked up to them, her face almost in the water...

*insert the Jaws music here*

as she got close enough to one of the moms...

da dum...da dum...da dum...

she suddenly dunked her mouth underwater, filled it up and spit water directly into this woman's face. A perfect hit. If that mom had been a carnival game, Hailey would have won the big stuffed monkey. Nathan and I were splashing our way over to apologize when the woman filled her mouth and spit right back on Hailey. "YES!" Awesome! High five to the strange mommy in a skirted bathing suit who just spit on my child! It was the perfect response! Hailey giggled and crab walked away. I apologized, but I could see it wasn't really necessary. The mom trio was having a good laugh about it. Thankfully, there are some people in this world that have a wonderful sense of humor!

It wasn't long after the spitting incident that her dad and I started getting exhausted and we hustled her out of there. After a quick trip to the mall and Meijers for supplies, we were back at the hotel for Hailey's Story Time Seating event. This incident wasn't so bad, but still pretty typical Hailey.

Every evening at 8:00 and 9:00 Great Wolf Lodge has story time for the kids in the lobby. Traditionally, children come down, dressed in their pj's and sit in from of the giant animatronic tree and listen to a story. We got down there just as the story was starting. All the other children were arranged in a big semi-circle in front of the storyteller. I tend to call children with calm dispositions like this: 'Golden Retriever Kids'...but don't misunderstand...that is a term I use with a certain kind of respect and longing. Golden Retrievers are the most popular family dogs ever, easy to train, generally calm...simple and well behaved. I have learned that I don't have a Golden Retriever Child. My kid is more like a beagle puppy...cute, but spastic. She's the type that runs around in circles barking and gets her nose into absolutely everything!

What was the phrase that lady used...oh yes..she has 'character'

Our little beagle puppy decided she didn't want to sit with the cookie-cutter children and instead sat in the big oak tree chair like a princess. [see picture] It was cute...a little embarrassing...but at least we didn't have to apologize to anybody. After that we took her back to the room where she didn't fall asleep until she had driven her dad and I totally out of our minds.

Hailey had gotten most of the embarrassing stuff out of the way on day one, and that was now coming to a close. However day two (and three) would still have great stories in store.

[to be continued...]

Vacation - Part One

"She's a character!"

That is what we were told by one of the super nice employees at the Great Wolf Lodge this past weekend.... and she had only been in the same room with Hailey for about 20 minutes. Her comment was a gigantic understatement.

Let me start with some of the back story details (before I dive in to the crazy things my daughter did this weekend).

Today is Hailey's third birthday. To celebrate, Nathan and I took her up to the Great Wolf Lodge [link] in Traverse City this past weekend. If you haven't been there.....GO! .....Go now.... make your reservations - but ONLY if you have children (or don't mind 5 excited kids to every square foot of space). It was an awesome mini vacation, and an extremely tiring one. We left Friday afternoon and came back Sunday evening.

Before I launch into the stories, let me say that, when vacationing with a 3 year old, it was surprisingly refreshing to stay in a place that was so geared for kids. Not only was the staff profoundly nice and patient, so were the guests... the other parents. Not once did I feel the hot stares of childless people who were wondering why I let my child out of her cage. Everyone had a really good sense of humor...and Hailey made sure she tested her limits.

Let's begin with possibly the best story of the weekend - The McDonald's Bathroom Story.

The drive up to Traverse City, is about four hours from our house, that's a long time for a potty-training toddler to be in the car. So...we stopped at a McDonald's for lunch and a bathroom break. We got a booth near the bathrooms (booths are a necessity to box Hailey in, so we aren't chasing her all over the restaurant). I needed to go to the restroom, and asked Hailey if she wanted to come to (girl's bathrooms rules know no age limit). But she didn't...at least she didn't for the 20 second that it took me to get into a stall.

As I was in the restroom, I heard people entering - one of which sounded like Hailey...but another woman was talking, so I thought it might be another little girl. It wasn't. It was Hailey. Apparently, she wanted to join me so she followed a McDonald's employee into the restroom. When I opened the stall, I almost hit her in the head with the door. The employee was trying to stop me saying 'Don't hit the little girl!" I looked down and said "Oh, she's mine" as the woman give me a very odd look - obviously wondering why I let my child sit outside my stall, unattended.

