March 31

Alright, time for an updated belly picture. I'm now 28 weeks...7 months pregnant! I am definitely bigger than I was at this point with Audrey. And I am definitely more uncomfortable already. With Audrey, I don't remember ever feeling too uncomfortable, especially this early. But this time, I'm just sore all over and my back hurts a lot and the heartburn is killing me. I suppose I was lucky last time to have it so easy!

I'm getting anxious to meet this little one and find out what life with two little ones is going to be like!

March 30

Today I spent a good amount of time trying to figure out what to do with our living room. This is what the living room looked like 6 years ago, when we first moved into this house. We've changed a few things over the years, but we have had the same layout for as long as we have lived here. (This was long before I had a good camera, so the quality/color is not so good on this picture...making the color of the walls look different, though it has not changed). This was the view from the dining room.This is the view from the dining room right now. Again, all the colors are still the same; this picture just has better lighting.
We wanted to open up the space more, and I think we have succeeded in doing that. I also think we like it and will keep it this way, but there are a few problems to work through and changes to be made.

1. The carpet needs some major cleaning. The carpet is about 2 1/2 years old, and with the couches staying in the exact same spot for 2 1/2 years and the amount of foot traffic we have around here...well, we now have two different colors of carpet! You can see it in the picture above. So some professional cleaning is in our future, and hopefully we can get the carpet all back to the same color!

2. This is the entryway area right now. Obviously, it needs some work, as I don't want people to be greeted by a pile of toys. I'd like to get a bench to put here, with some storage underneath to hide all those toys. Oh, and I'd also like to get a new rug for the floor in the entryway.
3. Eventually, we like to get a brown leather chair and ottoman to go here. But soon our living room is going to be overtaken again by the baby swing and the exersaucer and all those fun baby things, so we will wait until we are all done with the baby phase before we add a big (unmovable) piece of furniture. Plus, we really don't have money to get a nice chair right now.
4. We are going to get a new entertainment center. I feel like this one is too big and bulky for the space. I bought it at Wal-mart for like $60 before we were married, and I never expected it to be around this long. I'm looking for something smaller and sleeker and still fairly inexpensive. Right now, this is looking like my top choice.
5. However, getting a smaller entertainment center is going to leave us with a big empty wall on that side of the room. I'm not sure exactly what to do with that space, but it is going to need some help. New artwork/decor is definitely on the list.

6. The biggest question right now is the door. That door leads to a closet that leads to the piano room. It's like a little shortcut to our piano room, so you don't have to walk around and down the hall.

When we first talked about rearranging, our initial thought was that we would take the door out, as we thought the room would look better without the door in the corner. There are a few other advantages too. It would make rewiring easier. And we have to do some rewiring to get rid of the cable and other cords that are currently running across the room. Plus, if we took out the door, it would give us more wall space to create more shelving (and thus more storage) in the closet.

At the same time, it's a lot of work (for Daniel!) to take out the door and put in the drywall and repaint. And it really doesn't seem to look that bad with our new arrangement. So is it necessary?? That's what we are trying to decide right now.

7. One more thing...I also want to get new curtains. These curtains are sheer and cheap. I got them on major clearance at Target, kind of as a temporary fix. But I've never replaced them, and I'm definitely ready for a change there.

8. And while we're looking at things to change...a new lamp would be kind of nice too!

Isn't it crazy how one little change leads to another and another and another? This is going to be a step by step process, because the budget is definitely not going to allow us to make all these changes at once.

March 29

As I said at the end of yesterday's post, it is spring cleaning/organizing/remodeling time! I am in the mood to clean out our house, get organized and change some things around here!

This was one of yesterday's projects: cleaning out the bathroom closet and medicine cabinet. This is the after picture. Not all that exciting, especially since I don't have a before picture. Just imagine it being very messy and overflowing with junk. The towels/sheets on the top shelf were stacked all the way to the ceiling. We really never use these towels anyway, so I got rid of a bunch of them. The toiletries and junk on the second shelf were just thrown onto the shelf haphazardly. This is a definite improvement.

I really enjoy organizing. But I am horrible at keeping up with all the organizational systems I create. I keep telling Daniel about my new plans to get organized this year, and he just laughs at me...because he knows I most likely won't keep up with it.

However, I figure that even if I don't keep up with everything on a regular basis, I always go through a major purge and organizational redo every year. So at least for a short period of time, our house will be simpler and cleaner and more organized. Who knows, maybe this will be the year that I get my act together and keep everything in its place all year long!

