Happy New Year!

The best New Year's Eve of my life was spent at home...in my pajamas...sitting in a chair...dozing off and on before midnight. That was Dec. 31, 2007. My very first New Year's Eve with Dotty.

Tony and I stayed home. I was sitting in the rocking chair holding a sleeping baby girl when 2008 came in. I was so happy.

Many years past I had been to parties or just out having a big time with friends but this year topped them all. I could not imagine doing anything else than just holding my precious daughter.

She was my future and I was crazy in love with her. Every year I think is the best year with Dotty...that things can't get much better...but every year they do. I know 2011 will be just as great...if not better in regards to Dotty.

I hope you all have a Happy and Safe New Year!

Wedding Woes...

Dotty lately has been saying she will be sad when her daddy and I get married. I was so confused at to what she meant and why she started saying such things. She has even asked her Nana if she will take care of her when her mommy and daddy get married.

Finally I had to ask Dotty why she thought such a thing. I wanted to know why she thought either of her parents were getting married and why she thought something bad would happen to her if we did.

I asked her, "What happens when two people get married?"
Dotty's reply, "You have to stand on a cake."

Hmmm...oh yes...in the movie "The Little Mermaid" when Eric is going to marry Vanessa there are little figures of the two on the cake.

So I asked her, "Why do you think you will have to live somewhere else if Mommy or Daddy got married?"
Her answer, "Because Ariel had to leave her daddy and she didn't have a mommy."

Well yes...in the movie you never hear about Ariel's mommy and Ariel does become a human to marry Prince Eric. She has to leave her daddy because she can't live with the "merfolk" anymore.

I tried to explain all this to Dotty. I am not sure my message got through though. For now I am banning "The Little Mermaid" from our video selection.

Kathy's Gifts...

Dotty loves her Kathy and Gary. In fact, she loves them so much that on Christmas Eve she wrapped up one of her gifts to give to Kathy. She has been determined to give it to Kathy and Gary ever since that day. She has waken up in the middle of the night wanting to take the gift to Kathy. She has had the gift in the car and demanded I take her to Kathy's house. She has reminded me 100 times she has a gift for Kathy.

Finally today Dotty was spending the day with Kathy and she was so excited to give Kathy her gift. The wrapping paper was all wadded up and almost gone but Kathy acted thrilled to get it. I am sure they will have a lot of fun with the dolls Dotty gave her.

My only question is whether or not Dotty will come home tonight with the gift or if they will truly stay at Kathy's...I will keep you posted.

Dotty

Santa Forgot the Toilet Paper...

When Dotty got back to the house yesterday from spending the weekend with her daddy I had all her new toys lined up and waiting on her. She got lots of great gifts and with all the rush of trying to make it to all the parties she did not have a chance to really play with most of it.

We walked in and Dotty looked around at all the new items. Then she headed to the bathroom. After several minutes I decided to see what was up.

Dotty had taken and pulled about 4 feet of toilet paper off the roll and was pretending it was Rapunzel's hair (she got the actual Rapunzel wig from Memaw but I guess that was not as fun as good 'ol TP).

Dotty spent a good 30 minutes playing with the toilet paper. It was Rapunzel's hair, it was used to measure Dotty, it was broken off into squares to be napkins for a tea party, it was a bridge, it was a snake, it was all sorts of wonderful things.

I vowed then and there that next year no matter what Dotty asks Santa for she is getting the giant pack of Charmin from Sam's. I bet she will LOVE it!

Merry Christmas

Dotty had a great Christmas. Of course Santa was way too good to her!

Merry Christmas to you all!

Junior's Cheesecake

Today our UPS driver brought me a Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake from Junior's Cheesecake located in New York.

The card read...

Merry Christmas, Mommy. I love you...so much! I hope you have the best Christmas ever. Love, Dot

Tony and I looked all over New York City to find Junior's the first time we visited. It truly has the best cheesecakes in the world.

I have a really wonderful daughter...and her Daddy does some really sweet things too.

Thanks to both of them for making my Christmas that much sweeter!

Where does Rapunzel live?

Monday night Dotty went with me and Memaw to see the Burns Fantasy of Lights at MSU. She has been a few times already but since Memaw and I had not she offered to give us the tour.

She loved looking at all the lights and one of her favorites was the robot that blew bubbles.

Before we left she pointed up to the tower at MSU and said...
"Rapunzel lives there. But since it is dark out she must be asleep."

I have never been up in that tower. For all I know Rapunzel might just live up there!

Vision of Lists Running Round in Her Head

Dotty had a little trouble going to sleep last night. She tossed. She turned. She snuggled. She wiggled. She almost rolled off the bed.

She finally sat up and looked at me with half closed, sleepy eyes and said...

"Momma I just can't go to sleep. I have too many toys I want to ask Santa for."

So much for the sugar plums.

Dotty's Visit with Santa 2010

Dotty as Mary...

Dotty's school put on the "Christmas Story" yesterday. Dotty played Mary.

She was so sweet. They all were.

The teacher narrated and the children acted out the parts. Cooper Gee was Joseph. There were shepherds, an angel (she brought Baby Jesus to a sleeping Mary), a king and "queen" (due to the fact there are a lot more girls than boys in Dotty's class), and of course the "Bethlehem Inn" keeper.

All the children did great. I loved how much they all wanted to hold the Baby Jesus (and none were too happy to pass it on to the next child).

It was a great reminder of what the season is really supposed to be all about.

Pics to come soon!

Another Earache...

Another earache for little miss Dot.
She said she had one yesterday morning but she did not have a fever so I sent her to school. I told her teacher to watch her though.
At about 1pm the school called me and said she was still complaining about her ear but she was not running a fever.
I picked her up and took her to Clinic Care. We waited in the lobby for about an hour and in that time she started running a fever. By the time we saw a nurse she had 103 fever.
They gave her some Motrin and in 30 minutes it was down to 99.
We saw the doctor who said Dotty had the start of an ear infection. She gave her some antibiotics and told her to stay home from school for a day.
Memaw and Dotty are hanging out together today. I hope she feels well enough to be "Mary" in the Christmas Story tomorrow.

