I love My Little Family of....

**FOUR**

SURPRISE!!!

{Our littlest one should arrive March 2011...

details to come soon!}

Potty Progress

THANK YOU for all of the encouragement and insight about potty training! What a ride it has been so far.


Yesterday was difficult to say the least. But, today has been a million times better. Instead of hanging around the house all day, we headed to my friend Kelly's for a little playdate. I loaded up the pink potty and enough Easy-Ups to get us through the morning and we headed out. We've been just using underwear around here, but I figured Kelly wouldn't enjoy an accident on her carpet and so the Easy-Ups were perfect.

Kelly set the potty up in their bathroom and Lauren did fabulous! She went 4 times on it while we were there!!! I was SO proud of her. She didn't have a single accident in her Easy-Ups but did have several false alarms where she sat on the potty thinking she had to go but didn't. It really was the perfect morning because we got out of the house and I think Lauren liked showing off for Kelly and her little boy Ryan. It was great for this mama too.

 Ryan showed his support of Lauren by hanging out without pants today too!

Kelly made snickerdoodles and the kids made who knows what!

Nothing like a pipe-cleaner smiley face. =) And, I am sure you noticed, but it's purple. Of course.

We took the kids outside to play in the swimming pool and on Ryan's big red wagon. I laugh every time I see this photo because I think it shows the panic in Lauren's eyes when her diaper got wet. It was so hard to explain to her that it was just the water from the pool making her swim diaper wet and not her own pee. She is so ready for this.

Precious.

Today...

...was not my most shining moment as a mother. This whole potty training thing is a nightmare.

It was hard. I was short on patience.

Meltdowns were many. Successes on the potty were few.

~HOWEVER~

Tomorrow...

....is a brand new day. Potty training might still be a nightmare.

But, it is a day full of second chances and great possibilities for the little one and this mama.

The practicing of patience and gentleness. The praying for the chance to see the fruit.



I am so thankful for my parents who happened to be in Springfield today. They stopped by at just the right time and gave me a chance to get away for a bit and take a bath. A bath. Early in the evening. With the door closed. They even brought me the stress relief body wash and lotion from Bath and Body. It was amazing and JUST what I needed to be ready to take on tomorrow. Thanks for the positive love and support. It meant so much to this exhausted and d.o.n.e. mama today.

Ewwweee Diaper

Potty training. The words make me sick to my stomach. The plan was to wait until Lauren was completely ready. I didn't want to be training her for months. I figured if she was ready, she'd have a better chance of actually being successful.

Lately, I've been hearing a lot of this, "ewwweee diaper, ewwweee diaper, ewwweee diaper" while she frantically runs and screams and begs me to change her diaper. Every time or most every time that she pees (don't even get me started on the panic when she poops) I hear this. So, I thought maybe she is really ready to do this thing. If she doesn't like to be wet, surely she will be okay going potty. 

 
Well, it's been a crazy couple of days. We are nowhere near potty trained and I feel so unqualified for this job! She will go pee on the potty but is scared to poop. She has had very few accidents, but is constantly thinking she needs to go so I am constantly running to the potty with her. It's a little bit exhausting! 

 I would so love your thoughts on this. Any successes or failures that might help me? She really hates to be in her diaper so I think she is ready, but I don't want to push her.

I Will Not Take My Love Away Chapter 2: So, Ummm, What Do You Look Like?

Part 1 HERE

That evening, I headed back to my dorm room on the third floor, I remember feeling like this could be something. Maybe its because I had had my fair share of the this could be nothings and I wanted it to be something. All I know is that between the phone lines for those short minutes we actually talked, I was totally excited and not really all that upset with Tara. ;)

I set up my Windows Messenger account that night and if I remember correctly it was a long time before I actually went to sleep. Partly because I had butterflies in my stomach and partly because we chatted online for a long time. We talked about our hometowns, siblings, college, roommates, and more. It was strange to have these conversations on the computer. I couldn't see his face and he couldn't see mine. All we had to go by were the smiley faces we inserted and a few, "hahas". It was great.

I talked to Tara about this mystery boy. She had one small picture of him that I looked at, but it was from when he was in high school and he was a college sophomore now. This was before the day and age of Facebook and Myspace and all other social networking sites. As far as I knew the only "picture" Shawn had of me was the one that Tara described for him. Looking back, I am surprised he didn't run away scared!

Neither Shawn or I had a cell phone so we spent most of our time talking on the computer. Shawn did buy a calling card and we had a few phone conversations, but a calling card only lasts so far when you are getting acquainted with someone and are likely to spend hours upon hours talking about random stuff.

I saved a couple of our conversations that I had printed off way back when. They are so sweet and funny. I even feel a little awkward for us because it's like having your first date transcribed. =) We talked a lot about not wanting to go to class, but just to sit and talk more with each other. We also talked about actually meeting each other someday soon....

Stay tuned for Part 3: Colorado and a First Date

My Princess

 

You, my dear, are my princess. You have been since the day I laid eyes on that ultrasound. You were created to be exactly who you are. And exactly who you are is EXACTLY perfect. I wouldn't change a single thing about you. Not a single thing.

"A True Friend is Someone Who Knows You Are A Good Egg, Even Though She Knows You Are Slightly Cracked." ~Bernard Meltzer

The "Fab Five" decided it would be a good idea to get together for one last hoorah before school started back. Although I won't be going back this fall, the other ladies will and it just gets really busy once August hits. We decided to go to Panera to eat and then bowling! It was such a fun evening.

Alysia ordered the most yummy shortbread cookie and let everyone try it. It was sooo good. And I am sure it was good for you. ;)

They were so cute together. Leslie, I like how you leaned in. ;)

This pic of Tammy and me was right before Leslie almost made me break both of my wrists.
It wasn't pretty. This was also before Alysia decided to tell a fabulous story that almost made me lose my dinner.

Ladies - those are some fancy shoes!

I love these girls!