Current mood: hopeful
And TWO steps back!
As I have blogged before, we entered the world of potty training a few weeks ago. K had a pretty successful first week and we all felt good about her many successes. I thought "Wow! This is sooo easy. She'll be trained in no time!" Then suddenly, she began refusing to sit on the potty. Without rhyme or reason (that we could determine), she began peeing on the floor and not telling us. Every time we asked her to go, she'd scream "NOOOOO!" Sigh. Needless to say, I was frustrated.
After it became clear she was NOT going to participate in sitting on, standing near, discussing the potty, or even alerting us after the fact she peed on the floor, I put her back in pull ups. I was totally discouraged and felt like a failure. D and I decided that this was not an issue we could battle with K, so we just stopped discussing it and hoped a break would help.
She'd been back in pull ups for about a week, and then one morning this week she said "Potty, Daddy" and sure enough she went. No more successes after that until today. Today she actually chose to wear her big girl panties and has had three successes on the potty.
Lord knows I am trying NOT to get excited, but rather just "play it cool". I'm sure this will be a back and forth issue for us for a good, long while. Thank goodness for the small successes that keep a mother going...
Friday, August 31, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Going postal
Current mood: irritated
We are fortunate to live near a small rural post office just a few blocks away from our neighborhood. We frequent it often as it is much easier than navigating through the large city post offices. Through the years, we have become acquainted with the ladies working at the small office as there are only two of them.
Yesterday, K and I went to the post office to send off a couple of packages. K was taking packing materials off the shelf and I was trying to keep them picked up (without success). In the meantime, I laid a $20 on the counter and asked the teller to send the packages the cheapest rate available. The total was $13 and change and I watched her take the $20 and place it in the drawer. Then I turned back to K, asked her to please put the boxes back on the shelf. When I turned back to the teller, she handed me a receipt and then asked if she could give K a coloring book. I said sure, that would be geat and she bent down to pick up the book. She handed it to me and I handed it to K. Then, I turned to the teller and said, "Oh! My change..." She said, "I gave it to you already."
Now it was chaotic due to my trying to keep K behaving within reason, etc, and I do have pg brain. But I was certain she had not given me the $6 and change she owed me. I told her I didn't think she did, but I'd look. She said she handed me a $5 and a $1. I pulled out my wallet and showed her I had three $1 bills in it...no fives. I emptied my pockets, and practically emptied my entire purse on the counter and said, "I'm sorry, I don't think you gave me the change."
She was clearly irritated and said, "Well, I've never done that before so that is hard to believe. Perhaps you gave it to your daughter with the coloring book." I checked the book and all around the floor and found nothing. I said, "Nope, I don't think so...besides, you owed me some coins right, and I definitely would have noticed handing K those."
She clearly did not believe me. I was feeling all embarrassed and unsure of what to do, but was also certain she did not give me the change I was owed. And it was SIX DOLLARS. If it were a buck or two, I would have just been like "Oh, okay" and went on. I just stood there and looked at her, waiting for her to give me the change. She said "Well, if you do find it, please return it to me as this has NEVER happened to me before" and she handed me the money she owed me. I reminded her that I come into this office all the time and would never try to short change them and that certainly, if I found it somewhere, I would happily return the money. She clearly did not care.
As I drove away, I got pretty mad. I mean, how dare she accuse me like that. I wasn't angry that she thought she gave it to me, b/c clearly she thought she did. But after I EMPTIED my pockets, purse, shook out K's coloring book, and showed her I had no coins or $5 in my wallet, I think she should have been a little more gracious about HER MISTAKE. Instead, I was left feeling defensive and accused.
As my husband put it, "They know us better than that! It's not as if you were trying to scam them by making money...six dollars at a time!" ha ha. Like I was heading up to Wendy's next, to try and score another buck off a poor sucker selling me a diet Coke. It makes me not want to return to my little post office around the corner. It also makes me want to return to the post office today and say, "Your drawer came out even last night, didn't it?" or suggest she check the footage on her security camera.
Ugh. Things like that make me sooo mad!!!
We are fortunate to live near a small rural post office just a few blocks away from our neighborhood. We frequent it often as it is much easier than navigating through the large city post offices. Through the years, we have become acquainted with the ladies working at the small office as there are only two of them.