Praying...

Dotty and I pray every night. Usually I say the prayer and Dotty sort of mumbles along with me then gives a big "AMEN" when we are done.

Last night she told me she wanted to say the prayer...here is how it went...

"Dear Lord, Thank you for Jesus and for everybody. Thank you for Santa. Did you know Santa brings gifts to all the good girls and boys? He does! He also puts black rocks in the bad boys and girls stockings. I hope the bad boys and girls will be good so they don't have to get black rocks. Thank you for Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman. Thank you for the Baby Jesus. Did you know I am going to be Mary at school? Thank you for Mommy and Daddy and Nana and Papa and Memaw and Presley's Papaw and Kathy and Gary and Payton and Presley and everyone else...."

Then she looked at me and told me there were a lot of people she had to thank God for. I told her that was a good thing. She continuted...

"I love you God and I love Jesus and Santa and Tinkerbell....AMEN!"

Then she said..."How did I do Momma?"

Perfect...

Abominable...

This weekend Dotty went to Build a Bear with her Daddy. Now some girls might want a bear in a pink tutu. Some might want Clarice the Doe from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" tv special.

But my child...she gets the Abominable Snowman.

Then she takes it to school...hides it behind her back and then whips it out and growls at her classmates this morning.

Mrs. Connel just looked at me. I blamed her Daddy...

This too shall pass...

In writing this blog I have hopes that someday Dotty can read it. I hope this will be my version of a "baby book" for Dotty (since I have not touched her actual one since she was about a week old).

I write about a lot of things but not everything. I try to be funny (although many of my friends and family members will claim I am in fact not funny at all...I still try). I know in life things are difficult at times and quite often the only two choices are tears or laughter...I try to choose the latter.

Last night though was a time of tears for Dotty and there was nothing I could do about it. It was painful. While I don't enjoy writing about painful or sad topics I do want Dotty to know that there were tears, there were sad times, there was pain...but we got through it. We came out okay. We came out better, stronger, happier, and healthier.

Last night Dotty had a "dance recital". Tony, Nana, Memaw, and I all attended. It was very cute. Dotty was VERY cute.

Tony drove all the way in to see Dotty dance for maybe 5 minutes total. Then he and Nana took Dotty to eat and then he dropped her off to me at the house and he headed back to Frisco.

Dotty seemed fine at first but then when he drove off the tears started. She cried for over 20 minutes saying over and over and over again "I want my Daddy."

It truly broke my heart.

I am so glad Dotty loves her Daddy so much. And I am so glad Tony makes all the efforts he does to come see Dotty.

But last night was hard.

Dotty wanted nothing to do with me. She said she hated me (although I reminded her we do not use the word "hate"...I hated myself too).

She pulled away when I tried to hug her. She said she did not love me every time I told her I loved her.

So I did the hardest thing ever. I sat in the chair in the living room and let her cry it out. Listen to her call for Tony and hearing her sobs almost killed me.

I wanted to cry too (and a tear did fall) but I know that a child needs a parent who can keep it together when she cannot. I know a lot of Dotty's tears were because she was tired. I know she loved me she just missed her Daddy. So I sat and waited.

After 20 minutes she did cry out for me and I went running! I grabbed her up. Kissed her all over. Told her I loved her a million times. Told her I know she missed her Daddy. That it was okay to miss him. It is okay to cry and be sad at times because everyone is sometimes. I hugged her and told her she would see her Daddy soon.

Then I gave her a Christmas cookie and we took down several ornaments on our tree so we could "decorate" it again.

She was fine. I was fine. The moment passed.

It reminded me that everything passes. The good and the bad.

I won't lie to those of you who read this, to me, or to Dotty...this past year or so has been very hard for me, Tony, Dotty, and lots of people. This past year I have cried more than ever. I have fought back tears daily. I have hurt beyond any amount of pain I knew I could withstand.

I have learned a lot though. I have learned that I am stronger than I ever imagined. That Tony is a better Dad than I ever imagined. That divorces do not have to be bitter and hurtful. That you can still love someone even if you can no longer live with them. That I have great friends and family. That I have the best little girl in the whole wide world (okay I already knew that last one).

Jeri tells me that Dotty won't remember these times and I know Dotty won't remember much. I have thanked God every night that all this happened when Dotty was little. I don't know what I would have done if she was 6 or 8 or 18.

The hard part is I will remember nights like last night. They will forever be printed in my mind and my heart.

I will also always remember the times I woke up with Dotty snuggled up to me...warm and sweet.

Like everything that too will pass. Before I know it Dotty will be too big to want her Mommy to sleep with her, she will be off at college, married, etc.

Everything passes...the good and the bad. It is up to us to enjoy the good and endure the bad. So far...so good.

Don't want to...

Last night Dotty was up late...past 11pm.

So this morning Dotty did not want to get up. She did not want to do a lot of things.

She did not want to eat breakfast.
She did not want to brush her teeth or her hair.
She did not want a bow in her hair.
She did not want to go to school.
She did not want to dance tonight at her program.
She did not want to get dressed.
She did not want to wear panties.

Fun times.

She did eat breakfast...chicken nuggets.
She did brush her teeth and I did brush her hair.
She did not wear a bow. (I pick my battles.)
She did go to school (we were late...as usual).
Who knows what will happen tonight.
She did get dressed...in the same thing she wore Tuesday to school.
She did wear panties (after much debate on which pair to wear and then my demanding that she put them on.)

Fun times.

Kathy's Girl

Today Dotty is getting to spend the day with Kathy and Gary. According to Nana Dotty went running into Kathy's arms.

I know Dotty misses Kathy and Gary so much since we moved. I am really glad she is getting to spend the day with two of her favorite people!

We are so lucky to have such wonderful friends in our lives!

Things That Make You Go...HMMMM...

So Dotty has asked me a few really tough questions. Lately they are as follows...

Have I met Santa?
Have I met Rudolf or Frosty?
Can she ride in Santa's Sleigh?
Have I ever met the Baby Jesus?
Did Jesus ever get spanked?

She also asks good ones throughout the year...

