Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Potty Training 101



Well...we've been "working" on potty training for almost a year now, and have pretty much just tried to introduce it but let Harper make the ultimate decision to actually make it happen... and she did! She's worn big girl undies every day for almost 2 weeks now, and zero accidents. We don't even have to ask her to go potty, she just decides when she needs to go, does her thing and then gets a jelly bean. Us reminding her usually turns into "NO!" and a power struggle, so we just sitback and wait for her to tell us. Last Thursday, she did her first deliberate poop on the potty (we had 2 previous over the past few months, but it was accidental when she was going pee). This time she said, "I need to poop onthe potty!", got a book and there she sat until it was all out. So, minus nap and bed, she's in big girl undies!!! WOO HOOO!!!! She even does a "poopie dance" when she goes on the potty--even her pediatrician joined in and did the dance with her last week. Pretty exciting! We went to Benihana ("fire restaurant") with Harper's little friend Lily and her family to celebrate the girls' potty training success! They were true to form and even left the exciting cooking event to go pee pee on the potty. It was a blast, they were both in awe and ate like champs. They are growing up so fast!
Harper's ears cleared up, so she's all good there. She was having some pain when urinating and the doc suspected it was bubble bath--it bubbles up into the urinary tract and then burns when they pee. Who knew?! He said throw it out, never use it again, and he hopes it will one day be taken off the shelves b/c it causes UTI's and various other problems. How terrible! So, now we are using our newly renovated bathroom/bathtub for warm, bubble-free baths.
Naps/bedtime had become a frustrating battle with lots of screaming and tears. Eventually, we had to just let her cry it out, and since then, it's been pleasant again. Pphew. So now, books, songs and bed. She babbles in her crib for a while (usually a recap of the day) and then passes out eventually... No rocking to sleep, battling, etc. BUT she is two, so there are daily struggles over just about everything... getting dressed, getting in the car, cleaning up... we're finding more and more creative ways to keep her focused and interested in being good. She got a piggy bank yesterday and if she helps with little chores here and there, she gets to put some change in it. This seems to be a big deal, let's hope it continues to be for a LONG time!
Baby news--we're 11 1/2 weeks and have our 2nd appointment on Thursday. I've been super tired and nauseous, but I have tojust keep plugging along. I think it's worse than when I was pregnant w/ Harper but hard to tell b/c I wasn't chasing a 2 year old around back then! So... maybe it's a boy this time...??? Any bets...???

Thursday, May 5, 2011

We're expecting!


Well... it's official, Baby #2 (aka Poppyseed) is due December 2nd! Harper is so excited and keeps patting my belly saying, "Hi baby baby!" and asking when it's going to come out. Not only that, but when we visit friends with babies, she plays with their hands, feet and tickles their chins. She then says, "Mommy you hold the baby." whereas before, if I held another baby, she would scream, "NO MOMMY!!! PUT IT DOWN! HOLD ME!" There are 2 babies at her daycare now, so I think the exposure has helped.
Harper has been absolutely amazing lately! She has her occasional meltdowns, but it's almost as if she grew up overnight. We've been having so much fun as a family... going to fairs, parks, restaurants, the Zoo, pool, play places, etc. She's off and on for naps, but we're not convinced she's done with them yet so we still try every day. Some days she just babbles happily in her crib, others she sleeps for a couple of hours.
Her new favorite questions are "What happened?" and "What did you say?", usually both out of context, leaving no real way to answer either question. But she's persistent, not giving up till she gets an answer she understands and accepts. She's just too smart... (;
We're heading into Mother's Day weekend. Alice and her family are coming for a couple of days so we'll meet them in Denver for dinner and Marge & Crow will be here for a night or two as well.
I finish up work next week (I'm ready for a break!) then 3 weeks off... then I'll go back and teach 1 day a week for 10 weeks this summer. One day sounds a lot better than three right now. I'm feeling queasy most days and so so so tired. I'm in bed around 8:30/9 and just absolutely exhausted by the end of the day. Tom has been picking up a lot of the slack by putting Harper to bed most nights and bringing her to daycare in the morning so I can rest before going to work. That has helped so much, not sure what I'd do w/ out him!

Hawaiian waves

Hawaiian waves
Not sure how I got this one... Crazy Hawaiian waves!

Lazy Days

Lazy Days
Jake just loves napping on "his" couch!

Tom golfing

Tom golfing
Got to get this shot... just... right...

Rudy & Jake

Rudy & Jake
best buds!

Waiting...

Waiting...
This guy was crazy!

31 weeks

31 weeks
31 weeks pregnant at York Beach...

6.5 months

6.5 months
My belly at 6 1/2 mos

prego belly

prego belly
4 months along...