Pahty

It was getting to be time for bed.  I needed Violet to use the bathroom before getting her settled into her bed.

"Violet, go potty," I said for the third time.

And for the first time ever, Violet mocked me.  She used a really nasally voice and said, "Violet, go potty.  Violet, go potty."

I thought I would have to wait until she was a teenager before she openly mocked me.  I was too stunned to even be mad.

Importance and Bravery

Violet has been crying wolf at bedtime lately, yelling for me to go in there only to tell me something like, "Monkey's being crazy."

I try to explain to her the difference between important things, and un-important things.  I told her that if she needs to go poop, than that was important, so that we could get her to the potty before an accident.  News about Monkey and his crazy sayings and doing was not important.  She didn't really get it.  I think we have vastly different takes on what's important and Monkey being crazy is important to her.

After I explain, she said several times, "When something is important then I have to say it's important and it's important so I say it's important," and so on she goes with this circular reasoning.

Then, after a few more of these circular loops, she tells me, "Daddy, it's important.  I just want you to know that if there are any bad monsters in the house, you let me know and I'll throw them outside.  OK?"

"Thanks, Violet.  That's very brave of you," I said, and took off before she could tell me something that Monkey said.

Going to bed

It was a bit late for Violet's bedtime, which is always a bit of a nightmare.  She's a crazy force of nature if she's up too late.  Just ten minutes can make the difference between pleasant, fun, listening daughter and a whirlwind of chaotic destruction.

I finally corralled her into bed and she declared, "Daddy, I don't like you."

I looked at her, not easily surprised by the things she says as bedtime.  "Why?" I asked.

Matter of factly, she said, "Because you made me go to bed."

I was struck but the brutal and simple honesty of it.

I wish!

We were reading this Elmo Potty book at bedtime.  Violet looked at me and said, "I wish I could jump into this book and play with Elmo!"

That was an interesting thought.

Careful

I got Violet up one morning, and the first thing she said was, "Daddy, you have to be careful with me."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I'm special," she told me.

"Oh, I know," I said.  "I know.

Robot dog

Violet looked at the pattern of poodle dogs in Christmas hats on her pajamas.  She pointed to them and said, "Look at my robot dogs."  No idea where that came from.

Pooping and Privacy

We close the bathroom door when we do our business, but we don't typically lock the door.  This is a mixed bag, I think.  Violet doesn't really show much interest in locking herself in the bathroom is good.  The downside is that she also don't quite give privacy, particularly my privacy, the respect I wish she would.

She busts in on me and asks, "Daddy you done pooping?"

"Yep," I tell her, trying to shoo her out of the bathroom.

"Can I see it?" she asks.

"What?" I ask, stunned.

"Can I see it?" she asks, undaunted.

I had to laugh.  "No, Violet, come on, get out."

What?

I was changing Violet after a nap, during which she wears a diaper to prevent sleeping accidents.  I put her up on the changing table and peel off the diaper and toss her underpants to put on.

Before she puts them on, though, she starts flailing around and picking at her butt.

This behavior is pretty abnormal.  "Violet, what are you doing?" I ask.

Like it's a perfectly reasonable response, she says, "I was trying to tear my bum cheeks off."

"What?" I asked.

She repeated it, as I put her down on the ground, and she bolted to the living room.

It was yet another one of those "Well, what can you say?" parenting moments.

What I like

Violet was betting Momma's hair.  She said, "Momma, I like you because you hair is the same color as Monkey," referring to her brown stuffed pal.

She turned to me.  She said, "Daddy, I like you because you're fun.  You're fun.  And you're fun."  She paused, and said excitedly, "How many funs is that?"

Puke

The girls were in our bed watching one of Violet's cartoons, Super Why.  I made myself a cup of coffee and got a cup of milk for Violet.  I walked into the room to find Christie and Violet giggling madly.
 
"What's so funny?" I asked.

Christie told me the story:

Princess Pea on the cartoon complain that she had a tummy ache.  She's at a fair and she's agonizing that she very much wants to eat some popcorn, but her stomach keeps grumbling audibly.

"Oh, no, what should I do?" Princess Pea said.

"Puke," Violet said, in her best medical wisdom.  "She should puke."

Then the giggling started.  I had to laugh too, after the recap.

Monkey's Rice Beard

Today for dinner, Violet had rice on her plate.  The plate was a plastic plate with a picture of a monkey's head on it.  Violet made the comment, "Look, Daddy, the monkey's got hair and a beard."

I looked at the plate.  I could clearly see the monkey's face, with a beard and thick mane of rice.  It was uncanny.

I smiled, thinking about how Violet sees the world.

Voices

Violet usually translates what her stuffed pal Monkey "says" to her.  Monkey has been more and brazen lately.  Violet will often provide us messages like "Monkey just told me he wants to poop all over my room."

The other day, though, she used a crazy voice for Monkey.

Violet wanted me to put her baby sister near her for another good night hug.  Lila was hungry, so I thought this next hug ill-advised.  "No, Vi-Vi, it's time for bed.  I've got to go feed Lila."

Then I heard Violet make this voice saying "Can I have Lila?"  The voice was a cross between robotic and something from the exorcist.

"Violet, what voice is that?"  I asked.

"That's Monkey's voice," she said.

"He sounds scary.  Good night."  I left the room with her say normal, silly things in a really creepy voice.

A Visit to Work

Christie needed to go to a store near my work.  She packed the kids up and headed in, mentioning "Maybe we'll visit Daddy's work today."

Violet didn't hear the "maybe" part and she zeroed in on visiting my work.  We didn't realize it at the time, but Violet was thinking back to her visit to my work on Halloween night, when, drshe essed as a princess, she collected a substantial haul of candy.  So on this random Tuesday, Violet thought she would skip through the cubicles and get handed sweets.

Violet arrived at the office as was cute enough that she actually did wrangle a few pieces of candy from people.  It's funny to me what she can accomplish with her cuteness.  She cuted her way into the VP's office, and the VP interrupted his meeting to listen to Violet's cute story.

The morale:  Don't underestimate Violet's powers of cuteness.  Let's just hope she continues to use her powers for good and not evil.