Mia Gianna - Big Girl Now

I am big girl, hear me roar....

Gianna is using le toilette (please pronounce with a Frenchy accent).  We went out a couple of weeks ago and bought big girl underpants.  She has been going strong, with just a few accidents. She is so determined. She has this "resolved" in her head that she is a "big girl" now, and doesn't need diapers.  There is a little resistance at night when I put a night time diaper on her.  But I just (gently) explain that when she is sleeping, her body "forgets" to wake up and use the potty.  

Hip, hip, HOORAY! for Miss Mia Gianna.

We also got a call from the school, and they will be setting up an appointment for her to "trial" a school day soon.  She will also get to meet her teacher. This does not worry me in the least because Gianna already knows her teacher.  It is Bode's teacher! So that works out well.  I will be curious to know how Gianna does at school the first time. I kind of don't want her to "trial" at the school, because I think once she trials there, she'll just want to keep going to school. I think she will walk through that door and never look back (at me).  But who knows.

Gianna has also stopped napping.  This is very disappointing for me.  I really need (memememe) the break of at least one child sleeping upstairs.  But these days, she does not willingly walk upstairs for a nap. I have to coax her upstairs while she protests that she wants to stay downstairs and "pway" with Bode. But I win, and she goes upstairs and "pways" (loudly) in her crib. I will keep her in a nap routine for as long as I can.  You might remember that I did the same for Bode!

I'm still going strong on the no dairy, no nuts, no eggs, and no soy.  Sometimes I think of a food that I want to eat, and then just as quickly, remember that I can't eat it because it contains cheese, or another "no-no."  (And yes, I realize I can leave cheese off, but it's really the *cheese* in the dish that I want, if you know what I mean.) At some point, I am going to reintroduce certain foods to see if there is any reaction from Master Nico.  But for now, I want to give my body a chance to clean out, and for Nico to recover fully.  The random shot of eggs, pictured above, are fresh eggs that we got this week. Fresh eggs, I love you. But sadly, I will just have to admire your pretty colors and not eat you. (and no, the eggs really have nothing to do with Gianna, except that she loves to eat them, hard-boiled.)

Nico is looking great. He is not scratching himself either.    It has been wonderful to see him clear of any redness and not scratching his little scalp.  He has, however, started waking up a lot during the night this week.   I am so tired. Last night, I waited for RWF to come home from work, and then, after exchanging a quick review of our days, I announced I was going to sleep. It was 8:15 PM.  I'm glad that I did, though.  Nico was up again at 10:32 PM.

Daylight Savings Time begins this Sunday! Are you ready?  I've been putting the babies to bed early all week.  We will see if it helps.  I was getting excited for Spring, but tonight's forecast and tomorrow's forecast is snow and dreary cold.  It is currently nothing but grey skies and wind today.  It is so cold.   It's very hard for me to imagine that Spring is around the corner.

Now, if you will excuse me, I will begin crying over my baby girl turned Big Girl. No, really...I could honestly weep thinking of all the changes, and how Gianna is just on the fast-track to big girl now.

Happy Wednesday to you.  

xo

Homecoming

The other night, I was putting the babies to bed.  We were actually about to walk upstairs to their  bedrooms when the garage door opened.  That means one thing to the babies: Daddy's home!  The hall was filled with the sounds of a thundering herd as the children ran into their daddy's arms.

Lifting approximately 77 lbs of happiness and love.

All blurry iPhone photos, but I couldn't resist capturing this moment!

Of course bedtime was delayed so that the children could spend some time playing with their daddy.


This morning, Bode insisted on wearing one of his daddy's hats to camp.

Bode is enjoying camp. I am still emotional about leaving him. I just worry that the camp instructors will ignore him (not intentionally of course).  He's just quiet and doesn't make a lot of noise when he needs something. He's just "good" and that makes him easy to overlook. Bode says that he likes camp though. I guess as long as he seems happy then all is well.

Gianna and I went to the bookstore today. Gianna ate a muffin while I drank a mocha.  Then we picked out some girl-specific potty training books.  I went with the classic books, while Gianna was more enamored with the licensed character crap books.  We compromised, and bought one of each. She has started potty training all by herself.  At first, I thought it was just random announcements. But she has become more consistent.  SHHHH!!!!  I didn't say that. I didn't say anything about potty training. Quick, look! Pretty baby in bookstore photos:

I am so ready to burn these Crocs.  I am so sick of them!  But if I burned them, they would only melt into a big gloopy pink pile on the floor. And then I'd have to answer to my husband about the mess. So I'll just be thankful that Gianna can put these shoes on by herself, which saves me some time when we have to go somewhere.

Happy Wednesday!

xo

Friday play date

Every Friday morning, Gianna's playgroup has a play date in the park. We meet at Starbucks (yay) and then walk together to the park, which is conveniently located behind the Starbucks. We have only made this play date twice. Gianna usually has a very long nap in the mornings, which prevents us from doing anything until late afternoon. Today, I decided that we needed to skip the nap and make a park our priority. I really like this park because it has the perfect mix of shade and sun. It is also small enough for Bode to play on his own without me feeling like I have to hover right over him.  We hauled his big bag of sand toys and construction trucks to the playground (not super convenient when you're pushing a stroller, trying to corral a 2.5 year old, carry a purse, blanket, and hold your hot mocha!). Once again, the construction trucks proved to be a great play-starter with other kids his age. I love it. I only wish that I had done this sooner for him.

My goal is to get the babies to the park every day (as well as, walk Priscilla once a day).  Yesterday I lamed out with a trip to Target. We always need something. And it is an easy outing for me and the babies. I can put them in the double-seat cart and we can shop for an hour. 

A few of you have asked about Bode's potty training. It is going great.  He is doing really well. Of course, he is completely motivated by the sticker reward chart. Actually, he is motivated to get a toy car!  I keep changing the sticker rule. One week it is 5 stickers for 1 car. Another week it is 7 stickers for 1 car. It depends on how well he is doing. Sometimes 5 stickers is way too easy for him, and  I have to run to Target to replenish my car supply!  This potty training is expensive! I don't know how/when I will be able to get away from the sticker/car reward...or if I will even be able to.  I have created a monster!  But he is a good monster, and I love him more than anything.

My "monster" with one of his cars.

A bit of trivia:  Victoria and David Beckham named their daughter Harper.  That was Bode's chosen name when we thought he was a girl! (we were told that Bode was a girl, at first, so we went immediately to the "girl name" decision) Can you imagine? I can't (now). Gianna's chosen boy name was John.

Happy Friday, everyone!

xo