I asked Hailey if she needed to go potty...she said "Yes!" and ducked under the door to the handicapped stall faster than I could reach for her. I turned to the McDonald's worker and asked if anyone was in that stall and she shrugged...so I poked the door with my finger to see if it was locked. The door (with the obviously broken lock) swung open to reveal a young lady (maybe in her twenties) seated on the toilet with my daughter doing her 'booty dance' in front of her (*for a video of the booty dance, click here*). I quickly shut the door and started yelling at Hailey to come out, but she just giggled louder and continued to dance. Not knowing exactly what to do, I turned my head away from the poor girl (who was in a state of public toilet shock) and reached my arm in to try and grab my daughter. So picture in your head... someone who is straining and flailing around to grab something that is just out of their reach and a little girl who is running around the stall, barely dodging my hand. Finally... Hailey retreated to the very back corner of the stall (I never realized before how BIG McDonald's handicapped stalls were) and I literally had to go in and retrieve her. Hailey threw a quick tantrum and I hurried her out of there.

I was so mortified that I couldn't even talk to Nathan - who heard the whole thing, but didn't know what happened. The best part was... that because we were seated right next to the bathrooms, we were right there when the poor girl came out. I apologized profusely, and fortunately, she had a really good sense of humor about it. After I was absolutely sure there was no one in the bathroom, I took Hailey in for a potty break. I must have been a dozen shades of red...I couldn't speak I was so embarrassed.

We hadn't even made it to the hotel yet....

[to be continued]

Goodbye Green Socks

Hailey is growing so fast, it's hard to keep up now.

I asked her to do something this week and she responded with "Yes Mother". Is she going to be 3 this month.... or 16?

Last month we took the side off her crib and made it into a toddler bed which she can get into all by herself. She did great with it for several weeks - then one night she realized she could get out of bed, and its been downhill from that point on. Sure... it's cute when she peeks around the corner of the door then runs down the hall like the wind....a giggly, naughty wind. It's really hard not to crack a smile. That is, until it's 11:30 pm and she has been doing that for two hours - at that point, not smiling is really, really easy.

Potty training has been going so remarkably well, that last week we decided it was time...time to inspire our girl to greater bathroom success with the magic of.... panties! We bought a 3 pack of Hello Kitty undies and she LOVED them. When we unwrapped them, Hailey grabbed a wad of cotton bliss in her little fist and ran around the house singing "Panties, panties". It went great for several days, until she had her first accident - no big deal, we expected that. Then she started hiding out in corners and having an accident a day. Eww. Now Hello Kitty goes on over the pull-up.

*editorial note - Hailey still is pull-up free at daycare - it's only at home where she runs around like a wild animal*

I saved the best story for last. A little over a week ago, I came home from band camp to spend the evening with Nathan and Hailey. They got home from daycare and Hailey (as she does every day) took her shoes and socks off. She struggled with the socks because she tried pulling them from the toe - and they were a little suctioned to her feet. She called for our help and her dad told her to pull them off from the top. Which she did, and it worked! However, she must have been really mad at those socks... because when we turned our backs for a second, the next sound we heard was the toilet flushing. Yep. She flushed her socks. Her green socks. Both of them. Her only pair of green socks. Right...down...the....toilet. I guess I'm glad she flushed both because if she just did one, then I would be left with a one sock reminder of the suction power of our toilet.

I'm thinking about starting a new website... "Will it Flush?" where I just flush random objects to see if they get stuck. 1 pair of toddler socks = flushes like butter. 1 large pine cone = not so much.

Nothing is left unexplored in this house, no stone is left unturned.

For example, as I am typing this...I hear Nathan is the other room telling an obviously grossed out Hailey..."Well don't lick that if its yucky."

Awesome. You have to have a great sense of humor to live in this house!

Why Do I Do It?

Summer vacation. Most people I work with take a vacation in the summer and go someplace nice and peaceful. Others use it to do work on their house, using the time constructively to make improvements around home. This is not the case with my vacation.

