Forget the fancy stuff....

We don't need an expensive opthalmascope - this is how Dr. Amiya checks our ears. And I'll never again complain about the $15 copay - Dr. Amiya puts the thing up to our ears, taps it and pronounces us good to go home.

The truth about my tupperware cabinet

In today's Tampa Tribune, Judy Hill wrote about Anger Smoldering for Stressed Women Today. I generally like this columnist as she seems to be a more mature version of me, in both age and emotional development. She's rounded edges where I'm sharp corners. But I couldn't get into what she wrote today. If you don't take the time to go read it the essence of the article isn't that far from a Newsweek cover story at the end of February - it's all about women who have a lot going on and are stressed, angry and, at the end of the day, not happy.

Now, it would be disingenuous for me to say I am everywoman. I know I have a good life and I know I get to make choices that for some are not even a consideration. I know I get to stay home, I know we have health insurance, I know we're not at risk of being evicted or of V losing his job. And yet, that doesn't make me different from a lot of the women Newsweek wrote about and presumably some of the women that Hill knows.

I felt this way in February and I feel this way now - having a child has made priorities swing wildly for me. We aren't rolling in money and yet we're not poor. We spend wisely so we have money for the things that are important to us. We don't have a big TV, two SUVs in the driveway, a huge mortgage payment or high-speed internet. We also don't eat out at fancy places three nights a week and we'll drive twenty extra minutes for the produce stand rather than paying big bucks for half-rotten produce at the supercenters near us. Correspondingly, we don't stress about making ends meet. I'm able to not work because we try to keep our finances in check. (And I know that must sound awfully lame to some people, yet it's true.) I think back to my shopping habits right after college - never would I be able to continue in that lifestyle and not work. See those priorities swinging wildly?

I'd like to say I'm proud that Amiya isn't an over-scheduled little tyke, but she's a little young for most things so we've yet to cross that challenge. I feel like I've fallen into a good group of friends here who have pretty similar ideas about this, hopefully this won't be a problem. But I sometimes see Moms at the playground who have one in a karate outfit watching another in a soccer uniform. I'm content to just push Amiya on the swings and cheer when she makes it up the rope ladder. This isn't how I thought I'd be - I imagined her being bilingual by this age, at least. But, once again, those priorities have swung and I'm content to sing the Princess Ariel song with her fourteen times if that's the sort of mood she's in. She only gets to be two once and I only get to hang around with her when she's two once so I'm going to make the most of it.

I always thought the "keeping up with the Joneses" thing was hooey - but I can see that it's not. I would like to challenge people to keep up with the Guptas because the standards aren't all that high. Our house isn't perfectly decorated, our bed isn't always made and (please don't judge too harshly) I'm not sure what that jar is in the very back of our pantry - it's been with us through an apartment in Urbana, an apartment in Rantoul and now our home in Tampa. But I can tell you that my daughter has good manners, she always gets hugs and kisses when she needs them and I'll drop just about anything when she comes running with a book even if it's Clifford and we've read it eight times already that day.

All this isn't to say I only whistle happy tunes. There are some things I'm anxious about, I don't think I'd be human if there weren't. I worry about how possibly one or two new Supreme Court Justices will affect my rights, my daughter's rights, my husband's rights and the rights of a very good friend of mine. I worry about Amiya taking in too much water at the pool and throwing up. I worry about miscarriage and recovering from another c-section. But the bottom line is I've got a wonderful husband, an amazing daughter, a great family and the best friends. My life is seemingly easy and yet there are still choices to be made. Perhaps I'm being sanctimonious, but I like to think I make the choices that are significant to the happiness of my family. So if my tupperware cabinet looks like this when you come to visit, please know that's about the last thing on my priority list. If it looks neat and organized, feel free to ask exactly where my priorities are.

Floaters!

Yep, that's our girl. Floating, floating, floating!

And she's only 2!!!

Yep, I'm bragging. :-)

Princess Amiya

And because she floated, she got to pick her very own tiara with matching earrings. Ah, when Amiya's happy, everybody's happy!

Thwarted!

See these? Snaps up and down the legs. Snaps in the back.

She can't get them off!

Whoo-hoo!!!

I am one of *those* parents.

Today is Amiya's last day of swim lessons. It hasn't come a moment too soon. This marks the end of eight weeks spent in or at the pool and in this Florida heat that's a lot of weeks.

