I have been thinking of a few things that I have wanted to take a minute to blog about. So, with Reese napping... I am going to see how much I can get in!
Potty training continues... and I am so proud to say, we have been accident free for almost a week! To be fair, she still uses pull-ups during nap time and she sleeps in a diaper, but I'm amazed at how far she has come in the last week. For just over a month, the main accidents that we had to deal every day she went to daycare was that she would poopy in her panties. I was really getting tired of cleaning panties everyday, and I KNOW that her teachers were getting tired of it too. But after a poopy accident at home last week (one that occured while I was holding her), we had a big discussion! While cleaning her up, I told her that if it continued, she would have to start getting showers to clean her up. The next day however, my sweet girl poopied on the potty TWICE at school! I mean, she went from accidents to potty OVERNIGHT! Over the weekend, she has also started telling us when she needs to go (instead of us having to take her every hour or so). AND on Sunday, I was told that she went by herself (no help at all -- she went in, used it, came out) while she was in the nursery! CRAZY -- crazy GOOD! I'm so incredibly proud of her! With that said... I'll move on from poopy to other news
We're having another girl. In case you haven't heard yet, we are having a second baby (due June 14), and we found out a couple of weeks ago that it seems to be a girl. :) This was a bit of a surprise... well kind of. I have had a similar pregnancy (no sickness, no real issues, etc.), but I was hopeful (especially for Dusty) that it would be a boy. I know that he would like a a son, and I want him to have one. He's a great dad to Reese, but I think there is something special about a boy and his dad, and I would like him to have that relationship too. But as hopeful as I was, the ultrasound didn't show any extra parts. So, while there was some disappointment at first about that part... the more I have thought about it, the more excited I am that Reese is going to have a little sister.
I LOVE my sister. And for those ladies out there who have one, there is really nothing like having a sister. It's a special relationship that may not be the most loving while growing up (at least ours wasn't), but as an adult, I couldn't imagine what life would be like without Catherine in it. She was with me through our sometimes rough childhood, and she is still with me now as we share the same life seasons together. So, knowing that Reese will have that too makes me happy. Practically speaking, a girl is good for our family (as a bigger picture). I come from a family of primarily girls (there wasn't a boy in my generation until #7). So, we know girls. We have EVERYTHING imaginable for a girl. And with our smaller house, the girls will be able to share rooms and clothes, and toys, and the list goes on.
I have had some conversations with friends (before we found out) about having another girl. And I jokingly said that if this one is like Reese, we may be done after this. After saying this, I want to explain a little bit. Reese is incredibly smart. She's very strong-willed and independent. And she truly lives up to the meaning of her name "enthusiasm" with all of her energy and excitement for life. So part of the fear in hearing it was a girl was that we would be having another girl, I thought... here we go. But I have spent more time thinking about that reaction too. For one, I know that God doesn't make 2 of the same thing, so I know regardless, this baby will be different. And even if she is very similar to Reese, it's okay. Reese is an incredible blessing, and she is such a light to so many. So, what I mean to say is that I love Reese more than I know how to fully express... and if I had another one JUST LIKE HER, I would be okay with that. I would be pretty tired, but I would love her the same.
All this talk about wanting a boy or girl kept me from just being thankful about having a baby. While I waited to see my doctor (after our ultrasound), I overheard her in the next room telling another patient that her pregnancy hadn't progressed. The conversation started so happy... she didn't want to post anything on facebook until after things were good. Then she got the news that things weren't good. They needed to discuss options about the next steps and talk about when she and her husband could try again. Needless to say, I really got a reality check and reexamined my attitude!