More to come on this topic in the days/weeks ahead!! We rearranged our living room tonight for the first time in 6 years...not sure how it is going to work out exactly, but it is fun to change things up around here!

March 28

Our weekend in Chicago was a lot of fun! There were only two downsides to the weekend:
1. It was really, really cold. Walking around Chicago in frigid temps is not much fun.
2. I did not sleep much...though I tried really hard. We all had a rough time sleeping the first night...I think I ended up sleeping 3-4 hours total that night. The second night was even worse for me....I might have gotten 2 hours of sleep all night long. It was painful.

But, those two things aside, it was a great weekend. I failed at taking very many pictures, but here are a few with a brief summary of the weekend. Amy did a better job of taking pictures, and I'm sure she will be posting some on her blog soon.

These two cute little ones showed up at the train station to say good-bye!We stayed at The W hotel on Lakeshore. The first thing we noticed as we drove up--it was sparkly!While the building and lobby were fairly impressive, the rooms weren't all that special. Our room was pretty small and ordinary. We found out that the hotel is due to be remodeled next year, so it would be interesting to go back after the remodel and see what has changed.On Saturday, Amy and I went to our photography class (the reason for the trip), while Heather and Angela hit Michigan Avenue for a day of shopping.

Our class was really good. It was a beginner's class, so I felt like I had a good grasp on a lot of material. But it was good to hear everything explained again, plus I learned several new things and had a few "aha" moments. Here are a couple shots from our "homework" assignment that we were assigned to complete during our lunch break.

Gotta love the "taking a picture of taking a picture" photos!
After our class, we met back up with Heather and Angela and walked to Navy Pier. It was only a couple of blocks away, but it was SO, SO cold. Here we are eating dinner at Harry Carey's.

On Sunday, I got to visit with my friends Katy and Andrew and their new baby, Madelyn. It was good to see them, and of course, I snapped a few pictures before I left!
Then I met up with the other girls for lunch at Cheesecake Factory, followed by more shopping. I would have liked to take a few more pictures, but it was so cold...we were running from store to store!
Amy and I wanted to buy presents to take back for Audrey and Cael. I got Audrey a stuffed Tigger toy from the Disney store. Amy got Cael a lego set from Lego Land. Except Amy didn't realize that you have to put the legos together. She was expecting something that looked like the picture on the box, not a bunch of little pieces. So Cael would understand what it looked like, Amy and Angela put the legos together for him...in the middle of the food court at the mall!The finished product...good job, Amy and Angela.

And that's all the pictures I have! Now, it's back to the real world at home!

I am in spring cleaning/organizing/remodeling mode now. I am eager to get a lot of junk out of our house, and we have a big list of projects to complete before baby gets here. I'm thinking I might have a cleaning/organizing/remodeling theme going on here for the next few weeks.

March 25

I am going to Chicago this weekend with the girls! My friend Amy and I are taking a photography class, and then our friends Heather and Angela are going to tag along to hang out and go shopping. We leave tonight and will get back on Sunday night.

I'll post all about our weekend on Monday!!!

March 24

Tonight, I met my friend Katie at church to discuss some ideas for VBS this summer. I had Audrey with me, and Katie had her two boys with her, so we thought it would be easiest to meet in the church nursery.

It turned out our friend Amy and her son Cael were at church tonight too...so they hung out with us in the nursery for a little while.

And then Lindsey stopped by with her two boys Simon and Elliot. She was only planning to pick up a couple of things, but they all stayed and played with us too.

So our VBS meeting became an impromptu play date...which led to...the kids running "races" down the church hallway!

I only had my phone with me, so the quality is not great...but I did capture a couple of videos. Notice that Audrey is way slow compared to all those boys...and she definitely runs like a girl!

March 23

I think we may have decided on a name for this baby. At least, it seems that way for now. We still have about three months to change our minds! I'm 27 weeks now, which is the first week of the third trimester. Audrey was born at 38 weeks, so it's in my head that this baby could be here in as little as 11 weeks!!

It is the name that I have liked from the beginning, so I'm kind of happy about that. Daniel wasn't a big fan at first, but he says it has been growing on him more and more.

With Audrey, we gave a hint about her name before she was born using this picture.

Our hint was that there was an "e" somewhere in her first name.

For this baby, the hint is:

There is not an "e" in her first name.

That's all I have for you tonight!

March 22

Elliot came over to play with us this morning. It would be fun if Audrey and Elliot grew up and got married someday. They are only 2, and yet I already have enough pictures of the two of them together to make a slideshow of their relationship!

