Perfectly Paige

We're Moving!

2009-03-01T13:17:00.001-06:00

Since I have the family blog up - and tend to post a lot about Paige there, I will be shutting down this blog and moving over to:

http://the-sweeney-family.blogspot.com

I hope you will visit us there!

Just Stop Takling!

2008-11-17T12:25:00.003-06:00

Last week I took Paige to our local corner store to get a loaf of bread. Nothing more, nothing less. I explained this to her in the car in the most rational way possible that I knew would sink in the quickest as the store is right across the street from her school, I didn't want to play the "But why?" game.

I simply told her Mommy didn't bring enough money for treats and she had pleanty of them at home for after lunch.

We went in, got our bread and went to the check out. When the man behind the counter asked if this was all. (I hate that question, of course it is....what am I going to say? "Oh no and that wad f cash in the register please?" It's not like they are a gas station!)

Before I could answer him, Paige hops up on her tip toes and looks at him saying "My mom doesn't have any money, so thats all we can get!"

Ugh.

The worst part, it was partially true. I NEVER have cash and they don't take cash cards on orders under $8 because of the fees. I paid the guy in quarters.....

I need to watch what I say to her.

So Serious.

2008-10-08T12:18:00.003-05:00

One thing I love about this age, is their level of seriousness when telling you something they believe to be the biggest revelation of all time.

These tid-bits tend to make absolutly no sense what-so-ever and leave you feeling rather stupid you don't have something to say back.

Out witted by the 4 year old again, drat!

Take for instance the car ride home from school today, Paige looks at me ( I was looking at her in the mirror...don't worry I'm not a psycho driver) and says with the straightest face and most serious of tones.

"Some people you know in this world are in this world"

What do you say back to that!? I nodded and said "uh-huuuuh"

And then she went into a story about how she got a new pencil today.

Utter and total randomness. If I act like that I get locked in a mental ward. Oh to be young again.

It's A Toddler Tragedy

2008-10-06T23:52:00.003-05:00

In Pre-School the most coveted thing isn't a toy, or a special seat on the carpet...a ball even on the play ground. Oh no. It is something much much more special - it's being Snack Helper and Line Leader. Something that happens on the one day a month you bring your choice of healthy snack to share with the class.

Tomorrow is Paige's day, her second time since school started.

Only one small issue with tomorrow being her day. She's been in bed sick with a high fever since she got home from school and won't be able to attend.

My poor sweet little girl was so upset she tried to convince me over and over that she was fine, in between shivering from the cold sweats and coughing. She cried for 45 minutes about not being able to be be Snack Helper and Line Leader.

I made a call to her school to let them know she wouldn't be there and make sure they still didn't need me to bring her snack in, as they rely on the parents to provide it. The office lady assured me they would try to swap days around for the Line Leader thing, and I seriously hope they do or Paige might never want to continue going to Catholic school and church...lol. She will have lost all faith!

I'll believe they will swap it around when I see it. Last time I asked when Paige was going to be Kid of The Week, because Paige was wondering....I got talked to and looked at like I needed to have my kid in the spotlight....ugh. You know, one of those parents! Which I'm not like one bit!

Well I'm off to tend to a sick child...

Letter of The Day

2008-09-29T22:50:00.005-05:00

Every Tuesday at Paige's school they do Letter of the Day, where each kid brings something that starts with the specific letter. They started with A, and are going through the whole alphabet.

It's a little like show and tell, because they kid has to get up and tell the class about what it is, this is a new concept to Paige. The only group she is used to talking in front of is her parents and grand parents. I was happy that the first week went by ok, although I think she basically stood up and said "alligator" and sat back down.

Hopefully tomorrow, which is Letter 'C' Day, will go by a little better. She is planning to bring a car, a purple Barbie car to be exact. It's not totally original and I'm sure that other kids will bring a car as well, which will make her a little upset. I'm still trying to suggest some great other item in the house as cool as the purple Barbie car, but that little girl is stubborn and whats what she wants, and like me usually gets it. *smile

Vote For Paige!

2008-09-26T21:08:00.002-05:00

I won't claim to be totally informed on politics, I know probably as much as an average American but with the election coming up and it being literally a momentous occasion no matter who wins just based on those running.