Why can't she go to Elmo Live every day?
Why can't Dora come to play at her house?
Where does Boots live?
Can she trade me in for a new momma?
Can I buy her a Prince Eric at Walmart?


Last night Dotty was in my bathroom watching me wash my face. A few questions were asked...

Why do I wash my face every night?
Why do I not put on makeup to sleep in?
Why can she not wear makeup to sleep in?
What are these things?

That last one had me looking down to see what Dotty was talking about. She had opened up the doors to the part underneath the bathroom sink and had found my "feminine products".

I was totally stumped so being a good mom I asked her what she thought they were. She said they were used to mark the finish line of a race.

Soooo I went with that...and we raced up and down the hallway until she forgot to ask me anything else about what she found under the sink.

(By the way...I have a new location...up high!)

Visit with Santa

Yesterday Dotty took her annual picture with Santa Claus. (Pics to be posted later.)
She did very well.
She was super excited to see the Jolly 'Ol Man...right up until the moment came when she was actually going to have to sit in his lap.
She hesitated.
She was shy.
BUT....she did get in his lap.
She did tell him she wanted a Rapunzel Tower and that Payton wanted a basketball.
She did tell him thank you for the candy cane.
And she did smile...sort of.
Dotty talked to Santa so quietly I am not sure he heard a word of it but he smiled and was great with her.
The minute we walked out of the room though my child talked loud enough for Mrs. Claus in the North Pole to hear her and she rambled on for a good 30 minutes about her version of her Santa experience.
(In her version she plays the leading lady who is not only full of information about Rudolf, Frosty, naughty boys and girls...of which she gave names...but also sang to Santa in a way that any Broadway producer would be proud of....no singing actually took place.)

HO HO HO!

Mount Montz...

Yesterday Dotty and I went to see my Dad (Presley's Papa as Dotty refers to him) out at the barns in Charlie.

The shelling equipment we use to shell pecans dumps all the pecan shells outside the barn in this massive hill. Of course being a kid...Dotty had to climb the hill.

After about 30 minutes and numerous trips climbing up the hill then sliding, jumping, running, or sometimes falling down the hill. Dotty was DIRTY!

She loved it though and it was fun to watch her. Although cleaning her was probably less fun. I handed her over to her Daddy for that process!

Fighting All Night...

Dotty talks a lot in her sleep. Actually Dotty fights with people in her sleep most of the time. She argues with Presley, her friends at school, Elmo, Dora, random strangers, etc.

I don't like to sleep with Dotty for this exact reason. She yells, she wiggles around, she has even thrown a punch or two.

Last night (or rather this morning) at 4am Dotty woke up needing food. (By the way...I totally blame this trait on her Memaw...the notorious night eater!)

Anyway...after eating a banana...with her eyes closed mind you...Dotty asked me to sleep with her. Since I only had less than an hour and a half left before my alarm went off I thought...what the heck.

As we were drifting off to sleep with our faces close together because she was snuggled up so close to me Dotty was pretty much asleep and so was I when all of sudden...

Dotty yelled out "FLASHLIGHT!"

Now I have no idea why she said this. I don't know if she does either. It seemed to startle both of us but she just smiled sleepily and then go back to sleep.

I kissed her nose and tried to do the same.

The next hour was spent with Dotty kicking me, yelling at Presley, and claiming everything was hers!

I got out of bed at 5:15am. The final kick to the kidney did me in.

Potty Wars...

Dotty has a lot of tee tee accidents lately. I have no idea why. My only idea as to what to do is to have Dotty at least TRY to go the potty as often as possible.

Last night before her bath I told her she had to at least sit on the potty and try to tee tee.

"I don't HAVE TO potty." Dotty said.
"You need to try." I said.
"No."
"Yes."
"NO!"
"Yes."
"NOOOOO!!!!"
Long pause...

"Yep...you do."

Finally after a good five minutes she sat on the potty and would you know it...she tee teed.

This morning was Round 2.

Before we left for school I said, "Dotty you need to try and go potty."
"I don't have to potty."
"You have to try."
"No."
"Yes."
"NO!"
"Yes."
"NOOOOO!!!!"
Long pause...

"Yep...you do."

20 minutes later, Dotty had gone potty and we were headed to school.
Late of course.

Note to Elmo...

Last night Me, Dotty, Memaw, Presley, Keri, and Pretty (Linda) all went to see "Elmo's Green Thumb". We had floor seats on the aisle so Presley and Dotty got to hug and high five a lot of the Sesame Street characters.

There was one though that they did not get close enough to. Elmo.

Before the show Dotty had "written Elmo a note" and she wanted to give it to Elmo. When the show ended she cried because she did not get to give Elmo her note.

Lucky for us a security guard (who either must have children of his own...either small or at one time small) offered to take the note to Elmo.

Thank you Mr. Unknown Security Guard.

Dotty went to sleep happy knowing Elmo had read her note.

(By the way...according to Dotty the note said..."Tell Tinker Bell to grant me a wish. Love Dotty." At some point I need to explain to Dotty that Tinker Bell and Elmo have different agents.)

Tee Tee Trouble...

Dotty has been having a lot of accidents lately. I have no idea why either. Sometimes she has them when she is sleeping and sometimes they are when she is awake.

Everyone has given me their view points...

"She is too tired to wake herself up to go potty."
"She is playing too hard to notice until it is too late."
"All kids have setbacks."
"She is stressed."
"She is rebelling"
"She is three...pee happens."

(The last one was my own way of convincing myself I am not a terrible mother and my child is not trying to punish me for not spending enough time with her.)

Today Dotty had an accident at school during nap time. I always have extra clothes in her bag but I guess the teacher's aid did not know that so she put Dotty in some clothes from the "community pile". They were okay clothes...a little big and did not really match but I had no doubts they were clean so that was all I cared about. When we got in the car though and I was trying to get Dotty to fill me in on why she did not tee tee before nap time Dotty just looked at me real seriously and said...

"Momma...I don't have any panties on."
Okay...not sure whether to laugh or just leave it.

Being the great mother that I am...I laughed.

Picky eater...

