Friday, July 27, 2012

Party Pooper

This morning Harper was having her breakfast in her highchair when she suddenly tried to stand up (luckily she was strapped in) all the while exclaiming, “Poops! Poops! New diaper! Yucky, stinky!”

Me (unconvinced as I had just changed a soiled diaper): “Do you have poops in your diaper?”
Harper: “Yes.”

Me: “OK.” (checking her diaper) “You don’t have poops in your diaper. Your diaper is clean. Do you want to sit on the potty?”

Harper: “Yes. Potty. OK.”

She runs to the bathroom and sits on her potty chair in her diaper for a mere microsecond and then stands up. “All done. All done. Blue diaper.”

Me: “You have a clean diaper. You don’t need a new diaper.”

Harper: “Blue diaper. OK. Great!”

Me: “Would you like to sit on your potty without your diaper and then we can put on your blue diaper?”

Harper: “Yes. OK. Blue diaper. Sticker.”

That's when it hit me: this kid is working me for a costume change and a sticker. She’s got it all figured out.

And speaking of costume changes…


Brad’s coworker returned from India yesterday with gifts for all of us, including a super-duper girly princess dress for Harper. Thank you Aglave family!
The dress was this big.
Harper’s “Blue Steele” (seriously, Brad and I were making the "Blue Steele" face
and she mirrored us).
What a face!


Monday, July 16, 2012

The New Attaboy Blog


I started a new attaboy blog. I thought it would be a good place to post discussions about common dog behavior issues and for clients to just keep in touch. It needs A LOT of work but at least it's up and running. Check it out if you get a chance!

http://attaboydogs.blogspot.com/

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Fixation

What’s on Harper’s mind this week? I’ll give you a few hints:

What she’s watching:


What she’s wearing:


What she’s reading:

What she's listening to:

What she’s playing with / lining up on the windowsill / making kiss each other / dragging around the house / insisting on sleeping with:

And here’s the cutest little paleontologist the world has ever seen in action:


Thursday, July 5, 2012

Haute! Haute! Haute!

Harper did one of those quintessential kid things this morning. We were in the middle of breakfast when she grabbed a pancake in each hand, pressed them firmly against her cheeks (à la Home Alone) and exclaimed, “It’s hot! It’s hot!”

It’s times like this that I wish I had some sort of continuous video recording her at all times.

On to other topics of interest (fair warning to any man reading this; this post will probably only be of interest to women from here on out as it contains terms like ”scoop-neck” and “A-line”).

One of the biggest changes for me from non-parenthood to parenthood is that the life expectancy of my clothing has gone from a couple of years (or more) to a few scant months (due to both the wear and tear of chasing a toddler around and the wear and tear of successive trips to the washing machine). Almost everything I own is perpetually dirty and/or stained, and replacing my entire wardrobe on a regular basis is not  economically sustainable. I spent $80 on two pairs of capris four months ago and both are in such bad shape now that I couldn’t even justify wearing them to a play date last week.  A play date which involved both glue and glitter.

So I finally decided to head to the local thrift store to see if I could pick up a few items of clothing that I wouldn’t feel sick sending to that big Dry Cleaner in the Sky. Brad had the day off so he and Harper had some Daddy-Daughter Time while I shopped alone and uninterrupted (heaven!).

I was in luck! Not only was there a HUGE selection (I’m not embellishing here when I say I only got to go through about 1/3 of the racks I’d hoped to get to) but I found some awesome scores. Plus there was a 50% off sale going on, which was downright absurd considering the prices were a steal to begin with.

First I found this A-line skirt, which perfectly matches an adorable sweater I had picked up about six months ago but had nothing to go with. And let’s face it, A-lines are universally flattering.
I see a family portrait in our future. Total investment$3.00.

Next came this dress, which I have nowhere to wear, but at $3.50 I couldn’t turn it down. Plus, the cut makes me look thin, healthier and possibly younger.
I will be wearing this to every spring wedding we’re invited to for the foreseeable future. In fact, I may throw a Garden Party just so I can wear it.

And finally, I came across this little number. It’s hard to tell on the hanger but it has a gorgeous scoop- neck and back, plus snazzy ¾ length sleeves. And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the print. Total investment was an unbelievable $1.75.
How cool and mod is this dress? I feel like I should wear it while sipping something caffeinated and European and sitting on a Vespa.  I would also be wearing big sunglasses and  a scarf. Remind me to get a scarf.

It was a good haul. In addition to the aforementioned items I picked up four tops, a pair of jeans, a pair of khakis, and a pair of yoga pants for me (just in time for Mommy and Me Yoga which starts next week) as well as four tops and a pair of shorts for Harper all for a total of just under $28.00. So now I can be seen in public again. 
For now.


Monday, July 2, 2012

Love Bug


Yesterday Harper, Brad and I were sitting on the front porch when, from out of nowhere Harper said, "Harper loves mommy," and gave me a big hug and kiss. It was so special and momentous that I got all weepy.

Nothing prepares you for the day when your kid tells you they love you for the first time, and nothing is as sweet.