We are on the letter "E" this week, so I thought I would include Elliot in some of our activities. We had an "egg" themed morning.

First we decorated an Easter Egg coloring page with Do-a-Dot markers (Audrey loves to use these!) and foam stickers. Then we had a little Easter Egg hunt in the basement.

Then we made nests (out of coffee filters and shredded paper) to hold some of the eggs.
Then we watched Green Eggs and Ham (basically just a narration of the book on DVD). And for a snack, we had green eggs...and raisins. I didn't have any ham! Plus, I wasn't sure the kids would be a big fan of the green eggs, but I knew they would eat the raisins. But they actually loved the green eggs...both of them cleaned their plate!

March 21

We are trying to enjoy this warm weather while it lasts! Tonight, I took Audrey for a walk in her big stroller. While we were on our walk, we saw a little girl about Audrey's age who was pushing her baby doll in a little stroller. When Audrey saw that girl, she wanted to turn around and go back home and get her own stroller and baby. So we went back home and then finished our walk with Audrey's baby in tow!Potty update: Audrey pooped in the potty again tonight! She was in the bathtub, and she was crossing her legs and looking uncomfortable. I thought she had to pee, so I asked if she needed to go potty, and she said yes. I was totally surprised when she pooped! Then after getting back in the bathtub, she started to get that same look a few minutes later. Again, she said she needed to go potty. And again, she pooped a little more! It was a very exciting night around here!

At some point during this potty training process, we promised Audrey a special treat if she went poop in the potty. And at some point, that special treat became two "brown" cookies (that's what Audrey calls them, they are actually Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies). Here she is with her cookies after bathtime tonight!
She was pretty excited about the cookies, but for about 20 minutes she refused to eat them. (this is actually fairly common for Audrey and treats...she just holds onto them for the longest time!). Finally, I showed her how they were melting in her hands, and she decided it would be better to eat them than have messy hands.

March 20

It was a beautiful day today! I really love the warmer weather...too bad it is going to be back down in the 30's this weekend. =(

I think Audrey enjoys the warm weather too as she has been asking to play outside all the time. We spent some time outside this afternoon playing with her animals. She loves to line up all her animals on the steps outside. Daniel's parents gave Audrey these animals, first a few to take on our trip to Florida and then more as a potty training reward last week. Audrey loves them so much! She insisted that I take pictures of all her animals outside this afternoon. So I figured I would introduce a few of them to you (but don't worry, I won't bore you with all of them).

This is Rabbit. Rabbit says "hippety hop, hippety hop, hippety hop", while Audrey bounces her up and down on the ground.
This is Bambi, aka Moose. Audrey saw a commercial for the Bambi movie and then a display at Wal-mart, and now she loves Bambi. I tried to explain to her that Bambi is a deer not a moose. But she insisted, "No, Bambi a moose. A little moose."
This is Kangaroo. Kangaroo says "jump, jump, jump" while Audrey bounces her up and down on the ground. Notice the distinction between Rabbit's "hippety hop" and Kangaroo's "jump". Audrey is very insistent that Rabbit cannot "jump" and Kangaroo cannot "hippety hop".
This is Giraffe. Giraffe was lost for a few hours one day, and it was a major tragedy. Fortunately, we found her and have kept good track of her ever since!

March 19

I just realized I had not posted yet today. It's 11:00 pm, and I'm still working on my Sunday School lesson for tomorrow. I need to remember that it is not a good idea to start working on the lesson at 9 pm the night before, especially when I choose to do a somewhat elaborate craft that requires a lot of prep work.

So, I haven't uploaded or edited a picture yet (though I did take a couple today of Audrey playing outside). But I'm not going to get it posted tonight...maybe tomorrow!

We did have a big day in our house! Audrey pooped in the potty! It was very close, as she told us she needed to poop JUST as she was actually starting to go. But Daniel grabbed her and helped her hurry to the bathroom, and she made it in time to get it in the potty! That's definitely progress for her!

March 18

We hung out with the Millers tonight. Audrey really loves that family a lot! Tonight, Amy kept hiding toys in Audrey's shirt, which Audrey found very funny. We joked that she looked like Mommy with her big tummy, but I don't think my tummy is sticking out quite that far yet (and I'm hoping it never will!).

