Judecorp.

So we were grocery shopping this morning and everything was totally scattered. First I forgot to bring out my reusable bags until they'd already started bagging. (They didn't seem too mad.) Then about halfway through my check-out, I realized that my wallet was still in my glove compartment. CRAP! So Punk and I had to run back to the car and then run back to the store. But she was being pokey on the way back, saying she was "too tired to run." (Whatever kid, you're 3, you could run all day.) So of course I challenged her to a "race" and she promptly ran herself back to the store. When we got to the door, she jubilantly exclaimed, "I WIN! YOU LOSE!!"

I explained to her that it isn't friendly to say, "You lose," and that it could make someone feel sad, etc. blah blah.

So a few minutes later, she said, "I WIN! You..." paused a moment and said, "And you didn't!"

LOL

I love the increase in daylight but I don't love that my body has been waking me up at 5:30 every morning. It is just not right. Still, it is nice to wake up on my own instead of the alarm clock (or the mini alarm clock on legs) doing that for me. But yeah, I'd love to sleep until 7, okay? Yawn. Punk also tried to wake up at 5:40, but I went and snuggled her in her bed until she fell back asleep and then left. Good times.

My brother is in town and Punk is having a grand old time bossing him around, I mean, playing with him. She is so full of funny things and he is amused, which amuses me. She is like a mini Chamber of Commerce. We went out to breakfast yesterday morning and she asked him, "Uncle Rick, what are you going to have at the Silver Spoon Diner?" Also last night she was talking about some sort of food item and when he asked where she would get it, she matter-of-factly answered, "Trader Joe's." *snort*

She is becoming rather hip to advertising, which is annoying. She doesn't watch any TV with commercials here but I guess sometimes they watch regular Nick at day care (which has commercials). For two weeks she has been asking for a specific thing for her birthday, something she saw on a commercial. She tells me, "It is good for Punkins." When I tell her that she probably won't get it, she starts whining. *sigh* (It is a Little Tikes ride-on fire engine that "really sprays water.")

We bought her a swing set for her birthday. Because we never know if we're going to stay in this house (we really want to move to another town but also like this house), we didn't want to get a big wooden thing that we might not be able to move and we didn't want to leave something that expensive behind, so we bought a metal old-school style swing set that we will put together this morning. We actually started last night but had some technical difficulties. Whoops. I know she will have a ton of fun with it when it is up, and it is perfect for toddlers/preschoolers because it is a smaller size. (Not to mention way cheaper.)

I really want to go out to breakfast again. Dang, I love going out to breakfast.

My kid is funny. She is funny because some of the things she says are so proper, and I'm not sure from where she gets them. I mean, it's not like we're all talking gibberish at home or anything, but really, she doesn't talk like any preschooler I know.

My personal favorite of the proper-isms is "What shall we do?" which she asks 4389791347371289479 times a day because she would like me to be her constant entertainment. "What shall we do next, Mama?"

I also love how she says "also" instead of "too" at nearly every opportunity. I never say "also" and Jen doesn't really either, so I love how it comes out of her mouth. "Come on, Mama. You can have breakfast also." "I want to read this book also." It is so adorable.

There were a few times she told me I "must" do something, as in, "You must play play-doh with me," or "We must eat lunch." I think she may have said "mustn't" once, but that could have been my imagination.

I wonder if the donor was British. :)

I took her to vote. I told her that on the way to preschool, we were going to go vote. She seemed very excited. In the car after voting, "Where's the boat? We forgot to see the boat!"

Her favorite dinosaur? A "neckosaurus"

Just so I don't forget. I've been way busy and not posty.

While my mother and SIL were visiting, Punk had that stomach thing and had thrown up, so I was giving her sips of PediaLyte, but she really wanted to drink the whole cup. She was pretty upset that I took the cup away after a few sips and so my mom intervened and said something like, "You have to wait a few minutes, honey. It might hurt your belly." To which my darling genius daughter replied, "Nana, I don't put it in my belly, I put it in my mouth."

About a week ago I was brushing her teeth before bed like usual. When I brush her teeth at nighttime, I sit on the toilet and sit her on my lap facing me - she brushes, and then I brush. She was looking into my eyes and must have caught her reflection in my pupils. She said, "Mama, your eyes have August in them."