She has made remarkable progress since we've begun. Our happy little family went up to our community pool last night only to see Amiya intentionally shoving herself underwater, swimming to a toy she wanted instead of clinging to the wall, bobbing about on a noodle, truly swimming for 10 feet or so and going down the huge, huge waterslide with her Daddy. All this in 8 weeks, 32 classes or 16 hours of instruction. I haven't loved every bit of it and I say I'm becoming one of *those* parents because I had a long, unhappy conversation with the owner after a teacher did something I specifically asked her not to do. (I was fair enough to talk to the teacher first though, so I'm not one of *those really immature* parents who goes straight to the principal.) I complained, I vented, ultimately I was heard and the same thing didn't happen again. That's good. Despite the complaints I have, I am thrilled with her progress and so is her Daddy. More importantly, Amiya has such confidence and enthusiasm for the pool now. It's been well worth the time and money invested.

And, she's a happy little one because she got a tattoo. (Taking after her Uncles already!) It's the SwimKidsUSA logo and her teacher gave it to her yesterday. Amiya's just amazed because unlike the sticker she usually gets, this thing sticks forever!

Please Send: Pajamas with Snaps

Amiya has taken to stripping lately.

We put her in her crib fully dressed for the night. Long bottoms, long sleeved tops. Usually the tops button in the back, but not always - sometimes they button up the front. It doesn't really matter, buttons are no challenge for this girl. In the morning I find her naked except, mercifully, for her diaper.

She thinks this is really, really funny. Every morning she acts coy when I ask where her pajamas are - until we make eye contact and then a big grin breaks out on her face. It's not a big deal, except that we worry about her being cold with the a/c vent right above her crib.

So, Friday morning will see Mommy and Mia off to the outlet stores for pajamas that snap - snap at the waist, snap up the legs, snap at the back, it's not really important. At this point, she can't figure out the pushes and pulls of snaps so that's what we'll go with. Hear that noise? That's Mommy, knocking on wood.

Virus? What virus?

Today was a wonderful day to be a parent (if we look past the time spent at the doctor's office). Amiya was in a great mood, full of cuddles, giggles and wiggles. She wanted to be with one of us all the time and not just to play or to pretend, but mainly for some hugs and kisses. She pretended to be snoring in our bed this morning, she climbed up and over her Daddy to be next to him on the couch as you can see above, and she spent the better part of an hour on Mommy's lap while watching Strega Nona and Stone Soup. If I didn't like our pediatrician more I might suspect he's gone bonkers with the long hours he works - this doesn't seem like a little girl who's sick.

I may be getting a job.

It would seem that this is a prudent course of action considering recent expenses.

Consider this:

7/4/2005

Amiya to the after hours clinic for an ear infection. We knew what it was (green stuff coming out of her ear - what else could it be?). $15

7/4/2005

Pick up both oral amoxicillan and ciprodex drops from the neighborhood pharmacy. $40

7/13/2005

Amiya to regular doctor to verify that all is well. Ear still a little funky. Another course of ciprodex prescribed. $15 for 10 minute visit to the doctor.

7/22/2005

Original ciprodex finished, pick up second course. $25
Interestingly, Amiya spikes not one, but two fevers. Make appt. with doctor at his request.

7/23/2005

See doctor. Ears are "pristine." Left tube is working its' way out, thus being why the ear was infected. Do not need to use ciprodex (!!!!!!!). Amiya has "ulcers" on her tonsils, just a virus needing to work its' way through her system. $15 for 5 minute visit.

Later same day: Mommy and Daddy jubilant as local pharmacy decides it will take unopened bottle of ciprodex back.

So, let's do the math:
$15 x 3 = $45
$40 x 1 = $40
$25 x 1 = $25
+ ____
$110
- 25
____
$ 85

That's right. Therefore, I need to get another job. Not because I want to or we need to but because I want this. I think I could be trained to detect an ear infection and then I should be able to call the doc and tell him what it is. He knows me - when he called yesterday he said, "Hey Christy - what's up?" This isn't a doctor who thinks I'm psycho or whacky, I'm smart enough to call and tell him what's going on with my kid. If I had this, we'd be $45 richer. (And please understand I'm not even getting into all of the prior $15 co-pays for 10 minute appointments.) By this point, it would have paid for itself and we would have spent just a wee bit less time in the sick room at the doctor's office. Now, if I could only find amoxicillan at Sam's Club I would be the thriftiest Mom around.

I might even just get this one - what do you think?

Too smart for her own good.