Today I sparked some presidential interest in my daughter when I picked her up from school, I was wearing a large pair of sunglasses that belonged to my sister, and when I caught my reflection in the window of the car I laughed because having them on made me feel a little like Jackie O.

Paige asked who that was and I told her how she was married to a President, but that he was no longer in office.

She asked why. Sparing her the details of what really happened, I simply let her know that Presidents are only allowed to be in office for 4 years before we all get to vote again.

Quick as a whip, knowing little to nothing about presidents at all she asked,

"Can girls be President?"

I said "Of course, and I bet we'll see one in your lifetime!"

to which she said "Good, I really hope it's Auntie Megan"

I love her, she's so quick witted and lives in a fantastic world that we could only dream of knowing!

Huh?

2008-09-19T09:04:00.004-05:00

Okay, I'm not sure if I'm losing my hearing or of Paige is really just becoming harder to understand. I have found myself, over the past few days having to say "What?" to her about 6 times before I actually figure out what she is saying.

I'm listening, I swear I am, but everything is starting to become this new version of English that I was never taught. Maybe you're familiar with it, it's where you mash every word from a sentence to become one really big word. On top of the word mashing she's also decided that important information no longer needs to be conveyed in the sentence and, like most woman, is expecting you to figure out just what she is talking about based on 4 or 5 common words.

For instance, on the car ride to school this morning she said to me:

"Didjacomecheck?"

Translation into English would be - "Did you come check"

WHAT!? What does that mean!?

After we played the "What did you say" game 4 times she finally said very slowly as if to make sure I understood that I was a complete moron:

"Did you come check on me last night when I was asleep?" and then looked at me like "Duh!"

How on earth am I supposed to figure that out from Didjacomecheck? Ugh. I don't see this getting any better before she's 20!

Because I Said So

2008-09-18T07:50:00.005-05:00

This phrase has been quite popular with Paige since she was about 2. Sadly, at only 4 she is falling for it less and less and wants full blow explanations about why things have to be a certain way.

Take for instance our seemingly harmless trip to Wal-Mart with my mom the other day. Paige was determined to be the Devil for Halloween and this didn't sit well with my mom. Not because she felt that it was incredibly wrong for a 4 year old to be the devil, they have many cute, age appropriate costumes. No, the reason was Paige had just started pre-school at a Catholic school and my mother was horrified to think that she may show up to the class party dressed like a toddler version Jesus' rival. Paige didn't grasp the concept as to why this wasn't such a good idea and was not happy with "Because I said so" as the answer.

The two of them argued for about an hour. And by argue I do mean my mom dangled expensive costumes, one right after the other in front of her face and asked "What about this one" and then following it with some specific descriptive quality - "It's got sparkles"... to which Paige tossed out her keep phrase "No. I want to be the devil." She didn't even get angry or frustrated, which was amazing after such a long attempt by my mother, she at some point just stopped looking up all together.

Finally, after we managed to get away from the Halloween section and made it over to the toys where Paige was busy deciding which item she wanted to buy with her money, my mom tried a new tactic. She was no longer in negotiation mode, instead she picked up 2 High School Musical dress up costumes and said "Paige, pick one."

Paige thinking that she was getting an extra toy, chose the red dress worn by Gabrielle, complete with wig. After she did this my mom looked at her and said "You can not go to school as the devil, you can wear this to school and dress up as the Devil when you go out trick or treating."

"Why?" she asked

"Because I said do" my mom shot back

Paige thought on it a minute, decided she no longer cared too much about it and went back to deciding which Puppy in my Pocket kit was best. Somehow my mother managed to win a fight I would have had ending in a screaming match as I dressed the day of the party, all with 4 little words that aparently stand the test of time if you use them at the right moment.

Tear Free!

2008-09-17T11:31:00.005-05:00

She did it! She went into school today, gave me a hug and kiss, told me she would see me later and there were no tears!

Her teacher, Mrs. Black, was so proud of her she sent home a little note telling me how well Paige did today! I'm so proud of her!

She had letter of the day yesterday - and brought an alligator for 'A' - she loves it, and show and tell! Next week - 'B'!

End of First Week of Pre-School

2008-09-12T08:40:00.002-05:00

It's been a rough few days, but we made it through. She's fine until I have to leave and then they have to peel her off me crying and clawing. Breaks my heart.

