The Perils of Potty Training

Potty training...what can I say...to some kids it comes so easy... to some kids...not so much. I had been told numerous times over how much easier girls were to train than boys. I'm not sure that I buy that. I think some girls are just ready before boys.

What am I basing this on? I started trying potty training Noah a little passed 2. It was a complete disaster. He was confused...I was frustrated...we would let it pass and try again in a few weeks or months...this when on for another year. He was finally ready to train at 3. Once he was ready, the process was simple, painless, done in a few days! Voila'! Did I get sick of family members and other people asking me when I was going to get him potty trained? You bet, but I knew my kid and knew he could and would do it in his own time like everything else he did!

Fast forward to Lilly. The plan was that it would be great for her to be potty trained before new baby arrives. However, time slips away from us and here we are a few weeks away from the blessed event and Lil is still happily doing her business in her diaper. I have put panties on her and did the whole run to the potty every thirty minute bit...she's every bit as confused about the process as Noah was. And guess what? This time around I don't care who asks me when she's going to be potty trained (or give up the paci for that matter). When she's ready, she'll be ready, and that's that. Regardless of all the well meaning advice, etc. She's mine and I know when she's ready to do something and when she is not, and for now she is not. I still let her sit on the potty every time she wants to. We sit her on it before bathtime and bedtime, just to get her used to it, but as of now she hasn't made the connection of why she is sitting there...and that is fine. I'm fairly certain she will not go to kindergarten in diapers or with a pacifier wagging out of her mouth. For now, she's 2, she's still our baby and she has the rest of her life to be a big girl.

For all you math whizzes

I am not a math genius...but I'm not a math dummy either...I took all the algebras and pre-cal and some college stuff that I can force myself to remember if the opportunity arises....

However there seems to be a mathematical formula at my home that is unsolveable regardless of how you factor in the x or y or cross multiply or whatever...

Here is the problem

On Saturday, x number of laundry hampers were empty...blissfully empty...all contents were clean, folded and or hung up and put away in their prospective homes...

Saturday evening was a relatively quiet night at home...Sunday...family in question was gone all day....

By Monday morning x number of laundry hampers were full again

Which = 1 tired Mommy doing 5 more loads of laundry....

What law of multiplication is at work here?

Kiddo Rooms

So forever ago it seems I started redoing these kid rooms. I'm finally going to post a few pics even though the process is not complete yet. Ann Elizabeth's room will not be done until she gets here and I can hang photos of her and I'm still searching for the perfect thing to hang over Lilly's bed.

I must say, I am completely happy with all the bedding and curtains even though it took me months to commit to purchasing them. They came from Pottery Barn for all three rooms and especially the big kid's rooms are versatile enough to grow with them for awhile. The curtains in all three rooms are gingham panels. Lil's are light pink, Annie's are bright pink and Noah's are green. We ended up painting Lil's room yellow because that is her favorite! And the baby's room is green.

When the baby's bedding came in, my sweet friend Lesley stopped by to see it and of course we had to unpack it and put it on the bed to see how it looked. I might add this would seem like an easy job but with Lilly's rear end planted firmly in the baby bed it wasn't so simple! She now shows people her "yellow" room and her "green" room. Apparently all things girly in this house belong to her and new baby Annie will just have to find her own room....oh dear...

With that said I do have to add one funny note about my dear husband. Over the weekend we went ahead and got online and ordered our infant carrier and double stroller (thanks for the recommendation Deanna! we found a good deal on one too!) Anyway, I kind of wanted to go with a pink infant carrier. In the end I decided on green and brown JUST in case in the future we are ever blessed with a fourth Parsley baby. I showed this to Travis online and told him why I was getting the green. He just looked at me VERY seriously and shook his head and said that's out of the question.

"What's out of the question, a 4th baby?" I was a little surprised because he's always had the idea of the 4th.

"Nope, he says, "I now see that I am destined to have only girls no matter how many more there are!"

