Super Stuff on a MONDAY!!!

Woo hoo!!!  Look at me, back on track with my weekly “super” highlights! 

1)      I took the girls to my favorite downtown coffee shop last week…I treated myself to a latte, and the girls got (to share) their very first fruit smoothie.  It was a beautiful day and we sat outside in the courtyard.  There was only one other couple outside, and I noticed they had a pack of cigarettes on their table.  I whispered to the girls that we would stay outside unless those people started smoking.  All was well…the girls were enjoying their big-girl drinks…until Baby A got all panicked.  Big tears welled up in her eyes and she started to tremble.  What is it, Baby?  She glanced over at the table next to us, and sure enough, they’d started smoking.  I had to suppress my laughter and my extreme sense of pride at her disgust over that nasty habit.  That’s my girl!!!

Baby A, enjoying her smoothie.

 2)      The girls and I had lunch at a new (to us) bakery in town.  We noticed several people there, picking up lunch to go.  That prompted Baby A…”Mommy, when I’m a vet, I’ll pick up my lunch at a restaurant and take it back to my office to eat it.”  I love how the girls are really getting into this grown-up “vet” scenario…working through so many details!

3)      The girls had their first tumbling class last week.  A full post to come, but I had to note how sweet it was that B got A’s shoes for her when it was time to go.  I love seeing my girls taking care of each other, especially in a new / unfamiliar situation.

4)      Baby A seems to have declared “definitely” her word of the week.  She’s used it to respond to the simplest of statements…”It looks like we got more rain overnight.”  “DEFINITELY!!!”  And she says it with such gusto.

5)      At bedtime we were reading “Guess How Much I Love You”.  The girls always say the last line with me…”I love you to the moon…and back.”  Baby A looked right at me afterwards and said, “But Mommy, the sun is farther than the moon,” like it was a glaring omission in the text.  Hahaha!  I love my babies!

6)      Hubby was telling the girls that, when we move into the new house, he would make breakfast for the girls one day.  I wish I had had a camera to record the look of confusion on A’s face.  It was priceless!!!

7)      One evening after supper, the girls were playing while Daddy and I were cleaning the kitchen.  I overheard B say to A, “Sissy....I think you need to go potty.”  I still remind Baby A to take a potty break occasionally (even more than two years after training), as she sometimes gets too busy to take that time for herself.  I thought it was too funny that B picked up on her body language.

8)      The girls have been playing “Mama chick and baby chick” for the last few days.  It is so stinkin’ adorable.  I don’t think I’ve seen them change roles…Baby B has been the “mama” and A has been the “baby”.  B will say, “Baby Chick…come here!  Baby Chick…do you need help?  Here, Baby Chick…let Mommy Chick help you!”  And A will flap her little “wings” and call out, “Mommy Chick!  Where are you?  Mommy Chick…I looooove you!  Mommy Chick…can you help me?”  So sweet!!!

9)  I loved seeing the girls get so excited over meeting the tiniest of dogs at the downtown square on Saturday.  They always love animals, but they get intimidated pretty easily.  They eventually warmed up to pet sweet Sophia, and they're still talking about her.

10) We attended the "Second Saturdays" fair downtown, and we listened to a band playing a couple of songs, including Andy Grammar's "Fine by Me".  That's one of "our" songs [the songs on the girls' CD I made them last summer] and my little B sung all the words.  Hee hee!

And for these and many, many more super things, I am very grateful!

I Can't Believe It's Been a YEAR!

I can’t believe it’s been a YEAR since I last changed a diaper!  It was almost exactly a year ago when B fatefully asked to use the potty...and she never looked back! 

It’s been almost surreal to look at pictures from last fall and remember – in a good portion of them – Baby B was wearing a diaper.  

Picking leaves from the tree in the backyard last October...you can barely see B's diaper over the top of her pants.

It seems like SO long ago that I placed her on the changing table and heard that familiar “rip” of the tape.

Now don’t get me wrong…I’m not saying I miss that stinky diaper pail, exactly.  [Although there are times when the girls seem to play musical potty chairs, though, when I long for the convenience of not having to deal with babes in public restrooms!]

And I do remember a few times when I thought I would absolutely D.I.E. if I had to change another diaper in a day.  Of course I think those times all happened before I put a changing pad downstairs, when I was traipsing up and down the steps 17 times a day with a wet and/or stinky baby in hand.

Those times seem like such a distant memory.  It’s proof that the more unpleasant memories do seem to fade over time.