She's fine when I pick her up, happy and talkative about how much fun she's had. I think that she just needs to make 1 or 2 really good friends that she can look forward to being with while she is there and once that happens all will be well.

She did show and tell yesterday for the first time, she brought her bag I bought her that says "Flower Girl" on it and told the class about being in the wedding. Today she is snack helper and she got to pick out what she wanted to bring, so hopefully this gets to be a little more fun with these things to look forward to at school from time to time.

My Rising Star

2008-09-10T19:47:00.003-05:00

Tonight Paige started her first day of competition dance at 4th Street Dance (4SDC) - the name of her line is "Rising Stars".

Now I love my daughter, but when I received the letter asking her to join this elite team, I was a bit concerned. Dance was something we did for fun, and to be honest - it wasn't like she was exhibiting extraordinary talent. I'm not the professional so I trusted them and after lots of talks and Paige literally begging, I signed her up and agreed to the $58.00 a month tuition.

Well my check book took a hit tonight when I signed up. I knew it was going to be a considerable cost to have her compete, but I got a bit of Tippy Toe Sticker Shock! And 4SDC is one of the best places to learn with the best prices mind you!!!

New jazz shoes - $50.00
Possible new taps depending on costume = $38.00
Costume down payment = $100
Rehearsal Fees (at the venue she will compete) $150
Mandatory Track Suit with name embroidered = $65

Cost of daughter having the time of her life at something she loves: Priceless

Okay so that last line was lame, but I have to keep reminding myself she's building lifelong relationships, learning wonderful skills and having a blast! That's all that matters. I will manage through the cost no problem.

Back to tonight - she was a bit overwhelmed at first, cried a bit because the room was loud and there were about 10 more kids in her class this year then last - but she did great, and even came home and could do exactly the dance she learned tonight, for her step dad.

I'm so proud of her and she already can't wait until next week. What will she do when they start having class 2 nights a week! :-) Stay tuned, you may see her grooving away on TV someday!

Preschool!

2008-09-10T08:47:00.004-05:00

Things are finally slowing down from the wedding, and it's time for all things Paige! Her first day of preschool was on the 8th and it went pretty well. Her dad, Michael came over in the morning for waffles and pictures, and to walk her the 15 minutes to school with me. It's nice that we can share in these occasions together. Paige really loves it.

She had a little meltdown when we got there. She's outgoing and the life of the classroom once she gets going, but I think she has some separation anxiety. We managed to get out of there after about 15 minutes.

Of course when I picked her up she said she had so much fun and couldn't wait to go back the next day. When the next day came, however, we were right back where we started...with some tears.

Today is day 3 and it was a little better, each day less and less tears. Soon I'll be dropping her off and she'll be shoving me out the door to leave!

Here she is on her first day, we got a special hair cut for school, bangs - which is very new to her and me. She seems to like it, especially since I cut most of my hair off the same day as well.

Me and My Brother

2008-08-19T08:36:00.003-05:00

For those of you who don't already know, I had a child when I was 17 that I placed for adoption. He lives in California with my God Parents actually and we see him and talk to him often. Paige and Zach are raised to know they have a sibling, and they adore each other! Maybe it has something to do with the fact they don't actually have to live in the same house...LOL!

Zach is now back here in Minnesota for my wedding this weekend and the two got to play the other night. I took the traditional photo of the 3 of us and here it is. It's so weird! He's almost as tall as me!

What Did You Say?

2008-08-10T11:03:00.002-05:00

I have a feeling that Paige may be absorbing more of the Disney Channel then is needed for a 4 year old. Every day something totally unexpected comes flying out of her mouth! It's so funny!

Take for instance, 2 days ago when Paige and Alex were out back playing ball. Which basically consists of Alex sitting in a lounge chair throwing the ball to Paige and her tossing it back. Alex tossed the ball to her and he totally missed her. Paige looked at him and said:

"You could learn something from your Grandmother!"

The next day, Paige and Staci, my good friend were in the car heading to the beach. As Paige LOVES music and tends to sing every word to every country song she has ever heard when it's on the radio, I was trying to get her to belt it out for Staci. I said:

"I guess you don't know the words to this one huh?

and I got back "Please, I could sing this in my sleep!"

Hahaha!

The Cabin

2008-07-31T11:57:00.005-05:00

This is the black bear at my family's cabin, he's an umbrella holder and he's been there since I was walking! I try to take a picture of Paige with it, like my dad did with me, every time we go up. Looking back for a few pic's to put in this blog, I realized I missed a few years....DRAT!