For the past three years, I have taken a week's worth of my vacation time and spent it with my former high school's marching band... out in the sun...every day for an entire week. I am part of the visual staff that helps to dream up the elements of their fall marching program, make them a reality and then transfer that onto the field. I also help the color guard choreographers teach and clean the work they write. Prior to working with the fall program, I volunteered the same tasks for years with the winter color guard.

I am self-admittedly not in the best physical shape and easily the oldest person out on the field every day (and many of the kids like to remind me of that fact). I get sore and sunburned to the point where it almost hurts to lay down in bed at night - and I might not attempt it if it wasn't for the fact that standing up hurts even worse.

I joke around about the pain and my age a lot while I am at camp. However, there are a lot of moments when I take stock of my life and honestly really wonder..."Why am I still doing this?"


Upon reflection, I really have a lot of various reasons for submitting myself to this demon but the underlying one really is the one that supports all the rest. My surface reasons are many....

#1. The Students. It is very obvious to me that I learn more from the students than they learn from me. I have known some of them for years and as I have watched them grow as individuals, I have become a wiser person. They also keep me young. I can still laugh with them and I have learned that I can have friends of all ages. This year, I was able to meet more band kids than before and they are just as amazing. Can you imagine watching a young person who had a double lung transplant 5 months prior, out on the field marching with everyone else?!? How can you see that not be inspired?

#2. The Experience. I love to reconnect with the people I have grown to love, but it is the opportunity to interact with new people that is sometimes more exciting. Last year, I got to meet a great new director. This year two new staff members joined who were a lot of fun. Every person just adds to the total experience. Plus, I get to meet new band parents. With most of them, I get to see examples of how really good parenting produces amazing kids. On the flip side, I also am able to observe what happens without parental involvement. As a result, I have been able to start my own parenting experience with open eyes.


#3. The Art. I feel totally blessed to have as one of my closest friends, one of the most creative people I have ever met. Robert's insight and vision draws out from me artworks that without his inspiration would never have seen the light of day. He challenges me artistically on levels that I would not attempt on my own. On top of all that, he appreciates me and respects my opinion beyond anyone else in my creative world. I don't think he truly realizes how grateful I am for his trust and support. He is just simply... the greatest muse I have ever encountered and I love him for that.


The biggest and most underlying reason for my continued participation is that I feel that I owe it to this activity...as a form of payback. The one decision I made, to audition for marching band almost 26 years ago... is directly responsible for most of the best things in my life: my friends, my husband (and by that means...my daughter), my confidence and continued artistic growth. My path in life would have been so different had I not made that one, seemingly insignificant, choice. It was a turning point that took years to recognize. I love my life and I can't image any other outcome than what I have. My mother always tells me that, aside from saying 'Yes' to my husband's proposal and having my daughter...joining band was the smartest decision I've ever made.

Despite how sore and sunburned I am today...I'd have to agree.

Real Milestones

When you become a parent, there are milestones moments you look forward to, that need no explanation - the first smile...first word... first step. These moments are so awe inspiring that entire baby book pages are dedicated to their memory. You wait for these moments - often with camera in hand, knowing that they are about to happen. They are recorded, announced to family and friends and celebrated by all. Some of them, like potty training and solid foods, come on gradually over a period of months. However, most seem to come in quick 'Ta-dah' type moments. Parents live for these moments...hell, we misguidedly gauge our child's development by how quickly they reach these milestones.

My favorite milestone moments, are the hidden ones. The journey of raising children is filled with turning points that you aren't expecting, that you don't read about in magazines. These forgotten few have no page in the baby book and yet they surprise you with their clarity and significance.

My first and most beautiful happened long before Hailey spoke her first word. I sat on the couch looking at her, and I saw the spark of understanding in her eyes. She knew who I was and could communicate with me before any attempt at words had been exchanged. The realization, that I would someday be able to speak with her and hear her thoughts, brought tears to my eyes - it still does.

Sometimes the most moving milestones arise from very ordinary, everyday events.

We had one of those a week ago.... at a family birthday party at my parent's house. We were all playing around with Hailey on the floor when she came over and bit me on the chest. It hurt enough to leave a bruise and I was very upset. I took her to the 'time out corner' while my family waited to open birthday gifts. Hailey stood upset and crying in the corner for several minutes before I called her to me. I asked her "Do you know why you were in time-out? What did you do?" She said... "I bit Momma".

