One of the mundane things that parents of toddlers do is count the number of words their kids can say. So, here you go: at 18 months Violet knew 62 words. Her pediatrician says that the average at this age is 10-15 words, again confirming that she's the most brilliant kid ever cooked up.
Addie
all gone/done
Alma
applesauce (appy)
baby
ball
Biata (atta)
bite
blanket (banky)
bubble (bubba)
byebye
car (carr)
Casey
cat
chicken
cold
Courtney (nini)
cracker
Dada
diaper
dog
duck (ducky)
eye (points to eye or ear or nose)
Franco (coco)
go
Gracie (gakie)
hat
help
Henry
hot (touches food then blows on it, regardless of if it is actually hot)
Louie (woowoo)
Maddy (munny)
Mama
milk (also signs)
mine
mine (I had to throw in an extra one for good measure, since she says it so often)
moo
more (moh, also signs)
nice
nightnight (nighnigh)
no
nose (noh) (sticks finger in nose)
oh no
open
outside
Piper
please (peeese)
raisin (raisee)
shoe (shu)
sit down (SIT DOWN!)
sock
Sweetie (weetee)
thank you (tankee)
turkey
turtle (tuhtuh)
uh oh
up
water (awah)
what's this? (whady?)
woof
yay
yes (yeah)
yogurt (yoyo)
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Dispatch letter
Here's the letter that I just submitted to the Columbus Dispatch. They frustrate me so much!!!
Dear Columbus Dispatch,
I prepaid for a one year subscription to the paper and read it daily. I received subscription renewal notices, as it read on the outside of the envelope. I didn't plan to renew, so I ignored the solicitations. A couple of weeks later I received an unintelligible phone call from someone claiming to be following up for the person who came to my house on the money that I owed. Since I didn't think I owed any money for my pre-paid subscription and the caller was so unprofessional, I was sure it was a scam. So, I called the Columbus Dispatch to find out if it was legitimate and warn the paper if it wasn't. The circulation staffer I spoke with said that they did not call me and they did not send someone to my house. I reported that I was concerned about fraud on their behalf. The staffer seemed thoroughly unconcerned and didn't indicate that he would even pass the word along to supervisors. I received a second phone call, that my husband answered. He had a similar experience and also said it sounded like a fraud. Again, I didn't plan to renew my newspaper subscription and the Dispatch wasn't worried about it, so I ignored it. Who isn't inundated by solicitations for services?
Then I got a call from the Dispatch that I was sure was legitimate. They were attempting to collect the $50 that I owed them. I was a little less surprised this time, but still had no idea what they were talking about. Then the staffer explained that the Dispatch had mailed me notices stating that they would continue my subscription until I called to cancel. Apparently those solicitation letters with "subscriber invoice enclosed" detailed the fact. I asked if I could have the fee waived since I never asked for the service. They said no. I asked if I could be credited if I were to resubscribe. Again, I was told no. To this I responded that I would file a claim with the BBB and the AG since this seemed unethical to me.
A couple of days later I received a call from a collection agency. I explained my concern and they said that this is how every newspaper in the country operates. No wonder newspapers are losing subscribers! Look how they treat their customers! I bought something and as a result I am being charged for future services. Crazy! I paid the invoice rather than be sent to collections, so I caved to the threat.
Given that I need to keep up with the paper for work, and I bumped into a nice sales guy selling subscriptions, I reluctantly resubscribed. Since it was a few days after I received the collections call I decided to follow up with the Dispatch to ensure my account was in good standing. The nice woman in the subscriptions department informed me that as soon as they receive payment from the collection agency they will restart my subscription. So, I objected multiple times to multiple staff, was sent to collections for nonpayment of a subscription, and they are going to restart my subscription without my consent?
It's completely unethical. The Dispatch needs to change its policies or risk alienating too many customers. Lucky for you I'm stuck reading the paper for work.
Sincerely,
Jodi Segal
Dear Columbus Dispatch,
I prepaid for a one year subscription to the paper and read it daily. I received subscription renewal notices, as it read on the outside of the envelope. I didn't plan to renew, so I ignored the solicitations. A couple of weeks later I received an unintelligible phone call from someone claiming to be following up for the person who came to my house on the money that I owed. Since I didn't think I owed any money for my pre-paid subscription and the caller was so unprofessional, I was sure it was a scam. So, I called the Columbus Dispatch to find out if it was legitimate and warn the paper if it wasn't. The circulation staffer I spoke with said that they did not call me and they did not send someone to my house. I reported that I was concerned about fraud on their behalf. The staffer seemed thoroughly unconcerned and didn't indicate that he would even pass the word along to supervisors. I received a second phone call, that my husband answered. He had a similar experience and also said it sounded like a fraud. Again, I didn't plan to renew my newspaper subscription and the Dispatch wasn't worried about it, so I ignored it. Who isn't inundated by solicitations for services?
