Elyse hasn't ever had a haircut and I'm not sure with a girl how you know when it's time.  Perhaps this is a hint.

 My little bed head after she woke up from her nap yesterday.

We tamed the crazy platinum locks in pigtails for a quick dip at a friends pool.  Matt and I both agreed that she looks more like a little girl than she does a toddler in this picture.  Maybe it's the pigtails or the suit or the glasses, or perhaps just that she is getting older.  I'm not a huge fan of Elyse wearing bikini's but for potty purposes I really do prefer them right now and this one was a hand me down from a friend, I always love those.

Health on a budget

I successfully created a meal made entirely of items purchased on sale with coupons that was fresh, delicious and healthy.  It wasn't as hard as I thought but the chicken breast being on sale for $1.99/lb combined with the squash, sweet  potatoes and even croissants being on sale with additional grocery total coupons made this meal just about as inexpensive and healthy as you can get.  The chicken and sweet potatoes simmered together in chicken stock which was also purchased awhile back on sale with additional coupons. 

The recipe for the chicken and potatoes came right off the chicken stock can and the recipe for the squash came right off of the Publix packaging.  I had made neither of these before but will definitely make them again.

I'm going to try to do this more often.  It's a win, win the way I see it.  I'll save money and try different recipes.  I have cans of rotel tomatoes, plenty of chicken breast, and some sour cream that were from sales and coupons as well.....any ideas for those?

Pond

There's a pond at the end of our street that Elyse and I frequently visit on afternoon walks and lately there has been someone new we've noticed. 

 He/She's not very big, maybe 3 or 4 feet and is quite pleasant to look at.

 Some pretty flowers there as well.

The quiet little pond and Elyse with her favorite blue car.

Recent pictures

 Here are a few recent pictures since it's been awhile since I posted any. 

She's very into the shoe thing.  Putting on her own, wearing other peoples', etc.  She didn't get very far in my running shoes though.

 Seriously....how grown does she look here?!?!  She is about to brush her teeth before bed and just watching her climb up onto that stool after using the potty makes her seem so much more "kid" than anything else.  Older kids still refer to her as a "baby" when we are out and about but I can tell that always seems to puzzle Elyse.  She has even searched for this "baby" these kids talk about, unknowing that they are referring to her. 

 She used to sit in this chair and read books for long periods of time at the beach last year, this year she hardly sits still.  Shoveling sand occupies her for awhile but she is pretty much all over the place and very busy.  She does seem to still love the beach though, which is a good thing since we enjoy going so often.

 I just love this expression!

The next several pictures are from Easter Sunday.  After church we went to Opa and Grandma Kathy's for an egg hunt and some lunch.  Elyse really seemed to like the egg hunt once she got the hang of it. 

 Her basket is just about as big as she is!

 The older kids were great about saving some of the easier ones for her and helping her find some of the more difficult ones.  It was sweet to watch. 

 Our family of 4.  Elyse is 22 months and baby sister is 23 weeks in the making. 

 We even squeezed in a few minutes for a quick dip in the pool.  Elyse never left the first step, she is much more cautious this year than last year with swimming.

All 6 of the grand kids, soon to be 7.  Elyse was originally in her swim suit for this shot but I quickly threw a dress on over the suit and I'm so glad I did.  That lady bug swim suit would have really looked out of place.

Elyse finds my bible on our ottoman in the family room and this is the brief conversation that followed.
Elyse: "Bible!!"
Me: "That's right, who wrote the bible?" Not sure if she knew this or not.
Elyse: "God"
Me: "That's right, what does God teach us about in the Bible?"
Elyse: "Jesus!"
Me (thoroughly impressed by this point): "How amazing that you know that sweetheart, what do you know about Jesus?"
Elyse: "Jesus loves me."

I glanced at my ridiculously high stack of parenting books on my nightstand that afternoon and thought about how that is one message none of them told me how to teach, yet somehow, she is learning the single most important thing she will ever need to know. To hear her speak that made my eyes well up with tears. How much does she really understand? Probably not much and it's likely repetition from things I've said but thats fine by me. It was the affirmation I needed to gear me up for the toy she threw across the room (again) a few minutes later. We've been working hard on that one. Sigh.

I started this weekend right for the first time in awhile. I got up before the rest of the house did, utilized the peace and quiet for a bit, then enjoyed a 2 mile jog. My sneakers logged a total of 13 miles this week and I feel good about that. I'm getting bigger and it's getting hotter so I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to do that.

After breakfast we went to Buy Buy Baby for the first time since one opened about 45 minutes away. That is an incredible store! I never knew there were so many creative baby/toddler items. I managed to tame myself and purchase only what we came for. That is one of many stores I don't need to be let loose in.

After the store we went to a company picnic of Matt's and really had a great time. It was at a park we never knew existed and it was scenically located right on the bay. Anytime I've met his coworkers or his boss I have this tinge of jealous appreciation for how much time they get with my husband and how hard those people work. The weather was perfect and food was delicious. A+ picnic!