Potty update:

The good news: No pee accidents today. And she has been dry the past two mornings when she woke up, and that has never happened in her whole life. So, she is quickly getting the hang of this idea of peeing in the potty and not in her panties or pull ups...even while sleeping! Though I'm thinking she will still wear a pull up to sleep for a while, as I am in no hurry to be cleaning her sheets all the time!

The bad news: Two poop accidents today. To her credit, I think she knew she needed to poop. Twice, she told us that she needed to poop. And she attempted to go on the potty. But she was just not patient enough to wait for it. I know that it is completely normal for kids to catch on quickly to pee and then have trouble with poop...but, it is still frustrating to me. I feel like she is so close to getting it...but she's just not quite getting it all yet. I know I just need to be patient and keep working with her. In time, she will get it. But my patience was running low this morning. Fortunately, I got to escape and go out with the girls to Incredibly Delicious this afternoon...which was a much needed escape!

March 17

We had a good morning at Sprouts! Audrey was in a good mood. She was even willing to share toys with the other kids...on her own initiative! Rather than screaming "no mine!" when a little girl came up to play with the Mickey Mouse toys (Audrey usually lays claim to them pretty early in the morning), Audrey said, "Here you go" and gave her Goofy. She kept Mickey and Minnie for herself, so it wasn't a total sacrifice...but I was still happy that she initiated the sharing. It might be a first for her. =)
Audrey and Elliot were having lots of fun wearing these hats. It was also Green Day, so lots of kids were dressed in green..plus we made green crafts and listened to a story about green frogs and ate green snacks! Audrey is getting the routine of Sprouts down really well. She loves to talk about what we are going to do at Sprouts. With a little prompting, she says, "First, playtime. Then clean up time. Then story time. Then (and this is where she gets most excited) SNACK TIME!"
It was also a beautiful day today, so we tried to go outside and play several times. I think Audrey was happy to be reunited with her slide. I thought she might be getting too big for it, but she was pretty excited to play on it this afternoon. Then this evening we went for a walk. When we got back home, we played in the driveway with sidewalk chalk until it was too dark to see anything. Why can't temps be in the 70s every day? I am pretty sure I would be happier and more productive if every day was as nice as today.

Today's potty update: much better than yesterday! No accidents! Audrey is not as interested in going potty anymore as she was those first few days. I think the novelty has worn off! Today I had to drag her away from whatever she was doing to get her to go, but she still went in the potty and stayed dry all day.

March 16

For "D" week, we had a fun dinosaur-themed morning. First we made this lovely dinosaur out of the letter D. (Kind of looks more like a turtle with spikes to me, but Audrey thinks it's a dinosaur, so that's what counts). Then we went to the library, where we did some dinosaur puzzles and saw pictures of dinosaurs hanging on the walls. And we checked out some dinosaur books and an Elmo dinosaur movie!

Now for the potty training update. (I'll put these at the end of my posts now, so you don't have to read them if you don't want to. Since this is a blog about my daily life and potty training is a big part of daily life right now, I just have to write about it...but I don't expect you to read every little detail!).

Today was kind of rough, at least the morning was rough. I purposely gave Audrey more to drink today. Yesterday, she didn't drink much at all in the morning, but I was still trying to make her go potty. And she was getting frustrated because she didn't really need to go potty. So today, I wanted to make sure that she had plenty of pee to work with.

I also wanted to test her a little. Would she tell me she needed to go on her own initiative? And would she do it even when we were not at home? The answer was: sometimes.

A couple of times throughout the morning, she told me "Mommy, pee coming out now!" Every time she says that, it gives me a little heart attack because I expect to find her soaking wet. But she doesn't literally mean the pee is coming out right now. She just means that she needs to go pee now. But it still scares me every time.

So she successfully went to the bathroom on her own initiative (though I still reminded her and asked if she needed to go all day) at home, at the library and at church! I wasn't even standing near her at the library. She was doing puzzles by herself and I was looking at books on the other side of the room. And I heard her yell (it seemed incredibly loud in the quiet library): "Mommy, pee coming out now!" A little embarrassing, but we made it to the bathroom, so I was quite happy!

She had one accident at home and two accidents while we were at church for lunch. One accident at church was while she was eating a cupcake. I'm pretty sure she knew she needed to go, she just didn't want to stop eating her cupcake! The second accident at church was poop. I left her alone for literally one minute, while I put a few craft supplies away. And when I came back, she had pooped in her pants. I'm pretty sure she waited until I was out of the room to poop...which at least means that she has control over when/where she poops! We just need her to do it at the right time in the potty!

The rest of the day was better...no more accidents. She made it all the way through the nursery tonight and kept her panties dry without me around to remind her. So, I'm glad the day ended on a better note.

It was a frustrating morning because it felt like we were moving backwards not forwards. But I expect days like this to happen. I was probably asking for it by giving her extra drinks AND letting her dictate when she went to the bathroom. The accidents, while annoying, are all part of the learning process. And I do think she is getting the hang of this potty training stuff pretty well. I just need an extra dose of patience for the next couple of weeks, because it stresses me out!

March 15

Audrey had one accident tonight, which was frustrating because she had been doing so good! It was right around dinner time. I was busy getting ready for a Stampin Up class, and Daniel was busy dealing with dinner. So maybe we missed the signs that she needed to go. She didn't do as good at telling us when she had to go today, but she also didn't drink very much today. Maybe she just didn't need to go very much! No poop again today, so we're still going to have to be patient with that.

This is the only picture that I took today. We are doing a "green" theme at Sprouts on Thursday for St. Patrick's Day. So I've been trying to post a picture of something green on our Facebook page each day. These are the cupcakes Daniel and Audrey made tonight while I was teaching my class...pretty impressive! The church staff is providing food/serving lunch to the Seniors at our church tomorrow, so this is Daniel's contribution.

March 14

I know you are all anxiously waiting to see if Audrey pooped today...well, she did...but not in the potty.

We got off to a good start. She told me this morning that she needed to poop, so we hurried to the bathroom. She tried for a few seconds on the potty, but when nothing happened, she quickly gave up. A little later, she looked like she was about ready to poop, so I brought her back to the bathroom. Again, she tried for a few seconds, then she was frustrated and gave up. I just don't think she is patient enough to sit there long enough for something to happen!

So, at lunch time, we noticed that she was getting ready to go in her panties. And rather than stop her, we left her alone and just let her go. I was starting to get nervous that she would never go, so I thought it would be better to just let her go this time. It was quite the mess to clean up...glad it happened while Daniel was home to help! I think it's just going to take some time to learn how to be patient enough to sit on the potty and wait for her poop.

She is peeing like a pro though. No pee accidents again today. Her pull up is usually a little wet in the morning when she wakes up, but she has been waking up dry from her naps every day. I feel comfortable leaving her alone and letting her tell me when she needs to go. So that is definitely exciting!

We also started a new letter of the week tonight: D! We made this beautiful piece of art to represent the book Duck on a Bike, one of Audrey's favorites. In fact, we've read the book so many times that nearly all of the pages are falling out.

March 13

Here's a picture of a happy little girl who had NO ACCIDENTS today! And we even spent most of the day out of the house! She wore her big girl panties all day--to church, out to lunch and then back to church again tonight. And she went in the potty at church and at lunch and then at church again tonight. Very exciting!!

Still no poop today though. I'm getting a little nervous. The last time she pooped was Friday night. It's not that unusual for her to go a couple of days without pooping, but I'm worried that she is holding it in so she doesn't have to go on the potty. I might just be paranoid though, so I'm trying not to worry about it until we know it's a problem. My hope for tomorrow is just that she poops somewhere--in the potty, in her pull up, in her panties, on the floor...I don't really care at this point! I'd much rather deal with cleaning up a mess than deal with her being constipated!

Moving on from all the poop talk...Audrey and Daddy had fun posing for some pictures tonight before bedtime. Audrey has been SO happy and hyper lately. I think going without diapers has been freeing for her...she just seems to love life right now!

Here, they are making serious faces:

I had to include one of her picking her nose, as it is pretty much her favorite pastime right now:

March 12

I don't have TOO much to say about potty training tonight. Audrey did it all by herself today. She was even starting to get the hang of taking her panties and pants off by herself. She told us when she needed to go, and then we went to the bathroom and she peed. She even went to Sams with Daniel tonight and went pee in their bathroom! No poop today though, so we still have some work to do there.

She did have one accident tonight. Daniel gave her a bath and put her in a pull up about an hour before bedtime. Then we had some friends over, and she was running around and showing off with them. She told me she needed to pee, but when we got to the bathroom, she had already gone a little in the pull up. I'm not sure if it was because she had a pull up on (I wasn't home when Daniel put her in it, but I kind of thought she should have worn panties right up until bedtime to help prevent accidents). Or it could have been because she was running around and having fun and not thinking about going to the bathroom. Who knows? I'm still quite pleased that we only had one accident for the day.