My nose is not a dainty, petite, feminine nose. I've come to terms with the fact that from my Father I inherited my nose, not my Mother's cute little nose. I take pains to alternate to which side I wipe after a sneeze as my Father's nose tilts slightly to the side after so many years of nonchalant tissue usage. My nose is my nose and I plan on keeping it.
All this leads up to Thursday night at dinner.

I was sitting by Amiya and remarking on her nose. It's cute, well-proportioned and at the moment in question, covered in ranch dressing. I told her how cute I found it and that I, in fact, am quite in love with her itsy-bitsy nose. She told me "Tanks, Mommy!" and then went on to tell me that Daddy's nose was also very cute. I, stupidly enough, asked her how my nose was. She said, "It's fine." and went back to her dinner. WHAT? So, I pursued, even more stupidly. "Is it a cute nose, Amiya?" "It's fine, Mommy." I'm ashamed to say I didn't cease there, but kept asking. Silly, silly me. She makes no bones about the fact that my nose is fine, but definitely not up there with the noses of Amiya and Daddy. Fine then, I guess.

What on earth???

A free message on your answering machine (It's just like NPR, but Amiya is so much cuter than Carl Kasell) to the first person who can figure out what Amiya is pretending to do in this picture. Anyone? Anyone? Just click the comments button, it's not really that hard.

And the follow-up

There was some hugging and wrestling after the What on Earth? photo. It's a really heartwarming thing to see how Amiya seeks out her Daddy when he comes home from work. Her attention is on Daddy and only Daddy and it's a lot of fun to watch.

Beans beans good for the heart....

Yesterday I went to a new restaurant: Amiya's Restaurant. My name was Talulah (pronounced Taludah!) and my daughter was the server who would only respond to the name The Lady.

The menu at Amiya's was simple, downhome fare which suits me just fine. Chicken and mashed (pronounced mashda) potatoes. Service was even simpler - everyone (Talulah, Bear and Little One) shared one plate and two forks. But, let me tell you, they were the best mashda potatoes I had ever eaten. So, I inquired as to what was in them and was surprised to find that the secret invisible ingredient was green beans! That's right, green beans. Then, a bite of the savory chicken. Mmm. A small bite of this chicken proved it to be the best chicken I had ever eaten and again I asked for the ingredients. Imagine my delight - roasted beans! It seems that Amiya's Restaurant is taking a giant step forward in helping people eat their vegetables by secretly making everything out of beans.

Reservations can be made, but aren't really necessary. This reviewer does recommend bringing your own silverware unless you want stuffed animal fuzz on the community fork. Also, the beverage selection was a little lacking, please consider bringing your own bottle unless you plan on drinking milk, water or Ovaltine with your chicken.

Flower Girl

Finally, a picture of Amiya as one of the flower girls at the wedding. She walked down the aisle on her own, but didn't drop a single flower. When the ceremony started she began yelling for her Grandpa, so I took her towards the back of the area and let her play with her flowers. This is how she spent most of the ceremony - arranging a garden with the beautiful wildflowers that filled her basket. After the ceremony she walked along the runner and picked up the flowers that the other flower girls dropped. Such a frugal little gardener we have!

Uncle Jon-o, Uncle Annie, Uncle Mikhey

(Those are spelt as she pronounces them, just so you know.)

This girl loves her Uncles. She talks about them all the time. And I do mean all the time. She doesn't like to talk to them on the phone, but if they're around, I'm once again chopped liver. (I've become used to this, actually.) She knows where they live if we ask and so we do.

Daddy: "Where does Uncle Jon-o live?"

Amiya: "Alaskha"

Daddy: "Where does Uncle Mikey live?"

Amiya: "Masin" (Madison)

Daddy: "Where does Uncle Andy live?"

Amiya: "Wif Carter" (With Carter. That's Uncle Andy's dog.)

Anyway, we just got some wedding pictures and I think this is one of my favorites. I think Amiya loves these three almost as much as her Mommy does.

Babies and Grandparents

My parents visited from Sunday morning until this afternoon. Amiya had a great time playing and playing and playing. Here you can see Grandma and Amiya mixing "booberry nuffins" in her little baby's basket. They also took lots of tend (pretend) naps and shared lots of snuggles.

The great thing about company is that almost anyone else is more interesting than Mom or Dad and so Amiya makes the most of it. Vinay and I get to sit back, watch and enjoy the little person that we're sometimes too busy to really see. This one has an amazing imagination and a very happy personality. It's fun to just observe without having to participate and makes us appreciate the wonder that is a child when we get bogged down with the mundaneness of diapers, spills and tantrums.