I was floored. It was the first time ever that she was able to tell me what she did wrong. If you are not a parent, you may be wondering why that is a big deal... but if you know children...you understand how HUGE that is. She remembered, she realized that her actions caused a consequence and she admitted to it. The bite still hurt like the dickens, but that milestone with Hailey helped make the bruise a little easier to bear.

Moments like that catch you so off your guard that, when you recognize them, they seem to connect to a deeper part of you. They are more monumental then some checklist item which you use as a developmental barometer....they allow you to see glimpses of who your child really is and... who they are about to become. Every one's baby book has a space for first tooth and first haircut, but how many can tell you 'When I learned to be responsible for my actions?'

That...to me... is worth writing down.

Winding the Clock

Today is my 40th birthday.

Four...Zero...

You know what, I'm O.K. with it. I wasn't exactly sure how I would feel when I woke up this morning, but as the day progresses...I'm feeling pretty darn good. I'm getting a lot of love today, friends and co-workers have been wishing me Happy Birthday all day.

This morning, I put on my favorite shirt, new jewelry, lip gloss... and I am happy with myself. I also feel good physically, I have been taking care of myself lately - I have more energy and just generally feel better. When the clock hit midnight last night, I didn't suddenly turn grey and get wrinkles. I didn't dry-up, crumble and blow away in the wind.

Yesterday I got a new hair color and style. While I was getting my hair done, my stylist's 18-year-old daughter was there talking about her latest boyfriend drama...she was young, blonde... absolutely gorgeous and weighed about as much as a sandwich. As I listened to her, I thought to myself...'there is no way in hell I'd ever change places with her'.

I like who I am at 40. To further prove that point, I spent about two hours at the Department of Motor Vehicles yesterday, renewing my drivers license. If you ever are feeling hard on yourself, go down to the DMV and people watch...after about 20 minutes, I promise that you'll leave there feeling like a Kennedy.

Jamie at daycare taught Hailey how to sing Happy Birthday and they called me this morning and sang it over the phone - how does life get better than that? Would I have appreciated the value of that moment when I was 20? Looking back...I can tell you, no I wouldn't have. I wouldn't have had the slightest inkling of how important that would be to me. Today it is everything.

I have a much greater awareness of who I am, good and bad. I have had enough experience with life to be articulate with my feelings and enough courage to be unafraid to share them. I see the little details side by side with the bigger picture. I know the steps that I have taken that led me to this moment and my own personal vantage point. I am grateful for every one that I took.

Four...Zero...

It's just a number. It's not even a very big number...I know because I still remember enough high school French to count to 40.... so it can't be that big.

I came across a quote that neatly sums up my feelings about today...

'You can't turn back the clock. But you can wind it up again'

I'm going to wind my clock back up today. I'm not going to worry about the time that has past...I'm too excited about the time yet to come.

Home Plate

Sometimes, life throws curve balls at you. If you're lucky, you see them coming and can duck out of the way. However, sometimes they hit you unexpectedly and all you can do is pick yourself up, pat yourself down and make sure everything still works. You step up to the plate again because playing the game is important and it's worth it. Your team needs you - and you need your team. You still have the memory of getting hit, but you have to deal with it in order to make the game move forward.

Sometimes life is like that.

Then, sometimes life throws other things at you...softer things that you have to look for, or you'll miss them.

Things like... snuggling with my two-year-old daughter as she sees fireworks for the first time out the back window of our house. She giggled and pointed and kissed me after each one. Even though eventually she yelled "That's Enough!"... she still ran back to the window every time they started up again. If you are fully present in those kind of moments, they can take your breath away, like they did for me.

Often you aren't fully present and some things are so soft that you take them for granted. Simple gestures can be overlooked, words can be said so often that you don't hear the meaning anymore. Everyone has parts of their lives that they take for granted...every single person. It doesn't matter which position you are on the field, everyone can get hit with the ball.

Maybe that is why the curve balls come, because we aren't looking, we aren't paying attention. They are meant to wake us up...both batter and pitcher. The best we can do is put our helmets on, step up to the plate, take another swing and hope this one connects.

