Ready or Not... Here We Come!

Tomorrow I'm doing it. I'm throwing in the towel, er... diaper, and giving my little girl the push she needs to get serious about this potty thing. I'll be trying this tactic.

Will it work? I dunno. My strategy is to roll-up the area rug and cover the couch with plastic and give it a go. I'm hopeful that after a few days we might just be on course to a diaper-free 2 year old.

Or I might be declared insane.

Stay tuned. And say a few prayers for me if you think of it.

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10am update
She's gone on the potty two times. But she just peed on the floor and didn't really seem to notice (even though she was sitting in it). She seems excited about flushing the potty and getting pennys for her piggy bank. Currently she's sitting on the potty in the middle of living room watching Sesame Street.

Happy 2 Months, Kid.

It takes a real man to sit in a pink Bumbo seat.

I can just see him showing off his biceps. It's *flex* THIS WAY to the gun show, ladies.

Liam, Liam!

Lately that's what Natalie has affectionately taken to calling her little brother. The way she sings it out always makes me smile and I've taken to saying his name that way too. I can imagine that if we keep it up, it could make for a bit of confusion for him later on in life. Ah well...

I Feel Like Chicken Tonight

Does anyone remember the old Chicken Tonight commercials? Dude... where has that been in my brain all these years? All this useless information that I hold onto!?!? Why couldn't I remember how to do calculus or trig or speak Japanese? But a lousy Chicken Tonight commercial? Save that one for posterity!

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, read this and watch the youtube commercial.

But I digress.

I'm trying a new chicken dish tonight called Spatchcocked Chicken. I feel like I'm cussing someone out when I say it, so it HAS to be good, right? We'll see. I'll keep you posted...

Update: The chicken was VERY good. I should have let it marinate for all day (as the recipe suggested). I might try a bottle marinade next time too. This was an excellent way to make a whole chicken!

Kids Clothing Exchange

If you know me at all you know I love a great bargain. And with two kids growing faster than I can shovel food in their faces, it's good to pay just a little for the clothes they wear. It lessens the pain when I see it go in the "outgrown" bag. This weekend is a semi-annual sale that I look forward to to stock up on quality kids clothes for a fraction of the price.

If you live in the area, you should definitely check it out!

Fingerpainting

What's the price of a nap around my house these days? Waking up to find that your toddler has "helped you out" by partially removing her diaper. Add to that the lovely discovery that she's smeared the poop FROM her diaper on herself and the rest of the crib and you've got one BIG exciting time right right as you should be preparing dinner.

Fun.

8 Weeks

Liam will be 8 weeks tomorrow. In some ways it seems like he's been here forever. He's sleeping 5-7 hour stretches at night (I'm amazed, really), only cries when he wants to be held a little or is hungry and is SO easy to take out. Figuring out how to get out of the house with BOTH kids is still a feat, but one that I'm getting a LITTLE better at as time goes one.



I snapped some pictures of him last Friday and then today with our sitter, Jody. He's SO content and it has me wondering just WHAT sort of personality this little guy is going to have.

He's still big. I think I might actually move to size 3 diapers at night because we've had some explosions in the 2's. He's moved up to 6 oz bottles a few times a day and is about the same size that Natalie was when she was 6 months old. But it's really a good thing that he's holding his own in the size department. Just the other day I caught Natalie straddling him and saying "horsie". Watch out girl... he's going to be able to fight back pretty soon!

I Love Craigslist!

For the past several months I've been searching for a double jogging stroller that would fit our needs. I needed something taller than the single we have now and something that would be agile enough to jog with or take to the store. I'd researched and researched without a lot of luck. A friend of mine had recently turned me on to the Bumbleride stroller, but upon further investigation, I'd found that it cost a whopping $650 brand new.

Ummm.... not an option.

The twin (or double) also came out just last year so the chances of finding a used one on craigslist were slim to none. Still, this morning I thought I'd give it a try. I had $220 in gift money for Liam stashed away for just such a purchase.

God must have heard my stroller-woes.

Really, that's the only way I can fathom this would happen.

Because I found the stroller I was looking for (this years model even) listed under the wrong name in the title. (There was only one in the Baltimore/DC area.) After calling the owner I found out she had an extra.

?!?!?!?!?