Here she is in 2006 and then this year, 2008

We just returned from a little family trip to my cabin, a little R&R before my wedding and to spend some quality time with a little girl who has been so understand that Mommy has been busy lately. She loves playing in the water, and fishing! Here's her newest catch! I think she named him Flippy :-) Isn't she cute - I love how she's dressed for fishing, like it's a fashion show :-)

My Little Trooper

2008-07-22T09:00:00.002-05:00

Well she's had the Cam Walker for just over a week now, and it's going well. I'm still waiting to hear back from her doctor about how long exactly she should keep it on. Simply saying "a couple months" doesn't help too much.

She's managing just fine. Like a mini-celeb when we go out in public now. Everyone wants to know how the cute little girl hurt her foot. Yesterday at Wal-Mart she told a guy she fell down the stairs, and I had to correct her and then I felt like I looked like the mom who beats her kid then covers it up! LOL.

Truth is, when people ask I don't even know what to tell them. Because we don't know whats wrong with her foot. I've been saying that there's some swelling and this is ruling out some options.

On the plus side, she had her eye doctor appointment yesterday to check for swelling in the eye - which can be a sign of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis - and there's nothing! Perfect 20/20 vision! And she did awesome sitting still in that chair and following direction!!!

Keep checking back, I'm sorry that I take so long between posts - with the wedding coming up so soon and not sleeping well at night....ugh I'm just worn out!

The Cam Walker

2008-07-11T15:39:00.003-05:00

No it's not a person, it's a big bulky black boot Paige has to wear on her foot for the next several months. She's doing fine in it, though she wasn't happy that we had to cancel her bouncy castle party for her soccer team....

Here she is in her cam walker:

When we left the doctor on Wednesday we were set to do a regiment of Motrin dosages for 3-4 weeks, and then yesterday the doctor called with more info. After going over her chart and MRI's, and X-rays she now believes it's swlling on her Navicular bone and in order to heal it, we need to keep it from moving around and cause more swelling.

Hopefully by next week I'll have an answer as to exactly how long she has to wear it. All I know right now is, it could take several months to heal.

Pop Rocks

2008-07-04T16:16:00.000-05:00

When Paige was about 2-3 I thought I would let her try Pop Rocks - here's how it went over:

Pop Rocks

E-Mailing Mommy

2008-06-30T12:50:00.003-05:00

I got an e-mail from Paige today. I don't know what was cuter, her typing, or her translation sent to me word for word. I thought I would share this with you.

ghhhhhhjkvcxzwerftghy
rtghjfjfkgk;lm,;c,.,s;./.c,,.

/xx.x.,m,.,.c,.,m,c,vmfkgjb v,dd ccddg
,,mmvnfyoiuik ldmfjkff lfl ,dlg;f elejf kf ckkcnvv

translated

Mom - I hope you love it... now I love you

trttfydhjhjdjduyfufyteytdycydtddytfgftrftrfd

oohhh oohhh tell her it has a pony

ufrkjkfkdlklkfuiurrfcfrgnjcncn nhchjcffddfyjjjreddsdrrtrdseerertyttyutr

hey mommy.... i love you it says it has a pony

Leg Update

2008-06-19T08:36:00.002-05:00

Man, I swear I am terrible at this lately. I've been so busy with the wedding I forgot to come back and update everyone!

The specialist told us he is diagnosing it as Cronic Inflammation of the Joint for now, but had us make an appointment with a rhumeatologist to rule out any thing that x-rays didn't show.

She's still limping, still no pain and taking Motrin on an every 6 hour schedule. It helps a little but not entirely.

The next appointment is July 9th, hopefully we'll have this sorted soon!!! Thanks for all your concern everyone!

The Leg Issue

2008-06-12T21:03:00.001-05:00

Paige has an undiagnosed leg issue, she's been limping and complain of pain for weeks. We've managed to get her into a specialist and we will be seeing them tomorrow. So my family can stop trying to diagnose her them self...;-) Love my family!

Just in case anyone is wondering why there isn't as many posts lately...I'll keep you updated.

Meet Baby

2008-06-03T22:00:00.009-05:00

'Baby' is Paige's oldest and closest friend, he has gone everywhere with her since she was born.