Yesterday, K and I went to the post office to send off a couple of packages. K was taking packing materials off the shelf and I was trying to keep them picked up (without success). In the meantime, I laid a $20 on the counter and asked the teller to send the packages the cheapest rate available. The total was $13 and change and I watched her take the $20 and place it in the drawer. Then I turned back to K, asked her to please put the boxes back on the shelf. When I turned back to the teller, she handed me a receipt and then asked if she could give K a coloring book. I said sure, that would be geat and she bent down to pick up the book. She handed it to me and I handed it to K. Then, I turned to the teller and said, "Oh! My change..." She said, "I gave it to you already."
Now it was chaotic due to my trying to keep K behaving within reason, etc, and I do have pg brain. But I was certain she had not given me the $6 and change she owed me. I told her I didn't think she did, but I'd look. She said she handed me a $5 and a $1. I pulled out my wallet and showed her I had three $1 bills in it...no fives. I emptied my pockets, and practically emptied my entire purse on the counter and said, "I'm sorry, I don't think you gave me the change."
She was clearly irritated and said, "Well, I've never done that before so that is hard to believe. Perhaps you gave it to your daughter with the coloring book." I checked the book and all around the floor and found nothing. I said, "Nope, I don't think so...besides, you owed me some coins right, and I definitely would have noticed handing K those."
She clearly did not believe me. I was feeling all embarrassed and unsure of what to do, but was also certain she did not give me the change I was owed. And it was SIX DOLLARS. If it were a buck or two, I would have just been like "Oh, okay" and went on. I just stood there and looked at her, waiting for her to give me the change. She said "Well, if you do find it, please return it to me as this has NEVER happened to me before" and she handed me the money she owed me. I reminded her that I come into this office all the time and would never try to short change them and that certainly, if I found it somewhere, I would happily return the money. She clearly did not care.
As I drove away, I got pretty mad. I mean, how dare she accuse me like that. I wasn't angry that she thought she gave it to me, b/c clearly she thought she did. But after I EMPTIED my pockets, purse, shook out K's coloring book, and showed her I had no coins or $5 in my wallet, I think she should have been a little more gracious about HER MISTAKE. Instead, I was left feeling defensive and accused.
As my husband put it, "They know us better than that! It's not as if you were trying to scam them by making money...six dollars at a time!" ha ha. Like I was heading up to Wendy's next, to try and score another buck off a poor sucker selling me a diet Coke. It makes me not want to return to my little post office around the corner. It also makes me want to return to the post office today and say, "Your drawer came out even last night, didn't it?" or suggest she check the footage on her security camera.
Ugh. Things like that make me sooo mad!!!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
The biggest fan
Current mood: excited
As most of you know, throughout the past several years I have become a pretty avid Colts fan. Not the kind of fan who paints her face half blue/half white, but the kind who looks forward to Sunday and Monday night football each week and makes PLANS to sit and watch the game....every week except buy week. (Gasp!) Anyhoo, my intrigue began building about five-six years ago when D's previous company would treat us to an occasional game. That was three companies ago, but still luckily on occasion we score tickets through D's work.
He came home one evening last week telling me of a client who offered him pre-season tix to Saturday night's game against Detriot. Did I want to go? Uhhhh....lemme think....YES! So for $50 a piece, we bought the tix and planned a night out in Indy to celebrate our four year anniversary a few weeks early. K was off to Grandma's for the night.
After a wonderful dinner at our FAVORITE restaurant, P.F. Changs, we headed to the RCA dome for what will likely be the last time (for you out of towners, a HUGE new stadium is under construction). We knew our tix were in one of the endzones and were excited to watch the game from a new perspective.
Imagine my shock and delight when I realized that we had (for the first time EVER) to walk DOWN to get to our seats. Down....down....down....and still further, down. The smile on my face was HUGE as I realized we were sitting next to the tunnel where the Colts were going to enter and exit the field and would actually be close enough to see them. My smile turned to gasps when I realized OUR SEATS were in the THIRD row. The third row people! D and I were both like "Holy Cow!!" It was like sitting ON the field!
As we got down to our row, I see two little boys holding footballs over the rail and looked over to see who they were talking to. Oh, no big deal. It was just TONY DUNGY!!! I grabbed my camera and snapped a couple of pictures because I didn't know what else to do. It was like I was star struck. I know, I'M SUCH A DORK!!! (I'll post some pics on my page and you can see how friggin' close I was) Yes, I was THAT fan. Me and all the little boys in the section were salivating as the players came out of the tunnel, practiced in front of us, and we could hear and see EVERYTHING!
