Showing posts with label Evelyn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Evelyn. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
New Summer Pictures...
A couple of weeks ago after breakfast, I bathed the girls, got them dressed and hair done and took them straight out to the backyard to do a little photo session. I got some good ones, I think.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Potty Training is from the Devil...
**DISCLAIMER**
The following post is basically just so I can document this milestone in Evelyn's life. If you are not interested in how we are potty training our child, you'll be bored, and probably just want to skip reading this one. If you are interested, please know that this is what works for us. Every child and family is different, so I encourage you to find what works for you (if you have done this before, or are going to have to do it in the future). I know my way isn't always the right way.
So, for the past month or so, Evelyn has been obsessed with her diaper. Her hands were in it all. the. time. Which, is annoying, but it's especially annoying and disgusting when she happens to have a nice #2 in there.
Yes.
I kept finding her with poo all over her hands. And one time, it was on her chin.
I don't want to know.
I have known for about a month that she has been showing signs that she's ready to potty train. But, I hate potty training. Who doesn't? I was being lazy and just didn't want to do it. Plus, she's 2 months younger than Avery was when we trained her. And Avery was "easy." Evelyn has proven time and time again that she is the exact opposite person that her sister is. We love her so much. She is just more challenging.
Avery is such a sweet little pleaser. She's a rule follower, for the most part, and just wants mommy and daddy to be happy. While it makes things like potty training "easier," it also makes me feel so guilty when I lose my patience with her and she looks sad. Bad mommy! Oh, I am such a sinner!
Evelyn is also so stinking sweet. That is something she and Avery have in common. Evelyn's sweetness saves her. She is sweet, and sneaky, and deceitful, and fearless. Sneaky and deceitful, I could do without. Fearless - I admire. I'm a lot like Avery. It's that oldest child thing. A little cautious, people pleaser, don't stir the pot. I admire Evelyn's fearlessness. That girl has confidence.
So. I wasn't sure what to expect with potty training. I have learned from Avery, and my nieces, and my friends, that potty training can easily become a battle of the wills. Control.
Fun, fun!
Today is Saturday. This past Wednesday morning, Evelyn woke up in her crib and Stephen went downstairs to get her and found her with poop all over the place. I could hear the anger, frustration, and downright disgust in his voice over the monitor. I ran downstairs to help and try to ease the tension. It was nasty. It was disgusting. It was the tenth time this has happened. Yes, I was keeping count.
When we came upstairs and bathed her, I took a look at my Mom Agenda and saw that I had no commitments until Sunday. Today was the day. We are going to start potty training. I just couldn't handle the poop anymore.
So today is day 4. We did the 3 Day Potty Training Method with Avery two years ago and it worked. It's a week of hell, but it works. I'd rather have a week of hell than 6-12 months of constant bed-wetting and accidents, filled with pull-ups and confusion.
Day 1 went relatively well. She peed in the potty chair 3 times and I began to see what her "signals" were. Basically, she just stops whatever she's doing and gets really quiet. But she's fast. By the time I notice she's gotten quiet, she's already peed her pants. Or pooped. But that only happened twice.
At naptime, she went through 7 pairs of underwear (yeah for Minnie Mouse panties from Costco!) and didn't sleep, so by bedtime, it was clear to me that for all of our sanity, I wasn't going to do undies while sleeping yet. For Evelyn, her sleeping patterns are so quirky anyway, I didn't want this whole experience making sleeping even worse. However, even that first night, she hardly peed in her diaper at all. She usually poops first thing in the morning in her diaper, but she didn't. I could tell she was already realizing she has control over "that feeling."
We were so "by the book" with Avery and did everything the method said to do. She literally quit diapers cold-turkey, and sleeping time actually went better than when she was awake! She only wet the bed twice that first week. Like I said, easy. But, Avery is our "by the book" kid. Evelyn's not, so we have modified the method for her.
And she really is doing well! While going through all of this, she is sleeping in the pack 'n play in our bedroom so that she is close by for naptime and nighttime. I'm hoping to get her out of diapers while sleeping in the next couple of weeks. I think she'll start telling us when she needs to go. This morning at 6:30, she woke up and said, "Mommy, potty!" I took her in there and she went! So, she started off the day with an M&M!
I'm hoping today, she starts verbally telling us. Yesterday, Stephen was watching her while I made dinner and she quietly started peeing in the living room and ran to the bathroom by herself, sat on the potty (with her panties still pulled up), and peed through her panties into the potty! Even though she left a trail from the living room to the bathroom, she knew she had to go. And she still got that M&M! Stephen tried explaining to her again that she needs to tell Mommy or Daddy when she needs to go potty. She said, "Yes!" She is too cute.
So, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Potty training is still like teething. It's from the devil. But, I guess it's a necessary skill to learn, and I guess I'm responsible for teaching my kids to do it. And I guess in the grand scheme of things, it's probably good if my kids aren't wearing diapers still and smearing their poop in random places when they're in high school.
The following post is basically just so I can document this milestone in Evelyn's life. If you are not interested in how we are potty training our child, you'll be bored, and probably just want to skip reading this one. If you are interested, please know that this is what works for us. Every child and family is different, so I encourage you to find what works for you (if you have done this before, or are going to have to do it in the future). I know my way isn't always the right way.
So, for the past month or so, Evelyn has been obsessed with her diaper. Her hands were in it all. the. time. Which, is annoying, but it's especially annoying and disgusting when she happens to have a nice #2 in there.
Yes.
I kept finding her with poo all over her hands. And one time, it was on her chin.
I don't want to know.
I have known for about a month that she has been showing signs that she's ready to potty train. But, I hate potty training. Who doesn't? I was being lazy and just didn't want to do it. Plus, she's 2 months younger than Avery was when we trained her. And Avery was "easy." Evelyn has proven time and time again that she is the exact opposite person that her sister is. We love her so much. She is just more challenging.
Avery is such a sweet little pleaser. She's a rule follower, for the most part, and just wants mommy and daddy to be happy. While it makes things like potty training "easier," it also makes me feel so guilty when I lose my patience with her and she looks sad. Bad mommy! Oh, I am such a sinner!
Evelyn is also so stinking sweet. That is something she and Avery have in common. Evelyn's sweetness saves her. She is sweet, and sneaky, and deceitful, and fearless. Sneaky and deceitful, I could do without. Fearless - I admire. I'm a lot like Avery. It's that oldest child thing. A little cautious, people pleaser, don't stir the pot. I admire Evelyn's fearlessness. That girl has confidence.
So. I wasn't sure what to expect with potty training. I have learned from Avery, and my nieces, and my friends, that potty training can easily become a battle of the wills. Control.
Fun, fun!
Today is Saturday. This past Wednesday morning, Evelyn woke up in her crib and Stephen went downstairs to get her and found her with poop all over the place. I could hear the anger, frustration, and downright disgust in his voice over the monitor. I ran downstairs to help and try to ease the tension. It was nasty. It was disgusting. It was the tenth time this has happened. Yes, I was keeping count.
When we came upstairs and bathed her, I took a look at my Mom Agenda and saw that I had no commitments until Sunday. Today was the day. We are going to start potty training. I just couldn't handle the poop anymore.
So today is day 4. We did the 3 Day Potty Training Method with Avery two years ago and it worked. It's a week of hell, but it works. I'd rather have a week of hell than 6-12 months of constant bed-wetting and accidents, filled with pull-ups and confusion.
Day 1 went relatively well. She peed in the potty chair 3 times and I began to see what her "signals" were. Basically, she just stops whatever she's doing and gets really quiet. But she's fast. By the time I notice she's gotten quiet, she's already peed her pants. Or pooped. But that only happened twice.
At naptime, she went through 7 pairs of underwear (yeah for Minnie Mouse panties from Costco!) and didn't sleep, so by bedtime, it was clear to me that for all of our sanity, I wasn't going to do undies while sleeping yet. For Evelyn, her sleeping patterns are so quirky anyway, I didn't want this whole experience making sleeping even worse. However, even that first night, she hardly peed in her diaper at all. She usually poops first thing in the morning in her diaper, but she didn't. I could tell she was already realizing she has control over "that feeling."
We were so "by the book" with Avery and did everything the method said to do. She literally quit diapers cold-turkey, and sleeping time actually went better than when she was awake! She only wet the bed twice that first week. Like I said, easy. But, Avery is our "by the book" kid. Evelyn's not, so we have modified the method for her.
And she really is doing well! While going through all of this, she is sleeping in the pack 'n play in our bedroom so that she is close by for naptime and nighttime. I'm hoping to get her out of diapers while sleeping in the next couple of weeks. I think she'll start telling us when she needs to go. This morning at 6:30, she woke up and said, "Mommy, potty!" I took her in there and she went! So, she started off the day with an M&M!