A gift from her cousins, 'Baby', or 'Mr. Bear' as he was named by me long before she could talk, is a yellow bear's head, attached to to a blanket. Lined with that silky material often found on blankets, she runs her fingers on it to sooth her self, and thinks he's a real person, and most recently - her son.

In the early days, baby remained in the crib. Once she was more mobile, he was drug behind her everywhere. In his 4 years he's been dipped in syrup, left in Target carts, forgotten at a grandparents, stepped on, dropped in a puddle, thrown up on, used to clean things by Paige and much more.

I'd like to mark Baby's journey this far in photos, starting with his first year together with Paige. You will see the love got stronger over the years as he became less of a fluffy toy and more like a dirty yellow-ish door mat of sorts.

Watch for the next installment Baby's Second Year

Baby at 5 months
Baby at 7 months
Baby at 10 months and LOOK - you can see his face!
Baby at 11 months - Still Looking Good
Baby at 1 year
Until next time....

Chaos Theroy - A Mothers Version

2008-06-01T10:33:00.002-05:00

I don’t remember the last time I had a good morning last more than 10 minutes. I mean this quite literally.

I understand with being a stay at home mom and planning a wedding, getting a child ready for pre-school in the fall, helping family, planning birthday parties and so on, life is stressful. If that was all this was I’d be great, I could handle that - I was made to function as Mom.

Oh but it’s not, it never is.

I call Alex each morning, right after I give Paige breakfast and put on a pot of coffee. I’d say that takes all of 15 minutes, in that time my day has normally gone from "running smoothly" to "train wreck" and he doesn’t ever get a happy hello - no instead he gets aggravated, annoyed Amber who’s spending more time yelling at the dog to "quit it", whatever "it" may be today, and telling Paige repeatedly to "Shh! Mommies on the phone". Which by the way, the child doesn’t want to speak to me all day until that receiver is on my ear.

I’m pretty flexible, I have back up plans most of the time if something falls through. Sometimes I don’t, and I manage still. But I think more than having to change my plans what annoys me more is the fact that most of the time, people just don’t get how one ripple in your daily plan sets a tidal wave through the whole day and everything needs to moved, changed and rescheduled.

And it’s not just the "non-moms" who smile sweetly and wonder why your head is spinning uncontrollably as you call your dads, second cousins aunt to see if she can watch your kid in a pinch because you have a doctor appoint that cannot ( I REPEAT CAN NOT) be rescheduled, due to a timing crunch. And is certainly not something that you want your child at with you.....if you get what I mean.

It is very often the actual Moms, the "Veteran Moms" - the "I’ve - been - a - mom - so - long it - was - spelled - differently - back - then - Moms" who look at you and tell you, "It’s fine" or my favorite, when it comes from my mom - who was born having a panic attack...."Oh Calm down Amber, it’s not the end of the world"

OH SHUT UP!

You know why you say that, because you’ve blocked out the sheer and total chaotic moments of your past with VODKA! Sure, it all works out in the end - but you know why - do you...huh??? Because you spend 45 minutes running around trying to find a way to make it work as fast as humanly possible so that you don’t derail from schedule, sacrificing that shower you were so looking forward to and changing lunch from something at home to something on the road.

When a child is born you should be given a paper bag to breath in, a day planner that never goes out of date and a bottle of Ritalin - for you or the kids...you choose when needed.

Don’t get me wrong I have the greatest job in the world - but luckily my Chaos mode is always functioning otherwise I’d be a heap on the floor begging for mercy as I suddenly realize I got the dog a flu shot and had the kid fitted for a flea collar.

I shouldn’t joke about that.....one never knows....

Flashback #4 Things I Think I Hear

2008-05-23T08:43:00.004-05:00

3 year olds don't always speak clearly, and on any given morning before I've had my coffee, or during a mad rush to get out the door - certain things can be misheard and cause a bit of an uproar.

For instance, one afternoon while we are getting ready to take the trip back to daddy's, Paige is happily occupied with animal crackers at the kitchen table while I proceed to run around franticly looking for some misplaced shoe.

Shoes found and finally on feet, Paige hold up a cracker (can they really be called crackers? They taste like cookies to me! Ok sorry, ADD kicked in) and tells me she's like to give it to daddy. Fine, I say to her but I ask her to stick it in her pocket so it doesn't get lost, broken or befall some other fate worthy of a tiny camel cookie.

