Tea

While perusing my What to Expect book today, I came across something that made me laugh.  Under the section about the safety of herbal teas, I read the following:

'...never brew a homemade tea from a plant growing in your backyard, unless you are absolutely certain what it is and that it's safe for use during pregnancy."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!  I love loose leaf tea, but seriously.  My backyard?  I think the only flavor I'd get would be pinestraw tea.  Yum.

Adventures in Potty Training

(Only read on if you are not bothered by potty words!  There, now you are warned...)


I have hesitated to blog about our adventures this past week because so many people have so many different thoughts about the great white throne (aka "da potty" in our house), so I knew I may be opening myself up to (gasp) someone thinking we weren't doing it right.  But then I thought, eh, heck with it, we can do this any way we want to.  I figured it might supply someone with some good laughs anyway as we navigate this very new stage of parenting for us.  So here we go... dun duh-duh dun!  (that's supposed to be a dramatic introduction... if you didn't know.)

Months ago I bought Lailey a little potty chair so she could get used to the sight of it and sitting on it if she wanted to.  She basically just carried it around and played with it for months.  She knows what the potty is for since she typically follows me in the bathroom so she can be familiar with the whole process, which is absolutely fascinating if you're that little.  With a new baby brother or sister coming this summer, I had thought about the work involved with two in diapers, but I was definitely sure I wasn't going to push her to try to use the toilet unless she was ready.  I figured sometime around her birthday, when the weather was warmer (so less clothes to pull on and off), ya know, she might get interested.  I was really laid back about it.  I did hope she didn't decide she was ready right before the baby came since that would be a lot of life changes for her all at once.  Nonetheless, I wasn't worried about it.

About a month ago she wanted to sit on her little potty before a bath or something so I let her try.  She wasn't willing to sit for more than a second because she acted like it wasn't comfortable.  But she got really upset when I put her diaper back on and would cry about going potty.  I knew if she wouldn't sit then there was not much hope for getting her to actually go.  Then two weeks or so ago, she started saying "I wan' go potty."  I'd casually say something like "ok, well go sit on your little potty then." She'd sit for a second with clothes on and then resort to playing with it.  One evening though she said it and then a few minutes later actually went #2 in her diaper.  I was surprised and thought "maybe she really does know if she needs to go."  Come to find out, her sitter (love ya Madison!) had been letting her sit on the potty the day before but was going to surprise us.  I started thinking maybe we should try this.

So, I acquired a potty seat that fits on the big toilet since it's much cushier and that's what she'd already been using.  We tried it several times and she didn't go but she liked sitting there and reading books or singing or whatever.  I figured that was a step in the right direction.  Then after talking with a couple of friends who have already done this successfully, I got brave.  I stripped her down and let her run around with no pants on.   The first time I confined her to our very tiny kitchen with some toys.  She'd start to go on the floor but then I'd excitedly encourage her to use the little potty seat, once again with no success.  She just won't sit on that thing.  So I stuck it back on the shelf in the bathroom.  

Eventually it became a bit inconvenient to keep her only on the hard floor since our kitchen is very small.  So I got really brave.  If you had visited our house in the past week you'd have seen a cute little bare bottom running around happily.  To keep her warm I cut the toes off some old striped socks of mine to make her some little leg warmers which are so silly and cute. She's quite happy to be "natid" as she says.  [Sidenote: This method is not for the faint at heart.  It requires an enormous amount of parental attention and focus, as well as patience and a little carpet cleaner.  We have to continually watch for her cues that she's about to pee (typically, she stands still and gets this funny look on her face like "uh...I think I'm about to do something."  But for me, it's much easier if she's bare to catch her in the act immediately (if she doesn't go to the toilet first) and encourage her to run to the potty, which she does so quickly and can then finish on the toilet.]   

Our first success came last Sunday.  A friend had recommended a potty training book to me so I looked up a bit about the method online.  One of the principles is to role play with a doll to teach your kid how to use the toilet.  Enter knock-off Barbie.  