Moving on up... to a big girl bed. That's right, Reese has moved up to a big girl bed! With a baby coming, I wanted to make sure Reese had plenty of in her new bed without making her feel that she was being kicked out of a crib so the baby could have it. We have had a toddler bed in her room (still in the box) since her 2nd birthday in October. We've talked about the transitions some, but the assembly didn't happen until this weekend. Because she is so inquisitive and independent, the first step was to put locks on her closet doors! With the door knobs on, the bed was next. She didn't love the wait (we made her play in her bed to keep her in a "safe place" during assembly), but she LOVED the bed! She played in it all evening! The first night was a success, no loud thumps and she stayed in the bed all night! The next morning, she excitingly asked if she would be able to sleep in it again soon! :) Yes ma'am -- at naptime, and tonight, and the next day, and for a long time (I hope).
I guess to sum it all up, I could just say that I am seeing how blessed I am to have such a sweet girl. And while I sometimes think about how happy I am that she is growing up and becoming a little more independent, I also can't believe that she is growing up so quickly.
1.06.2013
Potty Training... and much more.
Let me start by admiting that I am extremely behind on this! I know, I haven't posted any of Reese's recent updates and developement stuff.
For a quick update: Reese is now 27 months. At her most recent doctor's appointment, she was 27.5 pounds and 34 inches tall. Reese is extremely verbal and active. She doesn't sit still for long, unless we are reading a book -- which she LOVES! She talks all the time, and we are frequently amazed at how smart she is. The kid is smart, and that's sometimes not the easiest thing as a parent. But she is a sweet and happy girl, so the difficult times are far less than the joyful ones!
She is no longer using her pacifier for anything... thanks to the initial push from daycare! I guess it was over Thanksgiving that we just stopped giving it to her. There was a Sunday afternoon we thought it might help her nap better, but it didn't. So, that was it! The is a "big girl bed" in her room, but it's still in the box! We haven't gotten her room ready for her to be "free" in there yet (aka - we haven't baby proofed her room enough for me to trust her in there without supervision).
And the newest developement for her... potty training! For months (really it's been about 6 months), I have been putting her on the potty and she has used it from time to time. And for months, I have been pumping her up about getting to wear "big girl panties" and how big girl's don't use diapers, they only use the potty! So over Christmas, we packed all the big girl panties that we owned and took them to Grammy's with us!
I had prepped myself for starting after Christmas. I wanted to have a time period where she would be with me, and I thought the best time would be with the help of a grandparent! :) Christmas was crazy (as it should be with a toddler), and the day after Christmas was pretty busy too with family events. So December 27 was the day! That morning (around 7:30), I got Reese out of her pack-n-play and told her that she was going to start wearing big girl panties! She was excited, and I asked her first thing to get all the pee pee out while on the potty so she wouldn't pee pee in her panties. Every hour I took her to use the potty, but the girl wouldn't go! She said she didn't have to go! By 10:30, she hadn't used the potty or wet her panties. I was AMAZED -- there's no way it could be that easy. Then I let her know it was time for a nap, and she would need to wear a diaper (I didn't have pull ups or anything along those lines, and I certainly didn't trust her in the bed without having used the bathroom all morning)! She had a fit -- she didn't want to wear a diaper, only big girl panties! But she finally settled down and got in a nap. She got up with a slightly wet diaper, but pottied before we headed out to lunch. At lunch, I continued to ask her if she had to potty -- "nope!" was all I got everytime. Until she was nearly done with her pizza. She looked up and said, "Mommy, I pee-peed in my panties." Awesome. Thankfully I went prepared, so while I cleaned her up and changed her clothes in the bathroom, my brother-in-law cleaned up her mess. We talked about it and moved on. Later that day, I had to spend the day at the doctor's office, and Reese had two more accidents, but she also had a few successful trips too. Day 1 was done!
I won't give all the details about each of the other days, but I wanted to at least document some good things that she did that made me extremely proud and gave me hope to go on.
Day 2: Reese started off her day with an accident that morning, but she woke up from her nap dry! She had a few other accidents that afternoon, but I was proud of her 2nd day.