I love my baby girls.  And I’m so very proud of them.  I just can’t believe how quickly they’re becoming big girls.

Hmmm…I guess the next step in coming to grips with this phenomenon would be getting rid of the changing pad that’s STILL on their dresser upstairs???  That’s going to be a tough one for me.  I’m putting it off until we transition them out of cribs.  I’m hoping I have a while.  ;)

Super Stuff on a Monday (from Last Week)

[Highlights from last week...I just ran out of real estate on Saturday morning before we headed out to Sweet Home Alabama!]

Even though Baby A boycotted naps ALL.WEEK.LONG, it was still a pretty fabulous week.  Baby B has been able to sleep almost every day, and we’ve been plowing through what may be a new routine for us.  Here are some of the super highlights…

1)     On Monday I had a long list of errands to run.  The girls and I got an early start, and we knocked out our entire list!  Midway through, we refueled over a shared bagel at Panera, which was a very nice treat.  The girls were such troopers!    

2)     After only five days of preschool, the girls surprised me by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance!  I could hardly believe my ears when Baby A started, “I pledge allegiance…”  I helped here and there with a prompt, but they both know it with about 90% accuracy.  And it’s so sweet to hear some of those big words (like “indivisible”!) in their little baby voices.

3)     This probably shouldn’t make my “fabulous” list, but I laughed so hard I snorted.  B started explaining where it’s OK to tootle (pass gass).  “It’s not OK to tootle in my classroom, but it’s OK to tootle in the restroom at my school…right, Mommy???”  I hadn’t realized such clarification was necessary.  HA!

4)     On Wednesday we had to pick up our things from the consignment sale we participated in.  The girls went with me last season – six months ago –and I couldn’t believe what they remembered!  There is a field with a horse next to the auditorium.  The girls remembered the horse’s name, Cody, and that he was eating apples the last time we were there!  They were so excited to see him again.

5)     Also on Wednesday we met our sweet baby twin friends at a new playground.  The girls were so excited to be playing near them, and they were elated at the new-to-us equipment.  I was amazed how quickly they attacked everything…all the slides, the ladders, and Baby A even did the fireman’s pole with no assistance.

6)     At the playground there is a “talking machine”…one of those magnifying speakers that allow you to talk from one side of the play structure to the other.  Baby B was fascinated with it.  She stood there forever!  Baby A played for a bit, but Mommy was on the other end of B’s communication for the most part.  B was so full of giggles!  And I loved watching her face when she didn’t know I could see her.  She seemed to think that was pure magic.

7)     The girls were missing three of their classmates on Thursday, and they were so consumed with it.  It was really neat to hear them talking about who was there, who wasn’t, and what their absent classmates might have been doing.  It made me realize how closely they identify with each of their new little friends.

8)     The girls met me after class on both Tuesday and Thursday carrying a “Happy-gram”, a little note that says something they did well.  On Tuesday, Baby A’s said, “…waited patiently,” and B’s said, “…helped pick up toys”.  On Thursday, they both had, “…helped others”.  I love how proud they are to show me their notes.

9)     The girls keep coming home from school, singing new songs.  Neither of them can carry a tune in a bucket, but that doesn’t stop them from trying their best…Baby B, in particular, sings with such soulful bravado, I sometimes have to stifle a laugh.

10)  We have a new book about the state of Maine.  For over a week I’ve wanted to make a moose craft, using the girls’ handprints as the moose’s antlers.  I braved fingerpainting this week…and it was almost not really stressful!  I think the girls and I finally have a technique down that yields pretty decent handprints.  After 3 ½ years, it’s probably about time!

Very thankful for another great week with my most precious gifts.

Sunday Funnies

Just wanted to record a couple of random funnies that are indicative of the times…

Baby A’s name does, in fact, begin with the letter A, and Baby B’s name begins with the letter B.  My hubby and I would refer to them that way in conversation when they were smaller, until they picked up on the code.  Occasionally we might now refer to them as Number 1 and Number 2, but that just feels wrong.  More often, when necessary, I will call them Numero Uno and Numero Dos, as Spanish at least feels a little less insulting (and they don’t understand those words).

We were eating dinner with some friends a couple of weeks ago.  Baby A asked to go to the potty.  As I was walking back with her, Hubby meant to tell me that Baby B also needed to go.  He pointed to her and loudly proclaimed, “Mommy…Number 2!!!”

