I want a do-over.

Don't get me wrong. Our Father's Day was pretty nice. When JP got home from his run, I had trained Jolie to say "Happy Daddy Day!" first thing. (We first practiced "Happy Father's Day!" but that just came out like "Happy FAHDAY", on to plan B).

Jolie ran to get his Father's Day card, one that she had adorned with random blue marker.

I had Jolie help me present JP's gift: a collage for his office featuring choice photos… Read More

I was actually pretty proud of myself.

From an early age, I decided that my child would enjoy hair washing. I had heard rumors that many children despised getting their hair washed, hated it even, and I wanted no part of it.

First off, I enjoy clean hair, and second, I'm always thinking of a way to avert the next big CHILD STRUGGLE.

So, even during her first hair washings, and literally, there was like one hair, I tried to make it a… Read More

It's been a couple of weeks since we started this whole potty training business and we seem to have reached a steady state.

She has gone many days without any accidents all day. I have to say, when I pick her up from school at the end of the day and she's in the same shorts, I do a virtual fist-pump. YES. It absolutely amazes me that can happen. (That's a lot of bathroom breaks!)

Yet, accidents still happen. This usually… Read More

I've been becoming increasingly concerned that Jolie's ears may be defective.

She hardly seems capable of listening anymore.

All of a sudden, just performing the most mundane, routine of tasks, requires endless cajoling, persuading, repeating, and occasionally brute strength.

I was so concerned, that I crouched down, and peered into her right ear- and gasped with horror as I saw clear through to the other side.

I wondered: is this a known toddler disease? Did I miss the national recall?

Lately, getting her… Read More

I started exercising again. Yes. You heard me. Me. The one who is so aerobically incapacitated, hospital passerby look alarmed when I've just climbed up the stairs and start debating amongst themselves who would be the unlucky one to have to perform CPR. No more rock, paper, scissors, people!

My excuse has always been lack of time. Having a toddler eats up all my excess time and energy, and what with blogging, that has left me counting on my using the… Read More

After gymnastics class, we headed straight to the Mega Baby Store (you know the kind) and picked up a Dora the Explorer travel-ready potty seat, a Dora the Explorer potty book (do you get the theme here?), a cushioned potty seat for home use, and a few anti-anxiety pills. (Okay. I lied about the last part.)

Our goal was for her to learn to sit on the cushioned potty seat at home to get her used to going in a regular-sized… Read More