I'm hoping today, she starts verbally telling us. Yesterday, Stephen was watching her while I made dinner and she quietly started peeing in the living room and ran to the bathroom by herself, sat on the potty (with her panties still pulled up), and peed through her panties into the potty! Even though she left a trail from the living room to the bathroom, she knew she had to go. And she still got that M&M! Stephen tried explaining to her again that she needs to tell Mommy or Daddy when she needs to go potty. She said, "Yes!" She is too cute.
So, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Potty training is still like teething. It's from the devil. But, I guess it's a necessary skill to learn, and I guess I'm responsible for teaching my kids to do it. And I guess in the grand scheme of things, it's probably good if my kids aren't wearing diapers still and smearing their poop in random places when they're in high school.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Catch Up...
Well, once again, it has been over 2 months since my last post. Life has been continuing to keep us busy, as is expected with a 3 and 1 year old.
Avery is now 3 and almost 3 months. She has always been our agreeable girl - we never experienced the "terrible two's", but during the last couple of months, she has definitely entered the "testing threes." She has decided that she has opinions and preferences and when they are not met, as she sees fit, she is not afraid to express her disappointment. It usually shows up in the form of crying and whining, and occasionally collapsing in a pitiful heap on the floor. It's all very dramatic, but that's not surprising, as she has always had a dramatic "flair."
However, she continues to be our happy (for the most part), overall wants to please Mommy and Daddy, and mostly sweet older sister. She continues to go to dance class once a week, and is getting better at not being easily distracted by her classmates. I'm crossing my fingers that she actually participates at this spring's recital.
She loves to play with her baby dolls most of the time, busily putting them to bed and feeding them, and asking Mommy to help her wrap them up or put them to bed. And occasionally, she prefers to be called "Mommy," instead of "Avery." She is getting good at praying at meals and at bedtime, making sure to bless her friends and family and praying for gentleness towards Evelyn.
Evelyn is almost 16 months. At her 15 month appointment, she was 20 pounds, 1 ounce and 32 inches tall. Although skinny like her sister, she is not such a peanut anymore, as she has shot up the charts in height! She's even taller than Avery was at her age. She got 3 shots at her appointment and cried for about 5 seconds and then was totally over it. She's a tough cookie.
She loves playing with whatever her older sister is playing with, which drives Avery nuts. She is also in a stage of being incredibly rough. Mostly with friends that are her size or smaller (including small babies). We are working on getting her to understand her own strength, as even when she is hugging, she is squeezing as hard as she can. Anyone who knows Evelyn can attest that she is freakishly strong. She has also started hitting, although I think she thinks she is patting. It's just plain smacking. I'm worried that soon she won't have any friends!
She likes to pray, finishing with an emphatic "Amen!" She is obsessed with books and if given the chance, she'll grab one and back herself up onto a willing lap, exclaiming, "Buh!" It's hard to say no to that! She is still a little dare-devil, constantly finding things to use as stools so she can reach things she's not supposed to and climbing things like bookshelves and the back of the couches. She is steady on her feet, though, so she rarely gets hurt. When she does get hurt, she rarely cries about it. She likes to count to "free." A month ago, she said nothing but "no," but now, she loves to respond to questions with a sweet little, "Yeah" and a nod of her head. She is going through the normal separation anxiety that is typical at this age, which drives me crazy, as I can't be out of her sight without her screaming. She has pulled the long fence out of the concrete basement wall for the second time.
We have moved both girls' bedtimes to 8:00, as this way, they sleep until about 7:00 am, which is much more doable for Stephen and I. Before 7:00, we are just zombies and grumpy. With them getting up a little later than 6:00, I can actually get up before them and shower and eat breakfast and the day starts much more functional. I have learned that kids' schedules are constantly changing and needing to be adjusted. Especially when they are so young. Avery still naps every day, but they can't be in their room together for naptime, so she naps on the playroom couch. For the most part, she does go to sleep. Evelyn has been napping just once a day for a few months already, but I recently got her to stretch until noon. The past couple of days, she has napped for two and a half hours, which is amazing. I'm hoping it becomes the norm.
Even though they are so skinny, they both want to eat every two hours throughout the day. Needless to say, I am tired of preparing food! I feel like I'm constantly in the kitchen, making snacks and cleaning up.
Their favorite "shows" right now are Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Curious George, and Cinderella. We will be canceling our cable in a couple of months (after basketball season is over), so I'm learning how to stream things. It's pretty slick. We should have canceled cable a long time ago.
