Little Big Girl

Because Olivia:

• Has 2 younger siblings
• Speaks very well, and constantly
• Acts old and not kid-spazzy
• Looks long and lanky rather than pudgy,

I often forget she is only four years old. And that she's a cute little girl. I guess it's easy to have your cuteness overlooked when you've got a new baby and a roly-poly toddler to compete with. But, in addition to being intelligent and creative and beautiful and helpful and thoughtful and talkative (oh, yes, always talkative)...Olivia really is very cute.

Here are some things she loves to do:

• Make things out of fabric scraps
• Talk about her owies
• Color and cut paper
• Read books
• Write letters
• Throw birthday parties for White Kitty
• Play mommy to numerous babies and kitties
• Help me do things
• "Help" me do things
• Go to preschool
• Have piano lessons
• Go to Primary
• Sing songs
• Paint
• Hear songs and stories
• Play on the iPad
• Look for confetti and small plastic objects at the park
• Tell Carmen what to do

I'll post a recent picture later (Damon just woke up). But this afternoon was nice - Damon and Carmen napped, and Olivia and I sewed things. It was nice to just hang out with my first baby, who isn't such a baby any more (but is still a little kid).

Peeves and rants

I feel crabby, and I want to feel validated by writing it down. I was going to post this somewhere private, but I don't want to be private - I want to write what I want, and this is my blog.

Why does my 4-year-old daughter refuse to learn to spit or blow her nose? NO ONE ELSE IN THE WORLD doesn't know how to spit. No one else's mommy has to scrape vomit off their tongue with a washcloth because they can't or won't spit it out. Oh, I am frustrated with that.

I hate it when people give lengthy responses to emails they obviously have not read, expostulating on things they didn't bother to read completely.

I hate it when people reply to all on responses that really only apply to one person.

I hate having my solicited opinion denounced. Like, someone asks, "What do you think of this?" I respond, "It's not my first choice, and here are legitimate reasons A, B, and C, and proof I know what I'm talking about." Response: "Why are you being so negative? This will be great! Let's all be so excited about it!" Well, look. If you don't want my feedback, don't ask for it, but don't tell me I'm wrong. I'm not wrong. It's so frustrating when you want to respond, "Look, you bozo, you obviously didn't understand, and how dare you try to discount my legitimate feedback with your blind, forced assertions?" To avoid sounding like a troll, I have to be silent and just wait for experience to prove my point, and that's frustrating.

I hate having big, itchy mosquito bites on my legs. Seriously, it hasn't rained all summer. The mosquitoes should have all been fried up.

I hate it when Damon gets constipated. How can someone on an all-liquid diet be constipated? For heaven's sake, just poop it out and stop being so crabby!

(I guess I'm not one to talk there. About the crabby part, not the other.)

We're going on vacation tomorrow. None too soon, obviously.

Breaking news

We've got a roller - he goes pretty consistently from back to front, then gets ticked off because he's on his belly.

Carmen's doing well on potty training - except for when she poops in her undies. That's really gross.

Piano's starting up again next week. It will be fun, but it has been a nice break.

Does anyone know a mute hairstylist? We all know I need a haircut, but I just want to sit there and not talk while it's happening. I guess if it's someone who doesn't speak any English, that would work too.

Preschool starts next week too. Olivia's excited!