Potty Experts

I'm going to be paying my sister back for years. Between her rates for sleep training and now, potty training, I owe her big time.

The girls are amazing. Natalie and Abby are now potty experts. After 6 days, they are doing amazing. They will now either announce they need to potty and then run to the potty at our urging, or, simply go there on their own, and return to us announcing they pee-peed in the potty. A few minutes ago, the most marvelous thing occurred - I walked past the bathroom to see Natalie sitting on her little frog potty and heard her announce, "I went poopy."

Any parent will tell you that pooping in the potty is the creme de la creme and we.are.there. Abby has been pooping in the potty for several days so now, we are set.

Of course, diapers are still for sleeping and long drives (and for another week, Little Gym, Ballet, and therapies - can't have them peeing all over everything). But, I think next week, we may even try those things diaper-free.

Diaper-less nights will also involve moving out of the cribs so they can get to the potty, so we will have to figure out what we are doing about that.

I am so proud of my big (sniff*sniff) girls, and am eternally grateful to Auntie.

Potty Training - Part Deux

So, my sister whirls into town and in all her wisdom and knowledge starts the potty training. I learned this was the plan when she sent me a text while I was in my real estate class: "Potty training, need flushable wipes". It's for the best really, because I am a potty-training wuss.

I really don't like potty training. Hate it, really. Kids peeing, and worse, pooping on the floor. Ick. Having to stop every 15 minutes to potty - which takes 10 minutes. I can't get anything done. Look at me, I'm whining and my sister is the one who did most of the work on Wednesday. God bless her.

Why can't kids just go from diapers to toilet instinctively? I'll have to take that up with the Big Guy when I get to Heaven. If God was a woman, we wouldn't have this problem.

On to the potty report:
It's going okay. I think. Abby is doing slightly better as she seems to recognize more when she is about to go. Even sitting on the potty she will announce, "I'm going to tinkle", and then go. She is also pooping quite a bit, but I think this is happy consequence of the antibiotic she is taking for the massive ear infection she had last week.

Natalie has been successful as well, but I think more luck than anything. Because she is on the potty so much, she has to pee on the potty sometime. She doesn't seem to know when she is about to go nor can she force it. She could easily sit on the potty 10 minutes without going, then get up and tinkle in her pants 3 minutes later. --Wait - breaking news...Natalie just announced she needed to go pee-pee - and SHE WENT!!!! WOO-HOO!-- Stay tuned for more information as it comes in.

Moments like these...

My sister is on her way to town, so I am attempting to clean up a bit. This leaves Natalie and Abby to entertain themselves in their amply supplied playroom. It was a bit quiet, which as all parents know, is generally not a good sign.

I pop my head around the corner and find this:


Natalie, Abby and an assortment of babies sitting quietly against the door staring at the ground. They looked up at me and declared, "we're watching a movie". I inquired as to what their movie was about and was told "the stars". (We visited the Planetarium a few weeks ago).

It was absolutely the cutest thing. These are the moments I wish I could capture forever and never forget. Natalie and Abby do so many darling things every day, and I know I won't remember a fraction of them. I wish I could make a movie of every moment of their lives so I could watch it when I'm old and gray and remember...

Thank you, God, for the imagination of a child.

Checking in

I know, I know...I'll skip the apologies and get right to the updating.

We have been busy. It's been a very busy summer for our whole family.

In April we celebrated Easter and had an Egg Hunt with Grammy. We enjoyed the beautiful weather and spent many afternoons at nearby parks and finally made it to the Zoo. We bought a house and started moving, sadly said goodbye to the girls long-time feeding/speech therapist (she moved) and took Natalie and Abby fishing for the first time.

In May, we finished moving and said good-bye to our old house. Natalie and Abby turned 3 and we had a little party, even though they were sick (again). Mommy and the girls took a trip to NYC, Daddy started a new job, and Mommy started working again (babysitting).

In June, Natalie and Abby started Little Gym (and loved it!) and did all kinds of fun things with Walker and Bean like going to the coolest drive through zoo. We visited Grammy in the mountains and spent a day with old friends, Jerry and Gayle, in Winston at Old Salem. Mommy also had the honor of assisting as a birthing partner for her dear friends, Michael and Lori, and their new baby, Sam (and older sister, Awa).

Poppy came to visit in July and we went fishing again (which the girls LOVE - they like to play with the worms). We also took an amazing trip down memory lane with Poppy as we visited his old churches and neighborhood and learned more about his childhood and life as a young adult. We also took a trip to the beach with Auntie. We discovered the fun of the big pool and more fishing with Walker and Bean, discovered an amazing new museum in Raleigh, Marbles, and tried to potty train.

August involved more swimming, more Marbles, a family reunion and playing with baby goats at the Carl Sandburg house. There was more hanging out with Walker and Bean, visits from Poppy and Grammy, and weekend sleepovers at Ya-Ya and Grandpa's. The girls gave up their bottles (but not the special milk), started ballet at Uncle Johnny's studio in Burlington (where Mommy and Auntie also took as little girls) and started a new session of Little Gym. They even attended a Little Gym half-day camp for 3 hours. They have also started some of their old and new therapies - PT and OT (still waiting on speech). Daddy had to work lots and lots of overtime and Mommy started babysitting for Baby Sam.

Whew. Oh, and somewhere in there, Mommy and Daddy made an attempt to get the new house in order with some painting and organizing, new furniture (just this week), a yard sale, and with LOTS of help from Grammy. Thank God for my mom or we'd still be living in boxes.

And, just to make sure we don't leave anything out...the cats are thoroughly enjoying their new environment. They are happy their kitty perches (cat towers) are back and have each claimed their own. They also have favorite spots in the yard. Kitkat likes to hang out in the bushes and both have taken to hiding in the cool of the storm drain. And, as the girls like to say, "the kitties like to chase the bunny rabbits!"

Ok. That's 5 months in review:-)

Now, it's picture time! - and hopefully, more of the little details.