This morning I went to a big consignment sale. I had fairly good luck at the sale (unlike my friend Amy!). I got a pair of tennis shoes for Audrey and 6 outfits for the new baby, and I spent $13 (plus the $2 entry fee). Not the best garage sale deal ever, but still worth my time I think (Again, sorry Amy!!).

Audrey was very excited about the new tennis shoes. She wanted to wear them and run and jump and dance in them. And she happened to only be wearing her panties at the time. We got the video camera out to record her, and it was hilarious! Someday maybe I'll post the video. For now, here are a couple of pictures of her in her "outfit" (while she is watching the videos on the camera).

March 11

This is how Audrey has been running around the house lately. Wearing only a shirt, big girl panties, and one sock. For some reason, she has decided that she likes to have one sock on and one sock off. She's also been wearing three necklaces with this outfit, but she didn't want to pose for me with the necklaces tonight.

I don't feel like we have had to do much potty training today. Audrey seems to be "getting" the idea. I've tried to force her to go sit on the potty a few times, and that is just not working well. She doesn't want to sit if she doesn't have to go, which is understandable. Since she has been doing a really good job of telling us when she needs to go, we have been giving her some more freedom today and letting her dictate when she goes to the bathroom.

We've probably had about 8-9 successful potty trips and only 1 accident! The accident happened when I was making a grocery list and she was happily playing by herself. She was running in and out of the bathroom, closing the door and then coming back out to say hi to me. I heard her get quiet for a second, and then I heard, "Mommy, my panties!" When I went in to see what had happened, her panties were wet...in the back. Normally, when she has an accident, they are wet in the front. Then I looked in her potty, and there was some pee in it! So I think what happened is she sat down on the potty to go pee without taking her panties off! So I have to give her credit for trying to go to the bathroom by herself. We just need to work with her on getting her panties off first!

Poop is still going to be hard to figure out I think. Today, Daniel caught her just starting to go poop, and he rushed her to the bathroom to finish on the potty. But she wasn't too happy about going poop on the potty. She just doesn't poop that often, so we aren't getting much practice there. I'm sure she will eventually get the idea though.

I don't think she is necessarily "trained"...I am sure there are plenty more accidents awaiting us in the future. But she is getting the idea much quicker than I ever expected. Maybe tomorrow I will write a post that is NOT about potty training!

March 10

Day 3 is over, and it was a pretty good day!

Before we left for Sprouts Audrey peed and pooped in the potty. So we got off to a really good start!

I packed lots of extra panties and clothes to take with us to Sprouts, expecting the worst! We ALMOST made it through the whole morning without needing any of the extra clothes. But at 11:20, while I was helping to clean up, Audrey was playing by herself in the nursery. It was pretty impressive that she was willing to play all alone by herself in a room, so I let her stay and play. I should have stayed a little closer, because when I came back in, she had peed all over herself and wasn't too happy about it. But she did stay dry from 7:30-11:20, so that was pretty good. (It helped that she didn't have a lot to drink this morning!).

After Sprouts, we came home and I knew I should have taken Audrey straight to the potty. But she was playing, and I really wanted to open a package I got in the mail (Audrey's Easter dress--it's very pretty!). So I wasn't paying attention to her for a few minutes. And that is all it took for her to poop in her pants! That one was my fault, because if I had been watching, I think we could have made it to the bathroom.

I really wanted Audrey to go potty before her nap this afternoon, and we tried and tried, but she just wouldn't go. So I put her to bed in a pull up, fully expecting her to wake up wet. She slept for over 2 1/2 hours, and when she got up she was completely dry! She stayed dry from 11:30-4:30!

Today's stats-- Successful trips to the potty: 6 1/2 (she had one poop tonight that was half in her panties, half in the potty). Accidents: 2 1/2. Not too shabby!

Overall, it was a much less stressful day. It was nice to get out of the house, but at the same time, I feel like it is easier for Audrey to figure this all out when we stay home and stay in a routine. So that means another weekend at home for us--but at least Daddy will be home tomorrow and Saturday to help us out!!

March 9

No picture today, just a potty update! Sorry if this bores you to death, but it helps me to write all of this stuff down.

Day #2 was definitely more successful than yesterday. Trips to the potty: around 25 (I lost count!). Successful trips to the potty: 9. (Wow!!) Accidents: 3.

This morning she figured out how to make her pee go in the potty--it was very exciting for both of us! And once she figured it out, she was eager to go again and again. She would even tell me when the pee was ready to come out, and the she would "hurry, hurry, hurry" to go to the bathroom and put her pee in the potty. Nine times she was successful!! Her pull up was also dry when she woke up from her nap this afternoon, which surprised me (yesterday it was very full). Seriously, a very successful day...way more than I expected on Day 2.

