Candace W.'s Diary Entries Diary Navigation: Choose A Diary Entry -------------------- Latest Entry: 12/26/02 -------------------- 10/27/02 9/29/02 9/10/02 9/1/02 8/18/02 8/12/02 6/29/02 4/14/02 3/18/02 3/3/02 1/11/02 12/21/01 12/4/01 11/20/01 11/13/01 10/21/01 9/12/01 9/5/01 8/29/01 8/22/01 8/6/01 7/24/01 7/16/01 7/3/01 6/26/01 6/11/01 6/3/01 5/1/01 4/22/01 4/9/01 3/6/01 3/1/01 2/19/01 2/15/01 2/6/01 2/4/01 1/24/01 1/15/01 1/9/01 1/1/01 12/26/00 -------------------- Candace W.'s Introduction

November 13, 2001

D is for discipline…


I was planning on writing this entry a long time ago. I really was seeking advice on how to get Alexandria to listen better, and to behave a little better than she was at the time. It seems that she has started to behave better naturally, without us changing much of anything. Maybe she has started to figure out what is expected of her, and how things work in the new house, with Al staying at home with her, or maybe we have been a little better about keeping her in line. Whichever it is, I am grateful, because it was getting to the point where I dreaded taking her anywhere. I was terrified that everyone was looking at me, thinking, “Another mom who can’t take care of her child... Tsk, tsk.” Of course, I used to look at other moms and think the same thing. Just another example where you have to eat your words (or thoughts).


However, I digress. Alexandria has been getting better. She seemed to have started the terrible twos a little early, but is settling down more now. Trust me, we are grateful.


Alexandria never used to watch TV (this was a major source of pride to me). Now it’s as if all she asks for is “Barney…tapes…rewind!” It makes me feel so guilty to plop her down in front of the TV and give her a bunch of tapes. She will sit there and watch the darn things for a long time, too. I don’t want to say for how long, but I try to turn it off after about an hour and a half. And she tries this multiple times a day. Al does take her to the park, so that’s good, but I can’t help but to be concerned. She used to be bringing us books all the time, but now it’s videos. It’s frustrating, disappointing, worrisome, as well as sad. Soon she won’t be entirely influenced us at all. It will be off to friends’ houses, hearing, learning, and mimicking things that she learns elsewhere. I tend to get ahead of myself, though, she isn’t even two yet!


I would be remiss in this entry if I didn’t mention anything about Jane the twit that (note: not “who” I don’t think it’s a person at all) posted on my board about how it was “terrible” that I was married to a “62 year old guy”. Well, sweetheart, he’s 63 now, and we’re planning on having more children. Sorry to piss in your Cheerios, but that’s life sometimes. I love how people feel comfortable in their little anonymous cyberworld, and they say things that would never have the testicular fortitude to say to someone’s face. So, Jane, if you’re reading, do come back and defend yourself, because as it stands now, you got roasted. On the plus side, I’ve never had so many people read my board. I do appreciate that.


Alexandria is also talking more now. I was concerned for a quite a while about her apparent lack of speech. She now will put two words together (sometimes) and use them. I know she understands a lot, too. She said the funniest thing this morning. I asked her if she went poop (she had been squatting and grunting) and she replied, matter-of-factly, “Of course.” It’s something that Al says often, so it’s no wonder she picked it up.


Unfortunately, she also knows some words she shouldn’t. I did utter “Crap!” the other night, and I hear someone behind me happily call out, “Crap!” I hope to keep that word the worst one she says. I hope Al knows better, too. I don’t think he tries all that hard, but I’ve been trying to get him to be better. This is good, considering I am the one that taught him in the first place.


I am completely finished with all of Alexandria Christmas and birthday shopping. I am pretty excited about that, as well as pleased with myself. I also have Al’s done. I don’t have the rest of the family done, except for my brother. I do know what I am getting my sister and her husband, though. That just leaves three people: my mom, dad, and my nephew. My mom is easy to please, but my dad is impossible to buy for. My nephew is a little hard, too. He’s 15, so it will be a challenge.


I also have been working on Al. He’s worse than Scrooge. He doesn’t want to buy a different Christmas tree. I bought these two horrible phony jobs at Wal-Mart last year and the prior year, they couldn’t have cost (both of them) more than $30, and they look it. His excuse for not getting a nicer one was that we didn’t have the room. Now it’s “We already have two trees!”. Al doesn’t like decorating. He’d rather have no trees, no ornaments, no wreaths, etc. We have the standard lights, and some really cheap ornaments. I am trying to convince him we need a tree. He is totally against it. I am being clever about it, though. I am whining about wanting a real tree. I *really* don’t care for a real tree, fake would be okay, but, if he thinks I want a real one, and we “compensate” and get a fake one, it will all work out. We’ll see how that pans out. If anyone has any advice for me, let me know! I need all of the help I can get. I just want it to be a festive holiday, instead of really cheesy. I do know what the season is really about, but my parents were really gung-ho about decorations, and it’s something I miss since I got married. The last two years were the only times we’ve had trees. So, that’s two years without. Now that we have our own home, we can really do what we like.


Okay, I have just gone on and on, barely talking about Alexandria. I have to say that she is getting cuter and cuter. She loves to go to the park, she loves to just swing and swing. She is also an accomplished climber. She can climb to the top of the jungle gym, but does need help getting down. It was scary the first time I saw her do it, I was worried she was going fall (of course!). I wanted to prevent her from doing it. She was using it to get to the platform where the slide was. And the look of pride and accomplishment on her face was too priceless. I couldn’t prevent her from doing it, it would have broken her heart. I would have taken a picture, if I hadn’t been busy as her spotter! She is absolutely fearless. I used to do the same things as she does now, but I was quite a bit older. Say, about 8. Alexandria will give me fits when I get, I have no doubt.


Well, I must wrap this up, and get to bed. I need to get some film developed and then scanned in. I will do that soon, and I will post the link to the pictures in my next entry (or the entry thereafter), or on my board. I need to find a way to get this girl to wear bows in her hair (or to get a haircut, pixie style!), her hair is simply all over the place, and it gets greasy (from little fingers always in it) as well as it always being in her face. If we can get the bows in (and that’s a pretty big “if”) she rips them out not too much later. So, if anyone has some good ideas for that one…please share!


Till next week,


Candace and Alexandria