As most of you know, throughout the past several years I have become a pretty avid Colts fan. Not the kind of fan who paints her face half blue/half white, but the kind who looks forward to Sunday and Monday night football each week and makes PLANS to sit and watch the game....every week except buy week. (Gasp!) Anyhoo, my intrigue began building about five-six years ago when D's previous company would treat us to an occasional game. That was three companies ago, but still luckily on occasion we score tickets through D's work.
He came home one evening last week telling me of a client who offered him pre-season tix to Saturday night's game against Detriot. Did I want to go? Uhhhh....lemme think....YES! So for $50 a piece, we bought the tix and planned a night out in Indy to celebrate our four year anniversary a few weeks early. K was off to Grandma's for the night.
After a wonderful dinner at our FAVORITE restaurant, P.F. Changs, we headed to the RCA dome for what will likely be the last time (for you out of towners, a HUGE new stadium is under construction). We knew our tix were in one of the endzones and were excited to watch the game from a new perspective.
Imagine my shock and delight when I realized that we had (for the first time EVER) to walk DOWN to get to our seats. Down....down....down....and still further, down. The smile on my face was HUGE as I realized we were sitting next to the tunnel where the Colts were going to enter and exit the field and would actually be close enough to see them. My smile turned to gasps when I realized OUR SEATS were in the THIRD row. The third row people! D and I were both like "Holy Cow!!" It was like sitting ON the field!
As we got down to our row, I see two little boys holding footballs over the rail and looked over to see who they were talking to. Oh, no big deal. It was just TONY DUNGY!!! I grabbed my camera and snapped a couple of pictures because I didn't know what else to do. It was like I was star struck. I know, I'M SUCH A DORK!!! (I'll post some pics on my page and you can see how friggin' close I was) Yes, I was THAT fan. Me and all the little boys in the section were salivating as the players came out of the tunnel, practiced in front of us, and we could hear and see EVERYTHING!
It was amazing. I was smiling from ear to ear the entire game. I could hear Peyton's calls, see his chicken scratches, hell, I could tell when he spit. ha ha! We got to see touchdowns, kicks, a few shoves, and just generally were a "part" of the game. It was sooo cool.
I know this may not interest most of you, but for a "new" NFL fan whose team won the Superbowl in only her fourth or so year of watching, this game was the highlight of my summer.
And was my honey embarrassed by his pregnant wife, eyes as wide as saucers, sitting there for hours with a stupid grin on her face? No, he just smiled and appreciated my joy. THAT is a good husband, ladies. I hope you all have one!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
K at two
Current mood: grateful
Just a quick update (yeah, right!) on my " little" big girl! At her two year checkup, she came in at 33 1/2 inches tall and a whopping 22 pounds 11 ounces. She's still our little big. She eats like a champ as always and has been blessed by the Lord NOT to have my metabolism and body shape. She eats more than most of her friends and sometimes pregnant mommy (little boy has made my stomach about the size of a pea I swear!). She loves loves loves any kind of fruit and also eats most veggies. She's not too big on bread or potatoes, and gets finicky about meat sometimes. She thinks it is a big treat when we give her an ounce of juice mixed with 7 ounces of water. Her latest favorite food is .... ketchup!!
She is wearing size 2T clothing, although I suspect once we get into long pants they will hang on her. Oh well. K still loves being outside and was finally successful in blowing bubbles herself in the past week. (I won't mention that she holds the wand on top of her mouth and/or nose and therefore inhales as much soap as she spills. Oops! Did I say that?) Her favorite inside activity is "tea party". Daddy and I play it each 200 times per day it seems. She is still my big reader and some of her books I am actually considering buying new copies of because they are so worn. I love that they are worn though, because it just demonstrates her love of them all. Her favorite is Mouse Mess which she recites word for word. She also loves The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss and Little Quack's Bedtime.
I can never talk about my girl's favorite things without mentioning music of course. Her latest accomplishment was learning "Happy Birthday" which she still sings several times per day. We've been to lots of birthday parties this summer, and she learned it after everyone sang it to HER. Other faves of her's are "Row, row, row your boat " (which comes out like "butt" and cracks me up every time); "Ring around the Rosie", "Old MacDonald", and "The Wheels on the Bus".