If we are lucky, after every firework...there will be kisses.

Booty Dance

A quick video of Hailey shaking her booty!

At about 12 seconds, she does this quick little shake that makes me laugh every time I see it. I love how she runs off camera with the dog right behind her...typical!

A Promise Kept

This month, my parents will be celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary. My family (brothers, sister-in-law and husband) are planning a party for them at the end of June. My mother wanted a low-key, casual, open house, appetizer-type event - so that is exactly what we are giving them.

This fall, Nathan and I will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. At this point, I don't have anything planned for that day, but all of this has lately got me thinking about weddings and how we commemorate them.

Personally, I think that we, as a society, have it all wrong!

This is what we do...two people fall in love and decide to get married. They go out and spend thousands of dollars (that they often don't even have) on the big white dress, the cake and the flowers. They throw a party, where everyone comes and gives them gifts and 'oohs' and 'ahhs' over the dresses and the flower girl. We tell the groom how lucky he is and joke about having 'the ball and chain'. Then we send them on their way...often completely unprepared for what being in a marriage entails.

Have you ever wondered what we are really celebrating? A promise, words written in a book and repeated.... and hope... hope that this couple will beat the odds, that they are meant for each other, that this marriage will last. But that's it...all of the fuss is over a few sentences whispered on the altar.

It doesn't matter how many you have been to in your lifetime... weddings are basically all the same.

Marriages however are different...every marriage is unique.

So why is it that we don't celebrate the marriage?

After you marry, that first anniversary is a big deal.. after that, they seem to loose their impact - unless it's a milestone number. Maybe you go out for dinner for your 7th anniversary', or see a movie on the 13th. After making it through the good and bad of each other for another 365 days....is that all a year is worth...a dinner at Applebees?

I say, the wedding should be small...with the idea that 'this love is a gift that has been given to you... now let's see what you do with it'. Every year that we celebrate an anniversary, the party should get bigger and bigger. I love you Mom, but I don't think that appetizers are enough to celebrate all the patience, understanding, self-control and forgiveness that comprises 50 years of staying with the one person you promised to love forever.

I read a quote once that said, 'Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle'.

I can't think of anything I have read that is more true than that.

Why do we spend all our time, energy (and money) celebrating a vow unfulfilled... yet often overlook the amazing accomplishment of a promise kept? When did the words become more important than the act? Celebrating a wedding is to honor one moment...celebrating a marriage is to honor all of them.

That is what I want to do for my parents this month...honor all their moments. Because they have the strength and courage to look at each other year after year and say "I still love you"... they have made their moments become our moments too.

Thank you Mom and Dad!

Her Furry Brother

Hailey and Harley have an unique relationship.

Harley sees Hailey as an endless supply of interesting people food (raisins, fruit snacks and peanut butter). He is a good dog who tolerates her constant climbing and tail pulling like a park statue tolerates pigeon poop. For Hailey's part, I always thought that she looked at the dog as part garbage can, part obstacle course. Since the day she started walking, she has literally spent her childhood with his tail in her face and his mouth on her food.

However, I now understand that their relationship is a little deeper than I realized. I had no idea of the bond between my daughter and my dog until this past Memorial Day weekend.

Harley had been experiencing some...how to put it nicely....intestinal discomfort.... for about a week, so we decided to get him checked out. Now... the vet we go to is quite a long distance from our house, so when the hubby offered to take the dog and the toddler to the vet on Saturday, I saw an opportunity for unrestricted cleaning access *super rare occurrence*! Off the three of them went for Harley's checkup and I started cleaning random stains off the sofa.


A while later, I get a call from an upset husband...we had forgotten to take a sample of Harley's 'morning business' for the vet and therefore, they had to leave the dog at the vet's office until he provided a new one.

Hailey was thoroughly upset.

They had to leave Harley behind and I could hear her in the background screaming and crying for her doggie! Harley was upset too, we have never left him in a strange place before and certainly never taken his girl away. It's a darn good thing I wasn't there because Nathan would have had to deal with three crying family members instead of two.

Fortunately, Harley didn't have to stay long and they were able to go back later in the day to pick him up. As they arrived at the vet's office, Hailey heard some random dog barking and she kept saying "We're coming Harley! Don't cry, we're here!" How sweet is that? When they got home, the dog didn't leave her side for the rest of the evening.

