*potty training week uno

A little synopsis so I'll remember if anyone ever asks or for when the next one comes along. ..because I am asking everyone I know what I should be doing! So Vera has seemed ready since late July when - if she was running around diaperless - she would recognize when she had to go and would make a beeline for the potty yelling pooooottttyy!!! I think it helped to have had a 'potty book' to have in the back of her mind. The one we had was a garage sale leftover. It doesn't have a cover, but I think the title is "Once upon a potty" - it's pretty funny. One of her first memorized book lines came from this book: "He sat and sat and sat and sat..." We also have "My Potty Book for Girls" which is good and a little less ... explicit about body parts and such :)

So she had seemed so ready, but then didn't want to have anything to do with it right before I'd decided to go for it. I was a little frustrated because I wanted to get the process going, so one day a couple weeks ago I threw out, hey Vera you want a treat? That worked of course and she would go for a treat [Annie's fruit bunny snacks] pretty often. I think I made a bit of a mistake here and should have done stickers or something non-food. Anyway, so last Saturday I decided to stop using diapers except for nap/bed. I didn't do it very structured, just every hour or so would ask if she needed to go [or if she wanted a treat] and especially right before we went somewhere. The first 2 days went awesome, hardly an accident and she even went in 2 public restrooms. Then I think she started getting bored/annoyed with it and I started getting a little stressed about that and then she rebelled against that and then.. etc. So the middle of the week wasn't good and she peed her pants like every time. [sidenote: she has not gone #2 yet - always in her diaper at nap. how do I fix this??] Everyone has said you really have to be calm about it and so the last couple days I did so and voila! she's going on the potty again. That would be my advice so far: be calm and encouraging and don't ask every 5 minutes if they have to go and don't make them do it. and obviously all kids are different, but this is Vera's Potty Story so far.

don't smile!

*sorry for the boring post!

*

It was too cute and I couldn't resist a photoshoot of her pink ones - she always chooses pink over any other color:

*

I don't know what it is today, but I am seriously loooosing it. Like I want to pull out my hair and scream and kick and tell her to freaking stop freaking out!!!! In the whole scheme of things, it's not awful. She got up before 6:00 and has been understandably tired and probably a little stressed from potty-training (!) and maybe getting her last molars in. I'm having a hard time handling it and am confronted with one of those please Lord God help me do this days. Thought I'd share that in case you've started thinking everything is always rosy and cute around here, making pestos and going on hikes. Nope!

unrelated: laying out with bunny the other day

*dirt

Our newest passion: composting! I can't wait for next Spring to spread some nice, black, good, free soil on my garden!

Just one more thing added to the list of "things my mom would do that I would roll my eyes at and now do myself." ie. tear up at sappy commercials, wash and re-use plastic bags and add wheat germ to everything.

*the haircut and the dress

Matty brought home this absolutely beautiful, sweet dress from Shanghai [made in China!]. It fits just right and I'm going to have her wear it until I can't possibly zip it up anymore. She loves it too and I think feels rather pretty :)

[this pose was her idea]

*

Stella is back! It's amazing to see how much both girls have grown and developed just over the summer. It is seriously 100 times easier now that they are both toddlers - not one toddler and one baby. It's hardly any work for me - they play together and I can even get things done in the kitchen or fold clothes or whatever. With the gorgeous fall-ish weather we spend most of the morning in the park where both are big enough to go down the slide on their own or play in the sandbox where Vera slides off the side/falls on her butt and Stella cracks up. I know this won't last but they are even overlapping naps slightly! I get some really important facebook-checking done during that time :) I'm really grateful for this bit of work that allows me to be home with Vera! Stella and her mom are so great too - I really consider them friends.

[often these hugs end in both toppling over and 1 or 2 crying]

[I can't lie: Vera was actually being a real pill here. Mines! No, mines! she only wanted whatever spoon S had]


[showing Stella how to jump rope (wave the shoestring and jump up and down). I should upload the video...]

*corte de pelo!

I just realized I didn't get a good after picture. It's cute - blunt little bangs and cleaned up a bit around the sides. It brings out her eyes and she really looks like a little white-blond chinese filipina :)

*Alta en el verano

We went on a little Labor Day hike yesterday up at Alta. Really, we live in an amazingly beautiful place!!

Vera hadn't napped and so it was quite frustrating at times. Also we'd forgotten the backpack. Here she is saying "No! This rock! Stay here!!!" Grrrrr

Talking to her Auntie J on the way up. Jessie, I didn't 'let' her answer the phone. All of a sudden she was talking and we could hear someone on the other side :) You probably didn't catch it, but she was telling you she was talking on two phones:

*en la cocina

One of my favorite things about having a garden has been to stock the freezer with pesto each summer/fall. I think it started way back when I housesat in San Diego. I don't know if she knows this [or if she reads this blog??] but I had grand plans to have her freezer stocked with pesto and pumpkin puree when they got back - only problem is I think I ate it all first :)

Anyway, this afternoon Ben took Vera for a little hike with Boone - something they haven't done in quite a while. Really the best gift he can ever give me is just an hour or two alone at home. By myself -cleaning or cooking usually- is for some reason so restorative. Restful and happy and nice.

[I wish you could have smelled this moment! mmmmmm]

So today I made and froze four batches of sage-walnut and regular basil-pinenut pesto. I also roasted some tomato sauce with our own(!) Romas, onion, garlic and neighbors' squash and bell pepper. I really love the idea of 'putting food away' like that. I haven't had too much success with actual canning [but will try again this year of course], so today I just froze everything. I used a new idea from my NEW FAVORITE BOOK and froze everything flat in its own ziploc - quite handy as it will all stack so nicely!

