8 months old today

In the following video you will see two things. The most obvious thing is that, beginning last night, Violet has started holding onto her crib and trying to pull herself up. She only gets to her knees at most, but she is beginning to realize the possibilities and that's what counts.

The second thing you might notice is something she has begun doing in the last week. At the very beginning of the video, you can see her snorting in and out as she crinkles up her nose. She does this to show displeasure. Sometimes I do it back to her and that makes her laugh! Smart girl.

Today we went to SuperTarget. Only once I started to get her out of the car did I realize that I nowhere near removed all the rice cereal and banana that was dried to her face. Of course that was better than what happened to us on Monday. More on that later.

So we went to SuperTarget and ours here in Knoxville has a lovely range of very reasonably priced scrapbooking supplies. Hoorah for SuperTarget!! Life is good! I got a 12x12 album, some earthtone-colored cardstock, some tape squares, and a pen. Though I know some people who go wonderfully all out with the scrapbooking, I'm planning for my main album to be more traditional - just photos, a little bit of writing, and maybe some pretty paper and a couple of stickers here and there. I may later do some smaller, more thematic albums that are a little wilder. I wish I had the $$ to go all out, but I don't. I think this will do me for a while anyway.

If you haven't heard, I joined a gym. I had been walking, but it's getting too hot and it just wasn't doing it for me (I have one foot that complains loudly when I walk too much), so I joined The Rush Fitness Complex. They have Kid Kare, which Violet hates. But she's getting better. Slowly.

On Monday she has her nap and then we head out. When we get there, I pull her out of the carseat and see poop on the seat. So do I stay or do I go? I waver for a moment but I decide to stay. I take her around to the other side of the car and I change her diaper. The poop got all over the pretty skirt she was wearing (I was hoping that the women who work in Kid Kare would be so enamored of cutie Violet in her cute skirt that they wouldn't mind the crying as much), but luckily not on her shirt. So same shirt, new diaper, new pants. Blue shirt, pink pants. The blue shirt has pink butterflies on it, so I decide that they match the pants.

There was also a little poop on my shirt. I decide I'll just keep my arms down because to go home would admit defeat and I will not be defeated by poop.

We go in and there's two girls working in Kid Kare that I've not seen yet. I ask them if they've heard about Violet and they say no. So I go through the whole thing - they're totally uninterested, but I don't care because this is my baby we're talking about - I tell them this is Violet's third time at Kid Kare and she's not in daycare and she is going to get upset when I leave and she is going to cry and I'll see you in one hour. One of the girls says, "We usually come get you if they cry more than 10 minutes." So I say, well, ok, then I'll see you in 10 minutes.

So I'm riding the bike and the whole time I'm stressing about Violet and that they're going to come and get me. Across the gym I can see them through the window - one of the girls is carrying Violet, bouncing her a bit as she walks and talking to her. I really hate to leave her in there but this is just something I have to do for myself. Twenty-three hours a day I am happy to devote to Violet, but this one hour I need to myself. She is with me almost all the time - she's asleep on my lap as I type this. So I'm hoping that she calms down and they don't have to come and get me.

Thirty minutes later, I switch from the bike to the treadmill. Another mother is paged to Kid Kare, but not me!! After an hour, I go to pick her up and she's not crying - until she sees me. I take her and hold her and she is all right...just needs to go home for a nap.

I took her again yesterday and when I picked her up the girl agreed with me that she's getting better - she still cries, but a little less. I know it's hard for her - it's very hard for me to leave her there - but it's just an hour, 4 times a week. And I think it'll be good for her. I've already noticed when we go out that she tolerates strangers better. I think she'll really like it once she can crawl around and play with their toys. She'll be ok, she's a good girl. Once she get used to it, I'll probably have more of a problem trying to get her to leave...