Adventures in PT

No, I'm not talking "physical therapy" or "physical training", though, I guess in a sense what I am referencing is "physical training". I mean potty training. Oh the joys!
So last week we decided to voyage down the road of potty chairs, princess and Elmo underwear(which is a definite motivator for Leah; she loves picking out a pair in the morning... or the afternoon), and accidents. What an adventure it has been! Some of you might be wondering why we're pursuing this so early (Leah's not quite two), especially when many children are older when they undertake this training. Leah's been interested in the toilet since Christmas, and I've heard that a parent should capitalize on that interest, so, here we are.
Obviously, Leah's had successes and failures, but thankfully, she's been more successful lately. When we initially started, I wasn't diligently asking her every 15-20 minutes if she needed to go. Not like I didn't mean to; it's just that I tried keeping track of time without a timer. Yeah, that didn't work so hot. By day three, I had resorted to using the timer... and taking Leah to the bathroom every 15 minutes. Exhausting, yes, but successful; Leah "accomplished her mission" at least once during that day.
So fast-forward to Saturday. After being relatively successful on Thursday and Friday (she even managed to be accident-free one of those days!), she had TWO. TWO!! But there's a positive to those accidents: Leah does NOT like being wet. When she has an accident, her eyes round out and her body freezes. She doesn't cry, but she's definitely not pleased, either.
Now it's day 8, and although she's not trained yet, she's doing better than she did this time last week. Last night and this morning, she actually told me BEFORE she wet her pants that she needed to go. (She's managed to tell us when she needs to take care of the "heavier" business, but never the "lighter" one.) Based on those successes, I decided to just ask her every 30 minutes. Hmmm, maybe I jumped the gun a bit; she had one accident just before lunch.
All-in-all, I think we've made the right decision. I'm still not confident enough (in Leah's ability) to take her out while running errands (at least not while wearing Elmo), but that will come. In the meantime, should you come over for a visit, please don't mind the plastic on the chairs or the regular potty-breaks.

Cookie Monster

Just a quick post today (two days late). Leah really loves "watching" me cook lately, and every so often she gets a chance to help. The other day, she helped make chocolate chip cookies. As you can see from the pictures, she was more interested in some of the ingredients than in the actual dough preparation. Oh how I love those moments!

Is that Mandarin Chinese?

Leah's cousin Sklyer was over last week, and while she was here, she read Leah some stories. I was shocked that she could read (she's two), much less in Mandarin. Wow! That must be some daycare she's in!

Christmas Video

We didn't know that Leah had turned on the camera until well after she had been filming. Anyway, below is what our budding videographer documented back in December. (We were celebrating Christmas with my parents.) Enjoy.

Burning Questions Answered

Okay, so maybe they aren't BURNING questions, but several of you asked some yesterday after reading the latest post, so in an attempt to answer them, read on.

*For those wondering if you missed an earlier announcement (about the pregnancy), no, you didn't. I just thought I'd be subtle in the making of it.

*Today marks the 16 week mark, which means we'll be able to find out what we're having in early February. (See, now you don't have to wait as long to know!)

*Baby C is due June 28.

*We waited to tell everyone until after Christmas since we didn't tell our families until then. Keeping the secret this long hasn't been easy, especially when there have been so many opportunities to share, but it has been fun.

22 Months

Reading books to Wags the dog. She carried him out to the family room just so that she could read.

So this is a bit late: Playing in the first snow of the season (you know, from back in December). She LOVED it!

This is probably one of the first times I realized that she's a little girl and not a baby anymore. *sniff, sniff* Something about seeing her in her hat and coat made her look so grown up.

Drinking "coffee".

Leah's closer than ever to turning two, which both saddens and amazes me. Our baby girl is no longer a baby (though if you ask her, she'll say that she is), making me wonder exactly WHEN that happened. After all, I'm always with her, so wouldn't I have noticed the moment she grew up? *sigh*

Below you'll find some new tidbits about our princess and the daily joy she brings.

*Potty training: Yes, I think she might be ready for it. Christmas Eve Day (in NY), she took care of business three times on the potty. We haven't had such success since then, but she's been regularly telling us that she wants to go. And yes, she's had success taking care of the dirty business (if you know what I mean), which is promising. I hope to do a little research this week so that we can officially start training next week. Who knows? Maybe she'll be potty-trained by the time she's two. At least then we'll only have to worry about one little one in diapers.

