You Make Me Smile!

This little girl makes me smile.

Only one small potty accident in FOUR DAYS also makes me smile. 

Yeah, Brother! :)

Little Big Girl

The last week has been pretty low key at our house. It has been raining, raining, and raining, so the kids and I have been stuck inside more than usual. I am looking forward to a weekend of sunshine.

Do you know that day when your child magically changes from a little baby to a big girl? That happened to Maggie this week. Honestly, the first four or five months were hard. Not as hard as many parents have it, but between the colic/acid reflux/lactose intolerance/does not like to take naps during the day, it was a difficult time for me. Maggie is now on effective medication, smiles constantly, can play independently, and sleeps much better!

We started solid foods. She was not a fan of rice cereal (much like her big brother), so I went straight to fruits and vegetables. In a matter of days, she started eating a jar of baby food at lunch and dinner. She LOVES peas and green beans, but she has also eaten bananas, apples, pears, sweet potatoes, and squash.

We have been practicing sitting up without assistance. She can successfully stay upright for about 30 seconds if there is something in front of her that she is interested in, causing her to lean forward slightly. It is still a work in progress.

Both Maggie and Tuttle was been lazy bones in the morning for the week. Maybe it is the rain? Maggie makes it until 7:15 or so (She typically eats a quick bottle sometime between 5am and 6am), and Tuttle has been sleeping until 7:30. There is something about the magical hour of 7am that does not feel like you are up too early. 

Tuttle has gone TWO DAYS now without an accident! YEAH! I bought a new potty seat that attaches to a regular potty, and I literally take it everywhere. I hope this will create some consistency with going in public. I even leave it with his teachers at preschool and church. Hooray to no more diapers! We are venturing to the pet store to check out the animals after naptime as a reward for staying dry at school today. :)

On a sad side note, Tuttle did receive his first spanking two days ago. He has started to get very distracted when he is given directions. After a warning to come eat lunch, he refused and had to deal with the consequence. Although eating lunch is not that serious, it is more about the fact that many of my directions have to do with safety issues like getting in the car when I am loading all three kids up to go somewhere or not running through the kitchen after I mopped. I have started telling Tuttle to put on his "listening ears" before I am giving specific instructions, and this has helped keep him focused on following directions.

Jay and I are looking foward to another relaxing weekend with the babies.

Potty Training Success!

I know most do not care about updates on Tuttle's potty training, but when you are potty training a 2.5 year old, it consumes your life, and you THRIVE on a glimmer of success. :)

This morning Tuttle had THREE huge accomplishments.

1. He woke up with a dry diaper after sleeping for about twelve hours and drinking two sippy cups of milk in bed.

2. He sat on the potty right away and peed A LOT and most actually made it into the potty. (The potty is currently in our kitchen, so he will be so isolated. This morning I let him watch a television show while he sat, so he could aim better.)

3. After I took a shower, I checked on Tuttle to see if he needed to sit on the potty. He was already at the potty trying to pull down his underwear. He insisted he do it himself, so I left him alone to do my makeup. A minute later I hear Tuttle announce that he did it. I looked, and he had peed again ALL BY HIMSELF. This is big!

Tuttle is such a big boy now. 

Maggie is growing like crazy, too. Although she does not nap very much during the day, she is getting GREAT at sleeping through the night. She goes to bed between 6:45-7:00 and sleeps about 12 hours. She sometimes wakes up to eat around 3 or 4, but she goes back to sleep until close to 7. Some nights she does not wake up at all. It is crazy to think that I am finally sleeping through the night after almost 6 months of interrupted sleep!

I could not ask for a better job to spend all my time with my babies while they grow up.

Potty Training: Day 4

We have stayed dedicated to potty training for four days now. Four long days. Tuttle sits on the potty every fifteen minutes  (I use the kitchen timer.), and I allow him to play computer games on his Kindle to bribe him to stay longer. Today I saw some light at the end of the tunnel. 

1. We took his potty to Jack's house for a playdate, and I made him sit right when we arrived. He peed on the potty! I won't mention that majority ended up on the bathroom floor because he successfully went while sitting on the potty!!

2. He woke up from his three hour nap with a dry diaper.

3. I caught him trying to poop in the playroom, and I quickly grabbed him to sit on the potty. Now it is the second day #2 ended up in the potty!

He is going to preschool in underwear tomorrow. His teacher has been warned. 

Tuttle understands that we are wearing underwear now during the day while he is awake. He seems to have a positive attitude about our new venture. I can happily report that he will not wear diapers to college. :)

Sam's Fire Station Birthday Party

** I used my new iPhone 5 for the blog photos. I loved how convenient the phone was, but the quality does not compare with my SLR. Lesson learned.

We had been looking forward to Sam's birthday party for weeks now. Sam is Tuttle's first friend, and that is convenient because Sam lives right across the street! :)

Sam held his party at the local fire station. Tuttle dressed the part in his firefight rain jacket and boots. I was very impressed with how interactive the firefighters were with the kids and how open they were to letting the kids explore their equipment.

Tuttle could not get enough of climbing into the trucks, holding the hose and spraying the water, and wearing the gas mask. He was constantly running from one thing to another!

Sam got in on the fire hose action, too!

After the fire station we went to Sam's house for pizza and cake. Tuttle did not hestiate to cram an entire piece of cake into his mouth with his hands. I looked like I am raising a cave man. 

Tuttle took a four hour nap when we went home. I spent the afernoon at the spa with Grandmama and Aunt Peach. It was the perfect Saturday for both of us!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Sam!

On a side note, we are FULL ON potty training now. I am dealing with many accidents, but Tuttle is having a positive attitude about wearing underwear.

I'm So Pretty! Oh, So Pretty!

Even though I already posted today, I could not resist sharing some pictures of my beautiful little girl!

I could eat her up! XOXOXO

Happy New Year!

Jay and I do not have any memorable New Year's Eve plans to report because we were both asleep before 10pm, but Jay's New Year's Day tradition continued into 2013. Jay always cooks a traditional New Year's Day meal complete with corned beef, collard green, black eyed peas, rice, and cornbread. He invites over his friends, so people drop by to start the new year off right. Some people stay 20 minutes for a quick bite, and some stay for a while. This year we had the Georgia football game playing on our new television!

The Hortons came by to celebrate 2013.

 

Jay does such a fantastic job preparing all the food. I do not set foot in the kitchen. I just get to enjoy the yummy meal! :)

Tuttle insisted on wearing his Bulldawg uniform to watch the game. He had a blast throwing the football back and forth with Daddy.

Maggie has discovered her favorite teething toy. Remind me why I buy expensive toys again?

 

I have set several resolutions for 2013. I plan to write a letter a week to someone, read a book a month, and attend church 50% or more Sundays for the year. Wish me luck!

Happy New Year! 

We hope to relax during 2013 without any huge life events (job changes, babies, home searches, etc.). We have experienced a whirlwind the past four years, so we just want a quiet year. :)