***Alert!

Update on potty training Day 1:

Kyleigh was introduced to her new potty for the first time at 9:27am. Success was discovered at approximately 9:30am!
So proud of our big girl, Chris & I smothered her with hugs; and I, of course, cried!

Introductions--
KyKy, this is your potty.
Potty, this is Kyleigh.

1st time sitting on

the new potty seat

"I just sit here?
That's easy enough!"

After only a couple minutes,
Kyleigh signed and verbalized,
"All done."

And she truly was...
on her very first potty trial
she peed in the potty!

Potty Training

Kyleigh's 23 months old today, and we've decided to introduce potty training.

Starting months ago I've asked a multiple mommy friends for their wisdom and knowledge on this subject. Some mommies said it takes a few hard-core training days. Others said it took them months and their kids still struggle with it. I'm believing it's a matter of all kids being very different.

Some said I ought to teach Kyleigh before Josiah was born so I'd only have to buy diapers for 1 kid! LOL Let me say it would have been a DREAM to have Kyleigh potty trained before Josiah was born! But she was under 18 mo. old and I was super-sized pregnant and injured and in the middle of home renovations, so the timing wasn't right and I'm glad we didn't even contemplate attempting it then! But now life's different. Not exactly "mellow", it's just more of an "organized chaos"!

KyKy seems interested in the process of restrooms. And for a while now she's established a routine of bringing me a diaper at moments I think are totally random, then pats her bottom as though to bring her bum to my attention. And every time she does that, I check her diaper and I'm proven wrong...it's not random, she's got a dirty diaper and she's brought me a fresh one to replace it! This awareness of hygiene plus interest in the restroom convinces me Kyleigh may be ready to become toilet-trained.

We went shopping last night to get Kyleigh her own little potty seat to start using today, which is exactly one month 'til her 2nd birthday! I'm introducing the concept, but not pushing it on her. I'm hoping at first for her just to show signs of interest in the new object, then more frequent interest in relation to "doing her business". I'm in no hurry...I've got about 40 diapers that need to be used! That'll take a few days, and hopefully by then she'll be in the full swing of using the potty like a big girl every time she needs to "go"! (And NO, I did not make her pose for this picture! We got home late, she was being silly & leaning on the box so I grabbed the camera, having no idea she was going to go all Vana White on me!)

Those are my hopes. But it's really going to be a balance of Kyleigh's willingness and my steadfast consistency in the training process. It would be awesome for her to be officially potty-trained by her 2nd birthday!

P.S. No, I haven't mentioned Chris in all of this. My husband is working a crazy holiday schedule right now, but for when he is home he's on board with the potty training plans (he and Josiah helped us pick out the new potty seat last night--it was a family affair)! And since we're starting on a Sunday, which is when Chris works the short mall hours of 12pm-6:30pm, he'll be home for her first morning with the new potty seat introductions and will be home for dinner and evening potty training rituals on her first day! Too bad he can't be home 24/7 for this phase 'cuz she's a Daddy's Girl ...anything that he says is cool is super cool to her. I think he could have her potty trained in less than 3 days! Hahaha Wish us well in our new journey!

*Oh, and I'm still up for suggestions on the potty training from parents with personal hands-on experience in this process! I can't use every method--that would be chaos!-- but I do appreciate constructive/productive input from those who have been here and done this!

Growing Independence

More and more each of my children are experiencing and developing individual areas of independence.

Kyleigh, for instance, is interested in dressing up like Mommy and Daddy as well as preferring to do as many things by herself as possible. The latter has always been a part of her personality, and now she's got the 2 yr old capabilities to back up her life-long inclination toward the
DIY (do it yourself) philosophy!

Here's a photo log of her getting her own milk refill today
(Mommy's only tasks= opening fridge door & pouring milk):

With cup empty, Kyleigh signed a request for "milk"...












Then she attempted to open the fridge, which I helped with...











Kyleigh retrieved the mik carton...














Notice the cup tucked into her arm--she never let it go!...












Handing Mommy the cup to fill...












One of the few ways I can help is pouring milk (well, "Silk")...











Returning the carton to KyKy...












She put it away so nicely!...












Then closed the door...










Kyleigh signed + gave a hearty verbal "pleeease?" for her cup...