I might add that Travis is very excited about this new baby and is crazy about Lilly Grace. However, the last few weeks of terrible twos combined with Lilly's, shall we say, girl drama, combined with a hormonal wife who is 8 1/2 months pregnant could perhaps be putting our house on estrogen overload. A lot of times Travis and Noah retreat to the "boys room" with the Wii or the DS! Bless their hearts. We do love our boys though...even if they don't understand us most of the time. Travis has also begun fretting over his little "girls" dating which I think is hilarious, considering one hasn't even made her arrival yet. He has alot of worry time ahead of him I"m afraid.... Also Lil did talk him into playing tea party the other day, she was Belle and he was Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty and he had to sit in the little kid chair and drink out of the pink plastic teacup. He was a good sport about the whole thing. It takes a real man to drink from a tea cup!!!

A little "Sprinkle"

Tonight some of my best friends had a little girls night out "sprinkle" (as opposed to a shower!) at Lonestar to celebrate the upcoming arrival of little Annie.

I had SO much fun getting to visit and talk and laugh with my friends and family. It was decorated so sweet and the food was wonderful (especially the cupcakes!) I got so many sweet gifts that i won't even start to name them all because I would leave something out and I truly loved everything. I came home and unpacked it all and went back through them again.

However, more than the food, and the gifts, and the girltalk, I feel so blessed tonight to have the very best friends in the whole world. I know I could call any of them up in the dead hour of midnight and they would be there for me without a doubt. I am so thankful that my children will get to grow up surrounded by all of these friends and family who already love them before they even make their arrival into the world. I love that these friends are people who together we share joys, our embarassing moments, and our troubles. I don't know what I would do without any of them. Again, I won't name everyone who came tonight because no doubt I'd leave someone out, but they are all girls who are dear to my heart and who I couldn't imagine my life without them!

Thanks again my dear friends! I loved the shower and I love all of you!!!!

Slowly but Surely

I am losing my mind. I had a 5 minute argument the other day in Kohl's with Travis about how I would be turning 29 in December. He finally had to point out that I was born in 1980 and would indeed be turning 30 in December...since it is 2010.

Perhaps this baby is shuttling all available blood to itself and away from my brain....

Good times when you lose track of your age and your loved one has to do the math for you.

Dear Readers

I sincerely apologize from my recent absence from the blogging world. However I have a good reason...I have spent the last week in a seemingly endless stream of doctor appointments!!! The good news is that most of these were routine checkups and only two of them consisted of sick children... This picture I took with my phone was at Noah's Vanderbilt appointment. Those aren't play glasses they actually test something and Noah could tell you exactly what but I can't remember. The people there are so great with him and are very thorough in the care we have received there.

In seven calendar days we have spent our time at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital for eye checkups, a half a day with Dr. Gass for a checkup, labs, and tests, two appointments with Dr. Simmons for two strep tests and a nasty rash, Travis with family doctor for tonsillitis, and an allergy checkup and lab work with Dr. Cavanah.

With all of that said, let me say I am NOT complaining about these, as I realize all of this stuff is run of the mill ordinary things and not serious, they just take up lots of time!

Speaking of time...it's running out for the arrival of baby #3. I have about 8 1/2 weeks left to go if I go all the way to my due date. If this baby maker her arrival like Lilly then we may only have 4 or 5 weeks left to go. We shall see...either way it won't be long until we meet our little "kicker". The kids talk about her all the time, but I am really anxious to see how Lilly reacts to this baby. She adores babies...but of course she's never lived with one so I think it will be interesting. Also on a funny note, I saw an acquaintance the other day who I rarely get to talk to, and in passing she asked me when I was due. I told her and she looked at me and said (without smiling or joking), "Really, Three is SO hard." That was all she said and then she walked on. I'm trying not to let this comment give me cold sweats of fear. I realize three will be hard. There are days when two or one is hard....Perhaps she was just having a bad day...I'm choosing to think so.

On a side note...I know some of my customers read this blog. With that said, Dr. Gass is recommending that I only work through the very end of June. On his recommendation I will only be taking appointments until June 29th. At which time I will be off until after the baby arrives. If there is an appointment you would like to schedule PLEASE call now as my remaining appointment days are filling up very fast. Also, we will be in revival the first week or so of July and we have both day and night services so I will not be taking orders, etc. during that time. I hope this isn't an inconvenience to anyone but I feel like it's best for my health and the health of this baby to lighten my load a little bit in the last weeks of this pregnancy.