Home Alone

Today, Chris and Amelia left for Asheville, NC. They'll be gone for two weeks. Ugh. It will be nice for them to spend the time together. I had her to myself for two weeks in June, and will have her again in a few weeks. But I will miss them.

No, Chris and I are not separated. He's got a job that takes him to Asheville for 8 weeks out of the summer. I have limited vacation time, so I got to go down at the end of June, but I am out of time now. Rather than me being a single parent all summer while Chris is away, we're trading off.

It's tough when both parents have to work, especially when travel is involved. I hope the two weeks go quickly. I'll be glad when this job is over and everyone is back home!

Success!!!

I am happy to report that I am the proud parent of a potty-trained 20-month-old!!! It was not without its setbacks, tantrums, and tears, but now it's official. Amelia decided that our vacation was the perfect time to forego diapers. She has been diaper-free (except at night) for a whole week! Yay Miss A!!!!

What blog?

Well, it's been 6 months since I started this blog, and I never got past the first post. I've never been good at this diary-type stuff. When I was a kid, I started about 4 diaries, and never got past the first month. Well, maybe I can start over. My guess is I'm not cut out for this. I guess we'll see. Maybe I'll start with posting photos and see where that gets me.

Miss A is in a screaming fit stage right now. She is good most of the time, especially at the sitter, but she saves all her anguish and animosity for me. Today was a two-fit day. It started and ended with her screaming her lungs out, and I'm sure she didn't even know why she was doing it. My theory is that it all stems from the potty. She doesn't want to wear a diaper, but won't sit on the potty. So, I won't let her go too long without a diaper, and she throws a tantrum when I try to put it on. Let me tell you, you can't reason with a precocious 19-month-old. Believe me, I try.

Speaking of precocious, Miss A can pretty much speak in full sentences these days. She often surprises me with how articulate she can be. Take this evening... we were getting ready for her bath. I asked her to go in and get a towel from her room (which she loves to do - give the kid a job and she's happy). She came back to the bathroom and said "How 'bout this one, Mommy?" I swear. I told her it was perfect.

I guess the tantrums are especially frustrating for me because I know that she could communicate what she wants. When she finally settled down tonight, I laid her down in her crib and rubbed her back. I told her that she doesn't have to scream and cry, that she can just tell me what she needs or wants. I told her that Mommy can't fix it if I don't know what's wrong. She looked up at me with big, teary eyes and said " 'kay." Maybe she got the message. I have a feeling we're in for at least a few more weeks (or months?) of this before she's done. I just hope our neighbors understand and don't think I'm beating our child, because she can really turn it on when she gets going.