Back up one night... The pharmacist at Kroger gave it to us the night before for free since they literally could not get people to buy them, despite multiple mark-downs on the already low starting price of $1.99.  Upon getting in the car after shopping I gave it to Lailey and she almost immediately popped her left arm off.  Hmmm, and I wonder why they couldn't sell them.  The doll almost went AWOL (thanks to me) after Lailey went to bed since I couldn't find her arm anymore and the shoes didn't even go on her feet.  But for some reason, after photographing the carnage, I didn't chunk her in the trash.  Now I know.  The next day it dawned on me to use Barbie for potty training (who's missing arm had been found in Lailey's room the next morning and reattached, thanks to me).  I proceeded to show Lailey how knock-off Barbie climbs up, pulls up her dress, sits on the potty, and then (using a small cup of water, held strategically behind Barbie) goes pee pee in the potty.  She was thrilled!  She kept saying "again!" every time we'd do it.  Eventually Barbie would be relocated to other parts of the house and I'd tell her Barbie had to go potty, what should she do?  She'd run her into the potty, go through the steps with some help, and be delighted when Barbie - and the plastic cup - were successful at tinkling in the potty.  

Well, after many trial runs, I stripped her down to no pants and told her to tell me if she had to go.  I don't remember exactly how many accidents (mostly on the hard floor, thankfully) it took, but at one point she said "potty" and I told her to run in the bathroom where I put her on the toilet and she went!  She was thrilled!  Especially since then she got to flush, wash her hands, and get an M&M.  

Davey had been sick all this time so I didn't know how much he had grasped (again, this is new for both of us).  On Monday morning when I went to work he was a little hesitant about no diapers, so I just figured we'd resume that afternoon when I got home.  However, he got brave and emailed me later that day that Lailey had in fact, gone pee-pee on the potty!  He cutely signed the email "your potty training partner."  Aww, bonding over pee pee.  The things you do as parents.  Slowly, over the next few days, she would miss less and make it to the potty more.  Then on Thursday she didn't have any accidents and was successful all day, so that evening we decided to be brave and take her to the playground with a travel potty seat and no diaper.  Don't worry, she wore panties and pants.  We're not that weird.  Well, she didn't make it and didn't seem to notice.  I had padded her carseat with towels and she was wet when we got there (10 min. drive).  I think it was the excitement of the playground and the change of environment.  Oh well.  

I should add here that she is still in diapers at naptime and bedtime.  I figure that will follow when she can have enough bladder control to wake up dry.  She's still only 22 months, so I'm not worried.  Also, she's only gone pee pee so far.  She has been having dirty diapers when she wakes up, either in the morning and/or after a nap, and the first thing she tells me when I come it to get her out of her crib is "poopy diaper" with a big grin.  So I may have to catch her at the end of her nap and get her on the potty before it happens.  

Today the weather is beautiful and now that my horrible first-migraine-headache-ever-hopefully-never-to-be-repeated from Thursday/Friday is gone, I was dying to get outside and into the sunshine.  Lailey had no accidents this morning and recently has even gone to the potty without help a couple times, so it was a perfect opportunity to practice staying dry outside the house. She picked her big-girl panties, donned some pants and out we went.  We played outside for a little while, walked to Nick and Julie's house, came back, ate lunch, and she had a quick bath.  Throughout the whole outing I occasionally asked her if she needed to go potty.  She would either say "no" or be distracted.  After she got out of the bath she climbed up on the step to the potty and went all by herself.  Every time she promptly reminds me gleefully "I get an M&M!"  

So, maybe the thing I keep hearing about "girls being easier" is true.  I don't know since I've now only partially trained one kid ever and she's a girl, so I have nothing to compare it to.  But she's pretty proud of herself and Davey and I are proud of her.  Next week will be interesting since we'll be traveling.  Not sure how that's going to go, but that's okay.  Honestly, if she hadn't been so enthusiastic to try the potty I would have waited until after this trip to TN.  I guess it's true: when they're ready, they're ready.  

Sorry about the location of this video, but if you've made it to the end of this long post then you know much of our life has revolved around the bathroom this past week.  

16 weeks? Where'd the time go?

[Since starting this post, 1 and 1/2 weeks have passed!  So, I had to change it to 16 weeks... ]  

Already a couple weeks into my second trimester, I have realized this pregnancy is going by faster than the first time around.  Probably because I'm already busy being a mommy, but still, it's snuck up on me.  In an effort to record as many memories with this baby as with Lailey (my little sister says the second kids never get the same attention), I think it's time to get my blog on.