Now Paige is walking in front of me, partially out into the yard, and she says back to me with out turning around

"No, if I stick it in my pocket it will get all fucked up"

I stop dead in my tracks. What did she just say? "Paige hunny repeat that please"

"I don't want to put it in my pocket because it will get all fucked up"

I'm scanning my recent memory now wondering, did I stub my toe and let the F-Bomb slip? Where did she hear that?

I walk up behind her, as she reaches the car, spin her around and look her in the eyes.

"Paige, please say that one more time. A little slower."

This annoyed look, I must admit she gets from me, appears on her face and a "Uh!" comes out before hand but eventually she spits it out, very annoyed like:

"Mom! I said that I don't want to put it in my pocket because it will get all fuzzed up, from the fuzz (points to pocket) thats in my pocket! Geeze"

PHEW!

I seriously needed a hearing aid that day. And let me tell you, trying not to burst out laughing, while being shocked into a coma - isn't as easy as you might think. You can be the most straight laced person and a toddler whipping out the "F-enheimer" will make you shoot your tea out your nose!

Ladies and Gentelmen, Your Next American Idol...

2008-05-21T21:38:00.003-05:00

We let Paige stay up to watch the finale tonight, and it was by far the most entertaining 2 hours of my life. Not because of the show, which was good mind you, but because of Paige and her thoughts on the nights performers.

First off, when George Michael was singing she looked up and me and said:

"are you going to laugh at me if I say this?"

"No hunny" I replied

"He's Hot!"

My eyes bugged out of my head because I have never heard her say anything like that before and because...well it's George Michael.

I didn't have the heart to tell her, or the ability to explain that he was gay, so I simply replied with

"Well sorry sweetie, but he thinks girls have cooties"

That seemed to hold her over a bit and she watched on with wide eyes as they announced the winner. It's no secret I was rooting for David Archuleta as was Alex. So when the verdict came that David Cook won, I was still happy because let's face it, he deserved it too!

Paige on the other hand, was not on the same boat as me and proceeded to burst into an uncontrollable crying fit. It lasted a total of 20 minutes, and I even mamanged to get her on video (which I hope to post soon) brushing her teeth and BAWLING at the same time over "Archies" loss.

How you brush your teeth and cry I have no clue but she managed it!

The Cup and Cone

2008-05-20T12:31:00.004-05:00

Cup and Cone is a icre cream "shack" located a few blocks from our home. One in awhile Paige and I will venture up there, by foot or by bike to have lunch.

Our oder: 2 hot dogs, one with ketchup and one with ketcup and mustard, 1 small bag of chips and a small Slushie.

The Slushie is the crowing piece, as Cup and Cone has a dozen or more flavors, Paige and I are determined to try them all. Today we had grape, and while we sipped it knowing full well it was in fact grape she was very certain that their "green flavor" was also grape, because grapes come in both colors - as would the Slushies.

Quite the logic for a 4 year old.

After a particularly large gulp, Paige asked me for a glass of water. When I asked why she wanted that when she had a Slushie, she responded that the Slushie had too much sugar in it and she needed the water in it's place.

I swear she is smarter then me most days!

This is our second flavor, in case you are wondering, the first was cherry, which Paige had no trouble finishing. Must not have been as much sugar in that one.

Kick it!

2008-05-19T13:14:00.003-05:00

Last week Paige had her first soccer practice, she had so much fun learning the rules of the game and running around with her new friends.

Her Daddy is her coach, and we only have one minor meltdown when Paige was upset that he was playing with the other girls too - we should have explained what a coach was a little bit better maybe.

How Dumb Can I be?

2008-05-10T20:02:00.004-05:00

My step dad, well he likes Scotch. So much so that I gave him a personalized ring tone on my cell phone of Will Ferrel in the movie Anchorman chanting a little tribute to Scotch.

Now, my step dad rarely calls my cell phone so we never hear this lovely little sing song, it's more of an in person joke between us now. Today when I called to see if I could pick anything up for the Mothers Day dinner tomorrow, he jokingly sang the song to me, and I, in front of Paige (well in front of her, rather as we were in the car) repeated it.