All in all, things are good with us! I will not look back on these days and miss all the screaming and fighting, but I'll try to remember how sweet both girls can be, and how their curiosity and innocence makes them so cute. God has truly blessed us with our babies.
Avery is now 3 and almost 3 months. She has always been our agreeable girl - we never experienced the "terrible two's", but during the last couple of months, she has definitely entered the "testing threes." She has decided that she has opinions and preferences and when they are not met, as she sees fit, she is not afraid to express her disappointment. It usually shows up in the form of crying and whining, and occasionally collapsing in a pitiful heap on the floor. It's all very dramatic, but that's not surprising, as she has always had a dramatic "flair."
However, she continues to be our happy (for the most part), overall wants to please Mommy and Daddy, and mostly sweet older sister. She continues to go to dance class once a week, and is getting better at not being easily distracted by her classmates. I'm crossing my fingers that she actually participates at this spring's recital.
She loves to play with her baby dolls most of the time, busily putting them to bed and feeding them, and asking Mommy to help her wrap them up or put them to bed. And occasionally, she prefers to be called "Mommy," instead of "Avery." She is getting good at praying at meals and at bedtime, making sure to bless her friends and family and praying for gentleness towards Evelyn.
Evelyn is almost 16 months. At her 15 month appointment, she was 20 pounds, 1 ounce and 32 inches tall. Although skinny like her sister, she is not such a peanut anymore, as she has shot up the charts in height! She's even taller than Avery was at her age. She got 3 shots at her appointment and cried for about 5 seconds and then was totally over it. She's a tough cookie.
She loves playing with whatever her older sister is playing with, which drives Avery nuts. She is also in a stage of being incredibly rough. Mostly with friends that are her size or smaller (including small babies). We are working on getting her to understand her own strength, as even when she is hugging, she is squeezing as hard as she can. Anyone who knows Evelyn can attest that she is freakishly strong. She has also started hitting, although I think she thinks she is patting. It's just plain smacking. I'm worried that soon she won't have any friends!
She likes to pray, finishing with an emphatic "Amen!" She is obsessed with books and if given the chance, she'll grab one and back herself up onto a willing lap, exclaiming, "Buh!" It's hard to say no to that! She is still a little dare-devil, constantly finding things to use as stools so she can reach things she's not supposed to and climbing things like bookshelves and the back of the couches. She is steady on her feet, though, so she rarely gets hurt. When she does get hurt, she rarely cries about it. She likes to count to "free." A month ago, she said nothing but "no," but now, she loves to respond to questions with a sweet little, "Yeah" and a nod of her head. She is going through the normal separation anxiety that is typical at this age, which drives me crazy, as I can't be out of her sight without her screaming. She has pulled the long fence out of the concrete basement wall for the second time.
We have moved both girls' bedtimes to 8:00, as this way, they sleep until about 7:00 am, which is much more doable for Stephen and I. Before 7:00, we are just zombies and grumpy. With them getting up a little later than 6:00, I can actually get up before them and shower and eat breakfast and the day starts much more functional. I have learned that kids' schedules are constantly changing and needing to be adjusted. Especially when they are so young. Avery still naps every day, but they can't be in their room together for naptime, so she naps on the playroom couch. For the most part, she does go to sleep. Evelyn has been napping just once a day for a few months already, but I recently got her to stretch until noon. The past couple of days, she has napped for two and a half hours, which is amazing. I'm hoping it becomes the norm.
Even though they are so skinny, they both want to eat every two hours throughout the day. Needless to say, I am tired of preparing food! I feel like I'm constantly in the kitchen, making snacks and cleaning up.
Their favorite "shows" right now are Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Curious George, and Cinderella. We will be canceling our cable in a couple of months (after basketball season is over), so I'm learning how to stream things. It's pretty slick. We should have canceled cable a long time ago.
All in all, things are good with us! I will not look back on these days and miss all the screaming and fighting, but I'll try to remember how sweet both girls can be, and how their curiosity and innocence makes them so cute. God has truly blessed us with our babies.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Saturday, September 22, 2012
11 Months...
My baby turned 11 months yesterday, on the last day of summer.
It is so difficult to get a non-blurry picture of her, as she is moving all the time.
My little muffin loves to give kisses now. My not-as-affectionate-as-her-sister baby girl loves to kiss!
Her favorite thing to say right now is "hi!" It is closely followed by "uh-oh."
She is walking more than crawling now, and it's quickly turning to running. Especially when she's naked and it's bath time. The hallway is her speedway.
Her sister can't get enough string cheese.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
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