Saturday, October 28
Guess who goes potty in her potty chair???
That's right! You have no idea how skeptical people are when I tell them that she's started using a potty chair at 8 months (or maybe you're one of them). I started putting Ariel on the potty chair randomly, just when I'd think of it, about once a day, last week. In the first 4 times that I put her on it, she peed 3 times, each within 30 seconds! I don't know how she knew, but she did! Since then, I've been putting her on 2 or 3 times a day, and she goes at least once. I cheer and she gets very excited. If she starts to fuss at all while she's on it, I take her off right away.
My mom was a little concerned at first, but, after seeing Ariel in action, she went from concern to astonishment. She is now quite the cheerleader for my little girl's potty efforts. She took the above picture after seeing the princess in action.
I don't know if starting her this early will make a big difference in when she finishes potty training, but it seems likely to me. If not, though, that's okay; it is still cool to try. Even if she doesn't actually train earlier, each time that I get her to go now is one more diaper saved, which is good both financially and environmentally. And she sure is proud of herself!
That's right! You have no idea how skeptical people are when I tell them that she's started using a potty chair at 8 months (or maybe you're one of them). I started putting Ariel on the potty chair randomly, just when I'd think of it, about once a day, last week. In the first 4 times that I put her on it, she peed 3 times, each within 30 seconds! I don't know how she knew, but she did! Since then, I've been putting her on 2 or 3 times a day, and she goes at least once. I cheer and she gets very excited. If she starts to fuss at all while she's on it, I take her off right away.
My mom was a little concerned at first, but, after seeing Ariel in action, she went from concern to astonishment. She is now quite the cheerleader for my little girl's potty efforts. She took the above picture after seeing the princess in action.
I don't know if starting her this early will make a big difference in when she finishes potty training, but it seems likely to me. If not, though, that's okay; it is still cool to try. Even if she doesn't actually train earlier, each time that I get her to go now is one more diaper saved, which is good both financially and environmentally. And she sure is proud of herself!
Saturday, October 21
No Lurking Allowed
Alright, y'all. I keep talking to different people over the last few weeks, and they say, "Oh, I love Dan's haircut! I saw it on your blog!" or "Oh, I love those cute pictures of Ariel on your blog!" You people are driving me nuts! It appears that for every 1 comment I get, 5 people just read the post and moved on. WHY?!?!? Do you WANT me to think that no one cares? Do you want me to stop blogging? You're making me all discouraged when I get no comments! I feel like the biggest loser in the world, typing out entries so that exactly 2 people can read them. Why would you contribute to my lack of self-esteem by your inaction? It only takes a few seconds to post a little comment or just say "Hi!" so that I know you're there. DO IT!!!
Alright, y'all. I keep talking to different people over the last few weeks, and they say, "Oh, I love Dan's haircut! I saw it on your blog!" or "Oh, I love those cute pictures of Ariel on your blog!" You people are driving me nuts! It appears that for every 1 comment I get, 5 people just read the post and moved on. WHY?!?!? Do you WANT me to think that no one cares? Do you want me to stop blogging? You're making me all discouraged when I get no comments! I feel like the biggest loser in the world, typing out entries so that exactly 2 people can read them. Why would you contribute to my lack of self-esteem by your inaction? It only takes a few seconds to post a little comment or just say "Hi!" so that I know you're there. DO IT!!!
Monday, October 16
I know every parent thinks that their child is amazing, but mine really is. :-D
So, for the last week, Ariel has been pulling herself up onto her knees rather regularly. When we go in to get her up from her naps, she is often up on her knees clinging to the crib slats, and she'll occasionally pull herself up with objects around the house while she's playing.
Today, after our little borrowed baby came over, Ariel was trying to crawl into the baby's carseat (with her in it!) to get at the little pacifier. I pulled the baby out of the carseat and went in the other room to get a blanket to put under her in the swing (she had a blowout last week, and the blanket saved the day), and when I came back, Ariel was STANDING. I mean, she wasn't totally upright, because she was using the carseat to hold herself up, which wasn't very tall. But she was on her feet and her knees were locked and her legs were nearly straight, and then she was bent at the waist.
She's not as straight in these pictures as she was before, because she's trying to reach the carseat straps, but you get the idea...
Anyway, I'm so proud! I called my mom and said, "Guess what your granddaughter did!?!" and she said "Oh, no!" with one of those deep voices of doom. Ariel will be 8 months on Thursday, so, at this rate, she'll be walking before she's a year old. Of course, I had a manager once whose daughter was walking at 8 months, and I was secretly hoping that Ariel would just be that much of a prodigy, but 8 months is pretty early to be chasing them around, so I guess it's really a blessing that she hasn't been doing this sooner. I sure am a proud mommy, though! Now if we can just get her to start talking...