Babies and Grandparents

I thought Amiya had me wrapped around her finger, but I think Grandpa might be even moreso. You can see him here playing with her new doll. Now, I'll be honest and say I don't have memories before kindergarden, but I can tell you that I don't think my Dad played dolls with me. Sure, he was busy then, but I have a hunch that he really likes Amiya. She entertained him and amused him while he was here. He particularly likes the way she says nuffins for muffins and milla for vanilla. It was a lot of fun for Vinay and I try to watch Grandma and Grandpa try to decipher Amiya-speak. They did well and quickly caught on to the grammar of this particular toddler.

Ride 'em Cowboy!

Amiya got this horse from Uncle Jon-o at Uncle Mikey's wedding. She liked to look at it, but she wasn't big on actually riding it. Maybe that's changing.... She was straddling it today and I reached over and squeezed the ear to make it whinny and "gallop." She didn't immediately stop, drop and run as she has in the past, so maybe we're turning the bend?

Looks pretty bad, eh?

But it's not, I swear. It's blackberry juice. Grandma and Grandpa are here today and they brought blackberries with them. Amiya ate like a toddler possessed - contrary to the look on her face, she found them to be delicious and ate at least two cups worth. (Please recall her stomach is the size of her fist.) She loves the blackberry and so we would be very happy to accept donations to the Amiya Gupta Blackberry Fund as they are so ridiculously, hideously expensive that we can't afford to buy them without subsidies from the general reading public.

Anything for cool whip

This child loves cool whip. She'll do anything, or more accurately, eat anything to get her grubby little hands on cool whip. And who am I to mess with the exalted status of this non-dairy concoction? Lately the big thing is diced nectarines with this frothy treat. It goes down quick, easy and with nary a complaint. And that might be just as important as a well-balanced meal.

You may remember this photo....

I originally put this picture up on April 1st when Amiya had a cold. It's appropriate because she's got one again. Sigh. It's not so bad, she's just drippy-nosed and a bit watery-eyed. So far her mood seems to be good, although she's definitely more clingy than usual (I can't say we mind that side effect.) The bizarre part is that it has literally come out of nowhere. I took her to a friend's house yesterday, they headed off to swimming class, I picked her up. Dry nose, dry eyes. She took her nap (four hours!!!) in the afternoon and woke up this way. Hmmm. I know it's not from her friend - way too short of a period for her to have gotten it. But maybe from the pool on a prior day of lessons? Maybe from playgroup? I don't know. I'm just going to be happy that we've got Dimetapp, happy that it's not something more serious and happy to get all the hugs that I'm getting.

Another haitus?

I know, I know. It's been a full week. I do apologize to all two of you who read this.

Here's the down-low: We've had company and I've wanted to visit. When I did get on the computer, I just couldn't (and still can't) find it in me to try and be clever. That segways nicely into the fact that Mommy is feeling like a very well-used diaper lately. I suspect it's the going from hot to cold to hot to cold all the time, but it's taking a toll. I'll spare you the details.

Anyway, we're back and I'll tell you a few cute things that she's been doing and then hopefully you'll forgive my lack of ambition and love me once again.

She's got a new joke. "Tawget is called Mosa." (Target is called Mosa.) It's a long story and not worth retelling because it doesn't make the statement any more funny than it already isn't. Just know that if she tells it to you, you should throw your head back and laugh.

She's trying out new words all the time and my current favorite is "yesmowo." If you guessed that it's a combination of yesterday and tomorrow then ding ding ding ding ding. You get the prize behind the garage door!!!!! (It's the diaper pail and we're all too happy to finally be ready to get rid of it.) She's a bit confused about these two words and so uses them together to mean yesterday. I love it! She has also recently mastered the pronunciation of ice cream (formerly ick ceam) and together (todeller).

Potty training is still going - we packed away the big girl underwear for a few day's because of the antibiotics, but she appears to be getting back into the swing of things. She did have an accident today at play group, but hey, it's hard to stop playing sometimes.

Swimming lessons are draaaaaaaaaaaaagging on. I swear these will never end and I will never have a full day to accomplish anything again. Oh my. I'm whining, I know. Reference paragraph about well-used diaper. It's no fun sitting by the pool not sure if I'm going to vomit or not. But wait. This is supposed to be about Amiya. Ok then. She's doing fine. It's all a review of what she did in the previous two sessions. Now it's about "creating a relationship between the child and the instructor." Oh, yak. Maybe for four days but certainly not for two weeks!!! Anyway, it's paid for and there are no refunds, so I'll deal.