My child can eat...when she wants to. Sometimes she can eat her weight in one meal. Sometimes she will go an entire day and barely eat a thing.

She does know what she wants to eat though. And she does not mind telling me about it.

Last week she decided she no longer liked chocolate chip muffins.

So I bought her blueberry ones. She ate them all week.

This morning she asked for muffins so I brought her the blueberry ones. She ate all but one then looked at me and said...

"I don't like the blue ones Mommy. I like the red ones." (referring to the bag that is printed in red).

Luckily I know my daughter and kept some of the "red ones" in stock.

She took one bite out of one muffin and told me...

"I want pancakes."

What she got was me telling her to get dressed...she could eat at school.

Dotty is sick...not sick...sick...

Tony picked up Dotty from me yesterday around noon so she could spend part of Thanksgiving Day with the Nichols side of the family.

Dotty's nose had been running for several days and I did not think she felt 100% but I knew she would perk up.

A few hours later though Tony called to say Dotty had been crying for over an hour and said her ear hurt. I told him I would bring some of the antibiotic over that we had left from her last ear infection.

In the hour it took me to get the medicine and get to the Nichols house Dotty was being "Elasta Girl" and jumping all over her daddy on the bed...didn't seem so sick...but her eyes did still look it.

Kids are funny how one minute they are crying and dying and the next they are smiling and flying.

I talked to Tony this morning and he said Dotty seemed to be okay. I hope so...or at least I hope the "sick time" does not last long.

Nerds...No More!

Dotty had no nap yesterday. She also had quite a few meltdowns by 7pm.

One such meltdown happened in the bathtub when Dotty demanded me find her the "pink and purple thing in Memaw's car". Well after lots of tears and a game of 20 Questions with an upset 3 year old, Memaw and I finally figured Dotty was talking about a box of Nerds candy that her Daddy had bought her earlier in the day.

Memaw had to drive back to her apartment to get them in her house but Dotty was so excited to have them....then she poured them out in her bed.

She is no longer allowed to have Nerds.

Thanksgiving Meal at School...

Today Dotty's school had a Thanksgiving Lunch for parents, family, and friends. The children had all made things for their visitors and they also auctioned off class projects.

All of us had a lot of fun. Dotty is still very snotty and seemed a little run down but she was going to spend a few hours with Daddy then Memaw is going to pick her up so I am sure her afternoon will be great.

I had to head back to work...fun...

Going to church with Nana

Dotty loves to go to church with Nana. Of course Nana always dresses Dotty up so cute too!

Trouble Sleeping...

...not Dotty...me.

This time of year I always have trouble sleeping. I have a million things on my mind...most of them deal with pecans.

Last night I woke up at 2am and could not go back to sleep. I got up and wrote down all I needed to remember to do today...3 pages worth of stuff that I could barely decipher this morning. Then I read for at least an hour. I was just about to turn on the tv when I decided to go check on Dotty.

She must have smelled me or something because the minute I walked in the room she sat up and asked for "pupcakes" (the 100 calorie packs of mini chocolate cupcakes...I know I am a bad mom but they do have lots of fiber and they are only 100 calories...and i only let her eat 2 packs a day).

Mind you at this time it was getting close to 4am. I went to the kitchen and got the pupcakes then took them to Dotty. I watched in amazement as my child ate all three pupcakes with her eyes closed the entire time. She only missed her mouth completely one time.

She then rolled over and went soundly to sleep. I curled up next to her and watched her for another good hour or so...then fell asleep until 6am when my alarm went off.

Trust me...watching my little girl sleep was better than any show I would have been able to find on tv at that time of night...or any time for that matter.

I am still amazed at her...and not just her eating habits...but all of her. I have to say...and forgive me for bragging...but we did a heck of a job when it came to her.

Girlie Girl

Dotty took a good hour to get herself ready this morning and when she was done she still had on her pajamas but she also had on about 3 pounds of my makeup and about 10 different necklaces. She has also changed her shoes 4 times.

I told her she had to wear clothes to school and so we made a deal.

Princess dress...2 bows in her hair...one necklace...black shoes (that do not really match the outfit but we better than the plastic princess heels she originally wanted)...and she let me take one swipe with a washcloth to her face...I think I got at least a pound of the makeup off.

Dotty is most definitely a girlie girl.

Chicken at 6:30am

Dotty is a mixture of many people in our family. Sometimes I think she looks like me. Sometimes I think she looks like Tony. A lot of the time I think she looks like Payton.

She also acts like a lot of us. She loves to sleep late like her Daddy. She loves to eat chicken like me. She loves Dr. Pepper like her Papaw Nichols and she loves pecans like her Papa Montz.

She shops like Nana and she she loves her nails painted like Julie (and by Julie).

She also wants to eat the minute her eyes open like her Memaw. My mom used to have a Diet Coke and two Snackwell cookies before she even opened her eyes when I was growing up and living and home and Dotty is a lot like her.

This morning I was getting ready in my bathroom when I heard Dotty call out...

"Momma...I need chicken!"

I walked in her room and Dotty's eyes were closed. But as I was about to leave she said...

"And ketchup...please."

Nana and the Rats...

This morning Dotty was watching Disney Channel. When a preview for Imagination movers came on Dotty saw Warehouse Mouse.
She then turned to me and said...
"Nana said I have rats."
I looked at her and said "huh...what did Nana say?"
Then Dotty said...
"I have rats. In my hair."
"Ohhhh" was my response.
Later I told Dotty Nana was picking her up from school.
Dotty said "YEA!"
Then she paused and added...
"Does Nana have to brush my hair?"
I told her no.
She said...
"Good. I want to keep my rats today."

Mommy is Snow White

I have a habit of changing my hair...about every 3 months...or sooner if my hairdresser will let me and if she promises my hair won't fall out.

I dye it, perm it, straighten it, dye it again, highlight it, cut it, cut it some more, dye it again...you get the idea.

The other day I wanted to go dark...I have no idea what my natural color is except for that I have a lot of gray hair. I usually highlight my hair blondish in the summer and go dark brown in the winter. My hair also picks up a lot of red tones so this last time I told Lynsey (the one who does my hair) that I wanted it dark brown with no red hints to it.