So, for the last week, Ariel has been pulling herself up onto her knees rather regularly. When we go in to get her up from her naps, she is often up on her knees clinging to the crib slats, and she'll occasionally pull herself up with objects around the house while she's playing.
Today, after our little borrowed baby came over, Ariel was trying to crawl into the baby's carseat (with her in it!) to get at the little pacifier. I pulled the baby out of the carseat and went in the other room to get a blanket to put under her in the swing (she had a blowout last week, and the blanket saved the day), and when I came back, Ariel was STANDING. I mean, she wasn't totally upright, because she was using the carseat to hold herself up, which wasn't very tall. But she was on her feet and her knees were locked and her legs were nearly straight, and then she was bent at the waist.
She's not as straight in these pictures as she was before, because she's trying to reach the carseat straps, but you get the idea...
Anyway, I'm so proud! I called my mom and said, "Guess what your granddaughter did!?!" and she said "Oh, no!" with one of those deep voices of doom. Ariel will be 8 months on Thursday, so, at this rate, she'll be walking before she's a year old. Of course, I had a manager once whose daughter was walking at 8 months, and I was secretly hoping that Ariel would just be that much of a prodigy, but 8 months is pretty early to be chasing them around, so I guess it's really a blessing that she hasn't been doing this sooner. I sure am a proud mommy, though! Now if we can just get her to start talking...
Friday, October 13
Apparently, I'm a flaming liberal.
I've always thought of myself as a staunch conservative, probably because I was raised as one. But I'm going through this Voter's Pamphlet (because I'm a good citizen), and I am really amazing myself. I'm discovering that I think social services are more important than cutting taxes, and I'm pretty sure that I'm risking being disowned for this.
I just think that these things are important. Healthcare, education, transportation services... they are what make our country a civil, pleasant place where people are safe and comfortable. I don't think that our taxes are unbearably high, and I think that right now, while our schools are struggling so much, is a dumb time to be trying to cut taxes. And fewer taxes aren't going to make politicians more responsible; the irresponsible politicians will still do dumb things, and there will be less left over with which to do good.
That's what I think. But if you don't agree with me, that's ok. If you think I will burn in hell for thinking this, though, that's not ok.
If you're thinking, "Jenni sounds like a smart, responsible citizen, and I want to follow in her carefully thought-out footsteps," look no further!
Ballot Answer Key:
39. Yes
40. Yes
41. No
42. No
43. Yes
44. Yes
45. No
46. No
47. No
48. No
If you've already filled out your ballot by the time you read this, you can use this handy key to check your score. Simply deduct 10% for each answer you get wrong, for all you non-math types. If you get them all right, give yourself a sticker! If you think you have a good reason to vote differently, feel free to post it below, as I would be interested in your point of view. I may still have to mark you down, though...
Monday, October 2
They killed the Bunny Song!!!
Ok, I just have to take a moment to rant about how retarded this is! Last Thursday, I was babysitting at church, and the other childcare worker had brought a copy of Veggie Tales' Rack, Shack, and Benny (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego). The Bunny Song came on, and I was singing along because the song is HILARIOUS! But, on two different occasions, my lyrics and the movie's lyrics didn't match; Veggie Tales had CHANGED the song and RE-RELEASED the movie! I'm offended!
Original Lyrics:
The bunny, the bunny, whoa, I love the bunny.
I don't love my mom or my dad, just the bunny.
Changed Lyrics:
The bunny, the bunny, whoa, I love the bunny.
I don't love my soup or my bread, just the bunny.
It loses something, no? And check this out:
Original Lyrics:
I won't go to church, and I won't go to school!
That stuff is for sissies, but bunnies are cool!
Changed Lyrics:
I won't eat no beans, and I won't eat tofu!
That stuff is for sissies, but bunnies are cool!
Again, RETARDED! Apparently some over-sensitive parents were afraid that their kids wouldn't figure out that Mr. Nezzer is the bad guy and that he says bad things. Never mind that he proceeds to dump the vegetables into a furnace and laugh a menacing laugh. It makes me sad that people are so dumb.
This is how you write "Rack, Shack, and Benny" in Chinese, apparently:
What do you think?
Ok, I just have to take a moment to rant about how retarded this is! Last Thursday, I was babysitting at church, and the other childcare worker had brought a copy of Veggie Tales' Rack, Shack, and Benny (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego). The Bunny Song came on, and I was singing along because the song is HILARIOUS! But, on two different occasions, my lyrics and the movie's lyrics didn't match; Veggie Tales had CHANGED the song and RE-RELEASED the movie! I'm offended!
Original Lyrics:
The bunny, the bunny, whoa, I love the bunny.
I don't love my mom or my dad, just the bunny.
Changed Lyrics:
The bunny, the bunny, whoa, I love the bunny.
