mess, snow, and poop

sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...
yeah.
I haven't allowed myself much time to write lately. I've had time to complete homework (barely) and time to change diapers, and even time to take a few pictures (but not upload them). When I have a moment to either write or curl up in a ball on the couch and watch Ghost Whisperer, I've been choosing the latter.
My bedroom is on the main level of the house so when guest visit, guests who cannot go up and down stairs, guests like my grandmother, I have to move down stairs and give my room up as the guest bedroom. It's one thing to clean a room so that someone can peek into it or crash one night in it, it's a whole other thing to clean it up so someone can stay in it for a week...I'm in trouble. I am not neat. My grandmother arrives this afternoon.
I'm not dirty, some people are dirty, I'm not one of them. I don't have dishes or food wrappers laying around, I wash my clothes regularly etc. I don't unpack (stuff, I unpack dirty clothes right away) when I get home or put all my clean clothes in the closet right away though. I have piles of papers and half finished projects on every surface. I know where everything is of course, but it looks like a mess to anyone else...
I'm picking out colors to paint the walls in what will eventually be Josephine's room. Orange. I'll probably do most of the painting and decorating over winter break and it's going to be AWESOME!
It's snowing right now. It's snowed a little already this fall, but nothing worth talking about. This is looking like it'll stay for a while.
Josephine's birthday is 2 months...then I will have a 2 year old.
a few nights ago I was getting her ready for bed and she was fighting getting a new diaper on so I let her have a bare ass for a bit while I put some things away (I was putting things away, clothes even!). She came up to me and pointed to her butt and said her word for poop. Oh, crap, where is it?! There are clothes all over my floor and she's telling me she just pooped someone in here! I scooped her up and asked her where is it a few times while tip-toeing around. I checked her out, no "evidence" on her that she pooped and then it came to me. I leaped for the toilet and as I put her on the seat I asked her if she had to go poop. "Yes", or more like "Yesh" and as soon as her skin hit the porcelain it happened... my 22 month old pooped in the potty!!!!!!!
She was a little nervous but soon figured out that I was excited for her and she got excited too. We skipped to the living room to tell every one and stopped to get a sucker out of the Halloween basket on the way. We jumped and pumped our fists in the air, we sang Whoo Hoo with big smiles, I turned to see her slip and land hard on her bare bum and then crack her head on a wooden stool.
She's put in a good effort to go on the potty again a few times but so far nothing, also she is not interested in peeing on there. I hadn't even planned on actively potty training for a few more months anyway. She's getting a potty for her birthday (shh) but she hasn't quite mastered pulling her own pants down.
There is a lady in two of my classes that is just nuts. At first I thought she was just sarcastic and a little dramatic. She made every one laugh as she got worked up over different assignments and predicted her fantastic failures...then the drama kept increasing and the sarcasm faded out. She seems to genuinely believe that every professor should bend over for her every desire, like accept late work with out penalty and maybe get a new text book because she doesn't like this one and that assignment is too difficult it should be extra credit instead. At first I thought I was the only one who saw the crazy because everyone else still seemed charmed by her but then I got an eye roll last night. Yes! someone on my side! It's awkward to be the only one who doesn't like someone in the room, you start to think you are going crazy.
Apparently I've chosen to blog instead of shower before my class this morning...

A ball?

Foul moods are contagious aren't they? I don't know who started it, but there are a few SERIOUSLY FOUL moods in this house lately. It's like when you moved into your first dorm room and prayed your roommate(s) wouldn't be too difficult to get along with...I am living with my nightmare roommates and there are 4 of them, and they are family (Josephine doesn't count, she's still reasonably pleasant) I can't get away from them!
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This summer has been the summer of bubbles. Josephine can almost say bubbles, it sounds more like bubbas, and she has asked to go outside and blow bubbas almost every day for the last two months. We've also learned how to blow bubbles in water as well, we've had fun learning how to
"swim".
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My sister made me go to a AAA baseball game with her last weekend; she knows a player on the visiting team from high school or whatever. I didn't expect Josephine to last through a whole game that didn't start until 7pm, but she LOVED IT. She had her own seat and for most of the game she watched more intently than any TV show she's ever seen. She clapped and cheered with the crowd, participated in the wave, and when the players ran off the field at the end of the innings she would look up at me and say "more? more?" then she would motion throwing while saying "a ball?".
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She loves throwing things, which sucks when the thing is something breakable or hard and she is aiming at your face. She has good aim. When we go visit our friends who have two very energetic dogs she has the best time throwing their toys down the yard for them. Days and days after visiting them she will ask me "a ball?", complete with hand motions, every time we get in the car.
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The other day there was a football game on TV. It was the most important football game in the world (because to my father, every Auburn football game is the most important football game in the world) and Josephine woke up from her nap about 20 min into it and preceded to watch the hell out of that game.
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Some of the people who called to wish me a happy birthday asked me what Josephine had gotten me. I said she had gotten me some poopy diapers? She didn't spit her food on the floor? (she actually probably did, I don't remember, it happens about once a day, she's gross) BUT! She did give me something great later that night. She was dancing around and being silly for her audience and then she bent over and did a perfect somersault. She cannot do one when my camera is on though, sorry.