Beyond that, she's just being the adorable, precocious, tantrum-prone two year-old that we all know and love. On the night of our trip to science museum she had a tantrum that induced vomiting that necessitated carpet cleaning. As horrid as that might seem, it actually has a positive side in that she (quite obviously) found the vomit to be distasteful and now when she tantrums we can get her to stop almost immediately by saying, "You're going to have the yucky stuff in your mouth again." Ah, the levels to which we stoop.

More tomorrow (promise).

Who wouldn't love this face?

It's not lipstick, it's not grape juice, it's not blueberry yogurt.

It's purple crayon and how it got there we can't say for sure, but it's not hard to guess. Such an imp.

Hangin' with Uncle Matt

Our good friend Matt was here for six days and we all made the most of it - especially Amiya. Every morning when she woke up I heard "Where's Unca Matt?" None of that good morning business, no hugs, no kisses. I'm back to chopped liver status. But then, I didn't bring her a Grover book that she's in love with and I don't laugh at her jokes quite as heartily as Uncle Matt. (He's stop being so agreeable if he had to change a few of these diapers!!!)

We went to the Museum of Science and Industry with Uncle Matt and to be quite honest, it was an over-priced disappointment. Many, many, many of the exhibits were not working or missing pieces. In general the place seemed grimy and short-staffed. But, it's good to have gone once and to know that our money is better spent elsewhere. Amiya did have a good time playing with all the buttons on the flight deck above and Uncle Matt claims to have learned a great deal about electro-magnetism.

All Time Favorite

I think this is my very favorite picture of Amiya ever. She's so happy and it's from something so simple. That's how my girl is most of the time - happy for no reason except that she's here and she's loved.

Amiya's Favorite New Joke

"Seveh, eigh, Blobuster!"

(Seven, eight, Blockbuster!)

And if you don't think that's the funniest thing you've ever heard then you are clearly not hip and cool with the preschool set.

Anything She Should Do Bear Must Do, Too

That's right, Friends. If you want Amiya to eat her toast, Bear must eat toast, too. If you want Amiya to go pee on the toilet and pull on her big girl underwear, Bear must too. (See above.) If you want to put drops in Amiya's ears, first you must put drops in Bear's ears.

This is all well and good most of the time. But when it's time for Amiya to hop in her car seat and it is 95 degrees in Tampa, it's not all that and a bowl of cherries to have do first go through this rigomoro with Bear!

The Fourth of July

Today is a special day.

Yes, it’s the Fourth of July. It’s also the first day that Vinay has allowed me access to the laptop to blog. (That's not really true, but I do so love to tease this man.) This means I can blog while also watching the Fourth of July celebration on TV. I love the big ol’ spectacles that are today – I love the shell-shaped bandstands, the cheesy actors and actresses singing and dancing when the really should leave that to the Paula Abduls of the world, I love the host and his bad hairstyle. The choruses to some of these songs bring a tear to my eye. (Well, I think it’s the choruses and not the fact that tonight is “receipt night” in our house and I’m bored out of my skull.)

Bathroom break – Il Divo is on and for the life of me I don’t get the attraction. They’re hotties to be sure, but I might be the only woman in the Western Hemisphere immune to their warbling.

Ok, back to the Fourth of July. I love our country. I love the fact that my husband loves this place enough to have become a citizen just a few short months ago. There are a lot of things that I take for granted as a woman, as a person, as a Mother. I’m able to go where I want when I want wearing what I want. I’m able to say that I think our leadership stinks and I can’t wait to exercise my right to vote. And I’m confident that my daughter will have access to good schools (be they public or in our kitchen) and whatever we choose is ok because that’s the way the system works here.

For all of my lamenting and debating, this country is a good place to call home.

I wonder if Amiya will care about this place as much as I do? I wonder if she’ll get it without another tragic event like September 11th. I wonder if I’d get it without such an event. I have always gotten a little teary-eyed when the national anthem is sung at ballgames and assemblies, but lately it’s more than just a little teary-eyed. Maybe it’s because I’m a Mom or maybe because Vinay worked so hard for what I’ve had my whole life or maybe it’s just because I’m getting old (almost 30, ya know!!!). But really, do I need to know exactly why? No. It’s enough to know that I love this country, warts and all.

Five Years Ago.....

