Pink Sunset

Year of the Dog

Violet and Abby (dog) bonded well. Abby and her owner, Jason, came to visit us earlier this summer and she and Violet spent a lot of time together. As it turns out, Violet is fairly bossy when it comes to compliant dogs and Abby was constantly being directed "here, Abby" and "come, Abby" for most of her visit. She was a good sport...and quite photogenic!

Boogie

This week, Violet verbalized the answer to the age-old "Boogie Conundrum." All humans inherently know what to do in this situation, but it takes at least 2 years of experience to put it into words. Oma Gretchen was visiting and we were having lunch when Violet began "digging for gold", as it were. Oma G asked if she would like a tissue, to which Violet confidently replied, "I use my pointer." Don't worry, grown ups, this little girl knows just what to do.

The Professor's New Glasses

After about 7 years of wearing the same pair of glasses, Jason has gone for a new look. They have a hint of the nerdy scientist and the flair of a New York City hipster. So depending on his mood and choice in attire, the Professor can fit into most any social setting. Just add a short-sleeved dress shirt and tie and voila...chemistry conference lecturer! Or, throw on a ribbed black turtleneck sweater with dark pants and you have a sleek, Euro-intellectual look.

Violet's 2nd Birthday

Sorry about the poor picture quality...with such a large file, I had to compress it.

We had a party at our house with all the neighborhood kids plus a few from other places. The main attraction of the party was a puppet show put on by Violet's eccentric parents involving several bread-stealing animals who kept befuddling the well-meaning Prince Fance N. Pants. (stage build by "Pa" Perry for the occasion)

Violet Sings Her Ladybug Song

This is a song of Violet's own creation. The main theme is "Ladybug," but the song often ranges across the spectrum of monkeys jumping on beds to how much Jesus loves her. In this rendition, she calls for a little backup from Daddy.

Potty Update

For those of you who have been with this blog from the beginning, you may recall that we've been doing Elimination Communication (or Infant Potty Training) with Violet since we brought her home from the hospital. (see blog entry from August 21, 2006) It has been a learning experience for all of us and we are excited to report that Violet has been pretty much potty trained for the past month! We still put diapers on her at night, but she typically wakes up dry. We have no way of knowing if she would have potty trained this early without the Elimination Communication, but we are excited to have reached this milestone before her second birthday. We still have the occasional accident and we sometimes put a diaper on her if we know she won't be paying attention to her internal signals. (going to the Wiggles Park!) She has learned that if she announces "Mommy...pee pee potty!" while stuck in her carseat on a long trip that it is a sure way to get us to pull over.