So my observations about my dog and my daughter didn't quite go deep enough and the relationship that I see everyday is really just the surface. Underneath the actions are feelings, and they aren't always the feelings you are expecting.

The things that may annoy you on a daily basis....the tail pulling, food stealing...even having to clean the sofa around a toddler and a dog... those things may be irritating, but you would certainly miss them if they were no longer there. Even the worst things about the people that we love are more meaningful and important than some of the best things about other people. I'm going to try to remember that today, maybe we all should.

Pizza and 'Beer'

Things are chugging along on the toddler train lately...the not eating situation has subsided - for now. The new crib was received a while ago and has been properly broken in. Summer clothing has been mostly purchased and her newest pair of light-up shoes have finally been accepted into her everyday wardrobe.

Life is generally peaceful in the household.

The hubby and I have even been able to work on household projects that have been on the back burner since...well... Hailey was born. Believe it or not...I am ONE cupboard door away from finishing my 4 year kitchen cabinet makeover (pictures will be posted once I get around to cleaning the afore mentioned kitchen)!

Hailey has fallen in love with two new movies: Brother Bear and Curious George. Both are reasonably cute movies and tolerable from an adult viewpoint - I particularly enjoy the soundtrack by Jack Johnson from Curious George. Regardless of the movie, when viewed for the eleventy-millionth time, they all become like fingernails on a chalkboard. Once I hear the theme songs, I will do anything to get out of the room. It is a great motivator as I would rather clean the toilet then watch them...yet....again.

The only thing that is still cute about her love for these movies is the way which she asks to watch them...she uses one word titles 'Bear' or 'George'...cute. However, she can't yet pronounce 'Bear' correctly and she says 'Beer' instead. That created some interesting looks when she announced to Grandma that she wanted Beer. Even though the movie is currently 'on loan' to daycare and we can't watch it...last night when we ordered a pizza, she was very excited about having pizza and 'Beer'.

They start so young these days.

Pictures and Tidbits

I took some surprisingly good pictures of the toddler this week, so I thought I would share a couple of photos and some funny stories.


When Hailey does something she isn't suppose to, we are really insistent that she drags herself over to whomever she has offended, verbally apologizes and gives kisses and hugs.


Lately however, toddler ADD has kicked in and her attention is diverted during the apology - which makes it comes off as being very insincere. So we have started to make her look at the person she is apologizing to... "Hailey, say your sorry to Daddy's face"

"Sorry to your face Daddy!"

________________________________

The potty training trials are back on and we are starting to dig our heels in. She was doing really well for a while, but we enabled her to backslide a little. However, we are determined to get her out of diapers before she learns to drive.

This week, we bought a new potty book and set up the 'wall of stickers' which she can use when she uses the potty successfully. Being the sticker freak that she is...as soon as we showed her the stickers, she went twice in one day.

The second time she went, she looked in the toilet and said to her 'raisins'

"Bye Bye

...have fun!"

She really is just as cute as her pictures!

To see more pictures click on The Y Spot Photos

Meal Time Madness

OK. Let me share with you our latest toddler battle.

She doesn't want to eat. Wait, scratch that...she will eat...but only peanut butter and jelly or raisins. Anything else...done, nope, nada...*tantrum ensues*. As a baby, she was always a fairly decent eater, she liked her veggies, ate a big variety, ate good foods. Now she is spitting out food and wanting snacks instead of meals. I just didn't understand why, all of a sudden, she is staging this all out war on dinner.

So I went online today for a little advice and this is what I found:

"Eating is a choice that toddlers have the power to make, and it doesn't take them long to seize an opportunity for a power game over their parents. "

Ah...yes...now I understand. It's not about food, it's about POWER.
Interesting notion, so I read on....

* Instead of confusing your toddler with too much variety, offer limited choices so your toddler learns how to make decisions. Here is how this would go down...
"Hailey, would you like an apple or a banana?" "ICE CREAM!"

"No... apple or banana?" "ICE CREAM!"