To begin, we were ecstatic to find out we were expecting again.  I've actually known since just before Thanksgiving, but we told "everybody" around the 12-week mark.  So far, it's been a smooth sailing pregnancy.  My first trimester I did have a little bit of queasiness starting around 8 weeks (just like with Lailey), mostly in the evenings this time, but unlike the first pregnancy it didn't last long and was pretty minor.  That seems to have mostly worn off now, as long as I eat often throughout the day.  I get pretty cranky when I'm hungry.  See, I'm always like this, it's just exacerbated when I'm pregnant.

People ask me how I'm feeling, and honestly, I feel great.  I get very tired at times, and sometimes much earlier in the evening than I'm used to, but that's just par for the course when you're building a kid.  If I was dumb and not aware of my body at all, I could see how I wouldn't know I was pregnant yet just because my symptoms are not bad.  I am quite scatterbrained, and I feel this has gotten increasingly more obvious.  I've heard a joke about losing brain cells with each baby...probably true.  But I've met moms with lots of kids who have plenty of brain power left, or so it seems.  Maybe there's hope for me!

Lailey does seem to understand on a basic level that we're having a baby.  She sometimes asks to see my tummy, wants to kiss and tickle it, and calls it "Baby Tummy."  If I ask her if it's a girl or boy (or boy or girl) she says whatever one I say last.

I have thought about so many things to include in this post, but it seems I can't remember half of them when I sit down to type.  Oh, one interesting thing to note is that I'm already feeling the baby move.  It actually happened about 13.5 weeks, which surprised me since that is so early.  But I was pretty sure about it since I do know what it feels like.  I didn't feel it again for a week or two and then today I've felt little movements several times.  For me, this is my favorite part of being pregnant.  It's when it stops feeling surreal and I can really connect with the fact that we're having a baby. 

I am starting to show a little, and this past week I finally wore maternity pants.  What did women do without elastic?  I can still wear regular pants with a rubber band around the button looped through the hole, but it's just too uncomfortable to get them closed.  Breathing is not overrated.  Particularly when you're supplying oxygen for two.  I've been feeling out of breath lately, and despite trying to pick up exercising again, I thought, "man!  I must be more out of shape than I thought!"  Then I read something somewhere about an actual reason (caused by hormones of course) for the out-of-breath feeling and I felt a little better.  Had to do with capillaries swelling and your blood carrying more oxygen and such.  Something like that.

Okay, I'm getting really sleepy now.  I think I'll call it a day and finally publish this post.

21 Months and Growing

We have had more moments lately where we find ourselves saying, "where did our baby go?"  I am getting choked up just typing this.  I broke down at the dinner table the other day just because she said something so cute and grown up and I looked at Davey and made some comment about her growing up so fast and...it was over.  Thank you, pregnancy hormones.  I haven't done a post for awhile just about my Lailey Bug, so it's time.  Especially since what used to be "her blog" will be expanded to make space for the newest Akin and all the pictures and videos that will come henceforth.  

Lailey is delightful.  There's no other way to put it really.  She's hilarious, goofy, sweet, and affectionate.  Of course, don't let me fool you, she is a toddler, and we definitely have our "toddler moments," as I affectionately call them.  Just so no one gets the wrong impression, she throws a good tantrum (occasionally), her word of the day is commonly "No!", she wants what she wants when she wants it, and when she is unable to adequately express her feelings she hits, bites, screams, etc.  Okay.  I feel like I just ratted out my kid.  But this is a blog about life, so there it is.  I will take every "terrible" toddler moment because the terrific ones outweigh the terrible ones by a landslide.

Cuddling with Daddy and Miney (her blanket)

Some of Lailey's Favorite Things (or things that fascinate her) are...

- Miney, or Mineyboo, as it has been called occasionally.  As long as the blanket is crocheted, it's a miney.  Thank goodness, because we have so many beautiful handmade blankets, and she'll take any of them.  One in the bed, one sometimes two to drag around the house, one in my car, one in Davey's car, one at Grammy's house.  I still have several blankets for the next baby that are still new, which is nice.