10 minutes later, I have a 4 year old proudly singing:

"I love Scotch, I love Scotch, here it goes in my tummy"

I had to laugh quietly, then kick myself sharply in the shin for being dumb and hope to God that she forgets it before the next time I take her in public.

First Dance Pictures

2008-05-08T08:53:00.006-05:00

We went to the salon this morning, to see Paige's favorite Hair Dresser - Kelly, and get her hair done for her dance pictures.

At 4th Street Dance, they take the pictures weeks before the show, so they look their best for them. It's an ingenious idea and great for the kiddos as they get to wear their outfits twice and the pictures turn out great as they don't have "post-dance" hair.

Here's a few shots from the salon and ones I snuck while the photographer was doing his thing.

I can't wait to have the photos from her actual recitle later this month!

Welcome Katia

2008-04-25T17:07:00.007-05:00

On the 22nd, our family got a bit bigger! My sister Ashley gave birth to daughter Katia Lucia (Kah-Tee-Ah Loo-Cee-Ah)

8 lbs 21 inches

And today I got to take a few pictures of her, of the 100 - only a few turned out...lol. The last one is simply for a laugh - babies - so unpredictable!

Flash Back #3 "With The Best of Intention"

2008-04-24T09:12:00.004-05:00

June 2007, Paige was 3 years old.

Alex and I took Paige to Majors in Vadnais Heights for dinner. We make it through the whole meal with no out bursts or need to get up and run around the table in circles...which has been known to happen.

As usual, I ate WAY too much food. I began to notice I might need some new pants this year as I was quite certain I was going to pop right out of the capri khakis I was wearing due to the "pasta massacre" I just threw down on my main course. Oh, that poor button....hanging on for dear life...

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm not fat, I've just always weighed 100 lbs my whole life. So at 27, lingering around the "normal and healthy" weight for my height finally, and being a little out of shape, I felt like a blob sometimes. And any parent knows when you have kids, you spend every penny on your kids clothing, and not much on your own.

Well I commented on this to Alex.

"Babe, I think I'm going to need some new pants this year, these ones are about to quit on me" I pointed at my tummy and made a fat face which Paige thought was hysterical.

Before he could respond our waitress appeared with my leftovers box - you know us over eaters, leave no good noodle behind. She asked if we wanted any desert, to which I replied "Oh no, I haven't any room"

And sweet little Paige tossed in her thoughts by saying....

"Yay - My mom's FAT!" in that 3 year old, "outdoor voice". The whole restaurant heard her, and looked over.

Lesson Learned: Don't talk about anything in front of Paige you don't want the entire room your int o know about!

Have You Seen My Beaver?

2008-04-21T13:34:00.003-05:00

As I slacked off a bit and didn't post a lot in the past few days, I thought I would give you 2 posts today. Both of which will be short, sweet and funny.

Paige recently had a cold, which required me to take her to the store for medication. While wondering around waiting for the nurse to call back and tell me what to give her (with the toddler deaths due to OD of cold meds, you have to talk to your doc before buying now!) I got caught up in a conversation with another woman in the store.

Paige, not feeling so great, and never taking to well to being left out of a conversation - pipes up and says rather loudly and says rather matter-o-factly:

"You know, I'm sick and I have a BEAVER"

I wanted to pick up the shelf I was standing by and hid under it.

The woman I was talking too, understood that she meant fever - but simply by the looks on the faces of the other shoppers I could tell she was probably the only one.

We now are careful to make sure she hasn't a "beaver" when she's ill - and we're really workin hard on the F sound...;-)

Flashback #2: The Baby Powder Incident

2008-04-21T13:22:00.003-05:00

When your daughter is being quite in her room, during nap time, when she normally wouldn't be - never think that she's just turned over a new leaf and decided that she's going straight to bed...

Oh yea, and don't leave the baby powder in her room either...

(FYI - that shirt was dark brown!)

This happened May 2007 - shortly after her 3rd birthday party - as that shirt was a gift from her friend Nina. Took awhile to get it clean, so she could wear it again!

What fits in your nose?

2008-04-10T21:56:00.001-05:00

My mother will tell you that when I was three, she gave me one of those small boxes of Sun Maid raisins. She will tell you how when I produced an empty box back to her, she was so pleased I liked them. Until of course she saw one sticking out of my nose. One by one they had to be removed, I apparently did not like them after all.

