The Hair

We try. Really we do.

When we wash it looks like this...



When it dries it looks like this...


Cute little dorsal fin.

Name Calling

In preface to this post you need to know that my name is Charity. People who know me well often shorten it to "Char", pronounced like the piece of furniture you sit on. Ryan, my husband, calls me Char pretty much all the time when we're hanging around the house. So....

I left Nola on the potty upstairs recently while I ran down to the basement to flip some laundry. It took me longer to flip than it took her to go. I could hear her yelling, and knew she was yelling to tell me she was done, but couldn't quite make out what she was saying. As I headed up the stairs I finally heard it loud and clear...

"Char?! CHAAAAA-aaaaar! Char!"

I didn't correct her. I just laughed. What did you do the first time your kids called you by your actual name?

Picture-free Potty Post

Remember when I said I wanted this teeny tiny newborn potty? I didn't end up getting it. But it turns out, I didn't really need it! We've been taking Violet potty since she was around two weeks or so. (I say "we" quite honestly. Although I take her much more often than Ry, he does take her when I ask and doesn't think I'm crazy for doing it. What a dad, right?) Turns out, it's easy to just take Violet on the big potty. This post is picture-free because I decided telling you about taking her potty is one thing, but posting a picture of it could be slightly mortifying for all of us. Here's how we do it. We hold her facing out, put our hands right under her thighs so she's in a squatting position, then we sit with her, backwards, on the toilet. She's kind of dropped between our legs a little. Can you picture it? I hope so because you're not getting an actual picture. You should have heard Ryan's sister laugh when she saw him do it the other night! It is pretty crazy looking.

So does Violet go? Yes. Number one and number two. But not every time we take her. She is still making good use of her diapers like a healthy little girl should. The most successful trips to the potty are when she has just woken up and when she has just nursed. I do take her in public places if there is a place to change her in the stall. If not, I'm kind of stuck. I have to be able to corral Nola in there, as well. So it just depends on the situation.

It'll be interesting to see how infant pottying goes this time around. I still enjoy the process. I don't know why exactly...It's a weird way to bond with your baby, but it does make me feel closer to her and more "in tune with her needs", if you will.

Still curious? Google elimination communication.

Project Complete

I tend to admire interior design without applying any of the ideas I see to my own home. Fail.

But, look! I actually completed a project. I've seen this idea in lots of children's rooms online. It's pretty cheap art for a kid's wall. People pull it off lots of different ways. I used a set of ABC flash cards that I LOVE, ribbon, thumb tacks, and clothes pins. For me, it only cost $3. The flash cards were a gift for Nola at Christmas. I had thumbtacks lying around. Clothes' Pins were only $1 and ribbon was only $2. You might already have all these things on hand and it would be free!

All I did was pin the ribbon to the wall and clothes pinned the cards on. Well, actually, I layed it all on the floor to make sure it looked even. Then I stupidly pinned the cards to the ribbon first, and very carefully thumb tacked the ribbon up with the cards already on! The cards seemed like they would be too heavy for just thumb tacks and ribbon, but so far so good. Although it's only been about four hours...

Here's the finished product. Nothing fancy. But it makes the room feel more "done" and is something interesting to look at for Nola as she falls asleep. It's directly across the room from her bed. Oh, yeah, ignore the pile of clothes in the corner. That's real life, baby.

Is it a little bit crooked?