* Offering too many choices is just too confusing and often the cause of conflict and toddler tantrums. In our household, a warm breeze and a vacuum cleaner can cause conflict and toddler tantrums. We are going to have to reinforce the carpet in her timeout corner.

* Try being more clear, firm and consistent in your parenting approach. Clear...sure, firm...most definitely, consistent...uh...well....

* Around meal times, you tell her it is meal time. O.k., I have to admit that this thought never really occurred to me. I guess we do inform her that mealtime is coming when we try to give her the limited food choice. but I never thought it was necessary to come out and tell her that we are having dinner. We will have to try it.

* You determine her meal times.... and she determines everything else (they left out that part)

* If you are eating, you are sitting down. This is something we do try to enforce (hey we got one right - GO TEAM!). However, if you have a toddler, you know there are at least 200 different ways to sit in a chair.

I guess we will have to fight the good fight: keep trying new foods, try to let her make some choices...wait... limited choices. In the meantime, our fridge will fill up with rejected toddler meal leftovers.

Would anyone like a half cup of chicken stew, peas and a gummy vitamin?

Encore!

Here she is, in all her 'diva-esque' glory



She was playing the video game Rock Band with her aunts and uncles on Christmas morning. To truly rock out...I think it's important to wear ladybug pjs. I think she might be singing about our dog... but who really knows.

It's nice, I don't even have to try to type anything funny, she is her own punchline today!

Big thanks to her Uncle Ken for getting this online so I could share it with everyone!

Y Spot Turns 3

I made a wonderful realization this week...it's March and that means my blog turns three years old this month!

I missed the actual date (March 3rd, 2006 was my first post)...but I think my blog will forgive the belated wishes. As a gift, I gave it another makeover. I liked the last version, but the banner needed fixing (as you can see I added the husband and the crazy girl).

While it is fun to redo the site and celebrate it's birthday...I want to make sure that the most significant point of this anniversary doesn't get lost...

...I have written in a 'journal' consistently for 3 years! I've never done anything consistently for 3 years! Now if I can figure out how to translate that success into working out...that would be a real cause to celebrate!

She's Ready, She's Ready....

7 Ways you can tell that your 2 year old watches too much SpongeBob Squarepants?

#7. She owns three pairs of SpongeBob pajamas (one which lights up).

#6. She can't name her colors, but she can identify every single character on SpongeBob (including Plankton)

#5. You ask her what she wants for dinner and she says "Crabby Patty"

#4. Patrick is the reason she knows what a star shape looks like.

#3. She constantly asks "SpongeBob TV?"

#2. She can't sleep without her stuffed SpongeBob next to her

The number one way you can tell your child has spongeBob overload...

#1. Whenever she drops something...she says "Oh Barnacles" (true story, she did that this past weekend!)

Dr. Seuss Vs. Hailey...

I have to take a moment to tell you all my favorite Hailey story...

For the past several weeks at bedtime, Hailey has wanted to read us a book instead of the other way around. Of course she doesn't actually 'read', but she knows the stories and the pictures so well that, most of the time, she gets the fundamental idea (in her own hilarious words).

One night she took me into her room and the book she chose to read was the Dr. Seuss classic "Green Eggs and Ham"

She sat very upright in her chair and opened the book (she looked like she was going to recite some great speech). Hailey closed her eyes, squinched up her nose and very loudly yelled...

"I DON"T LIKE HAM!!"

Then she calmly turned to the next page and repeated...

"I DON"T LIKE HAM!!"

This continued for several pages, with the occasional "NO HAM FOR HAILEY!" thrown in. I was literally rolling on the floor laughing. She even had to ask "You OK Mama?"

'I Don't Like Ham' is now my favorite bedtime story of all time!

CribGate

Before Hailey was born, I did my homework. I researched all of the things about pregnancy and motherhood that I had no experience with - which was pretty much everything...car seats, strollers, mobiles...you name it.

One of the things that I looked at closely was her crib. It obviously needed to be safe, but we didn't want to have to get a second mortgage to afford it. We decided on a nice, middle-of-the-road convertible crib (for you non-parents, that is a crib that changes from a crib to a toddler bed and then to a regular size bed). Awesome, we loved our crib and it worked great! I even bought the matching dresser/ changing table to go with it - in the ultra cool shade of dark pine.