I met her a couple hours later about 25 minutes from here and discovered that the stroller was in brand-new (PLASTIC STILL ON) condition AND she only wanted $300 for it. Dude... for $80 out of my pocket, I just walked away with a brand new $650 stroller. God is good...and I love Craigslist!

Happy Birthday to You.

It seems like just yesterday you weren't even here. And now you're two. Your favorite word is "no" and you like to read books "self" (by yourself). You purposely look away from the camera unless I'm acting like a complete fool to get you to laugh and you have started disliking things with skins (grapes, peas, lima beans). (Yes, you USED to like lima beans.)

When you rounded the corner in the kitchen yesterday morning to see the little kitchen set we got you for your birthday the first thing out of your mouth was "cool". Your dad and I are constantly looking at each other with amazement at the little girl you're becoming and the surprising things that come out of your mouth.

You and I went on a special "mommy-daughter birthday date" yesterday to Chik-Fil-A and then to the mall to ride the carousel. God must have been looking out for you because the cow was at Chik-Fil-A and you were completely enamoured. I'm not sure you ate much lunch, but you enjoyed the balloon they gave you and jumped endlessly on the seat yelling "cow cow!" across the restaurant.

We're so glad God gave you to us and pray fervently that He'll make you into an incredible woman who's so in love with Him in spite of our misfit parenting skills. We think you're the best little girl ever and cherish each day we have with you.

Lots of love,
Mom (& Dad)

We Survived!

Dad and Liam
Our time in Kansas City was so much fun. While I didn't get to meet up with all of the friends I had hoped to (lots of people were sick), I did get some much needed R&R. I took naps, slept in, didn't have to cook or clean and went shopping for myself. I also got to visit with my grandparents (Mommo & Poppo) and they got to see the kids for the first time. Ahhh.. with so much fun I debated on cancelling my return flight! =)

Poppo

Mommo

Natalie hamming it up in some new duds.
The flight home was an adventure, but much better than I anticipated. Much to my surprise, my mother was allowed to escort me on the plane since I had both kids. It was a good thing too, as I had the carseat, a roll-on bag, a diaper bag, a large purse and both kids. The plane was COMPLETELY full and there weren't two seats together so the flight attendant had to request that someone move. Thankfully, a stranger did and I sat next to a wonderful lady who understood the hazards of flying with a toddler.

You notice I don't mention "flying with an infant". That's because Liam was an angel and slept almost the entire way. Natalie, on the other hand, needed something new and exciting almost every 20 minutes. We ate, did playdough, read books, watched a DVD (for only 20 minutes), ate some more, did stickers, played with flashcards, played with the reading lights, tried the DVD again and probably ate some more. All while kicking the seat of the poor man in front of us.

Then we cried.

Okay... she's the only one that cried (and at the top of her lungs, mind you) but, fortunately, it was only the last 5 minutes or so of the flight. I was SO GLAD the flight wasn't any longer. I don't think I could have handled it without joining in the tear-fest myself.

A couple nice strangers helped carry my bag and carseat off the plane. However, I was dreading getting to baggage claim with everything by myself. You can imagine how shocked and grateful I was to see Kevin standing at the gate when I got off the plane. I was glad that in the midst of all of the post 9/11 security that he was allowed to come through and help me out.

Since we've been home, things have been fairly smooth. Liam moved into his own room and has been sleeping well. Last night was a record by far, though. He slept a cool 8.5 hours straight. I'm tired today, but only because I kept waking up to check on him. What a champ! And just in time for me to go back to work. Keep it up, kid... I expect great things out of you now. =)

We Made It!

Yesterday Liam, Natalie and I got on a plane (with my sister) and headed for Kansas City. I was so nervous that we were going to be one of "those families" that you see in the news that gets kicked off the plane because their child is throwing a tantrum. But, we only had ONE bout of screaming and even that only lasted for a minute or so. I had seriously been praying - so it was a big answer to prayer.

We're in KC for a week and then it's back to Baltimore with just ME as the chaperone for the kids. I was told it's a completely full flight, so hopefully I have a really nice (or at least understanding) person sitting next to me on the flight home.

On the agenda for the week in KC: meet up with a few KC friends, Schlitterbahn (if the weather warms up), a little shopping, sleeping in, visiting with my grandparents, naps and a whole lot of "Nana and Papa time" for Natalie and Liam.

Boy is next week going to be a wake up call. I might be crying along with Natalie on the way home!