*Elmo: Leah has few loves in life (books, coloring) and Elmo is one of them. She LOVES Elmo. Seriously. It's no surprise then, that some of her favorite Christmas gifts were Elmo related (pj's, coloring books, toy). There's an Elmo doll Scott bought her that goes in the bath. Occasionally, it will find itself in Leah's crib, or downstairs. However, I think she might love her Elmo pajamas (handmade by Nama) even more. Case in point: Last week, after wearing the pj's a couple nights in a row, I had retired them to the hamper. After her nap, Leah first asked for Elmo and then her pajamas, going so far as to open her dresser drawer to pull them out. She searched and searched the drawer to no avail, (I had already told her they were in the laundry) before plaintively saying, "Pajama, pajama." I don't know the last time she looked so sad or disappointed. She was on the verge of tears all because she couldn't find them! Of course, I couldn't bear such a site, so I pulled them out of the hamper, reassuring her that she could wear them one more time that night. Oh no. Bedtime was too far away. After changing her diaper, she picked up her pj's and handed them to me, ready to put them on. So... what else could I do but comply?

*Mommy's Little Helper: I feel as if Leah's been interested in helping for a while, but lately it's becoming more and more pronounced, especially when I'm cooking dinner. The other night she helped me make granola, and last night she wanted to help with the enchiladas. Usually, her helping consists of me bringing a chair over to the counter so that she can stand and watch. If possible, she can then help stir or add ingredients (though she must take after me, since she inevitably makes a mess). I love those moments with her, so I try to encourage them, even if it means dinner might take a little longer to prepare or I might have a bigger mess to clean up. After all, if I've learned anything these past 22 months, it's that time is fleeting.

*Rides: If she can fit in it, she'll ask for a ride. This includes the laundry basket, decorative baskets, her toy motorcycle or car, even the Rubbermaid tub that stores her play food. Thankfully, I've limited the number of rides I give her (since I knew I'd have to do it every day, then); her dad, however, hasn't been so fortunate. Leah just has to look at him and smile, and he caves. (I love witnessing those exchanges. Who says he's not one smitten daddy?)

*Adjusting: I'm so thankful that Leah is such an agreeable, loving little girl. I certainly hope she maintains that demeanor in the next few months, especially with all the changes coming soon: potty training, moving out of the crib and into a bed, becoming a big sister. Hopefully all of these will go smoother than anticipated.

Winter Classic 1.1.11

Happy New Year! Our New Year's plans were a bit more exciting this year than in years past. (That's not too hard to top, though, since we're such homebodies.) We didn't go out NY Eve, but we did celebrate NY day by heading up to Pittsburgh to catch the CAPS play the Penguins in the NHL Winter Classic, an outdoor hockey game.

We bought our tickets a few months ago. Though we paid for the day trip (up and back on Saturday), it turned into an overnight one because of the weather. The game, which was originally slated to begin at 1, didn't start until almost 8:30 because of the rain. (Go figure that it was 50 something degrees that day when all of December has been record lows!) The beauty of the later start time is that the game would be played under lights, we got a free hotel stay (at the Sheraton!), and we didn't have to leave at the crack of dawn Saturday morning (original departure time 5:30). Needless to say, we quickly adjusted to the new time.

Our bus arrived at Heinz Stadium a little after 5. The place was packed already! Neither one of us could imagine driving in that mess. What a nightmare it would have been! The bus dropped us off, and then we wandered around the stadium for a little while, taking in the sights (or at least the endless numbers of people). There were quite a few CAPS fans there, so it's not as if we were completely surrounded by the enemy. Of course, it was Pittsburgh, and the Penguins fans reminded us of that.

Satisfied that we had seen everything there was to be seen outside Heinz, we ventured in. Scott stopped in a few shops to see if there was a picture or a frame that we might buy to mount our tickets in, but he was unsuccessful. That also meant that we had that much more time to kill before the game. We found our seats (awesome seats-- Section 131, Row AA, CAPS side), and then took in more of the stadium (translation: we checked out the food stations).

Finally, it was approaching pre-game time, so we made our way to our seats. Much to our surprise, there were seat cushions provided, along with some tickets and NHL player cards. At least we'd be comfortable for the game.

The game was a good one, though it didn't start off that way. The Penguins were dominating, and when they scored first, well, we didn't think the rest of the game would turn out favorably. Finally, though, the CAPS woke up. They answered Pittsburgh's goal with two more in the second period. Then, in the third, they sealed the deal with a third. The CAPS win was the first for the visiting team since the Winter Classic started up again a few years ago. Needless to say, all the CAPS fans were elated by the win. The Penguins fans, well, they were less than gracious. (Those seat cushions I mentioned? Well, the Penguins fans sitting behind us took mine and that of another CAPS fan in our row. The must have picked them up when we stood up to cheer for the third goal. How rude!)

All in all, we had a great time. My only regret is that I didn't charge the camera battery, so I couldn't take as many pictures as I would have liked. Oh well. We still managed to get a few shots in. Go CAPS!