She told me I would have to go very dark to keep it from picking up any red.

Dye away! I said.

When it was all done I came out with very dark brown...almost black hair.

I went to get Dotty from Memaw and when I walked it Dotty was amazed at my hair.

Later that night Dotty told me I looked like Snow White. She then proceeded to tell me that Sleeping Beauty was still her favorite princess but she liked Snow White too.

I asked if I was at least her favorite Mommy and her comment was..."Yes Mommy. I only have one Mommy so you have to be my favorite."

I guess I will take what I can get. She did choose the Snow White panties to wear the next day so she could "be like Mommy." Sweet girl!

Internal Clock

Because of Daylight Savings Time I had to change a lot of clocks in the house, in my car, at work, etc. While not a hard task I am still finding clocks that I need to change...almost daily.

One clock I would love to change but cannot reach is Dotty's internal clock. Several mornings she has woke up at 4:30am. Sometimes just few a few minutes needing a drink. The other night she was up for an hour eating oatmeal and having me read her books.

Last night she demanded to call Memaw at 4:30am. I told her we could not do that because it would wake Memaw up and it would scare her death.

Dotty cried for 30 minutes straight...I almost called Memaw.

Finally Dotty went back to sleep. I did not.

Again...my hair looks really good today and I now have all my laundry folded and put away. Awh...the bright side of things!

Clear Ear

Dotty had a follow up appointment today with her regular doctor. Ears are all clear! We still need to take the medicine the full 10 days to make sure the infection does not come back but the girl was the picture of health.

As a reward, Dr. Yap gave her a sucker, a sticker, and a flu shot!

She did not even cry though.

Big Girl!

4:30 AM Feedings...

When Dotty was a baby we had a lot of early morning bottle feedings. Even as she grew up we were up a lot in the early morning hours with her wanting her sippy cup. However since we have adopted the new cup (with the straws so she can't sleep and suck) Dotty has been sleeping wonderfully...knock on wood...7 or 8 hours solid a night. I have been in heaven...pure restful nights sleep heaven.

When Dotty got her ear infection last week she was up a lot in the night...I think just in pain. But she was back to sleeping well in just a few days.

Last night she went to bed at 9pm...and I did too...I love Daylight Savings! Then at 4:30 I woke up to hear creaking noises then nothing. Then the faint sound of "Momma??" being called out.

I got up...Dotty was not in bed...PANIC. I checked her bathroom...no Dotty...DOUBLE PANIC. And then when I was about to find a phone to call 911 I saw the outline of Dotty in the dark in the kitchen.

"DOTTY!!!!" I screamed...loud enough to wake my 80 year old nuns that live next door...ran to her and grabbed her up.

Dotty then said "I want some oatmeal."

My thoughts were...Are you kidding me???

But she has not been eating much lately so from 4:30 until 5:30am Dotty ate two bowls of oatmeal, I read her two books and she watched one cartoon show. Then she snuggled up to me and fell asleep.

I could not go back to sleep.

The good news is...Dotty is eating more...and with the extra 30 minutes I had this morning I was able to really fix my hair.

It is always better to look on the bright side...well the almost bright side. Sunrise was not until 7am this morning...but it was a beautiful one...and I am glad I got to see it!

Million Dollar Question

How do you explain to a 3 year old that even though her ear no longer hurts she still has to take her medicine for the full 10 days like the doctor said???

Just a Spoon Full of Sugar...

Where is Julie Andrews when I need her?!?

Dotty did not like her antibiotic medicine that was prescribed to her by the doctor. Even though the pharmacist tried to improve things by making it bubble gum flavor Dotty still refused to take it.

I tried the syringe. I tried the measured cup. I tried bribes. I tried threats. I tried tears. I tried to push the job off on someone else.

After an hour Dotty finally got at least a sip of it down...then proceeded to gag to the point of almost throwing it all back up.

This is not one of the joys of motherhood.

Pain in the Ear...

Luckily Dotty did not get sent home from school yesterday. She was able to make it the entire day. We even went to dance class. It was going to be a new class for Dotty. This time she would be doing tap as well as ballet.

She was very excited. She had the same teacher...Ms. April...who she loves. There were also going to be a lot more in her class this time...so it was an opportunity to make more friends.

The tap is done first then the children come out to their parents to change into ballet shoes. When the door opened Ms. April was holding Dotty's hand and coming with her toward me. Never a good sign.

I automatically assumed Dotty had hit or bit another child or done something terribly wrong. I just knew we were going to be banned from the Parks and Rec school of dance.

Ms. April said Dotty wasn't acting like herself...I held my breath. Then Ms. April said Dotty had been holding her ear all through class...I still was waiting for the line where we were banished from dance and for us to have to do the walk of shame.

Then Dotty said..."Mommy, I don't feel good."

I then immediately felt terrible myself...but not a physical sick...rather an "I am the worst parent in the world" sick because I was not understanding my child was ill. I was assuming she was being bad.

I thanked Ms. April and Dotty and I headed to the clinic. After a long wait we were told Dotty did have an infection in her right ear. We got the prescription for some antibiotics and were sent home.

Dotty was not eating or drinking much yesterday but she already seems to be doing better today.

I hate it when my baby is sick. I also hate when I feel like I cannot do much for her. Thankfully Memaw is staying home with Dotty this morning so Dotty is in heaven. Then Daddy will have Dotty tonight and she is always thrilled to see her daddy.

Hopefully she will be well asap.

Good News at School

Today when I dropped Dotty off at her school I was telling her teacher that Dotty didn't feel 100 percent. She had a runny nose, had not eaten much in the last day, and seemed sluggish.

Her teacher then told me she understood. She said a boy had been sent home earlier in the week for a stomach virus and now all the kids seemed a little sickly.

Oh yea!

Snotty Dotty...

I have a feeling that at some point in her life Dotty will get teased by kids calling her "snotty Dotty".

However today the name would be appropriate. Her nose is running like a faucet. You should see the sleeves of her jacket...GROSS!

