Where Have I Been?

Well, I'll tell you. I've been in Arizona, and it was lovely. Thank you for asking.

DH and I thoroughly enjoyed our company-sponsored vacation. We relaxed, we ate lunch by the pool, I watched several co-workers drink themselves just a little silly. I had a manicure and a pedicure at possibly the world's most relaxing spa. DH got all dusty on a jeep tour of the desert. I got to see Phoenix and Sedona, two places I have never been.

Meanwhile, Raisin learned so many new things at Grandma and Grandpa's house that I'm a little bit afraid of her. Somehow she has morphed into an honest-to-goodness CHILD; one who uses subject-verb sentences like, "I go potty too"* and "I'll be right back" (complete with an admonitory wave of the forefinger).

Fueling this fear is her new-found resourcefulness. An item placed, I thought, safely out of her reach on the dining room table is now easily obtained. She matter-of-factly hauled herself right up on one of the chairs, which she first had to move away from the table to give herself room. She's also determined to get herself into the bathtub rather than being lifted. She could do it, if we'd let her, but her method is to scramble her legs against the outside of the tub until she gets enough lift to propel herself over. Head first.

I have dreams in which she attempts the same stunt to get out of her crib. She hasn't tried it yet, but a big-girl bed is nevertheless in her very near future.

*She has yet to actually use the potty for its intended purpose, but she is a very dedicated student of the process. She sits, she asks politely for toilet paper, she wipes, and she washes her hands. Any suggestions for ways I can help her to understand that the missing piece is actually quite critical?