We started potty training last week and she's doing pretty well with it. It seems to go in phases throughout the day. Today she had four early morning successes and then proceeded to pee buckets on the floor around lunch time. Mommy is tiring of scrubbing the carpet, but is focusing on the positives! She definitely gets it and tells me every time, she just struggles with going 2 on the potty and sitting long enough to completely empty her bladder I think. She'll get there!
This week she started going to my dear friend/neighbor Mrs. K's two mornings per week. She gets to play around with Mrs. K (whom she ADORES), her two year old son, and two-three other two year olds. It's a great time. K loves it and we feel very blessed to have the opportunity to send her to someone we love and trust completely...and who lives ACROSS THE STREET! How cool is that????
Well, that's the biggest news. K knows all about baby J and we've had several new babies around the neighborhood which I think has helped her realize what it all means. She talks about Baby J's room, clothes, bottles, and crib. I am very excited to see how our little family changes and grows in the next few months. Sigh. Life is good...
Just a quick update (yeah, right!) on my " little" big girl! At her two year checkup, she came in at 33 1/2 inches tall and a whopping 22 pounds 11 ounces. She's still our little big. She eats like a champ as always and has been blessed by the Lord NOT to have my metabolism and body shape. She eats more than most of her friends and sometimes pregnant mommy (little boy has made my stomach about the size of a pea I swear!). She loves loves loves any kind of fruit and also eats most veggies. She's not too big on bread or potatoes, and gets finicky about meat sometimes. She thinks it is a big treat when we give her an ounce of juice mixed with 7 ounces of water. Her latest favorite food is .... ketchup!!
She is wearing size 2T clothing, although I suspect once we get into long pants they will hang on her. Oh well. K still loves being outside and was finally successful in blowing bubbles herself in the past week. (I won't mention that she holds the wand on top of her mouth and/or nose and therefore inhales as much soap as she spills. Oops! Did I say that?) Her favorite inside activity is "tea party". Daddy and I play it each 200 times per day it seems. She is still my big reader and some of her books I am actually considering buying new copies of because they are so worn. I love that they are worn though, because it just demonstrates her love of them all. Her favorite is Mouse Mess which she recites word for word. She also loves The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss and Little Quack's Bedtime.
I can never talk about my girl's favorite things without mentioning music of course. Her latest accomplishment was learning "Happy Birthday" which she still sings several times per day. We've been to lots of birthday parties this summer, and she learned it after everyone sang it to HER. Other faves of her's are "Row, row, row your boat " (which comes out like "butt" and cracks me up every time); "Ring around the Rosie", "Old MacDonald", and "The Wheels on the Bus".
We started potty training last week and she's doing pretty well with it. It seems to go in phases throughout the day. Today she had four early morning successes and then proceeded to pee buckets on the floor around lunch time. Mommy is tiring of scrubbing the carpet, but is focusing on the positives! She definitely gets it and tells me every time, she just struggles with going 2 on the potty and sitting long enough to completely empty her bladder I think. She'll get there!
This week she started going to my dear friend/neighbor Mrs. K's two mornings per week. She gets to play around with Mrs. K (whom she ADORES), her two year old son, and two-three other two year olds. It's a great time. K loves it and we feel very blessed to have the opportunity to send her to someone we love and trust completely...and who lives ACROSS THE STREET! How cool is that????
Well, that's the biggest news. K knows all about baby J and we've had several new babies around the neighborhood which I think has helped her realize what it all means. She talks about Baby J's room, clothes, bottles, and crib. I am very excited to see how our little family changes and grows in the next few months. Sigh. Life is good...
Sunday, August 19, 2007
"Pee for two"
Current mood: amused
The potty training is ON at our house! It's been almost a week of scrubbing carpets with cleaner, endless loads of tiny panties, and coaxing, pleading, and bribing! Our funniest story so far follows!
K and I were sitting in my recliner coloring pages in her Pooh coloring book. Suddenly, I felt a warm rush of fluid in my lap and a sense of dread overcame me. I thought to myself, "OMG, my water just broke and I am only 31 weeks." I was stunned. I couldn't move and just sat there for a second with my mind racing a million miles a minute about where to send K, how quickly could D get home, and if the docs could stop my labor. Suddenly, I was jolted from my silent panic by my sweet girl's voice saying , "I PEEEEEEE MOMMY!!!"
My horror was immediately replaced by RELIEF as I wrapped my brain around the fact that my water had not broken. In fact, my two year old had peed all over me instead (and I was GLAD???) A day in the life of a mom...