She's awesome.

Preschool show action shot:

I was checking my e-mail in the living room while Punk played in her bedroom. At first I heard her "reading" to herself and climbing in and out of her little baby rocking chair, but then I didn't hear anything at all - which of course is always a very bad sign. I went into her room and she had pulled all of her pants out of her dresser and they were all over the floor. (This is a pretty common occurrence when I leave her alone in her room.) I very exaggeratedly gasped and asked, "What happened??!" and she looked up and without missing a beat said, "Clothes happened." It seriously was the funniest thing she's said in a long time.

She also spent a good portion of the afternoon pulling containers out of the recycle bin and pretending to dump their contents into some of the random bowls in the kitchen. It's the first time she's ever really wanted to play like that and she got a kick out of telling me, "Cook."

I guess I've asked her one too many times, "Do you want this, or something else?" because now when she doesn't like what we're reading/watching/eating, she will often say, "Else."

She seriously cracks me up.


What a trouble maker.

So when we were at the IVP shindig in DC, there were a couple of sickies floating around - some of the kid and some of the adult variety. There was a great big melting pot of germs from as far away as Ireland and Australia as well as a healthy dose of the local flavor. I was expecting Punk to get sick. But oh, she is having the sick of her little life. (I have been spoiled. She does not get sick very often and does not get sick hard.)

She has a double ear infection that is now on its second antibiotic (the first did squat, thankfully the second seems to be working). Today is the first day since, oh, Thursday? that she has not woken up with a fever. She is congested solidly full of snot and it is now making its way into her chest. She sleeps for crap which means that I sleep for crap. And she has lost her mild-mannered disposition and become "that" toddler. The one who freaks out if one food touches another food, and then refuses to eat. The one who freaks out because a little bit of oatmeal is on her hand. The one who freaks out because you started to read the wrong book, even though it was the book she handed you. You know, that one. I have never had that toddler. And I don't particularly like her. ;)

She has been full-on spoiled because of this, with lots of juice, lots of TV, and lots of being able to eat things like goldfish crackers and applesauce for dinner. How I am going to crawl out of this one with some dignity in tact, I don't rightly know. I will leave it up to day care to straighten out. Ha ha.

I don't feel all that great myself, but Jen is of course sick to the tenth power and yesterday needed to go to the emergency room for a bazillion prescriptions and now is locked in the bedroom. I am trying to dig out from under the mountains of laundry from DC and before, all the while wrangling "that" toddler and trying to do some general house tidying. I am supposed to be working on Amy's Valentine's Day swap gift (sorry, Amy) and I am supposed to be doing the taxes and I am supposed to be doing a lot of things. At this point, I have no idea when any of that is going to happen. I'm also supposed to be sending refi paperwork in. That I can commit to doing tonight. I hope.

Since I have been sick and have been sitting in front of a lot of PBS programming (proof of devastating spoilage: Punk now says "PEE BEE ESS"), I have had time to do a lot of navel-gazing and realize that I have not been present in a very long time. I want to apologize to everyone, because I simply haven't had anything to give. I'm sorry I don't comment in your journals. I'm sorry I haven't been active on your bulletin boards. I'm sorry I wasn't more talkative and perky at your big get-together. I'm sorry I haven't made your present. I'm sorry I haven't returned your calls/texts/e-mails/messages on Facebook. I'm sorry I haven't remembered your birthday or sent you that card that has been sitting out for a month. I'm sorry. I wish I wasn't the world's crappiest friend right now but I am in a deep, dark hole and I have no idea how to get out. All I can see in front of me really is work, the toddler, and a devastating to-do list.

Punk has started adding "please" when she says "yes" and when she asks for things. It really is the cutest thing. Usually it is around food. 'Do you want some milk?' "Yes, peeeese."

Last night, she woke up in the night and called out for me and fussed as usual. I got up and went in to get her. I shut off the sound machine and the humidifier, picked her up, and said, "Do you want to come to bed?"

"Yes, peeeese."

I about died of cuteness.

( A list for my own record. )

She is amazing and awesome. Also, she is getting really freaking tall: