Eliza's First Baby Food

It's that time.

Eliza had her first baby food:  Rice Cereal.

By the second day of trying it, she was much more excited about it and eating pretty well.

One of the few times in life it's cute to be that messy while eating!

Mickey Mouse and Friends

Miriam's first favorite show on TV, I mentioned already, was "Potty Power."

After that obsession faded, she then became addicted to "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" on the Disney Channel.  This has been her favorite show for the past 6 months.  

In fact, it's part of her morning routine to watch Mickey.  

This is how I get her to eat breakfast and do her hair without a fight, threaten to turn off Mickey.

Over time we have accumulated the whole gang in the form of small stuffed animals.  

She LOVES them and has to sleep with all five.

She's also in the "mommy" stage where she likes changing, feeding and caring for a baby.  

For her though, she much prefers to care for her "friends."

I did not stage these pictures (except the one with Eliza).  I just happened to catch her in the moment with her friends and couldn't resist.

Reading to the gang.

Naptime.

By the way she has a whole slew of stuffed animals (as you can see from the net above the bed).   She frequently asks for more friends and we have to bargain and have her give us a few of the clubhouse friends in exchange. Otherwise her bed would be FULL of stuffed toys!

She also puts her friends at the table, pretends to feed them and change their diapers (she's tried with Eliza's diapers a few times).  It's quite adorable.

Eliza likes the gang as well, whenever Miriam gives her a chance to hold one of them.

Time with Mommy and Daddy

The majority of our days are spent doing busy, mundane things.  But there are a few moments each day where we get to stop and spend some quality time with the girls.

One of our favorite routines is reading books and singing songs.

Of course there's always a little T.V. time.

And maybe some dress up time.

Miriam's favorite time is when she gets to play with Daddy.

We broke out the Wii Fit the other night and let Miriam play.   

Be sure to watch the video to enjoy her reaction.

These are the best times of the day!

Joy

Being a mom includes the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.  Some times I just want to pull my hair out and go hibernate for a few months.

Other times I experience pure joy through the life of my daughters.  Life for them is much more simple.  I think I could stand to learn a few lessons from them.

For example,

I never noticed that our toilet paper (I've been using the same kind for 5+ years), had little hearts imprinted all over it.  That is, until my 2 year old pointed it out to me while pottying one day.

I don't realize how important a smile is until my 4 month old smiles happily, every time I look at her.

The language development of my 2 year old:

-"I want to play with my fetos" (Mr. Potato Head)

-Referring to herself in 3rd person.  "It's Meyum's fwanket" (It's Miriam's blanket).

and my favorite,

-"I need my Mommy!"

I love how excited my girls get over the smallest things.  

  Is it any wonder that we are asked to "become as a little child."  Not to be childish, but to simplify and find joy.

Here's a little of what brings me joy:

Not the flash again!

Waking up from a very rough nap :)

Life is fun, life is good.

Especially when you are blessed with children.

First (and maybe only) Snow

If you read last year's posts around this time, you would see that we had a very snowy Winter.  

This year couldn't be more opposite.

We finally got our first snow, and it wasn't much to speak of.

But since it might be our only snow this year, I decided we'd better go play in it.

The window of opportunity was small, since it was supposed to be in the 50s the next day (which it was).

As soon as Eliza went down for a nap, Miriam and I went out to play.

She wasn't so sure about sledding at first, but after she and I went down together a few times, she finally got brave enough to try it alone.

She loved the snowman, contributing with a hat on his head.

A little disappointing as far as snow goes, but we'll take it I guess.

A few videos:

Potty Training in 3 Days?

More like 3 months.

Or 3 Years!

Potty Training.

I have dreaded this moment since I ever thought about having kids.

I am the 5th of 8 children, so I have had the joy of watching my older siblings raise their children.  

I have watched several of my nieces (and the mother as well) struggle for a long time with potty training.

I put the thought off, hoping it would never come.

When Miriam was 22 months, we started letting her watch "Potty Power."

It was the first show that she actually watched all the way through and asked for over and over again.

I read a potty training book.

It said you can train kids quickly if you wait until they are ready.

So I let Miriam watch Potty Power, got her a training potty and a few potty books, and waited.

I didn't push it, and she rarely acted interested in actually going.

"That's okay," I thought.  "I can wait until she's ready.  One day she's just going to ask me to go potty and train herself."

Oh the delusions!

I was not expecting the manner in which she would tell me she was ready:

 (coming in the room stark naked holding a poopy diaper) "Look Mommy!"

Ewwwe!

I posted my yucky experience on Facebook and (as usual) got many helpful (and not so helpful) replies.

One of my friends suggested a book that had worked on her children:

"3 Day Potty Training."

You mean I can do it in three days?  With my nieces, the process drug out over months and years, so if I could nip this in the bud in three days, I was going to!

It was time.  

When Miriam was 27 months old, 2 weeks before Christmas, we began.

It was horrible.

I wanted to give up.

I cleaned up SO many accidents.

BUT...

by day 3, she was asking to go potty and had successfully gone #1 & #2 in the potty (by the way #2 is a biggie!)

BUT,

although the hard part was done, I would not say that we were through.

In fact, I have been waiting to write this post until I could say she was officially "trained."

I'm not sure when that will be though.

Potty training is a series of stages:

1-Get them to go in the potty

2-Get them to tell you they need to go (and then get it in the potty)

3-Go at home.

4-Go at friends' houses.

5-Go at church.

6-Go at the store.

7-Go at the gym.

8-Go at family's houses.

etc.  You get the idea.

Each location has been a challenge of it's own.  Some I feel we have mastered, others we are still working on.

Of course I should also mention that the phrase "two steps forward then two steps back" must have been coined from a parent during potty training.

Just when I think she's doing so well, she has an accident.

We haven't gone more than 2-3 days without some kind of random accident.

So before I jinx myself, I won't say that she's done.  But she is doing well (most of the time).

Such a big girl now!

However, I've already told Eliza she might just have to stay in diapers the rest of her life!