(little) girls weekend

I got to spend the past four days hanging out with these two cuties...

...while this cutie was making her entrance.
Welcome Mazie Ruth!

Two two-year olds sure have a lot of energy and are able to wreak major havoc in less time than it takes to snap your fingers. I'm exhausted, but it sure was a lot of fun! Well done Kirsten and Kyle, you make cute little girls!

Potty Training Update

Yesterday ended with 4 successes, 1 accident, a very happy mom and a pretty proud Sadie.  It is currently 5:23pm and thus far we've had 5.5 successes (1 of which was self-prompted by Sadie while I was half asleep on the couch this morning) and half an accident (she caught herself and finished her business on the potty).  We're both much happier today than we've been all weekend and I've actually been able to leave her side because I semi-trust that she gets it.  I'll stop documenting all things potty related once it doesn't consume my entire day and we can actually leave the house with some confidence that we won't have accidents.  And just so my family doesn't think I'm cruel for taking + posting such a sad picture of miss Sadie on the potty, here is a cute one captured in Hawaii a few weeks ago reflecting her current demeanor - all smiles!

Potty Training: Attempt 1

Sadie's had a little potty for a while now, just so she could be comfortable with it.  Her little friend Madeleine, who hangs here with her while I work 3 days a week, conquered the potty a few months ago.  Naturally, wanting to be just like her friend, Sadie's been asking a lot about using the potty.  And when they ask, you seize the day, no?

Case in point (taken December 3, 2010)

I of course waited until we got back from Hawaii to save myself the trouble of two 10+ hours flights with a newly potty trained (& very independent) toddler.  Enter Friday - it's cold, my sister still hasn't had her baby (so we won't be heading out to PA), Sadie seems ready, and daddy conveniently has a business trip starting Sunday so why not confine ourselves to the house?  Isn't it the perfect time to potty train?  Being the optimistic mom that I can be (since Sadie's made motherhood seem like a piece of cake), I think 'How bad can it be?'  We head to pick out some 'big girl panties' and begin the process.

Day 1: (we started post-nap): 0 successes, 2 accidents, one discouraged toddler and one very discouraged mom

 

Day 2: 1.5 successes, countless accidents, one discouraged toddler and two discouraged parents.  Ready to give up?  Yes!

Day 3: 2 huge successes (both of the #1 and #2 variety), 0 accidents thus far (it's only 1:30 though and 3 hours of that was spent at church in a pull-up that was wet by the end of the block even with 2 tries on the potty), one happier toddler and one proud (and hopeful) mom.  Not giving up just yet.  Though, if I never have to potty train another child, I'll be happy.  People hire help for this kind of thing, right? :)

What a difference a (few) days make

So much catching up to do, as has been the case for the past 10+ years.  Some day I'll be caught up, right?  We have SO many pictures to sort through from the past little while.  New Years resolution #4: get caught up on one photography project each day.  I digress.  We enjoyed a warm Christmas in Hawaii celebrating my little (in age, definitely not in height) brother's college graduation and landed in NYC just as the blizzard started.  

This has got to be one of, if not the, favorite pictures of the trip.  That's my Grandma Ruth - 86 years old, still sporting a swimsuit at the beach (along with the perfectly cane shaped piece of driftwood she found).  When we went to Houston to visit her back in April, she got down and did push-ups for us - she puts me to shame in push-up contests.  We agreed that we'd take it easy in Hawaii though. 

This pose she calls 'What I learned from President Hinckley.'  She's adorable and I love her!