I don't love my soup or my bread, just the bunny.
It loses something, no? And check this out:
Original Lyrics:
I won't go to church, and I won't go to school!
That stuff is for sissies, but bunnies are cool!
Changed Lyrics:
I won't eat no beans, and I won't eat tofu!
That stuff is for sissies, but bunnies are cool!
Again, RETARDED! Apparently some over-sensitive parents were afraid that their kids wouldn't figure out that Mr. Nezzer is the bad guy and that he says bad things. Never mind that he proceeds to dump the vegetables into a furnace and laugh a menacing laugh. It makes me sad that people are so dumb.
This is how you write "Rack, Shack, and Benny" in Chinese, apparently:
What do you think?
Well, it's been a few days, but I'm finally back! This was kind of a busy weekend.
On Saturday, I had coffee with a friend in the morning, followed by a meeting with the lady who has the baby girl in the afternoon. It was pretty cool. She seems really nice, and her little girl is a cute little bundle, in the unresponsive, newborn way. The mom is a former military chick, and her husband is in Kuwait right now (is that how you spell it?). She'll be bringing her little girl over this afternoon around 12-12:30. I'm excited! :-D
Yesterday (Sunday) we had church, of course. It was my first time leaving Ariel in our nursery, and I couldn't concentrate on anything during the class/sermon (I left half-way through the class and went downstairs to watch the sermon because I was so restless). I just kept wanting to go back and play with her and make sure she wasn't upset! When I went back to pick her up, she was happily playing on the lap of a very sweet lady, and they said that she had only been upset for a few minutes. HOWEVER, I had told the lady that I left her with that she needed her bottle in 15 minutes. The lady then promptly left without telling anyone else! So little Miss Ellie (in case anyone doesn't know, I call Ariel "Ellie" for short) went 5 hours without food - poor thing!
At 1:30 I went to go get a haircut. You can kind of see it in these pictures (I'm blowing on Ariel's little tummy):
This is the shortest I've ever cut my hair, but it was also the least nervous I've ever been. My hairdresser, Laura, is fantastic! :-D So now I've gotta figure out how to use mousse properly, but, compared to having it long, it's going to be so much easier to take care of. I WASN'T taking care of it before, so it was always flat and oddly wavy from drying in a bun. Not so great!
This morning I have an orthodontist appointment. I think that this morning was either my 5th or 6th time rescheduling this appointment - so embarrassing! Stuff kept coming up and I would try to shuffle it around! I called this morning to move it up to an earlier time so as to make sure that I would be back here when the little one arrives. At least I'm finally getting it done; I've been worrying that putting it off so long would mess up the treatment. Speaking of which, I should probably take some ibuprofen.
Alright, well, I'm gonna try to get a little more done around here before we take off for the orthodontist. Wish me luck taking care of the new little one!
On Saturday, I had coffee with a friend in the morning, followed by a meeting with the lady who has the baby girl in the afternoon. It was pretty cool. She seems really nice, and her little girl is a cute little bundle, in the unresponsive, newborn way. The mom is a former military chick, and her husband is in Kuwait right now (is that how you spell it?). She'll be bringing her little girl over this afternoon around 12-12:30. I'm excited! :-D
Yesterday (Sunday) we had church, of course. It was my first time leaving Ariel in our nursery, and I couldn't concentrate on anything during the class/sermon (I left half-way through the class and went downstairs to watch the sermon because I was so restless). I just kept wanting to go back and play with her and make sure she wasn't upset! When I went back to pick her up, she was happily playing on the lap of a very sweet lady, and they said that she had only been upset for a few minutes. HOWEVER, I had told the lady that I left her with that she needed her bottle in 15 minutes. The lady then promptly left without telling anyone else! So little Miss Ellie (in case anyone doesn't know, I call Ariel "Ellie" for short) went 5 hours without food - poor thing!
At 1:30 I went to go get a haircut. You can kind of see it in these pictures (I'm blowing on Ariel's little tummy):
This is the shortest I've ever cut my hair, but it was also the least nervous I've ever been. My hairdresser, Laura, is fantastic! :-D So now I've gotta figure out how to use mousse properly, but, compared to having it long, it's going to be so much easier to take care of. I WASN'T taking care of it before, so it was always flat and oddly wavy from drying in a bun. Not so great!
This morning I have an orthodontist appointment. I think that this morning was either my 5th or 6th time rescheduling this appointment - so embarrassing! Stuff kept coming up and I would try to shuffle it around! I called this morning to move it up to an earlier time so as to make sure that I would be back here when the little one arrives. At least I'm finally getting it done; I've been worrying that putting it off so long would mess up the treatment. Speaking of which, I should probably take some ibuprofen.
Alright, well, I'm gonna try to get a little more done around here before we take off for the orthodontist. Wish me luck taking care of the new little one!
