Monday, December 7, 2015
Happy birthday darling daughter!
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Rest is the Punishment
So it has been closer to three weeks since I wrote the last post and that has been because our lives have changed. There is a new life in our house and we didn't pick him up at the pound!
The last post I wrote was on October 15th. That post took quite a bit of courage for me to write and it also came with a few tears. It took a lot out of me. I had to step away from this little internet space of mine to gather myself.
The last post I wrote was on October 15th. That post took quite a bit of courage for me to write and it also came with a few tears. It took a lot out of me. I had to step away from this little internet space of mine to gather myself.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
I'm making time for this post
As you can tell, I am not a consistent blogger (say whaatttt?!). I admire those who are and think that it takes serious dedication to post even weekly. As an out of the home full time working mom I tend to fill up my time quickly collapsing exhausted into bed every night. Or falling asleep on the couch only to be told to go to bed by my dear husband (who probably doesn't want to hear me complain about my crappy couch sleep). It's been even more full as I am 36 weeks pregnant as of today (and slightly terrified of my exciting new life change soon).
I often start posts and leave them unfinished in my drafts because I haven't gathered enough pictures or found anything to pretty it up, so there can be weeks where I post nothing. It bothers me but I usually get over it quick because I've busied myself with my next task of: work, normal house duties or trying to get ready for the new baby with the limited time (and energy) I've allotted myself. Today, I decided that whether I put pictures in this post or not doesn't matter, what matters is that I wrote and posted it.
This blog is something that I write because I like to. It is the things that I felt were worth sharing. Sure, there are plenty of people who will never understand it and wonder why would anyone put "their business" out there but you know what? I don't care. I used to be one of those people. As, I grow and evolve as a person I understand more and more of why people do what they do (even if I don't agree with it).
With that said, October 15th is two things to me. First it is the day extended individual tax returns are due. As a former tax accountant there are a few dates in your head that you never forget and this is one of them. Second, it is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. It wasn't until this year that I learned there was an actual day dedicated to it. I was aware that October was a month that had been dedicated to it but not an actual day.
Today, I choose to recognize this day.
I often start posts and leave them unfinished in my drafts because I haven't gathered enough pictures or found anything to pretty it up, so there can be weeks where I post nothing. It bothers me but I usually get over it quick because I've busied myself with my next task of: work, normal house duties or trying to get ready for the new baby with the limited time (and energy) I've allotted myself. Today, I decided that whether I put pictures in this post or not doesn't matter, what matters is that I wrote and posted it.
This blog is something that I write because I like to. It is the things that I felt were worth sharing. Sure, there are plenty of people who will never understand it and wonder why would anyone put "their business" out there but you know what? I don't care. I used to be one of those people. As, I grow and evolve as a person I understand more and more of why people do what they do (even if I don't agree with it).
With that said, October 15th is two things to me. First it is the day extended individual tax returns are due. As a former tax accountant there are a few dates in your head that you never forget and this is one of them. Second, it is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. It wasn't until this year that I learned there was an actual day dedicated to it. I was aware that October was a month that had been dedicated to it but not an actual day.
Today, I choose to recognize this day.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Hooray!! Potty Training.
With the next little ninja on it's way into our lives, one thing that I wanted to accomplish, no matter how difficult people told me it was going to be, was getting my daughter potty trained. People told me that it was way too early , she was too young (she'll be two in December), she's just going to revert once the next baby comes, etc. The list went on. I don't care. Not that we are totally there but we are getting closer with fewer and fewer wet/dirty diapers every day.
Every time we get a dry diaper or a successful potty trip, I feel like jumping up and down cheering like a shameless teenage girl at a One Direction concert. I usually don't take it as far as I want to but we do cheer and give lots of high fives. I've asked multiple people for their advice regarding how they went about it. I've gotten plenty of different answers leading to me to understand that it's really whatever works for you and your family. So get on with the testing.
Obviously every child is different so the answer is going to vary by child. We have found a few things that have and have not worked for us.
On the list of things that have not worked for us were:
Although it is really nice because as she uses this the waste goes directly into our flushable toilet, she can't get on it herself. Not that I'm expecting that she were to just start heading right into the bathroom and handle her business right away, I think she felt uncomfortable on it. Can you blame her? No matter what kind of stool we purchased for her she couldn't get up there safely. In addition because we don't have a round toilet (we have an elongated one) it never stayed in place and slid back and forth as she sat on it. As her legs dangled and the seat slid around, I often worried that she would slip right into the toilet creating a traumatic experience that would halt all potty training for eternity. I'm not going to be changing diapers forever kid!