I was rather alarmed, immediately thinking she must have had an accident.  But immediately thereafter, I wondered why he would be announcing that to the restaurant.

No, none of that…he simply wanted to convey that, before I sat back down, I should take our second-born to the bathroom.

Thank goodness the lighting was dim, as I’m sure my face was as red as a beet.  But even more maddening???  That he saw nothing wrong with his “announcement”!!!

***

We’ve made a few small trips over the summer, and I’ve often found myself in the bar at the hotel at the end of the day. 

Nope, (sadly) I wasn’t enjoying a cold one.

“Two milks, please!”

I have laughed multiple times at walking out, “double-fisting” some 2%.

Yep, a definite sign of the times.

Public Potty How-to???

When Baby A started using the potty last spring, I managed to keep us close enough to home that we didn't have our first public potty encounter for a little over a month.

By that time, I'd procured a travel potty seat.  This little gem has been fantastic.  It functions similarly to the potty seat we used at home.  I think it was integral in making the public potty experience as comfortable and familiar for the girls as possible, and -- knock on wood -- we haven't had any public potty hesitation.

Too, the potty seat provides a protective barrier between my girls' precious bums and the seats on those public potties.  They know to put their hands on the handles, and, in using the potty seat, I don't have to worry about them accidentally falling into public potty water.  Shudder.

I've faithfully carried this seat in my [still huge] diaper bag for over a year now.  If we're just running to the store, I'll leave it at home, or at least leave it in the car.  But for longer trips, it is securely by my side.

On our trip to North Carolina a couple of weeks ago, the potty seat accompanied me every step of the way.  By Day 4, though, as we made our trek home, I was tired.

That's the longest stretch we'd ever been away from home, and I was just done...tired of being "on" every single moment...tired of cutting other people's food before eating mine, every single meal...and tired of unfolding and folding that potty seat every single trip to the potty.

I just couldn't do it anymore.

So, for our 87th trip to the potty during our mini-vacay, I walked Baby A straight to the potty.  I left the enormous diaper bag with Daddy.  I spread out some toilet paper for her to sit on.  She did her business, seemingly unscathed, and I walked a little taller back to our table.

Our girls are 3 1/2.  Baby A has been at this gig for over a year now, and B will celebrate her anniversary this fall.

I know other people don't lug around a potty seat for the duration of time. 

So...how do you do it?  No judgment here, I promise...I really want to know. 

Do you spread toilet paper on the seat?  Wipe the seat before they sit down?  Make sure there are no visible traces and go for it?

Please tell me I don't have to lug around this bulbous diaper bag and folding potty seat for the duration of time!

Weaning Off the Stickers

Baby A started potty-training last April, when she was about 27 months old.  While those first couple of weeks were very “hands on”, she only had a handful of accidents.  After a couple of months, though, she started to have little mishaps here and there…just enough to wet the seat of her panties…but the “regression” felt very frustrating.  And she never seemed upset with herself (like I later experienced with Baby B).

Baby A is a go-er and a do-er.  My gut was that she just didn’t want to take the time away from play to go to the potty…until she realized it was too late.

Whereas I hadn’t used any type of reward system during her training (other than the lure of the “big girl privilege” of getting to flush the potty), I decided to try a sticker card.

At the end of every day, if she’d stayed clean and dry, she could pick out a sticker to put on a card that was hanging on the refrigerator.

Viola! 

Once she finally earned her first sticker, she was hooked.

And Baby B was so proud to begin earning stickers herself a few months later.

We’ve been using our sticker cards for about a year now.  I won’t say we never have accidents…it’s still the same issue (I think) as we were having a year ago…a certain someone who is occasionally having too much fun doing other things to address her business on time…but all in all, we’re doing well.

It’s time to wean off the sticker cards.

I told the girls a few weeks ago that we would earn stickers until their half-birthday, on July 5.  At that point, they’ll officially be “big girls”. 

“Keeping clean and dry all day is just what big girls do.  Mommy and Daddy stay clean and dry, and we don’t get stickers at night.”

The girls seem to understand what’s coming, and they haven’t launched any formal protests.

A couple of days ago, I thought I’d offer something to mark the retirement of the sticker cards.  I proposed we’d go buy some new panties.  “Won’t that be exciting???”

“Yeah!!!” Baby A agreed.  “Will they be BIG panties???” she asked.  “BBBBBBIIIIIIIIIIIGGGG???”

Daddy and I couldn’t help but cackle.

I guess she’s taking my emphasis on being a “big” girl very seriously!