Ask the Moose

At night when we are getting ready for bed Dotty will often ask me what is coming on next on Nick Jr. Since we watch it almost every night I have a good idea of what show is coming up. Dotty is always hopeful that the next show will be "Yo Gabba Gabba" (it comes on at 9:30pm).

Many times Dotty wants us to "guess" about what will be on next. Then after we both make our guess she says "Let's see what the Moose says."

Moose A. Moose is a Nick Jr. character who, along with his friend Zee, sorta keep things rolling on Nick Jr. He also gives a preview of the upcoming show right after the credits of the current show are over.

Last night Dotty asked me who was going to pick her up from school. I told her Nana would. She then said "Let's see what the Moose says."

There will be a lot of questions Dotty will have in life that I will not always know the answer to. In those situation I plan on going with the "Let's see what the Moose says" strategy.

October 31, 2010

Trick or Treat 2010

Dotty had 2 nights of Trick or Treat fun.

Saturday night we trick or treated in Byers/Petrolia. We only made it to 4 houses but it took a while to do those. Dotty loves to play and visit so we stayed a while at each. She had not had a nap that day so she was not in the "best" of moods but just had a few meltdowns.

Sunday night we trick or treated in Wichita Falls at the Gazdik house. Joe, Desiree, and Emma were nice enough to have lots of people over and Dotty got to go trick or treating with a bunch of kids including Presley.

Dotty made it a little longer there and every time she went up to the door of house that gave her candy she would come running back to the sidewalk yelling "Weeee gooot caaannndddyyyy!" By about the 5th house it was beginning to loose its cuteness.

Dotty had more fun passing out candy to the other kids though. She liked seeing all their costumes and meeting all the other princesses. She also liked playing with all of Emma's toys!

The night ended with Dotty falling asleep in a "butterfly" costume. While I am glad Halloween is over I think Dotty will not wait 365 days to dress up again. In fact, she took her butterfly costume to school to day...just in case Mrs. Hall forgot Halloween was over!

What Do You Call Your Grandma???

My grandmother (my mom's mother) is loving referred to as "Mother" by almost all her grandchildren (only my cousin Will calls her Grandma) and now Presley and Dotty call her Mother (sometimes it sounds like Mudder) too.

Memaw and Mother went to school yesterday to pick up Dotty and Presley. Mom said the look on the teachers' faces were priceless when they heard Dot and Pres calling out "Mohter" to a lady with white hair.

Jake and I had that problem too growing up. Mother would take us all over town and we would constantly be calling out "Mother" and getting strange looks from those standing within earshot.

Children have always come up with unique and often strange names for grandparents. I know of a few...

Tony's grandpa is called Gang.
The McGhee girls had a grandfather named Honey...he was also called that by his children and some people around town.
Presley calls her other grandparents Pretty and Poppee.
I know a pair of ladies...one was called Gommer...the other Gammer.
I have also heard of a grandfather called Diddle Dee.

I personally love that Dotty calls her great-grandmother "Mother". I would not have it any other way...and neither would Mother.

Watch Out...

Last night when Tony came to pick up Dotty I was telling her goodbye...giving her hugs and kisses and all that.

Before I walked away Dotty bent down (Tony was holding her) and whispered to me...

"Momma...watch out for the Itsy Bitsy Spider"

I just smiled and laughed a little and told her I sure would.

I thought to myself...kids say the funniest things. Then I mentioned it to my mom who told me that earlier in the day Dotty and Presley had been doing a puppet show about the Itsy Bitsy Spider...and I have no doubts with those two around everyone better watch out!

Go figure...

At Dotty's school today some other classes (not Dotty's class) were allowed to dress up so they could go sing "pumpkin" songs at the nearby fire station. Of course when Dotty saw the other kids in their costumes (none of them her classmates) she demanded to get to wear hers.

When I told her she was supposed to wear hers yesterday she said she didn't get to.

I then reminded her that it wasn't that she "didn't get to" wear it. It was that she "didn't want to" wear it.

Big difference.

But not to a 3 year old.

Whining followed...

Today at Dotty's school her class is going to go to the Senior Citizen's Zone and sing "pumpkin" songs. The kids were allowed to wear their Halloween costumes to school today.

I thought Dotty would be super excited...I was wrong (that has happened a lot since Dotty was born). Instead Dotty put on a cotton shirt dress over her leggings, had on tinkerbell socks, and brown shoes and announced to everyone that she was wearing her costume...she was "Dotty".

I took her costume to school in a bag in case she changed her mind and decided she wanted to wear it.

I know if I had forgotten today was "costume day" Dotty would have had a meltdown but since SHE decided she was going to go as "Dotty" then it was okay.

Although in hindsight she did ask me last night what I was going to be for Halloween and I told her I was going to be a Mommy that worked at the Pecan Shed....hmmm...I might understand things more now...

The Princess and Her Proud Momma

Crowning the Princess

Princesses, Fairies, Policemen, and Firefighters

Dotty's school had the annual Fall Festival tonight. Dotty went as Sleeping Beauty...and let me tell you...she was a beauty!

I took her to the Pecan Shed after school. We only had an hour and I knew I would need help to turn my preschooler into a princess. Thanks to Crystal and a hot curling iron, Becky and her ability to distract, and all the other ladies actually making sure the Pecan Shed stayed open and helped customers...Dotty didn't even need a fairy godmother...she had better!

Dotty was the prettiest I have ever seen her. She is always beautiful but tonight she was really gorgeous.

She went into the school and curtsied to all the other princesses. It was adorable. Then she waved "royally" to all the people in the crowd that gathered outside.

Dotty had a quite a turnout. She had lots of people there just for her and plenty that were there for her as well.

The parade was a big success and Dotty had a blast in the park afterward. She had no time to eat...she was too busy playing with all her friends...but mainly Presley and Memaw.

When the time came...Dotty headed home with her daddy...tired, dirty, happy, and still waving...a princess's job is never done.

Character Clothes...

I have never been a big fan of wearing characters on my clothes. Only at Disney World would you see me with Mickey Mouse on my shirt. I don't remember ever wearing a Garth Brooks tshirt that had his face on it. However, I must confess that I am sure I had a few New Kids on the Block shirts that probably had Joey or maybe even all of them on it...but hey...give me a break...I was a 5th grader.