Day 3: Ella (Reese's cousin) turned 1, and we traveled to the birthday party in VA. That morning, she had an accident, but she did much better throughout the day! When we traveled to VA, Reese wore a pull-up! And when we got to the party, she used the potty! Before leaving, she used the potty again... and in between, she didn't wet her pull-up! I was so proud that she was busy and distracted, but she didn't wet her "panties." Before getting back on the road and heading home, we made a few stops. At one of the stops, Reese told me with a surprising looking on her face, "I pee-peed in my panties." But on the way home, she told me that she had to go poo-poo. At the time, we were a few miles from an exit. And I knew that she wouldn't go on the side of the road (not to mention, that's not the safest option for a toddler). So, I asked her if she could wait until we got home. She said yes, but I expected a dirty pull-up when we got back. To my surprise, we went straight to the bathroom, and my sweet girl pooped on the potty! Let me repeat that in case you missed it... she HADN'T GONE IN HER PULL-UP! I was shocked and so so proud!
Day 4: Reese only had a couple of accidents, and again woke up from her nap dry!
Day 5: She started the say with an accident while playing after breakfast, but she was great for the rest of the day!
Day 6: New Year's Day and our travel day back to SC! The morning started off great, and she made it all morning accident free! We left my mom's and headed to the airport to pick Dusty up. Even with a melt down over putting on a pull-up, we made it through her nap, past picking up Dusty, and to the gas station a an hour later or so before she pottied. And when she went then, it was on the potty at the gas station! We then traveled another 1.5 hours before getting to Dusty's mom's where she used potty again! We were so close to an accident free day when... while playing she froze! A few seconds later, she looked up and said, "I'm done." She had pottied... but thankfully, it was in her pull-up. The 3 hour drive home went pretty well with only a slightly used pull-up before bed. Still, I was so proud of her and the lack of accidents we had with all that travel!
Day 7: Only one accident... but even that was in a pull-up.
Day 8: A repeat of day 7, and she and Dusty had a little ice cream treat as a reward for how well she's done.
Day 9: Reese went to daycare for the first time in her big girl panties! She made it past nap time and through most of the day before having a couple of accidents from 3:00 - 6:00.
Day 10 (yesterday): NO ACCIDENTS AND DRY WAKE UP FROM HER NAP!
Day 11: No accidents and only a little damp after her nap!
This has gotten a lot longer than I thought, and I'm pretty sure that most of you don't give a rip about her accidents and successes. But one day, I'll want to look back at how it went. And I couldn't be more proud of my sweet girl's start at potty training. It gives me a lot of hope about having her well trained before baby 2 comes in June! At this rate, I'm confident she can do it! :)
For a quick update: Reese is now 27 months. At her most recent doctor's appointment, she was 27.5 pounds and 34 inches tall. Reese is extremely verbal and active. She doesn't sit still for long, unless we are reading a book -- which she LOVES! She talks all the time, and we are frequently amazed at how smart she is. The kid is smart, and that's sometimes not the easiest thing as a parent. But she is a sweet and happy girl, so the difficult times are far less than the joyful ones!
She is no longer using her pacifier for anything... thanks to the initial push from daycare! I guess it was over Thanksgiving that we just stopped giving it to her. There was a Sunday afternoon we thought it might help her nap better, but it didn't. So, that was it! The is a "big girl bed" in her room, but it's still in the box! We haven't gotten her room ready for her to be "free" in there yet (aka - we haven't baby proofed her room enough for me to trust her in there without supervision).
And the newest developement for her... potty training! For months (really it's been about 6 months), I have been putting her on the potty and she has used it from time to time. And for months, I have been pumping her up about getting to wear "big girl panties" and how big girl's don't use diapers, they only use the potty! So over Christmas, we packed all the big girl panties that we owned and took them to Grammy's with us!