Then I got a call from the Dispatch that I was sure was legitimate. They were attempting to collect the $50 that I owed them. I was a little less surprised this time, but still had no idea what they were talking about. Then the staffer explained that the Dispatch had mailed me notices stating that they would continue my subscription until I called to cancel. Apparently those solicitation letters with "subscriber invoice enclosed" detailed the fact. I asked if I could have the fee waived since I never asked for the service. They said no. I asked if I could be credited if I were to resubscribe. Again, I was told no. To this I responded that I would file a claim with the BBB and the AG since this seemed unethical to me.
A couple of days later I received a call from a collection agency. I explained my concern and they said that this is how every newspaper in the country operates. No wonder newspapers are losing subscribers! Look how they treat their customers! I bought something and as a result I am being charged for future services. Crazy! I paid the invoice rather than be sent to collections, so I caved to the threat.
Given that I need to keep up with the paper for work, and I bumped into a nice sales guy selling subscriptions, I reluctantly resubscribed. Since it was a few days after I received the collections call I decided to follow up with the Dispatch to ensure my account was in good standing. The nice woman in the subscriptions department informed me that as soon as they receive payment from the collection agency they will restart my subscription. So, I objected multiple times to multiple staff, was sent to collections for nonpayment of a subscription, and they are going to restart my subscription without my consent?
It's completely unethical. The Dispatch needs to change its policies or risk alienating too many customers. Lucky for you I'm stuck reading the paper for work.
Sincerely,
Jodi Segal
Monday, June 07, 2010
Latest updates
It's been a couple of months since my last update, so I figure that we must have something to report by now. Actually Violet has been doing a lot of changing recently. She's gone from babyhood firmly into toddlerhood.
Her vocabulary is amazing. I don't know how other kids develop language and I'm not reading any books, so I have no idea if she's Einstein (probably) or way behind... She has about a dozen words that she understands and uses spontaneously (not just repeating back to us). It's hart to understand them, but they are consistent and we understand what they mean. Violet can say - moo, dog (duh), milk (muh), uh-oh, no, mama, daddy (daiy), chicken (kiku), diaper (bopper), cat (cuh), and woof (wuh). She repeats sounds we make and is adding new words every few days - diaper and chicken both appeared this week.
Violet is also walking pretty well. She took her first steps the week after her birthday, 3 months ago, and has been slow to progress on the walking. Finally, this week, she seems to have transitioned into walking about 2/3 of the time and crawling the rest of the time.
She's totally weaned off the bottle, but we are still nursing twice a day. I plan to continue until she is 2, if I can stand dealing with the infection that she gave me in January that I can't kick. Besides that, we both still like it and I'm evangelical about the health benefits to both of us.
Finally for Violet, she has started throwing temper tantrums. We're trying to figure out how to cut them off at the pass. We err on the side of ignoring them to keep from reinforcing bad behavior, but I'm still trying to figure out if there are techniques to be supportive and help her through them.
For me & Jim - we planned to go to Texas this month but I chickened out on the flight. I get new health insurance later this summer which will qualify me for a program that should help. We did travel to North Carolina for a wedding and had a blast. We have another wedding this weekend. 2 friends had babies in the last month and 2 more are due in about 6 weeks.
I've joined the Advisory Board of the Gateway Film Center, which is a movie theater that is reinventing itself to be an entertainment/live events venue. Work keeps me overly busy and Jim's business continues to grow. He hired his first employee a few months ago and hopes to have a second in a year or so.
Our camera broke, but is being repaired, so look for more pictures in a couple of weeks. I keep stockpiling them and will eventually post them on our Picassa account.
Her vocabulary is amazing. I don't know how other kids develop language and I'm not reading any books, so I have no idea if she's Einstein (probably) or way behind... She has about a dozen words that she understands and uses spontaneously (not just repeating back to us). It's hart to understand them, but they are consistent and we understand what they mean. Violet can say - moo, dog (duh), milk (muh), uh-oh, no, mama, daddy (daiy), chicken (kiku), diaper (bopper), cat (cuh), and woof (wuh). She repeats sounds we make and is adding new words every few days - diaper and chicken both appeared this week.
Violet is also walking pretty well. She took her first steps the week after her birthday, 3 months ago, and has been slow to progress on the walking. Finally, this week, she seems to have transitioned into walking about 2/3 of the time and crawling the rest of the time.
She's totally weaned off the bottle, but we are still nursing twice a day. I plan to continue until she is 2, if I can stand dealing with the infection that she gave me in January that I can't kick. Besides that, we both still like it and I'm evangelical about the health benefits to both of us.
Finally for Violet, she has started throwing temper tantrums. We're trying to figure out how to cut them off at the pass. We err on the side of ignoring them to keep from reinforcing bad behavior, but I'm still trying to figure out if there are techniques to be supportive and help her through them.