When I was pregnant, even though I did not know if I was having a boy or a girl, I knew I did not want the baby's room done in Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, or even Precious Moment Characters. I also did not put Dotty in clothes that had characters on them...well not too often unless they were given as a gift.

Now though I am singing a different tune.

In an effort to get Dotty to wear something other than the Flip Flop Dress I will put her in anything. Luckily Memaw LOVES to buy clothes for Dotty and has bought a lot of Princess and Tinkerbell outfits.

Today Dotty went to school in a tshirt that had Cinderella, Belle, and Sleeping Beauty (Dotty's favorite princess) on it. (I don't know why but for some reason these 3 princesses seem to be together on a lot of things...they must have some good agents to have cornered the "princess merchandise" market.)

Dotty's pants had a crown on them and the word "princess" on it. While I don't think Dotty can read, she told me she knew it said princess.

Dotty's shoes had the famous 3 princesses on them and even her headband had Sleeping Beauty on it. She was also wearing Sleeping Beauty panties. We did not have any princess socks so Dotty decided to just go without socks entirely (Note to Memaw...Princess Socks).

Head to toe this girl was decked out in princess gear (and I am fairly certain it was all bought by Memaw).

As I looked at my child this morning I remembered my aversion to character clothes but seeing the smile on Dotty's face and knowing we did not have a big fight about what she was going to wear made me think...character clothes ROCK!

The Great Panty Debate...

This morning Dotty had 8 pairs of panties spread out on the living room couch trying to decide which pair to wear. Let me just say that the rest of the morning was a slow and trying process.

The good news is she picked the "fairy with the black hair" pair. Then she proceeded to show everyone at school.

Star in the making...

Dotty and Presley were at the store on Friday. We use the girls in the television commercials. This commercial was supposed to have Dotty and Presley getting a sample of fudge and eating it.

Presley was a pro. Big smile. Eating the yummy fudge while facing the camera.

Dotty was not quite as good. Dotty ate the fudge but made the statement she did not like it (it was our peanut butter fudge and I could have told Dotty she would not like it but since Pres was eating that kind Dotty wanted it to). Dotty would also turn her back to the camera a lot and when I asked her to smile at the camera she made sure to frown even harder.

Then we had the girls play with some of the toys we sell at the store. Pres was all smiles and laughs. Dotty hid behind me or the shelf and refused to come out.

Presley is truly a star in the making....Dotty is a diamond in the rough.

Finding a Button...

Today Dotty wanted to wear her Flip Flop Dress again. However since it was in the low 50s and was only going to get up to the mid 70s I held my ground...and told her I couldn't find the dress.

She then decided to pick out her own clothes for school. She wanted a solid purple outfit. I have her purple pants and a purple shirt with a witch on it but Dotty wanted solid colors.

So she opted for the solid purple pants and a dark pink shirt that I kept for her to play in because it has permanent marker on it. Then she paired the outfit with white ballet flats and a pale pink bow that is on the fancy side because I bought it to wear with her Easter dress.

She also got into my makeup and went to town with eye shadow and blush.

Let me just tell you the look was fabulous and that girl wore her outfit with confidence.

It was not until I saw the look on her teacher's face at school that I decided I need to find a button that says "I dressed myself today" for these special occasions. Then I could at least feel like Dotty's teachers don't think I am crazy.

Dotty's Prince...

Dotty and I were talking about Halloween and when I asked her what she was going to be she told me she was going to be Sleeping Beauty.

Then she said I was going to be Cinderella and Julie was going to be Snow White (I think Julie was because of her hair color).

Dotty also said Daddy was going to be the Prince.

When I asked which prince Dotty said "My Prince."

I am not sure why I even had to ask such a silly question.

Communication...

I have always known I was not a good communicator. I don't always listen to the words people are saying to me. I may hear them talking but I am not actually listening. I also make assumptions which is a terrible thing to do. And I fill in the blanks sometimes when I am trying to remember details from an event or conversation.

However, I have learned to not always believe what I hear or to at least take some things with a grain of salt (although I have never understood that phrase...I know it is meant to be skeptic about what I hear).

I have also learned that sometimes when I say things to people they misunderstand, take things the wrong way, misquote, and out and out lie about what I said.

With all this knowledge I have learned to not worry so much in life about what people think. I know what I know to be true and I sleep better at night with that knowledge.

I hope as a mother I can teach Dotty to listen (and I mean really listen) more than she talks, to go to the source if she needs to know the truth, and to only worry about the things she can change...and sometimes what people "believe to be true" is a hard thing to change...and may not even be worth the effort.

I love talking to Dotty. I love to hear her little voice, to listen to her sing, and to hear her thoughts about the world as she sees it. I wish all our conversations could be easy and innocent. I know they won't always be this way though.

I plan to enjoy these times and to try and teach her that she can always talk to me...that I will always listen...and that I will always love her...no matter what.

Different Sippy...Same Story

So you all remember how we broke Dotty of her "Transitional Sippy" that she just never transitioned away from. The new sippy we gave her was the one above. This one has harder plastic on the mouth piece and the juice just sort of leaks out of it instead of Dotty having to suck it like a bottle.

We thought this would make Dotty more of an "active" rather than "passive" apple juice drinker and thus she might not take the sippy every hour or hour and a half each night. Our plan worked great for several weeks. I was wondering why we had not done it sooner. I was so busy patting myself on the back I did not see what was slowly beginning to take place.

The new "Take and Toss" princess sippy was slowly becoming just like the first sippy cup. Dotty started using it to console herself when she was upset. She started needing to drink it to fall asleep at night. And now worst of all...she asks for the sippy every time she wakes up in the night...and the last two nights have been the worst.

Dotty has gotten up just about every hour for the past two nights and she has demanded her sippy cup before she will go back to sleep. Well I am not waiting for the "3rd time is the charm" to change sippy cups on her again. Two nights of limited sleep is enough for me!

Tonight Dotty will have yet another cup...I am thinking a straw of some sort this time.