Well, I'm most likely bring Josephine to the wedding with me, mostly because everyone here refuses to change a diaper properly...it's ridiculous.



A great thing about being a parent: your kid is "the best" at something at some point. Maybe she was late to walk, or he was slow to roll over and maybe your child is behind in a million things that all the books say she should be doing, but there is at least one thing at one time that makes all the other mothers look on with envy.

Josephine is currently gifted in song. She is taking her sweet ass time talking, but sing a song once and she will remember the tune a week later and hum it to you on request. I've mentioned before how she will find a beat anywhere and move to it (the beeping of the security alarm at the store), but I'm really impressed with her singing.

Before she ever even made a noise other than a burp out of that pretty mouth I had decided that I was going to decorate her room in a musical theme...I'm prophetic, duh.



I can't go anywhere without someone commenting on Josephine's hair- It's so beautiful! I've even been asked a few times if her hair is naturally curly...really? You think I curl a baby's hair?

Her father is black, that's where the curl comes from. Funny thing, the top and sides of her hair is soft and smooth, while the back of her head is coarse and usually snarly...like the top is from me and the back is from him.

I've tried everything to get the back of her head a little less snarly and frizzy. Mostly I've been successful at making it look greasy. The winner is the conditioner I bought for myself because it matches my shampoo: Samy Pure. She has soft curls for most of the day when I use it, it's magical.
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I have classes on two different campuses this semester. One is five minutes down the street, the other is 20min into the next town. Through road construction. It's a little bit of a hassel, but my classes are going to be really great I can tell.

late night ramble

Sometimes Josephine puts something over her face, a hat that is too big or a sweater I've left out, and then she spins and walks around the living room until she crashes into the coffee table. I have no idea how she figured out to do this, but she thinks it is HILARIOUS. Sometimes I do too.

We've been extra whiny over here lately, extra cry-e and scream-y too. One particularly bad day had me putting Josephine on my bed a few times so she could have some time alone to calm down and selfish mama could watch Revolutionary Road in peace since Netflix sent it over a week ago(did not like it, but kinda liked, but not really, would not watch again). Anywho, Josephine finally figured out that she doesn't have to stay on the bed. She knows how to get down, but she never does...until now. Now she gets out immediately if she is awake. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Plus side: she doesn't cry for me to come get her anymore after a nap or in the morning, she just gets up and walks out to the living room. Negative side: no more quiet time on the bed when she is awake, and this hasn't happened yet, but what if I'm down stairs when she wakes up from a nap and she panics?

School starts Monday. I have a pretty full schedule, mostly night classes and one 7:30am class. I've conned my sister into watching Josephine those mornings...sucker.
I'm flying to Minnesota again in October to be in my best friend's wedding. I don't know if I'm going to take Josephine though...I'm very conflicted and if you want to chime in with some advice I'd love to hear it.

So, if I take the baby then I'd probably rent a car and car seat which would be a little more money than taking a shuttle from the airport but not much. I would have to pawn her off on someone while I stand up in the wedding (she HATES strangers) and I couldn't stay out too late at the reception because I'd have to go back to the hotel with a tired baby...also I'd have to stay pretty sober in that case.

If I don't bring her along my milk will likely (possibly?) dry up and she will have a few days (3-4) with no mama and no nursing for the first time in her short little life. The thought of climbing into bed without her makes me tear up a bit, but maybe it would be good for her to have to fall asleep without me there? I don't like the idea of forcing her to wean, but then again I *might* be able to pick up where I left off when I get home.

**she just woke up and walked out here...I think I like that she doesn't just sit in bed and cry for me.**

Does it sound like I'm deciding between being buzzed in a taxi vs. taking care of my daughter? Gah! It's just that the logistics of traveling with a baby are more complicated than without one...and how I enjoy the wedding reception will be different depending on whether or not I have a baby on my hip...and papa thinks everyone will be just fine if I leave Josephine with him and grandma...and I'll shut up now.

Change the subject already-

We've been swimming at a fantastic aquatic center in town lately. Josephine loves it and I do too. It is built with toddlers in mind, lots of shallow water and a few sprinklers and slides. There are things for bigger kids to play on too, but the best part is how much space is designed for babies. The aquatic center closes around labor day and thinking about how soon that is makes me a little sad.
I am going to try very hard to make sure that we get at least one more swim in this season and I'll hopefully remember my camera.

maybe she thought i needed a shower?

I slept on a towel again last night. Or, I suppose, really it was this morning that I had to lay a towel down in my bed. Hadn't had to do that since the great poop shoot party of 2008.
Thank the baby-poop gods that this time was much more sanitary than sleeping on poop.
Around 5 this morning Josephine got up and found the cup of water I have on the desk at the end of my bed. She wanted to give my a drink. She's really sweet, always always finding something to give to whomever else is in the room.
So, I had a cold glass of water poured down my front and all over my mattress at 5am. Then Josephine rolled around for about an hour asking for more water and a maybe a piece of candy from grandma's candy bowl...