My little ally

Jesse was making intermittent chirpy noises at Violet during dinner last night.

Violet turned to me and said "Daddy's annoying".

Big Girl Bed

On Saturday morning I was sitting with Violet in her room, cleaning up and going through her dresser again to remove clothes she has outgrown. I feel like I have to do this every week.

She wanted to jump around in her crib, so I put her in.

Jump, jump...jump...climbing out and about to fall on her head! Woah! I had no idea she could do that. So this weekend quickly became the big-girl-bed switcheroo weekend.

We all headed out to Ikea, where Violet cheerfully called out "Buenos dias!" and "De nada!" to everyone. I don't think anyone realized she was speaking Spanish (I had to restrain myself from telling them that what they were taking for toddler babble was really the smartest toddler in the world speaking Spanish perfectly).

Jesse and I have a powerful curse on us that makes a quick trip to purchase one thing turn into a 3 hour marathon of stress...and maybe if we are lucky we actually get that one thing. This time we were lucky! We opted for a twin bed and didn't put the legs on it. It does look like she is sleeping in a box though. I was nervous about the switch, but it was no problem. Jesse and I peeked in on her last night around 10, and I couldn't resist taking a photo of her first night in her big girl bed. She looks so very small in it. And Elmo is a total pillow hog. Jesse and I got all teary about it.

This morning she woke up calling out as usual. When I went into her room she was sitting up and yelled "big girl bed!" when she saw me, arms stretched above her head. She also realized that the bed can be used for much more then sleeping. Like jumping!

Some other things:

-Toilet training is picking up again after a few weeks of lackluster interest. Yesterday Jesse was changing her diaper before bed, and she asked to go pee on the toilet, so Jesse sat her on it. Nothing. He took her back to her room, finished changing her and started the bedtime book. She asked to go a second time, so he sat her on her the toilet again. Nothing. Jesse asked "Don't you have to pee?" and Violet said "No. I'm sorry Daddy, finish the book now". So, this is a new thing, the apologizing when she hasn't done anything to apologize for. She'll be sitting next to me, then snuggle over and say "I'm sorry Mama". I ask her why she is sorry, but I don't think she understands why she is saying it. Just likes the sound of my heart breaking I guess.

-Out of the blue one day, Violet started saying "ummm". All the time.

"Violet, what animals did you see at the farm?"

"Umm...cows...sheep...umm...piggies..."

-Jesse and I thought it would be fun for her if we sang some bedtime songs together. We started one, but I stopped a little way in because I didn't know the words. Violet's hand shot up from under the covers, she waggled her finger back and forth between Jesse and me, and said "together!". You have to watch when you start these things. Now we will have to sing a duet every night.

Note to new baby: your bedtime routine will contain no frills.

- I had a lovely Mother's Day. There was sleeping in, shrimp and a future date with a spa treatment. Perfecto!

Video Magic

My mastery of the internet is now complete. I CAN POST VIDEOS!

In the Garden

Ever since we’ve moved into our house I have been staring out of the living room window at my nemesis. The monstrous cedar hedge. Twelve feet high and twelve feet wide, running through the middle of the lawn. It makes it look like we don’t like people. We want to pretend like we do (and yet discourage Jehovah’s Witnesses at the same time).
“Just wait for spring, hedge” I would mutter, already feeling the saw in my hands.

Last week, we took it half of it DOWN. When I say ‘we’, I mean that I made Jesse do it (I’m pregnaaaaant!). It was so great. Then we went on a complete gardening bender which took us through till Sunday night, assembling the new patio furniture in the dark, using our hands to guide the allen key into the screws. We will need to put some lights in the backyard.

We all spent most of the weekend outside, and Violet loved every second of it. She watered the plants, made friends with worms, millipedes and mud (in her cute little gardening clogs, of course). I had always hoped for a nature-girl.

While we were in the backyard, she asked to run around naked. I thought it was fine, although the old-neighbour-lady seemed to look over disapprovingly. How long in life to you get to be so free and unselfconscious? Violet felt the breeze on her little naked bum and sighed “niiiiiice”.

In these photos Violet is wearing her longest running article of clothing, those adorable milk and cookie pants. My sister Alexandra made them for her when she was 8 weeks old. They might be starting to get a little short though. Sniff.

She also got her that cool tiger shirt.

Her First Dirty Joke!

Last night Violet and I were leafing through a National Geographic Magazine. She was really intrigued by a picture of bamboo. She asked what it was, and then repeated "bamboo!" several times, enjoying the word. Then she got this mischievous twinkle in her eye and said "bamboobs!", and then cracked up laughing.