Fast forward to today...Hailey is a toddler. She is, how would I put it... ROUGH on that crib! She jumps in it, kicks it, throws things at it, pushes toys through the slats. The crib has held up remarkably well, a good purchase on our part.

However...a couple of weeks ago, I went online looking to buy the conversion kit to make it into a regular bed (before they stopped selling that model of crib) and I learned that our crib has been RECALLED!

Huh? Really? No one told me. What a surprise.

It seems the slats of the crib tend to break and this can lead to children getting trapped. To be fair, no child has been hurt by this model of crib (thank God), but if anyone can break a slat, it's Hailey. If we want to have this bed long enough to convert it to a regular bed, it better get replaced - which we can apparently do or free. According to this website, we need to supply them with our mailing address so they can send us a kit to pull the bed apart. Then we are to mail them back parts of the crib - presumably to prove that we did, in fact, purchase this crib. In the meantime we are to 'Stop use of the crib Immediately'.

Um...ok...I guess it seems simple enough. So lets look at the timeline of how this whole transaction is going to go down...

* Immediately stop use of crib
* Send away for kit
* 3 days later kit arrives
* Dismantle crib and send company the parts which hold mattress to crib
* await delivery of kit
* company verifies that we purchased offending crib and send a voucher for a new crib.
* await arrival of voucher
* go to store purchase new crib

Does anyone see a problem with this? Here is a hint...

Does this company not get it? What are parents supposed to do in the meantime? They are sending us a voucher for a new crib...so there is no point in buying a new crib until we get that voucher. Bedtime for us is already stressfull enough, we really don't need to play 'Guess where Hailey is sleeping tonight!'.

I guess she'll just sleep in a box until we can get this finished...because a cardboard box will be studier and safer...


at least until they recall the box because the packing tape is a choking hazard. Then I'll have to send away for a kit to get a voucher for a new box...

Hailey Talk

A conversation with my daughter....

Hailey:   "Baf room!"
Me:        "Hailey do you need to potty?"
Hailey:   "No"
Me:        "Are you sure?"
Hailey:   "No"
Me:        "Do you need to use the potty?"
Hailey:   "No"
Me:        "O.K., lets leave the bathroom"
Hailey:   "NOOO...GOTTA Potty!"
Me:        "You have to potty?"
Hailey:   "Yes"
Me:        "Come here and let me take your diaper off"
Hailey:   "No diaper off"
Me:        "Hailey, I have to take it off if you are going to potty"
Hailey:   "No potty"
Me:        "Hailey do you have to potty?"
Hailey:   "No"

*repeat*

She is also fond of the following phrases...

• "Hailey's Turn!" - spoken after you do or touch...anything.
  
• "Peeese" - (please) very insincerely, with one eye on her Spongebob cartoon
  
• "Come 'ere" - while grabbing one finger to lead you somewhere you didn't intend on going.


• "Ooo KAY!!!" - but the emphasis here is how she says it like a teenager who is being nagged to death.


• "Baf? Baf? Baf? Baf?" - (bath) spoken consistently for 5 minutes.


• "I don wanna..." or "I don like..." - interchangeable


• "Night night?" - but that's only at daycare, not when she is really going to bed.
  
• 'No Mamma, NO!" - this happens whenever I wake up to take care of her instead of her dad.

The latest 'phrase of the day' is "Don't Touch Me!" Which is great when you are trying to change her. She usually says it in a very alarming growl. In fact she say a lot of stuff in that growl....or she just screams, really, really loudly. Her favorite place to scream...that would be in the enclosed, echoey space called the bathtub. Excellent headache inducer- pass me the Tylenol please.

She has definitely mastered the art of taking a single word and making it into a question by saying the last syllable in a higher pitch... "CheeseSTICK?" is a classic example, so is "CupCAKE?".

But for all the stuff she says that makes us crazy, she manages to get in some really sweet things too... "No thank you" is my favorite - it always catches me off gaurd because it is so grown-up. I also love anytime she says "Mama" without screaming. "You o.k.?" is pretty amazing as well, it makes everything feel better from a stubbed toe to the flu!

The best one of all though isn't even a word, it's her totally cute and infectious giggle

...I could listen to that all day.