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!