Once upon a time, five short years ago, there was a beautiful evening in Chicago. One year, to the day, before that there was a certain man who took a certain woman on a ferris wheel and didn’t kiss her at the top. That poor man. He had to endure one full year of teasing about the kind of guy who takes his girl to the top of a ferris wheel and doesn’t kiss her.

That guy, being the guy that he is, made up for it.

On the night of July 2nd, 2000, Christy and Vinay headed out to Navy Pier in Chicago. Christy thought the evening was nothing more than a night out, but Vinay had bigger plans. The two dined on gyros (as per their tradition), held hands and walked the pier, listened to music, looked at the boats and then got in line for the ferris wheel.

In their little cabin, they held hands and looked out at the Chicago skyline. When they got to the top, Vinay told Christy to close her eyes. Christy could feel him shifting in the cabin and assumed he was getting ready to plant a really huge kiss on her. When told to open her eyes, she found Vinay down on one knee with a beautiful ring and an even more beautiful smile.

Now, truth be told, Christy wasn’t quite sure what to say. They’d never spoken of marriage and it seemed a bit early. However, she smartly assumed (and Vinay concurs) that this was a one-time offer. He asked, she answered and the rest, dear Friends, is a very happy story, indeed.

Chopped Liver

That's what I am.

This entire past week, Amiya wanted little to do with Daddy - it was the Mommy show.

Today, however, it's all about Daddy. Mommy is only good for doling out chocolate milk and wiping spit-up (she's twenty-seven months old - shouldn't this be a memory by now) off my shoulder.

In part, this was orchestrated. I told Vinay to take her today and do something fun with her - just the two of them. I needed a break. So they did, relatively speaking. He had plans to take her to the zoo, but the rain thought otherwise, so they went to the library and to Sam's Club. Oooooooooooooooh. Not so fun for you or I or our wallet, but fun for Amiya. Anyway, it worked and everything today is all about Daddy. I think the efficacy of today was aided greatly by the marathon time-out resulting from yesterday's poop-art. Mommy has forgiven Amiya her poop expressions, but Amiya has apparently not forgiven Mommy her punishment.

I am of mixed emotions. On the one hand, it's nice to have some breathing room and to have someone else be the one she asks for to change her diapers, make her snacks, etc. It's a little bit of freedom. On the other hand, I miss the random hugs and her asking for me when she wakes up.

But, I'll take it. I'll take my chopped liver status for a few days. Because come Tuesday, she's got no choice and she'll figure that out. And then it'll be back to "Mama!" And I'll be back to waiting for another Dad/Daughter Saturday so I can stroll around with only one shadow for a few hours.

I'm so sick of this crap!

Literally.

I should be put in the cellar for bragging about her big girl underwear and toilet success, I know. But come on! Today she again created her own artwork of feces on crib slats and sheets. Because there's nothing more exciting than shit, apparently. Nevermind that she's got Bear, Sonya, books and a crib aquarium to keep her happy. Nevermind that that we swam today for more than an hour so she should have been exhausted.

Shit is all that and then some. I must have missed that memo.

So we're left in a bit of a pickle as to what to do. I know there are a million theories out there and one of them is that this is the time for a spanking. Yet, I can confidently say that Vinay and I disagree with that and in truth, our opinions on spanking are the only that count with our child. We don't believe it's right but insert choice offensive phrase here am I ever tempted. I think she'd get it - don't play with poop! But then I think she'd also get that it's ok to hit when we're angry and I don't want that to be the message of the day.

Instead, she's been in time-out since she got up an hour and a half ago. Harsh it may seem, but she's been sitting on the floor of whatever room I'm working in, so it's not like she's in solitary. She knows I'm angry at her - no hugs and kisses from me for a while.

And the worst punishment: Sonya is in the garbage. During Sonya's short time with us (what's it been - six months?) she's been the victim of at least four poop-smearing fests now and her synthetic doll hair just can't take the spin cycle of the washing machine. More importantly, Amiya loves Sonya and doesn't want to have to part with her, but I know that she'll be able to go to sleep without her, unlike Bear. Poor Bear. He's also frequently pooped, but too vital to a good night's sleep to actually be given a permanent reprieve.



We might just dig Sonya out of the garbage after Amiya's gone to bed and save her for a few years from now when this isn't such an issue. I don't know. Your thoughts?

And, if you'd like to come on down and cleam some excrement from her crib, I'd guess that you should buy your ticket for about three weeks from now. That is if I haven't found some sort of baby chastity belt that restricts all access to the booty.