- the moon, still a top fave

- Books: Llama Llama Red Pajama (Llama Llama Read 'Jama)

Because a Little Bug Went Kachoo ("Achoo")

Barnyard Dance

Narnia Pop-up Book ("Lion book")

- Spiders

- Airplanes.  She can hear them from inside the house and will proclaim "I hear airpane!" well before I would have ever noticed.

- Songs: "ABC's" 

"Itsy Bitsy Spider" ("Bitsy Bider")

"Oh Mister Sun" ("Sun Song")

"Jesus Loves Me" 

"Jesus Loves the Little Children" ("Chewdren")

"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" ("Twintle Dars")

"Frosty the Snowman" ("Fwosty Newman")

"Hot Potato" by The Wiggles, as of yesterday when she requested it many times in the car and then remembered it this morning on the way to church.

"The Lonely Goatherd" from The Sound of Music, but she calls the movie "Mia" for Maria. Yes, she can yodel already.  It's adorable.

- Milk and water, she loves both and drinks a ton every day.  There are always two sippy cups floating around wherever she is.

- Mommy.  Yep, I'm still her favorite most of the time.  Although her aversion to Daddy that went on several months ago is over and sometimes she would rather go to him than me.  In fact, last week when I went to pick her up from church nursery, I walked over to where she was playing, crouched down, and held out my arms to greet her.  She grinned, began running...and went right past me toward the door squealing "I see Daddy!"  He wasn't even standing there yet!  She just meant she wanted to see Daddy.  I just laughed.  I told him his day would come.

-

Enjoying "colors" [aka crayons] at her new table and chair set she got from Grandpa for Christmas

When did you get so big?

Funny or unique things about Lailey:
- She gives us "tisses" (kisses) by puckering up her lips and sticking them between the slats of her crib at bedtime.  She has to alternate between Mommy and Daddy.
- She still loves naps and willingly goes to bed most of the time.  We've already had a talk with the new baby about continuing this tradition.  I'm sure there are those of you who don't have good sleepers who are about to stop reading this blog right now.  Sorry!  All I can say is:  BabyWise.  Oh, and Lailey has definitely had phases of resisting naps and bedtime.  It happened about a month and a half ago and lasted 5 days.  We're back on track now.
- Her memory is incredible.  I can tell her something one time, and she'll amaze me days later by repeating it.  I know toddlers are little sponges for information but mine came with extra absorbency built in.
- She sees and notices things in obscure places.  A ball, an apple, Jesus, a moon, a boo-boo.  She might see it on a billboard, or in the case of the boo-boo, a random dude's elbow at the grocery store.  Thank goodness he didn't notice!
- She thinks every person, real or fake, with a white beard is Santa.
- She calls the new baby "Baby Tummy."  Sometimes it's when I ask her "what's this?" while pointing to my stomach, but often spontaneously as well.  She lifts my shirt to see my stomach and touches and occasionally kisses it.  And I'm not even showing yet.

I have some great videos to post but still having problems with my camera and uploading videos.  Have to wait for my tech support husband to fix it.

I will think of more things I'm sure, but I am totally wiped out.  My eyes are barely open.  I exercised today and skipped a nap, so double whammy to the energy supply.

I am so in awe everyday of the gift I've been given in my daughter.  Every hug, every kiss, every song, every giggle, is such a treasure.  Love you, Lailey Bug!

Guess What?

Snowpocalypse 2011

I heard that term the other day and loved it.  You'd think the world was ending here in GA.  Stores were bought out of milk, eggs, and bread.  Schools shut down.  Then everything shut down.  News people are extremely entertained by all this crazy weather.  I said they were entertained, not that the news was entertaining.  I actually saw one dude try to use his mic to broadcast the sound of the icy rain hitting his hood.  And then proceed to use his mic to pick up the sound of him crunching through the snow.  And one news station was saying they had 20,000 + Facebook friends since the blizzard started.  Remind me again how this qualifies as "news?" They did slightly redeem themselves with great stories about people helping travelers stranded in the airports for days by buying tons of groceries and one man giving a mom some money for her and her baby to eat after he heard her story on the news.  It was nice to hear about the ways people actually do help each other out and there are decent folks still around, we just don't often hear about their stories..  I appreciate the positive stories very much since I am not a news watcher for the very reason that it is so rarely about anything good.  Go 11 Alive!  Moving along...

