Singing Violet

I haven't written a Violet-specific post for a while. She's now 21 months, still as happy as can be (most of the time), a talkative girl with a big smile. 

Here is Violet's favorite shirt. She asks for it pretty often. "Kitty shirt, kitty shirt!" Sadly it's getting too small on her, but I think I'll take Stacey's advice and just snip the back of the neck so we can still slip it over her head. She loves it that much. 

Violet loves animals in general - dogs, cats, zoo and farm animals... We went to the zoo over the weekend and Violet was naming every animal, and in the case of the gorillas, she named them before she even saw one. She must have recognized the enclosure from our trip a few weeks prior.

Violet's four-week tumbling class ends tomorrow. She has loved it, as most toddlers would. What's not to love about running and jumping on trampolines, climbing on ladders, trying out balance beams, and swinging on ropes over a foam block pit?

After 15 minutes of open play, the children all go onto the big trampoline, where one at a time they get to jump while the rest of us sing the "ABCs." Violet is one of the few young ones to sing along, loudly, nearly every word. It's a good thing she does, too, as it distracts her from her strong desire to head back onto the trampoline.

From the second class on, she's raced to be first to jump when the instructor says it's time to head over. Then, after her turn, she has a while to wait while the rest of children get their turn, before they all get to bounce together.


When Violet made it to the top of the ladder, she was so proud of herself! "I did it!" she yelled, over and over. Violet often uses three-word phrases now, and sometimes even four-words together. Stace and I continue to be amazed at her speaking ability. A couple of weeks ago, she said, "I've got a little bag" while holding a bag.
Violet's teachers at Mom2Mom and Sunday School tell us every week how surprising her speech is.

At Mom2Mom, Miss Sarah told me she got out Violet's potty seat to see if Violet wanted to use it. Violet went into the bathroom, saw the seat, and said, "I don't want to." Violet also tells me "Don't want it!" when we're singing songs, if I start singing the wrong song.

Anyway, back to the pottying - after a bad month over Christmas when Violet had some stomach problems, I'm thrilled that she's back to using the toilet almost all the time for going No. 2. She cheers loudly, both when we change her and she hasn't pooped in her diaper, and when she succeeds in the toilet.
"Dood dirl, Vi-yet! Dood dirl, no poo!"
She also calls me and Cora "good girls" when we use the toilet, if we're out in public and in the same stall.

I try to help out at church monthly in Sunday School, and this past week I worked in Violet's class. Here, she's making a mirror to remind the children that God loves them, the child they see in the mirror.

Violet already loves crafts, and sat down quickly. "Help me, Mummy. Ticker, ticker. (Sticker) Help me, please." After church, Violet is always excited to get her "dondut."

She also like snack time. She and Brayden, the boy next to her, were telling each other their names. "I Vi-yet" she said with a big smile.  She generally talks with a big smile. Imagine, in a sing-songy voice, "Hellooooo, Mummyyyy! Helloooo, Coraaaaa! Helloooo, Daddyyyy!"

Interestingly, Violet can say Cora properly now, though Cora encourages her sister to still call her "Gia"; Cora didn't say her own name properly until she was about 3. Violet also is calling water "water" more often than alguie, and she calls the cats "kitties" sometimes, and not just "aggums." She can count to 10, give or take a number or two. She's a good sleeper at night, goes to bed easily, and wakes up between 7:30 and 8. She still takes a two-hour nap every afternoon.

In general, our Violet Mae is an absolute joy and Stace and I are treasuring every moment of her toddlerhood - the hugs and kisses, holding hands, her head on our shoulder when she's tired. Even her tantrums and screaming sessions aren't so bad. I wish she didn't have to grow up. 

God, thanks for trusting us with this precious little one to raise! Help us do right by her, and by her sister.

I've been wanting to capture Violet's singing and speech. At top is Twinkle Twinkle, and at bottom is the ABCs. In the middle, we have one of the funny words she mispronounces - ketchup is "raprap."