Now, there are still a few problems to be solved, not to mention the possibility that we will wake up tomorrow and she will forget everything she learned today.

Problem #1: She doesn't pee very much at a time. Sometimes she went more than other times, but she is definitely not emptying her bladder when she goes. And therefore 10-15 minutes later (or less), she needs to go again.

Problem #2: When she sits on the potty and pee does not come out, she gets very upset. She was not willing to sit and try for more than a couple of seconds today. We ended up just hanging out in the bathroom a lot, so she would be close to the potty when she felt the need to go. But we can't spend ALL of our time in the bathroom.

Problem #3: She has not pooped since we started potty training. It's not that unusual for her to go a couple of days without pooping, but it makes me a little nervous. I'm not sure if she is going to be patient enough to sit on the potty long enough to push her poop out. (remember, I warned you about all the "p" words that I would be using this week!!).

Tonight, we went to church, and Audrey wore her special princess panties (aka...a pull up!). We were getting ready to leave (always a stressful process). I had her dressed with her coat and shoes on, ready to walk out the door, when she said, "Mommy, pee-pee now!" And that right there is the reason why I was so reluctant to potty train. Selfishly, I just don't want to deal with taking her to the bathroom when we are busy or out in public or on a schedule. But, despite my reluctance, I am potty training her and I'm not turning back now. So tonight, even though I was in a hurry, I took her to the potty (coat and all)...and she went pee on the potty, just like she said she would!

At church, her pull-up was a little wet when I picked her up from the nursery. But I did take her to the bathroom before we left church, and she peed in the potty there too. That was a good way to end our day.

Even though it has been a successful day, I have been way more stressed out today. By tonight, I was (am!!) exhausted and my patience was (is!!!) gone. But tomorrow is a brand new day. Hopefully, I will get a new dose of energy and patience and be ready to face it. I'm planning to have her wear her big girl panties to Sprouts for the morning...should be interesting!

March 8

We survived Day 1 of potty training! And look at all the stickers on Audrey's potty chart!! They represent each time that Audrey sat on the potty and tried to go. I decided that would be the best way to motivate her to get started.

The stickers really worked well for getting her to sit on the potty. She was really excited every time that she got to put one up. While she was sitting, we would look at all the stickers and count them and name the characters and make up songs about them. I was super impressed with how willing she was to sit on the potty (happily) for a large portion of the day today.

Now as far as going to the bathroom on the potty--that's a different story. We had one minor success--just a few drops of pee--but I consider that to be good enough for day 1. However, right after she put that little bit of pee in the potty, she walked out into the hall and peed all over the floor, which was a little frustrating since she had been so close. She did tell me every time she started to pee. "Pee come out now!" she would say. But every time it was just a little too late to make it to the bathroom!

As the day went on, I kept track of all our potty training "stats" (I'm a dork I know, but it makes it a little more fun for me!). Today's stats are as follows--Potty attempts: 27. Successful attempts: 1. Accidents: 5.

That's about what I expected from the first day or two. Now if these are still our stats on Friday, I think I will be getting frustrated. But Day 1 was not as bad as I thought it was going to be, which is helping me to have a positive attitude about Day 2 tomorrow!

March 7

She was so busy "driving" the car, I couldn't get her to look at me for a picture.

Our fun day out of the house was pretty good. We didn't do anything especially exciting, but it was nice to be out of the house for a while. First we went to the special library with Lindsey, Simon and Elliot. Then Audrey and I went to the mall. We rode the escalators a few times, Audrey climbed on all ride on toys for a while (thankfully, she is still willing to just climb without riding, so it makes for free, easy fun for her!), and we had lunch. Then it was back home for nap time, piano lessons, dinner...all the same old stuff we do every day.

Potty training day #1 starts tomorrow. Stay tuned!!

March 6

Audrey was feeling much better today. No fever, and she was happy and hyper and normal!! We did stay home from church this morning, but since she was acting so much better, we took her to small group tonight. I think she was happy to get out of the house, and SO WAS I!!!

So, Audrey's big girl panties are all fresh and clean and ready for her to wear. I'm just not quite ready for her to wear them yet! We have spent so much time in the house this weekend that my patience is wearing very thin. To maintain my sanity and start this week on a positive note, we are going to get out of the house tomorrow and do something fun. I don't know where we are going to go or what we are going to do, but we are getting out of here for the day. Then on Tuesday, the potty training will begin (no more excuses!!).