That evening we used a Groupon for an organic pizza place in our area that we hadn't tried yet. We enjoyed BBQ chicken pizza at Pizza Fusion but the enjoyment truly came after Elyse was briefly removed for discipline during the meal. All 3 of us did much better after that which affirmed I made the right decision in doing so. I like affirmation a lot. I'm gaining ground in confidence as a parent because as she approaches her 2nd birthday, the challenges have increased greatly which gives us both many new opportunies to learn and grow.

On Sunday we made our way to Pass-a-grille beach a little before lunch time. We met our friends and their kids there for the afternoon. Once we packed up we made our way to a little ice cream shop and enjoyed waffle cones filled with our selected flavor while still breathing in the salty air. We couldn't head home yet because the house was being shown so we walked along the beach while Elyse napped in the stroller. On our way home we stopped at Gators to enjoy some fish spread and crackers as we watched sail boats go through the drawbridge.

I'm tired now. I got too much sun. I'm going to try my best to stay awake for our Sunday night movie sans the usual ice cream.

Side note, Matt can feel the baby now! I love finally being able to share that with him.

House update

The contract on our house fell through.  We weren't surprised or even bothered by it and anyone I've told the news too has commented on how it seemed I felt that would happen all along.  Perhaps I subconsciously knew or maybe I just tried to maintain a realistic perspective.  I'm very impressed with both of us, but more specifically me since it's an area I often struggle in, at our ability to simply trust that this wasn't the correct deal for our family and to move forward from there.  We both remained emotionally unattached to other homes we looked at or to the idea of selling and moving in general.  We kept a reasonable plan on the back burner if the deal did close and collected boxes from friends, but never packed a single one.  We did decide to go ahead and re-list the house and we'll just go from there once again.  We're moving forward a little wiser than just few weeks ago and that is never a bad thing. 

I am also thankful that I didn't decide to wait on potty training for Elyse until after the move.  I was hesitant to do it so close to such a big event but went for it anyway and there didn't end up being any big event after all.  We're about 2 weeks out from the first time she had ever sat on a potty or wore anything but a diaper and it's great.  We've had a couple of accidents here and there but nothing much to speak of.  The confidence I have in her (and her bladder) has grown tremendously.  I never knew potty training would excite me so much!

Side note, I ate a light, healthy lunch but just finished off about 5 Girl Scout cookies while typing this.  Ugh. They were sure tasty though. 

As mentioned in a previous post, a friend and I made a cake for my older sister, Adrienne's, baby shower.  She has decorated the cutest room for him with a bird/birds nest/nature theme so I wanted to somehow tie that into the cake.  Baking is definitely not my thing but I actually really enjoyed doing this and I was rather impressed with how good it tasted.   

 Her are the 4 layers used to build 2 tiers.  We wanted to color the cake baby blue but when the blue dye mixed with the yellow cake we got green, so we went with it.  I actually thought it was a pretty color myself.  

 Loren made the delicious pastel green icing from scratch.

 We used marshmallow fondant to make cut outs of little birds.

 We colored all of the frosting green but remembered we needed some brown as well, so using red coloring we turned the green into brown.

 Elyse helping Loren bake.

 The finished cake!

 He shall be called Ethan.

 I made the centerpiece for the table along the same theme, the newspaper bird is barely hanging onto it's branch.

The 3 cousins very excited about getting a slice of the cake!

A peek into her world at 19 weeks

I never got an image like this with Elyse and the tech mentioned that she would look scrawny at just 19 weeks but we were still amazed.  Delicate features and perfect little hands resting comfortably right in front of her.  The scan went well and she got the healthiest rating possible and weighs a scale tipping 9 ounces.

The scan took awhile because baby girl wasn't wanting to show the right parts at the right times but with some maneuvering of mommy and a little coaxing they got all of the images they needed.  I like that it took awhile because we got to see her for so long.  I felt like an intruder peeking into her private little world and was in awe of the miracle happening beneath my skin.  I don't feel her nearly as much as I could feel Elyse at this same gestation because my placenta is anterior this time so it's acting as a cushion against all of her movements.  The placenta is about 1.5 pounds, almost 3 times the size of her, so that explains the cushion aspect.  She will grow much bigger than the placenta before long though, so I know I'll be feeling those elbows and kicks fiercely soon enough. 

She was also confirmed girl of course.

We're almost half-way to meeting her!

Potty Training

At just 21 months I would have never thought Elyse was ready to be potty trained and had no intention of even attempting it before the baby was due when Elyse would be just 26 months.  I had read it could cause regression, not to mention we had some big things going on with an upcoming move and hopes of transitioning her to a "big girl" bed to free up the crib that potty training was something that would developmentally and timeline wise need to wait.