For me & Jim - we planned to go to Texas this month but I chickened out on the flight. I get new health insurance later this summer which will qualify me for a program that should help. We did travel to North Carolina for a wedding and had a blast. We have another wedding this weekend. 2 friends had babies in the last month and 2 more are due in about 6 weeks.
I've joined the Advisory Board of the Gateway Film Center, which is a movie theater that is reinventing itself to be an entertainment/live events venue. Work keeps me overly busy and Jim's business continues to grow. He hired his first employee a few months ago and hopes to have a second in a year or so.
Our camera broke, but is being repaired, so look for more pictures in a couple of weeks. I keep stockpiling them and will eventually post them on our Picassa account.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Big girl!
In the past few weeks Miss Violet has celebrated her first birthday, started walking, become a kisser, and expanded her vocabulary from "mama" and "dada" to add "no," "uh oh," and maybe "book." I'll be so proud if her 5th word is "book." It will overshadow her learning "no" so early. We hardly ever use that word, trying to encourage her curiosity and confidence by phrasing things positively. So, instead of "don't hit the dog" we'll say "pet Maddy gently." Several months ago she seemed to say "muh" for milk and "duh" for dog, but we can't be so sure.
Violet took her first steps just a week after her birthday. It took her another 3 weeks before she attempted it again, exploding with a dozen little toddles yesterday. So cute!
She has also shifted to more interactive play. Violet can sit attentively and play with someone else - feeding other people, petting the dog or attempting to pet our unwilling cat, and imitating nearly everything we do with uncanny detail.
So much fun!
Violet took her first steps just a week after her birthday. It took her another 3 weeks before she attempted it again, exploding with a dozen little toddles yesterday. So cute!
She has also shifted to more interactive play. Violet can sit attentively and play with someone else - feeding other people, petting the dog or attempting to pet our unwilling cat, and imitating nearly everything we do with uncanny detail.
So much fun!
Friday, March 26, 2010
I can't cook, but I'm really good at ordering
I'm thinking about writing a cookbook. No, I'm not going to learn how to cook. Rather, I'm going to convince my spunky neighbor to lend me the personality and recipes for a website and cookbook. I think I'll start the introduction with "I can't cook, but I'm really good at ordering."
Marie lives a block away from us and she loves Violet. We stop in to visit when I see that she is at home. When it's time to leave, she's always pushing amazingly tasty desert on us. So, I got to thinking that she should write a cookbook. I haven't exactly broached the subject with her yet, but I'm sure that she'll "bite." Oooh, the puns are just beginning.
In addition to publishing Marie's recipes, I suspect that she'll endorse a few submissions. So, start working on your favorite, and maybe, just maybe, you'll be good enough to be be published.
Marie lives a block away from us and she loves Violet. We stop in to visit when I see that she is at home. When it's time to leave, she's always pushing amazingly tasty desert on us. So, I got to thinking that she should write a cookbook. I haven't exactly broached the subject with her yet, but I'm sure that she'll "bite." Oooh, the puns are just beginning.
In addition to publishing Marie's recipes, I suspect that she'll endorse a few submissions. So, start working on your favorite, and maybe, just maybe, you'll be good enough to be be published.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
I'm getting dizzy
I'm having a problem with the USPS. We use prepaid envelopes that are piling up in an USPS office because they are short staffed. Everyone has been very nice and is trying to help, but we need to get them staffed to process our mail.
A friend suggested I call the Ombuds for the USPS. This is someone who represents customers but works for the company. Here's what happened.
I called the 800 #. They didn't understand what I was talking about. My friend then suggested that I call the main Columbus location. I called them. They said all complaints need to be filed with their 800 # so that it’s documented. I called back to the 800 #. The customer service rep said that she can’t help me because the concern has to be addressed on the local level. She gave me the same customer service # in Columbus that told me to call the 800 #. And their computer system is down so they can’t file a complaint anyway.
A friend suggested I call the Ombuds for the USPS. This is someone who represents customers but works for the company. Here's what happened.
I called the 800 #. They didn't understand what I was talking about. My friend then suggested that I call the main Columbus location. I called them. They said all complaints need to be filed with their 800 # so that it’s documented. I called back to the 800 #. The customer service rep said that she can’t help me because the concern has to be addressed on the local level. She gave me the same customer service # in Columbus that told me to call the 800 #. And their computer system is down so they can’t file a complaint anyway.
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Yum!
I love Violet's daycare. She eats better than we do! Check out the January menu. Who gets scones, edamame, and couscous as daycare?!?!
Friday, January 01, 2010
Thank you!
Thank you so much for helping me beat my fundraising goal! I really appreciate everyone who donated, helping me raise $555 to date from family and friends to save the planet. There's still time to donate, so don't feel bad if you haven't gotten around to it yet. 2010 is a great time to start helping the environment! www.firstgiving.com/jodisegal
And... our OEC tote bags are on sale at Whole Foods in Dublin for $7.99!
And... our OEC tote bags are on sale at Whole Foods in Dublin for $7.99!
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