Wish me luck!

Dotty's Confession...

Yesterday on the way to Dance Class Dotty said...

"I hate to tell you this Momma...."

Never a good way to start a conversation.

"I hit Enis today."
Me - "Why"
Dotty - "Because I wanted to."
Me - "That was not a nice thing to do. What did your teacher say."
Dotty - "The same thing you said."
Me - "Did you go to the Time Out Chair?"
Dotty - "No. I said I was sorry so I didn't have to sit in the chair."
Me - "Well I am glad you apologized."
Dotty - "Yeah. But I didn't really mean it."
Me - "....."

I really had no idea what to say. We had just pulled up to the place where Dotty takes Dance so as I got her out of the car I reminded her that it is not nice to hit....that we don't hit...and that when we do something wrong we need to apologize and mean it.

I don't think I am getting through though...only time (and Enis) will tell.

To Stitch or To Glue...

...That is the Question.

Today, Tony and Dotty were playing at a park in Henrietta when Dotty fell out of swing and busted her eye just below her eyebrow. Tony called me because he thought she needed to see a doctor.

We took her to Clinic Care at the Clinics of North Texas (both the speed and the service were very good). The nurses and the doctor on call all thought she needed something...stitches or glue.

I voted for glue...and come to think of it I did not even ask Tony...but he was standing right there and did not object...so I am going with the "speak now or forever hold your peace" theory and assume he agreed with me.

I have seen kids have cuts get "glued" and because of the location and because I was afraid Tony would pass out if they wanted to stitch her up I thought glue was our best option. We did the glue and I think it went well. Only time will tell.

Dotty was a champ! She was so good and still. She talked to the doctors...a little. Best of all, she never cried. She didn't make a peep while they cleaned it up, put the glue on, pushed the gash together, put more glue on, etc.

I was so proud of her. She may end up with a scar but we all have them. She is still beautiful.

Lessons Learned at the Park

Dotty is my only child. For that reason (and probably many more) I am OVERPROTECTIVE. This I know.

I watch my child like a hawk (99% of the time). I really do so when we are out in public places.

Yesterday I took Dotty to a local park. It was about 3:30 so there were lots of kids of all ages at the park. Many parents just sat in the shade and watched as their kids ran, played, slid down slides, climbed all over the jungle gym maze of hang bars, ladders, ropes, bridges, etc.

This park playground is surrounded by sand so many kids built castles, dug holes, buried toys, trucks, and their mother's keys or cell phones.

Dotty is a lot like me and Tony. She is shy and reserved at first but once you get to know her she will get in the mix of things.

Also, Dotty being an only child she likes to play with me...and only me. All the other kids soon made "friends" with each other and they ran, yelled, jumped, fell, and basically did what any kid between 3 and 8 years of age do.

I was amazed watching the other children. How they talked to each other. What they said and how they said it. Now when I hear Dotty say the words..."stupid, idiot, creep, ugly, or poopy head"...or claim to..."kill me or hate me"...or stick her tongue out at me or try to hit me...I may have some idea where she gets these ideas.

Those children were animals!

I also saw a mother of 3 (who was not American or at least was not speaking English to the person she spent the vast majority of the time on her cell phone with) use some unique parenting tactics.

Her oldest son (who was probably around 7 or 8) at one point had his shorts and his underwear off to inspect the sand that must have gotten into some cracks that he did not appreciate.

Her middle child (a boy around 5ish) hit at least two other children that I saw.

Her youngest child (a girl about 2) climbed all over the playground equipment...some of it gets very tall...over six feet...and many places have openings in the bars for kids to climb on hang bars or slide down poles.

All this being said the mother was oblivious to all her children and was clearly more interested in her phone conversation and the snack she was eating. She did make her older son put his clothes back on when he walked in front of her naked from the waist down. She never noticed the other boy or the little girl (who by the grace of God) never fell the entire 30 minutes she was on the playground equipment.

I know kids are tough. I know they have to learn things on their own. I know all of this and more. However, as I sat in the sand playing with Dotty getting almost as dirty as she was I thought to myself...Dotty may not slide down too many slides without knowing I am at least at the end to catch her if I need to...she might always look around to see where I am when she crosses the bridge (I am right behind her)...and she may always prefer to play with her Mom.

But I also know that some day she will be too old to want to slide down slides...she will cross a bridge, a street, a stage at graduation and she won't need to see if I am there because she will know she can do it herself...and she won't prefer to play with me always.

So until those days come...you will find me in the sand with Dotty and not with the other moms. Those moms may have funny stories, good ideas, and lots of great gossip...but they are not Dotty...they are not my baby girl...they are not the reason I came to the park in the first place.

A good day...

Today (so far) is a good day.

It started off with me not having to fight Dotty to get up and go to school.

She complained about nothing. She was very cooperative. We even got to school by 8:30am (only 30 minutes after we are supposed to be there...but 30 minutes earlier than we usually show up).

When I left my sweet baby girl I thought how wonderful it was to start a day with no fights and arguments.

Then I also thought...

Of course she did not argue...

She got to eat 2 packages of "pupcakes" (the 100 calorie packs of chocolate cupcakes...they do have fiber in my defense).
She got to wear the "flip flop dress" (but I did make her put on a jacket and put pants in her bag for recess).
She also wanted (and got) an ice cream sandwich to eat on the way to school (my version of a glass of milk).

Hmmm...well...if it works then who I am to argue!

Looking for a Fairy Godmother...

Yesterday after school I took Dotty to a local pumpkin patch to pick out a few pumpkins to put on our porch. There was a wide assortment and Dotty found one she loved...and check out the price...who could beat that?!

Dotty just rambled away...like she usually does...about all sorts of things but during our talk she told me...

"Momma, can we come back here tonight?"
"Why" I asked.
"Maybe a Fairy Godmother will be out here and she will turn these pumpkins into coaches with horses. I could wear my Cinderella dress so she won't have to get me a new one."

I don't know what I loved more...that my sweet baby girl believed in Fairy Godmothers or that she was going to wear her Cinderella dress to make the Fairy Godmother's job a little easier.