I changed my mind.  A month or two ago she began waking up in the mornings and from naps dry.  She would also often announce or make obvious certain bodily functions.  I got advice and an e-book from a close friend and with no more than a weeks planning I set the date and decided to go for it.  With realistic expectations and skeptical confidence I went with the "3 Day Potty Training" method.  I was mentally prepared for an intense 3 days and planned accordingly.  I ensured the house was clean, laundry caught up, grocery shopping done, potty books and DVDs on hand, rewards and stickers in place next to a newly purchased potty seat that fit snugly on our adult one, and the plan to bunker down on house arrest for 3 solid days

Here's the breakdown of the events for those of you who asked. 

Day 1:
26 pairs of Elyse-selected cotton panties were washed and ready when Elyse tossed all of her diapers in the garbage that morning.  We said "bye bye" to them and had officially begun.  I decided to track her progress and write down each time she did any sort of potty, anywhere she did it.  I gave this up very quickly.  10 accidents before lunch without a  single success caused me to quit my documenting.  I knew how many accidents there were by how many panties I had to wash and that was ALL of them, thankfully I planned on that.  The author suggested purchasing 30 pairs, the 26 was close enough for me and I could have used less if I had done laundry once or twice during the day.  We have a lot of tile so it made the small puddles easy to clean up but there were definitely carpet accidents too.  I certainly regret not picking up throw rugs but at least they were easy to wash.  After 26+ accidents (including a #2), 0 successes, and a dry nap. I went to bed that night knowing we were right where I expected to be, but in my heart hoped we would have been further.  I didn't realize she had such little trickles so often.  Was her bladder developmentally ready to hold it for longer periods of time?  I had no idea.  I also don't know how many times I said the coined phrases of the book or went through the motions but it was much, much more than any fly on the wall would have cared to hear.  We decided to wake her around 10:30pm on our way to bed to put her on the potty "just in case" and low and behold we had our first success!  I was ecstatic but afraid the rude awakening and unexpected potty party wouldn't resonate.  She was too sleepy to give a treat or sticker to or even really realize what had happened.  It wasn't much but it was enough to keep me going with a positive attitude.

Day 2:
The late night awakening paid off, she woke up after a total of almost 13 hours of sleep completely dry!  As soon as she awoke I took her to the potty and within moments we had success again!  This is how to start potty training day 2!  We went through another day of no real pattern to anything but by the time she went to bed the time between accidents was increasing which lead me to believe we were making slow and steady progress.  There were 17 accidents (including a #2), 6 successful potty trips, and another dry nap.  Again, I hoped we would be a little further because she still had never told me when she needed to go, but was more than content with where we were.  I truly believed she was getting it.  On day 1 when she would have accidents she would say, "uh-oh, mommy help clean up", as though someone had spilled something on the floor (this is what she says when she spills her cup).  By the end of day 2 she was saying, "I go pee", as it ran down her leg.  Though messy and challenging, that to me is progress and another reason to embark on day 3.

Day 3:
We didn't do the wake up trick at night and she did wake up a little damp but not enough to go through the piddle pad over her sheet.  Day 3 I learned she goes pretty well on command but is still not telling me when she needs to go.  When she awoke dry from her nap we went right to the potty and she went and about 20 minutes later she went running past me saying "I go potty".   Really?!?!?!  Could this be it?!?!?!  She proceeded to do #1 and #2 in the toilet and let me just tell you, it was stickers, happy potty dance, and yogurt melts (her treat) galore!  Once she got up, even she was doing the potty dance!  It was great!  We called daddy and he got in on the praise too.  This was followed by a couple of accidents that evening but was a huge turning point for me.  The day ended with 5 accidents and 7 successes, the first time the good outweighed the bad and I had plenty of clean panties leftover for day 4.

Day 4 you ask?  You thought this was "3 day potty training"?  Well, it is, but I went into it knowing she was younger than the recommended age, that every kid is different, and that it was just a place to start.  It's given us a great, solid foundation to continue.  The diapers are packed up and gone.  I've emptied her changing table, diaper bag and car stash.  They are gone.  Our house arrest ended, travel potty is loaded in the car, and changes of clothes are packed in the diaper bag.  We will do this.  I know her and I know she is capable.  It was 3 days filled with it's challenges but was also filled with love, encouragement and more positive reinforcement than I've ever showered her with.  She was never punished, scolded, or forced to sit on the potty if she wasn't willing.  I thought being contained would make us both a little crazy but it turns out she loved the one on one time and continual undivided attention (part of the method requires you to be attached at the hip to catch and correct any and all accidents).  Bad storms gave an added excuse to stay in and encouragement from a close friend who believed in this method kept me going and it turns out she really was mostly potty trained in 3 days because day 4 and 5 had virtually NO accidents and was all success.

I'm proud of her and actually a little proud of myself.  This process, though not complete, has taught me so much about parenting and I'm glad we decided to embark on this now.  As my little girl sits quietly playing on the floor next to me wearing her panties it brings me such a feeling of confidence in both of us knowing that we can now work together on things.  She is growing up, that's for sure.