Independent

Violet is getting more and more independent every day. Strapping her into her car seat is becoming quite a process, because she wants to snap the center buckle herself.

"I do it!" she insists when I try to hurry up and just get it done.

The problem, of course, is that she can't quite do it herself. When I have the time to let her figure it out, sometimes she's able to slide it in by herself and make it snap. But I so rarely have that luxury, so I at least want to guide it in so that all she has to do is push the two parts of the buckle together. Sometimes she doesn't even like me to do that, though.

This morning, she insisted on putting her dress on herself. The problem is that she was putting it on over her head backwards, with the collar coming over her head first and then sliding it down her body upside down. She'd pull the dress all the way down until it was at her ankles and then she'd step out of it. She did this a couple of times, to Jack's (very loudly expressed) amusement, before I helped her put it on the right way.

I have to admit, though, it is (mostly) worth the extra time when she does do what she sets out to do it.

"I did it!" she will exclaim, so proud of herself.