Second up, prizes that were food such as M&M mini's that I hear are such a great treat because they are small and kids love chocolate... she wanted nothing to do with such rewards. I know a few kids that have been successfully trained with these tiny little candies. We tried cookies and candies and a few other things but she just wasn't that interested if she wasn't hungry.
This is the most recent addition to out potty collection and I am perfectly happy knowing that she likes it. The little hand on the side says, "Hip, hip, hooray!" every time you push it down. I'll listen to that 100 times if it will keep here there long enough to do her business. In addition it is a footstool that can hold up to 200 lbs! Yup, I said it, 200 lbs. Can you believe that? I was surprised that it could hold that much.
While we are out traveling these two items have become some of my favorites as well. The first picture is the Summer Keep Me Clean oversized seat protectors. They are awesome. They are larger than the paper ones that you can sometimes find in public bathrooms. If your kid needs to hold on to the seat or their legs dangle against the front of the toilet they don't actually touch anything but the cover. There are also two tiny little stickeys on the underside if you need to stick them on the toilet so the cover doesn't move. They are super portable and great for public places. The only drawback is that they aren't flushable (yup, I made that mistake once) so don't let it slide into the toilet thinking that you are just going to flush that little sucker down.
The other favorite travel item of mine is the PRIMO folding potty seat. This is good by itsself if you are going somewhere that you know the bathroom is clean but they don't have a child potty or seat for the big toilet. It is compact enough to throw in the diaper bag with the rest of the child arsenal but not so big that it is half the bag. I do keep ours in a zip top bag so that it isn't touching the bag or anything else because it is a potty seat and it was on a toilet. Toilets are gross by nature so let's not be disgusting here.
For a reward the best thing that we have used, has also made me the most broke... I guess I should be happy she's a saver not a spender. A piggy bank. A freaking piggy bank. Don't get me wrong, I am all about money management and saving but it's like I'm walking around with a gaping hole in my pocket that only dumps change at this point. I'm sure in the future I'm going to regret writing this post that complained about giving change and complain about the dollar bills that are rapidly being removed from my pocket but for now, it's just coins. So long as she is happy with her reward, I am happy that she is going to the bathroom on the potty and not her diaper. I guess this is the price I have to pay for avoiding purchasing bunches and bunches of disposable diapers since she's been born #makeclothmainstream.
On my wishlist... who knew I'd have a potty training wishlist but I guess it happens...
More potty paraphernalia... As my brother and I spoke the other day I mentioned to him that I wanted to put a potty in my car so that when there are those times that she asks to use the potty as we travel past nothing but empty fields or industrial buildings with no Starbucks or McDonald's in sight that we can still use a potty. I was going to purchase some TravelJohn's and then he told me about this fancy little baby:
Say whaattt?? This is awesome. This Kalencom 2-in-1 potty is not only perfect for the car but comes with a travel bag and can be used on a big toilet too?! Oh my goodness all of my potty prayers have been answered. I mean it certainly isn't as compact as the PRIMO or the seat covers but for the car it seems perfect. I haven't purchased it yet, however I am going to be picking this bad boy up this week! I mean this seems perfect! This is what I wanted and it comes with it's own travel bag and disposable potty waste bags. I love that.
There is definitely work to be done however I'm happy to report that we are well on our way to being potty trained. My next challenge is to find panties that fit my skinny kid. In a minute, I'm going to have to go all Martha Stewart on the world and make panties for kids that are thinner than a 2T or 28 lbs. For now we still rock our cute cloth diapers like treehuggers ;-)
If anyone else is potty training their little one, let me know what worked or didn't work for you.
She clearly needed to take some business calls while she was using the facilities. Haha!
Every time we get a dry diaper or a successful potty trip, I feel like jumping up and down cheering like a shameless teenage girl at a One Direction concert. I usually don't take it as far as I want to but we do cheer and give lots of high fives. I've asked multiple people for their advice regarding how they went about it. I've gotten plenty of different answers leading to me to understand that it's really whatever works for you and your family. So get on with the testing.
Obviously every child is different so the answer is going to vary by child. We have found a few things that have and have not worked for us.