I've done a little research on potty training, and there are many people out there that will tell you they have discovered a surefire way to potty train kids. I'm not sure that I believe there is any one correct method of potty training. I think every kid is different, so I don't know how there can be any guarantees. I have found a few ideas that I like, but they are not set in stone. With all that said, here is my potty training plan...ready to be adjusted as needed as the week progresses. (WARNING: I will probably be using a lot of "p" words this week: potty, pee, poop. If you would prefer to avoid these topics, then you may want to stop reading for the next week or so!!)

1. No diapers while Audrey is awake. We'll do pull-ups while she is sleeping, because I know she is not ready to be dry at night, and I am definitely not ready to deal with dirty bedding yet. But while she is awake, she will be wearing her big girl panties, aka training pants. And we will make lots of trips to sit on the potty in the bathroom. And hopefully she will quickly get the idea! =) She hates to be dirty, so I'm really hoping that those first few wet/dirty panties will motivate her to use the potty.

2. We have a little potty, but I don't care if she uses that or the big toilet. She likes to sit on both right now. As long as she is going in some kind of potty, I don't care which she chooses.

3. I may give her extra snacks/juice this week to help "spur" things along. We'll see. If that just causes me to have to clean up more accidents and do more laundry, I may change my mind about it.

4. I'm thinking about a reward system. This will probably develop as we go along and see how things are progressing and what she responds to. I think a sticker chart (especially if we used Mickey Mouse stickers) would make her happy. But we might get crazy and do M & M's or marshmallows too.

5. We are going to stay home. There are a few details to work out here. We have to be at church Wednesday night and at Sprouts Thursday morning. So I think she will have to do a pull up at church, and then we are going to try our first public outing with no diapers on Thursday at Sprouts (though I may change my mind about that after the first 2 days). But other than that, we are not leaving the house...it's all about the potty this week!

6. I'm going to try this through Friday or Saturday. Then we will evaluate how it is going. If she seems to be getting the idea, we'll keep up with it. If she doesn't get it at all, we'll stop for now and just try again later.

I am open to any suggestions that all you experienced parents may have for me!!! I'm really dreading this entire process, so I probably need to get a more positive attitude before Tuesday gets here. It's going to be fun, right????

March 5

I didn't take any pictures today. Audrey has been running a fever. She's had a stuffy/runny nose the past couple of days, so I'm guessing she has some kind of cold or virus. Her mood/behavior has been up and down all day. At times, she acted like she felt horrible and could barely lift her head. Other times, she has been acting completely normal, like nothing is wrong.

Her fever was up around 101 this afternoon and evening, but it was starting to go down tonight on its own, so my guess is that she will be doing better tomorrow. It is fairly common for her to run a one day fever, and then be fine the next day. But still, I want her to be fever free for 24 hours before she is around other kids...which means no church or small group for her tomorrow...which means another day stuck in the house.

I was planning to start our Potty Training Boot Camp on Monday, but I may have to postpone it for a day or two. After spending the whole weekend in the house, I'm not sure I will be able to spend the whole week in the house too without getting out for at least a little bit in between!

March 4

Daniel went to a concert tonight, so Audrey and I were on our own. My plan was to take her to Barnes and Noble, and then stop at Dairy Queen on the way home for some ice cream. But then it started to rain. And I decided that running around town with Audrey in the rainy/stormy weather didn't sound so appealing.

Instead, we decided to have a movie night! First we put on our jammies. Then we rounded up all of Audrey's friends who wanted to watch the movie with her. Curious George, the caterpillar we made the other day, Donald, Minnie, Pluto, Mickey (which is really another Minnie but don't tell Audrey), and a cat puppet that we made yesterday (another letter C activity) all joined Audrey on the couch. We enjoyed some popcorn and watched Toy Story 3.

This was Audrey's first full length movie. I was surprised that she sat and watched the whole movie. I don't think she was really following much of the plot. She knows many of the Toy Story characters (because they are everywhere!), so she spent much of the movie pointing out everyone that was on screen. She especially liked the baby (the scary creepy one!).

I was worried that parts of the movie might be too scary/intense for her. There was one part, when it got kind of loud and dark, that Audrey seemed a bit scared for a second. Maggie was sitting next to her, and Audrey reached out and grabbed Maggie's paw and said, "Hold Maggie's hand. Feel better."

It was a fun night at home with my little girl!!