24 years later, I have a 4 year old daughter who has never had a small box of raisins for this exact reason. That is the honest to goodness truth. I figured that by not giving them to her I would be able to avoid the "removing items from child's crevasses with tweezers" bonding experiance.

As wrong as my mother was about my love for shriveled grapes, I was wrong about that.

Today Paige played happily with out asking to watch TV. Momentous occasion here. What with Hannah Montana and High School Musical, already there are things she has to see. I took random moments to check e-mail, fold laundry and pick things up - all while watching her closely. So I thought.

About 2 o'clock Paige comes to me, upset that the booger in her nose would not come out, despite her best digging efforts - of which she displayed for me. So, I carried her to the couch and looked up her little nose and sure enough there was a huge one in there, blocking the whole nostril.

My, booger sucker days when she was an infant left me able enough to navigate my way with a long pair of tweezers in to grab said booger. However, the thought of this terrified Paige, so we played the "Ok, blow really hard for me" game for a few minutes before I went in. That only left Paige more upset and, me, well - covered in snot because the other nostril.....worked great!

I bribed Paige with a piece of candy to let me go in and get out the green monster, and finally she relented and let me after it. Seconds later my tweezers emerged from her right nostril with a big, huge.....ball of couch cushion stuffing?

The second it was out of her nose, knowing she was busted for sticking something in there that didn't belong - she burst into tears. I, was still staring at the fuzz wondering why on earth even a 4 year old would stick that in their nose. Then I remembered my own little story and realized the answer was simple - because it fit.

Later, after all had calmed down and she had her chocolate which I had to give her as it was our deal, and explaining over and over why we don't stick things in our nose.....Paige called her father to say hello and explain her ordeal.

When he asked her why she would stick that in her nose, her response was simple and creative, she said:

"I was sniffing the couch really hard, and it just got stuck"

Flashback #1 "The Amazing Paige"

2008-04-10T12:13:00.000-05:00

Every now and again I will post a little story, a flash back if you will, of something Paige has said or done. It seems with age, her antics get funnier and funnier and it would be a shame not to recap the past 4 years..

With that, I give you "The Amazing Paige"

When Paige was just about three, she was sleeping in a toddler bed. As much of a big girl as it made her feel, it was pure hell for me for awhile having to remind her not to get out of bed several times a night. After a while, my simply opening the door would do the trick and she would lay down...for a while.

One evening in particular I had been having an especially tough time with her. Having to go up to her room 4 times already, on this, the 5th trip I was pretty annoyed.

I swung open her door and found her bedding tossed about, stuffed animals discarded and no Paige.

I thought quickly, had I heard her walking around? No. With the hardwood floor in our house and her bedroom directly above where I was in the basement, had she opened her door or left her room I would know.

Suddenly, once i realized she couldn't have left her room panic rushed over me and I felt like I was living in one of those Lifetime Original Movies about kidnapped children.

I went to the closet, looked under the bed, when I heard a giggle, followed by "I'm hiding Mommy"

Okay. Have you seen Poltergeist? Where the little girl talks through the TV to her mom...what was going on in her room was a little like that.

I looked in the direction of her voice, which was coming straight from her bed. Nothing was on her bed but a pillow, and I really started to believe I was losing my mind. Was I hearing things?

Then I saw the pillow move. And a little toe poked out the bottom of it. And I realized Paige was INSIDE the pillow case, sitting at the head of her bed, pretending to actually be her pillow!!! I didn't even know a child could FIT in a standard sized pillow case.

I yanked it off her head, told her to go back to sleep, made the bed back up then got out of there as fast as I could because I was on the verge of laughing uncontrollably. Half out of relief and half because....she actually climbed inside the pillow case to hide from me! Who does that?

SHe may have a good chance of becoming a magician someday.

Welcome!

2008-04-09T22:33:00.000-05:00

I am starting this blog for Paige, my funny, dramatic, imaginative, hilarious, spunky, perfect little girl. A little girl that, just recently I have realized, isn't really all that little anymore.

She is growing faster then I can keep track of. Despite my best efforts of scrap booking, taking photos and writing down every last little thing she says - I am falling behind. And now, with my wedding only 4 and a hlaf months away I feel as though I might be missing out on even more.

So to keep everyone updated, to share those incredibly funny things she says from time to time, and to just celebrate this little life I've been blessed with - I give you 'Perfectly Paige'