On the list of things that have not worked for us were:
Although it is really nice because as she uses this the waste goes directly into our flushable toilet, she can't get on it herself. Not that I'm expecting that she were to just start heading right into the bathroom and handle her business right away, I think she felt uncomfortable on it. Can you blame her? No matter what kind of stool we purchased for her she couldn't get up there safely. In addition because we don't have a round toilet (we have an elongated one) it never stayed in place and slid back and forth as she sat on it. As her legs dangled and the seat slid around, I often worried that she would slip right into the toilet creating a traumatic experience that would halt all potty training for eternity. I'm not going to be changing diapers forever kid!
Second up, prizes that were food such as M&M mini's that I hear are such a great treat because they are small and kids love chocolate... she wanted nothing to do with such rewards. I know a few kids that have been successfully trained with these tiny little candies. We tried cookies and candies and a few other things but she just wasn't that interested if she wasn't hungry.
Third up, stickers. I'm not sure if these would have worked or not but I'm letting you know for the safety of all parties involved, stickers are a no-go at my house. I'm not sure how I lived to be an adult because if my daughter drew on the walls and couch like I did and destroyed them as I did as a child I'd have her head! We don't keep stickers at home and we definitely hide them when they are given as a gift. The last thing that I want to do is clean and peel stickers off walls, furniture, toys, clothes, etc. I don't like price tag stickers... Just say no.
I'm sure there were more things that haven't worked but on to the more fun things...
Here are a few of the things that I have been LOVING since we've started this process:
This is the most recent addition to out potty collection and I am perfectly happy knowing that she likes it. The little hand on the side says, "Hip, hip, hooray!" every time you push it down. I'll listen to that 100 times if it will keep here there long enough to do her business. In addition it is a footstool that can hold up to 200 lbs! Yup, I said it, 200 lbs. Can you believe that? I was surprised that it could hold that much.
The oversized seat covers are nice to keep germs and other disgusting things away from her body. The folding potty is perfect for traveling to places that don't have a potty for her.
While we are out traveling these two items have become some of my favorites as well. The first picture is the Summer Keep Me Clean oversized seat protectors. They are awesome. They are larger than the paper ones that you can sometimes find in public bathrooms. If your kid needs to hold on to the seat or their legs dangle against the front of the toilet they don't actually touch anything but the cover. There are also two tiny little stickeys on the underside if you need to stick them on the toilet so the cover doesn't move. They are super portable and great for public places. The only drawback is that they aren't flushable (yup, I made that mistake once) so don't let it slide into the toilet thinking that you are just going to flush that little sucker down.
The other favorite travel item of mine is the PRIMO folding potty seat. This is good by itsself if you are going somewhere that you know the bathroom is clean but they don't have a child potty or seat for the big toilet. It is compact enough to throw in the diaper bag with the rest of the child arsenal but not so big that it is half the bag. I do keep ours in a zip top bag so that it isn't touching the bag or anything else because it is a potty seat and it was on a toilet. Toilets are gross by nature so let's not be disgusting here.
For a reward the best thing that we have used, has also made me the most broke... I guess I should be happy she's a saver not a spender. A piggy bank. A freaking piggy bank. Don't get me wrong, I am all about money management and saving but it's like I'm walking around with a gaping hole in my pocket that only dumps change at this point. I'm sure in the future I'm going to regret writing this post that complained about giving change and complain about the dollar bills that are rapidly being removed from my pocket but for now, it's just coins. So long as she is happy with her reward, I am happy that she is going to the bathroom on the potty and not her diaper. I guess this is the price I have to pay for avoiding purchasing bunches and bunches of disposable diapers since she's been born #makeclothmainstream.
On my wishlist... who knew I'd have a potty training wishlist but I guess it happens...
More potty paraphernalia... As my brother and I spoke the other day I mentioned to him that I wanted to put a potty in my car so that when there are those times that she asks to use the potty as we travel past nothing but empty fields or industrial buildings with no Starbucks or McDonald's in sight that we can still use a potty. I was going to purchase some TravelJohn's and then he told me about this fancy little baby:
Oh cool, a potty seat
Looking kind of perfect for the car or roadside stop
Wait? It goes on a toilet too??
Oh snap! And it has it's own bag? WINNING!