Ben and I ended our day with a lovey local-esque meal of which I don't have pictures: grass-fed [so elite :)] ribeye steaks, green beans from the market, an enormous and delicious Brandywine tomato from the garden with olive oil and himalayan pink [julie!] salt... and a yummy Spanish wine :) Mmmmm everything was delicious and perfect. We even ate in our actual dining room - right next to where Vera slept. A good day!

*

Some random tidbits about our big 2 year old that I wanted to write down before I forget. Also, I was just thinking today how I'm entering that annoying phase [annoying to you, my family, etc.] where I'll tell you all the *cutest* things my child says. Oh my goodness today she said _____. Are you ready? :)

*When you ask her a question lately she'll start with "ummmmmm... [yes, blue, there, etc.]"

*Sometimes to ask for something especially earnestly she'll say "Please, Mommy, have it! Want it! Need it!"

*She can count to 12, always skipping 5. Her newest project is trying to count on her fingers at the same time (which she can't really do at all). If you ask how many of anything she has/wants/sees she just counts as far as she can go. loudly and emphatically.

*She can identify almost all her letters. It's crazy how fast they can learn these things!! I bought a really cool Charlie Harper ABC book after I saw it at the library - it really helped. She also got a Melissa and Doug ABC puzzle for her bday which she loves.

*The other day she had some sunglasses around her neck and held it up to my knee like a stethoscope and then said "doctor!" which was cute. Then she said a very clear "pediatrician!" I was like whaaat did you say? We had watched "Elmo goes to the doctor" before her 2 year appointment. I highly recommend it :)

*When we were on vacation we only brought a few books which we obviously had to read 100 times. Towards the end one night I tried leaving off the last words to all the lines and she knew them!

*She is going to bed happily and taking naps. Long ones! She isn't in the pickiest of eating stages and isn't throwing hit-the-floor-pull-her-hair-out tantrums. The only thing that really frustrates me lately is that she won't let me put ponytails or barrettes in. I am actively thankful for this easy moment since I know it cannot last!

*una calabaza

¡ from our garden !

*

A highlight of our trip was hiking to Tamarack Lake with Matty and Josh - 12 miles round trip with a couple really long uphill climbs. It left me feeling tired, hungry, happy and accomplished :) We stayed up at the lake for a few hours fishing and resting. Ben and I also had fun throwing big rocks into the water to hear the enormous ker-plunk :)



Vera had a blast with Ben's parents while we were gone, though at first she tried to argue me out of going on the "long hike" and with her on a "small hike Vera!"

*gusanos

I wouldn't touch them either.

*Rock Creek

:some favorites:

.in bishop.

.tubby time w/ lola.

.helping grandpop.

.posing w/ her pinecones.

.uncle matty.

.eva!.
.camelbaks: we have to get one!.

*el trail

We're home! Whew, we were gone a full 2 weeks and it's going to take a bit to get my head together. Obviously there's a million pictures to share ... here's a few to get me started. Vera was taking forEVER to get moving on the trail [we were meeting everyone else ahead to fish]. I finally gave up and decided to just enjoy and document hiking with a 2 year old:

*despedida

I wasn't sure if I'd write about this here, because, well, it's kind of embarrassing. and humiliating. and maddening and unfair. But I think it's good for me to get it out - especially in writing [it's a long one: I guess we can consider it just a catharsis for me, not obligatory for you to read :)]. Because I have been turning it over and over in my head and am feeling a knot in my stomach that won't go away. Also this way I won't have to explain it a hundred times. So anyway, I got FIRED on Wednesday. I don't think I have ever been fired before and like I said, it's embarrassing.

So I walked in to work and my boss (who you might remember me saying is a bad bad person) sat me down and read a list of grievances. I keep thinking about this, and I truly believe that they were pretty much all false [I don't pay attention to details, I don't run food enough, I don't tell tables about the restaurant, I'm an insubordinate??]. The only one I can give him any credit for is that I can be timid at tables - which has been the case maybe twice when it was someone important and intimidating. I truly believe that I worked really hard and conscientiously at this job and I got the same impression from my customers. I don't want to go too into detail about my manager, but I will say that from the beginning I have never been treated in such a demeaning, condescending, you-are-an-ignorant-piece-of-shit manner. The thing is, it's such an amazingly wonderful company [the original market I mean] and he just does not fit in with the atmosphere of it all.

I've written a letter to the owner and am really not sure if I should send it. What would you do? I don't want to come off as spiteful at all, because I don't want to further alienate myself from such a great place [I mean where will I get my cheese??]. On the other hand, I really want him to be aware of how his manager acts. A person that will call a customer a "stupid f***ing b****" just out of earshot and [1/4 jokingly] told me he'd punch me "in the f***ing face" if I cut the butter on the wrong counter?

Let me end this happily. Obviously I believe God works everything for good. I am mad, my pride is hurt and I'm sad to not be a part anymore of such an awesome place, but I am also home with my family and away from an environment that was really affecting me negatively. I really want to move on and not dwell and just be thankful.

One thing I can be thankful for is that we're leaving tomorrow for the Sierras!!!!

*bonita

Something that makes me happy lately: the little banner/flags that I made for Vera's birthday. The idea is obviously from SouleMama's book, and all but one of the prints came from scraps! Vera loves it too and exclaims, "made it Mommy!!" when she walks into the room :)