I am going on my 4th snow day home from work tomorrow.  FOURTH!!!  I'm enjoying the time off wearing pajamas, sleeping in, and hanging with my family.  I'm not enjoying the thought of making up those days.  Grrr.  Oh well, every time I think about it, my little munchkin finds another way to make me laugh and once again I'm having a blast.  The dogs have been happily living in the garage (with a heater!) the last few days since their pen is still iced over.  They think they're ready to be back outside but once they're out there for a little while to eat and do their business, they're can't wait to get back in.  Rudy in particular.  They've been very good boys.  Still getting along great.

The result of telling her to smile

Sunday night the snow fell late.  I was woken up several times after that to the sound of icy rain hitting our windows.  I thought, "Man!  That's going to ruin the snow!"  Yes, even half awake I care about the quality of the snow.  I love playing in it!  Well, I was right.  The next morning we were greeted by a white wintery wonderland, but upon walking in the yard discovered that it was ice.  Yes, we slipped and slid all around the yard.  Not hard to do when you're being dragged by Hank.  Still working on training him, but weather and holidays have slowed us up a bit.  Anyway, I was not to be discouraged.  After a good breakfast, I layered Lailey up in clothes like only someone who has lived anywhere north of GA would know how to do.  Then I layered myself up, and before we (I) passed out from heat stroke we headed out into the fluffy crunchy white snow ice.  I didn't know how Lailey would like sliding around, but even if she fell she was so bundled up it was like falling on pillows.  She's her mommy's daughter.  She LOVED it!  I asked her if she wanted to go see Nick and Julie (4 houses down) and she enthusiastically squealed "OTAY!!!  Nit and Chulie's House!!!  OTAY!!!"  After a little visit, we walked back, but she thought we were going back to go in so that was met with some resistance.  I told her she had two choices: walk or be carried, but either way we were going back to get a "sled."  Walking it was, and we were on our way.  I entered the garage to find, much to my happiness, that a boogie board was easily reached.  Thank you, Davey, for recently cleaning the garage.  Off we went again.

How do we sled in Georgia?  That's right.  On a boogie board.  Of course, she loved it.

How to get a good picture...run (aka slide) toward her and pretend I'm going to "get" her.

 We slid down neighbor's driveways which were steeper than ours, I pulled her up and down the street, and she couldn't get enough.  She even learned to lay on her tummy and hold the rope she would be more stable.

"I pull Mommy!  Pullin' Mommy!"

Finally, I had Davey go get a belt to secure her so we could go fast without her toppling backwards, which was my main concern.  It worked like a charm.  And please don't worry.  She was safe.  And we live in a cul-de-sac and almost no one was even driving that day.  I do think about these things.

'Tis The Season

To be late uploading Christmas photos.  Here is a photo recap of all the holiday festivities.

Picking out the perfect tree at the tree farm known as Lowe's

I told her to smell it...so she did.  

We found it!

Davey got his old Pepsi Santa (origin unknown) out of the attic and Lailey fell. in. love.  She carried him around the house while grunting the whole time.  She then kissed and hugged him daily.  Actually, she still does since he hasn't gone back to his place of hibernation yet.  

She didn't actually get it, but I still love the picture.  And the jammies.

Dancing with Santa- apparently pants were optional that day.  Mommy's hat was not.

Visit from "Aunt" Kathryn

CHRISTMAS AT GRAMMY AND GRANDDADDY'S HOUSE

CHRISTMAS WITH SARAH'S SIDE OF THE FAMILY

  3 Girl cousins Sadie, Abby, and Lailey

Cousin Jen

BONFIRE WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Amy (sis), Hannah (friend), and me 

The men at the bonfire

Aunt Amy

CHRISTMAS AT GRANDPA JIM'S HOUSE

"You guys got me a BOX???  Yaaaaay!"

Kitchen set!

Uncle Tim and Aunt Amy

The little chef

For our own little Christmas morning, we used our video camera and forgot to take snapshots.  Davey loves watching his old family videos and wants to make sure Lailey has plenty of the same to enjoy someday.

We had a WONDERFUL Christmas and feel truly blessed.