Say whaattt?? This is awesome. This Kalencom 2-in-1 potty is not only perfect for the car but comes with a travel bag and can be used on a big toilet too?! Oh my goodness all of my potty prayers have been answered. I mean it certainly isn't as compact as the PRIMO or the seat covers but for the car it seems perfect. I haven't purchased it yet, however I am going to be picking this bad boy up this week! I mean this seems perfect! This is what I wanted and it comes with it's own travel bag and disposable potty waste bags. I love that.
There is definitely work to be done however I'm happy to report that we are well on our way to being potty trained. My next challenge is to find panties that fit my skinny kid. In a minute, I'm going to have to go all Martha Stewart on the world and make panties for kids that are thinner than a 2T or 28 lbs. For now we still rock our cute cloth diapers like treehuggers ;-)
If anyone else is potty training their little one, let me know what worked or didn't work for you.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Oh my goodness, we're in the count down...
Last week it occurred to me that I only had 10 weeks left... 10 weeks!! In less than 10 weeks, I will be responsible for another living being. Where did the time go? I feel like it was just a minute ago that I was writing the first posts about being pregnant again.
This time has been so much different than last time. There was no other little one running around being crazy last time, there was no dinner and bedtime schedules to abide by. It was just me and the husband preparing for the new baby. Back then I had time to shop at random stores to look at things for the new baby and eat wherever and whenever I felt the need. It was amazing. We are still having lots of fun right now but it isn't the same feeling as last time.
I'm so unprepared.
Have I thought about my hospital bag? No.
Have I thought about making sure I have the newborn clothes for the new baby? No.
Have I even gotten my newborn cloth diapers back yet? No.
What am I doing with myself??!!
Last time around I had checklists galore. Probably too many, but checklists are nice. They keep me organized and sane. When you've completed the task you can cross that bad boy off the list. Do I even have one checklist right now? Nope... well maybe, I may still have the original hospital checklist in my phone from last time but who knows.
Last time I was so prepared I made a second hospital bag for one of my co-workers because she didn't have a lot of friends in this area and I thought it would be fun. (Hi Catie! Hope you and Maddy are doing well). I mean two hospital bags? Yup. That is normally who I am. Right now, I'm just happy if I make it home in time to eat dinner and get the little momma to sleep before 9:30 pm. If I get the dishes or something else done around the house that's a bonus.
I feel like I need to make a checklist of checklists that I need to start checking off. Yup, you read that right a checklist of the checklists I need. Maybe this week's "Work on it Wednesday" will be to get my lists ready by next weekend. I haven't done a "Work on it Wednesday" in a while. I actually forgot about them until this post. (I'm still reading a little, not as much but some).
This week's work-on-it-Wednesday is to make the checklists of things I need to get done for the new baby. I mean I've been pregnant for 31 weeks almost... I think it's time to get my act together.
Maybe I'll even blog about it... or better yet, I'll do a video :-)
I'll be responsible for another beautiful human being like this one in less than 10 weeks.
This time has been so much different than last time. There was no other little one running around being crazy last time, there was no dinner and bedtime schedules to abide by. It was just me and the husband preparing for the new baby. Back then I had time to shop at random stores to look at things for the new baby and eat wherever and whenever I felt the need. It was amazing. We are still having lots of fun right now but it isn't the same feeling as last time.
I'm so unprepared.
Have I thought about my hospital bag? No.
Have I thought about making sure I have the newborn clothes for the new baby? No.
Have I even gotten my newborn cloth diapers back yet? No.
What am I doing with myself??!!
I don't want to look... It's too scary to look!!
Last time I was so prepared I made a second hospital bag for one of my co-workers because she didn't have a lot of friends in this area and I thought it would be fun. (Hi Catie! Hope you and Maddy are doing well). I mean two hospital bags? Yup. That is normally who I am. Right now, I'm just happy if I make it home in time to eat dinner and get the little momma to sleep before 9:30 pm. If I get the dishes or something else done around the house that's a bonus.
I feel like I need to make a checklist of checklists that I need to start checking off. Yup, you read that right a checklist of the checklists I need. Maybe this week's "Work on it Wednesday" will be to get my lists ready by next weekend. I haven't done a "Work on it Wednesday" in a while. I actually forgot about them until this post. (I'm still reading a little, not as much but some).
This week's work-on-it-Wednesday is to make the checklists of things I need to get done for the new baby. I mean I've been pregnant for 31 weeks almost... I think it's time to get my act together.
Maybe I'll even blog about it... or better yet, I'll do a video :-)
My 30 week belly shot
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