The potty training is ON at our house! It's been almost a week of scrubbing carpets with cleaner, endless loads of tiny panties, and coaxing, pleading, and bribing! Our funniest story so far follows!
K and I were sitting in my recliner coloring pages in her Pooh coloring book. Suddenly, I felt a warm rush of fluid in my lap and a sense of dread overcame me. I thought to myself, "OMG, my water just broke and I am only 31 weeks." I was stunned. I couldn't move and just sat there for a second with my mind racing a million miles a minute about where to send K, how quickly could D get home, and if the docs could stop my labor. Suddenly, I was jolted from my silent panic by my sweet girl's voice saying , "I PEEEEEEE MOMMY!!!"
My horror was immediately replaced by RELIEF as I wrapped my brain around the fact that my water had not broken. In fact, my two year old had peed all over me instead (and I was GLAD???) A day in the life of a mom...
Monday, August 13, 2007
Hard times
Current mood: sad
Where has my confident daughter gone? K, who has exhibited little fear in her life, has always had no difficulty staying with others, and has awed me with her confidence, is experiencing a BIG change these days.
She is downstairs crying right now because Mommy is staying upstairs and Daddy is making her breakfast. Who is this whiney child? Where is my big girl?
She has become the child with separation anxiety. I understand that her life has been turned upside down in recent weeks. I am not able to "run around" as much as in weeks prior due to the ongoing contractions; we've had people in and out of our house almost daily for the past two weeks or so-which is a help to D and I, but I think has caused confusion for her. Certainly our stress level has increased in recent weeks as the contractions get stronger and we try to keep the baby inside me calm and encourage him to stay put for at least another month.
Times are hard at our house. I am unsure how to help her right now. I vascillate (forgive my poor spelling) between giving into her increased need for cuddles, reassurance, and time together and just letting her stand at the bottom of the stairs crying for me for what feels like hours. Meanwhile, her daddy's heart breaks as she cries for Mommy to do everything for her. Our closest friends are quickly rejected by her in their attempts to help her walk down steps, get a snack, change clothes, or even go outside to play. Every well meaning attempt results in K having a major meltdown....one that ends with her clinging to me in desperation.
K and I typically have a lot of time together. I have been home with her almost non-stop for weeks now, but I struggle with this question: Should I spend even more time with her now due to this sudden change in personality? Or does this mean I should leave her to the care of others more often so that she regains her confidence that Mommy will always return home?
Sigh. I'm looking for words of encouragement and ideas on how to help her from all of you. Let me know your ideas and experiences...they are my source of sanity right now. I know you are thinking the same thing I am...the baby isn't even here yet (gasp!)
Where has my confident daughter gone? K, who has exhibited little fear in her life, has always had no difficulty staying with others, and has awed me with her confidence, is experiencing a BIG change these days.
She is downstairs crying right now because Mommy is staying upstairs and Daddy is making her breakfast. Who is this whiney child? Where is my big girl?
She has become the child with separation anxiety. I understand that her life has been turned upside down in recent weeks. I am not able to "run around" as much as in weeks prior due to the ongoing contractions; we've had people in and out of our house almost daily for the past two weeks or so-which is a help to D and I, but I think has caused confusion for her. Certainly our stress level has increased in recent weeks as the contractions get stronger and we try to keep the baby inside me calm and encourage him to stay put for at least another month.
Times are hard at our house. I am unsure how to help her right now. I vascillate (forgive my poor spelling) between giving into her increased need for cuddles, reassurance, and time together and just letting her stand at the bottom of the stairs crying for me for what feels like hours. Meanwhile, her daddy's heart breaks as she cries for Mommy to do everything for her. Our closest friends are quickly rejected by her in their attempts to help her walk down steps, get a snack, change clothes, or even go outside to play. Every well meaning attempt results in K having a major meltdown....one that ends with her clinging to me in desperation.
K and I typically have a lot of time together. I have been home with her almost non-stop for weeks now, but I struggle with this question: Should I spend even more time with her now due to this sudden change in personality? Or does this mean I should leave her to the care of others more often so that she regains her confidence that Mommy will always return home?
Sigh. I'm looking for words of encouragement and ideas on how to help her from all of you. Let me know your ideas and experiences...they are my source of sanity right now. I know you are thinking the same thing I am...the baby isn't even here yet (gasp!)
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