I had prepped myself for starting after Christmas. I wanted to have a time period where she would be with me, and I thought the best time would be with the help of a grandparent! :) Christmas was crazy (as it should be with a toddler), and the day after Christmas was pretty busy too with family events. So December 27 was the day! That morning (around 7:30), I got Reese out of her pack-n-play and told her that she was going to start wearing big girl panties! She was excited, and I asked her first thing to get all the pee pee out while on the potty so she wouldn't pee pee in her panties. Every hour I took her to use the potty, but the girl wouldn't go! She said she didn't have to go! By 10:30, she hadn't used the potty or wet her panties. I was AMAZED -- there's no way it could be that easy. Then I let her know it was time for a nap, and she would need to wear a diaper (I didn't have pull ups or anything along those lines, and I certainly didn't trust her in the bed without having used the bathroom all morning)! She had a fit -- she didn't want to wear a diaper, only big girl panties! But she finally settled down and got in a nap. She got up with a slightly wet diaper, but pottied before we headed out to lunch. At lunch, I continued to ask her if she had to potty -- "nope!" was all I got everytime. Until she was nearly done with her pizza. She looked up and said, "Mommy, I pee-peed in my panties." Awesome. Thankfully I went prepared, so while I cleaned her up and changed her clothes in the bathroom, my brother-in-law cleaned up her mess. We talked about it and moved on. Later that day, I had to spend the day at the doctor's office, and Reese had two more accidents, but she also had a few successful trips too. Day 1 was done!
I won't give all the details about each of the other days, but I wanted to at least document some good things that she did that made me extremely proud and gave me hope to go on.
Day 2: Reese started off her day with an accident that morning, but she woke up from her nap dry! She had a few other accidents that afternoon, but I was proud of her 2nd day.
Day 3: Ella (Reese's cousin) turned 1, and we traveled to the birthday party in VA. That morning, she had an accident, but she did much better throughout the day! When we traveled to VA, Reese wore a pull-up! And when we got to the party, she used the potty! Before leaving, she used the potty again... and in between, she didn't wet her pull-up! I was so proud that she was busy and distracted, but she didn't wet her "panties." Before getting back on the road and heading home, we made a few stops. At one of the stops, Reese told me with a surprising looking on her face, "I pee-peed in my panties." But on the way home, she told me that she had to go poo-poo. At the time, we were a few miles from an exit. And I knew that she wouldn't go on the side of the road (not to mention, that's not the safest option for a toddler). So, I asked her if she could wait until we got home. She said yes, but I expected a dirty pull-up when we got back. To my surprise, we went straight to the bathroom, and my sweet girl pooped on the potty! Let me repeat that in case you missed it... she HADN'T GONE IN HER PULL-UP! I was shocked and so so proud!
Day 4: Reese only had a couple of accidents, and again woke up from her nap dry!
Day 5: She started the say with an accident while playing after breakfast, but she was great for the rest of the day!
Day 6: New Year's Day and our travel day back to SC! The morning started off great, and she made it all morning accident free! We left my mom's and headed to the airport to pick Dusty up. Even with a melt down over putting on a pull-up, we made it through her nap, past picking up Dusty, and to the gas station a an hour later or so before she pottied. And when she went then, it was on the potty at the gas station! We then traveled another 1.5 hours before getting to Dusty's mom's where she used potty again! We were so close to an accident free day when... while playing she froze! A few seconds later, she looked up and said, "I'm done." She had pottied... but thankfully, it was in her pull-up. The 3 hour drive home went pretty well with only a slightly used pull-up before bed. Still, I was so proud of her and the lack of accidents we had with all that travel!
Day 7: Only one accident... but even that was in a pull-up.
Day 8: A repeat of day 7, and she and Dusty had a little ice cream treat as a reward for how well she's done.
Day 9: Reese went to daycare for the first time in her big girl panties! She made it past nap time and through most of the day before having a couple of accidents from 3:00 - 6:00.
Day 10 (yesterday): NO ACCIDENTS AND DRY WAKE UP FROM HER NAP!
Day 11: No accidents and only a little damp after her nap!
This has gotten a lot longer than I thought, and I'm pretty sure that most of you don't give a rip about her accidents and successes. But one day, I'll want to look back at how it went. And I couldn't be more proud of my sweet girl's start at potty training. It gives me a lot of hope about having her well trained before baby 2 comes in June! At this rate, I'm confident she can do it! :)
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