Yaay, more milk!











Mmmmmm, yummy!














Josiah does not yet sit up on his own for more than seconds, but he's rolling all around the house to get from one place/object to another. I predict crawling in his
not-so-distant future!

He has become more interested in really "playing" lately.




He's acquired some toys from Kyleigh's baby days, and is enjoying them more actively and independently.

He's sort of into doing his own thing...so long as we're right there watching and cheering him on!

What's Not To Be Thankful For?

What's not to be thankful for with these awesome people I'm blessed to call my family?!


Chris's regular day off is Wednesday, and of course he was home for Thanksgiving, so we spent these back-to-back family days doing projects around our home. Since my hubby doesn't get a lot of free time, we must use whatever days are available to prep this house to sell. But it wasn't too bad since everyone joined in (well, Josiah "supervised")!


Kyleigh is truly the biggest helper with the biggest heart! She worked hard, and of course she played hard, too...

Then, of course, we enjoyed a yummy Thanksgiving dinner--every bit of which my husband prepared while I napped. Can you believe it? He has to be to work @ 5:30am for Black Friday, and he let me nap? He's the best!

(Pre-dinner anticipation!)

(Giving Thanks in prayer)














(Josiah's 1st Thanksgiving, Kyleigh's 2nd--
but it's the 1st time she got to enjoy all the food!)

(KyKy showed her appreciation by helping wash dishes after dinner--sweetest heart! Then the night ended with
a good ol' fashioned bedtime story.)

I ♥ them! ------>

Knock, Knock. Who's There???

What a crazy afternoon!

Some friends from Ohio, Eli and Jenn, have been at a conference in Nashville the past few days, scheduled to drive home today. We hoped to either travel to Nashville to visit or have them stop in BG on their drive home, but we hadn't been able to coordinate schedules.

Then today there was a knock at my front door. I wasn't dressed for company, had one baby screaming at the top of his lungs, and a toddler waking from a long nap wanting to eat. So, I gathered myself a bit, and when I looked outside all I saw was a vehicle in my driveway, but no longer anyone on the doorstep. I guessed it could have been someone interested in our house for sale--and had no intention of letting some random people in my home without an appointment--so I went on about dealing with the kids.


A little while later I got a phone call from my hubby, letting me know Eli and Jenn had gone to the mall to visit him on his break at work--and that was who had knocked on our door! I felt terrible, they'd gone out of their way on a long drive home to stop and visit with us and I didn't even go to the door! So I gathered up the kids and headed to the mall! On our way out we found this sweet note on our door:











We haven't seen this couple in a few years, and it was their first meeting with both our kids, so that was super sweet. Their two precious kiddos were back in OH with relatives, but hopefully we'll get to catch up with them before too long!


Thx Eli and Jenn for visiting...and sorry that when you said,
"Knock, knock"
I didn't ask, "Who's there?"!

The Great Zebra Exchange of '08

Last night I did something new: I went out with some girlfriends and left the kids behind! I would never switch my children from breast milk to formula to increase social opportunities. But Josiah switched for medical reasons and has benefited, and apparently there's benefits for me, too! I knew I'd miss the kids, and I truly missed them all night, but it was a good change of pace for all.

Since Chris got home around dinner time I was able to drive to Nashville by myself for the whole evening! My hubby is such an awesome dad, and he was looking forward to his one-on-one time with each munchkin while I got ready to go out! Dress was casual, but I had to include lil' kitten-heeled shoe to celebrate my "grown-ups only" occasion! (Yes, it's true, I own shoes other than flip-flops & sneakers! *GASP*)

It wasn't a wild night...well, my drive to N'ville exposed my crazy side as I blasted music and sang along, but that's about it! I figured since I was driving solo,
I should sing solo, right?!

We went to a small bistro/restaurant called Fido. I ate the salmon, which was a yummy but far-too-small portion! Just before our good-byes, the "Great Zebra Exchange of '08" went down on the streets of downtown Nashville!
(Online I'd bought a Bounce & Spin Zebra as KyKy's Christmas or Bday gift & Milla picked it up in N'ville for me)

Now that Cynthia's moving to N'ville and I've got my body to myself, maybe we can get together more often!