Potty Training

Sooo.  We started the potty training journey on Friday.  Granted, this whole past year, we've worked on this off and on, but never consistently.  In all honesty, it was completely my fault.  She had shown interest, but especially after I got pregnant, I just didn't have the want to.  Plus this year has been crazy.  Cray-Cray.  Something major going on all. the. time.  Things finally started calming down after the youth rally in August, and I committed to working with her pretty hard core after that.

I knew when I really started working with her, it would need to be a couple of days when we would be home for the majority of or whole day (that happens pretty much almost never).  I also didn't want to deal with a potty chair or very many pull ups (especially not at home).  I wanted her to be completely self-sufficient to potty at home--lights on and off, hands washed, clothes on and off, and wiped.  That way when her brother gets here, if I'm tied up with him, she will be used to going on her own anyway.

So we spent the day Friday in real big girl panties.  And it was absolutely awful.

slave to the tiny person, the bathroom, the towels, the carpet cleaner...

I tried my mission of taking her every 10 minutes and making her try (and also to help prevent accidents).  However.  Most of those times, she knew she didn't have to go and we struggled through stubbornness and tears and aggravation and a whole lot of sitting with no potty success.  She peed six times that day--only one was in the toilet.  And she pooped.  Yeah, that wasn't in the toilet either...

except when she's pregnant and can't.  yay.

I was exhausted, impatient, and frustrated.  And worst of all--she could tell.  I never yelled at her for any accidents, but by the third one she picked up on my tension; she was crying and apologizing and I felt terrible.

The weekend was busy and spent mostly out of town, so I knew we weren't even going to attempt anything then.  Monday was full of errands and doctor's appointments (and some weekend recovery), so we didn't deal with anything then either.  But Tuesday, we had to kick it back in gear...although I really didn't want to.

So when she got up Tuesday, I sent her straight to the bathroom--and would you know it, she peed!  We were both so excited and giggly :)  I was already feeling a little better about the day.  But the trickiest part as I had learned from Friday was that first time after she woke up (it takes a while for her bladder to fill back up after the night apparently).  Much to my delight, she didn't fight me this time when I made her go try to potty every 20 minutes.  However, I didn't quite catch her at just the right time and she had an accident.  It was a bummer, but we were both ok with it and stayed positive.

And let me tell you something--that is the only accident she has had since!  Twice yesterday (Tuesday), she peed a tiny bit in her panties, was able to stop it and hold it and make it to the toilet to finish.  HUGE progress!  I can't tell you how much we have smiled and giggled and clapped and danced a little through these past two days :)

She's still in a pull up for a short trip somewhere and a diaper for longer trips and at night.  I'm a little nervous about nighttime training just because she sleeps so long (at least 12 hours a night...I know how lucky I am and I love every minute of it!).  But we'll work on that once we've for sure mastered the day time.  Plus she hasn't pooped in the toilet yet, so we have that milestone to accomplish too.

But let me tell you...one bad day of training, and then something just clicked.  I could NOT BE HAPPIER!!

Complete-ish.  At least peeing at home, we're good.  I'll take it!

If you're going through the potty training struggle, hang in there.  It's annoying and exhausting and pretty frustrating, but it's a necessary evil.  Unless we want to be hated by Kindergarten teachers everywhere!

Now, here's hoping she doesn't revert back when her brother gets here in a few weeks...

love, angie

Dear Arabella,

It seems like last week that I sat down to write your one year letter.  Even moreso, it feels like last month that I was sitting down to tell your birth story.  But realistically, here I sit writing you a letter for your second birthday.

My beautiful Arabella--you are TWO years old today!  They say time flies when you're having fun;  and in your case, I completely agree.  Time is flying by...it can only be because we are having a blast!

You are so full of personality.  You keep me and your daddy giggling all the time.  Those good kind of giggles that make you just happy all the way through--you do that for us.  You're also so intelligent.  Your memory is amazing and your ability to understand what we're asking--and then communicate back to us--is just, wow.

You're pretty much the coolest kid alive.  Ever.  Hands down.  And the most beautiful.

This past year has really been SO much fun!  Getting to watch you grow and learn and figure things out has been so neat.  You change daily (sometimes hourly...) and are constantly surprising us with something new you've picked up on.

Things you are loving right now:

--Mickey Mouse!  Holy moly you love that theatrical rodent and all of his clubhouse friends.  You will sit and watch the show for hours...  But he makes you smile and he doesn't get on my nerves, so all is well :)

--helping your daddy with anything.  Whether it's sitting on his work bench and helping him load ammo, crawling around on the ground and grease to help him work on the cars, or catching slimy fish on the boat.  If he's outside, you better be out there with him!

--Conner the big, brown, Belgian horse.  You met him at the Dixie Stampede when we went up with Aunt Chelle and fell in love!  Now, every horse you see or hear or imagine is Conner :)

--to limbo!  I have got to catch you on video doing this.  Ever since a birthday party last month where they did the limbo, you walk around the house with your back arched as far you can and still walk, saying "I imbo, I imbo" the whole time.  It is absolutely hilarious!

--Your big girl bed!  We made the switch to a toddler bed a few weeks ago, and you absolutely love it!  You still love your sleep (that's my girl) and average 12-13 hours a night.  Usually, if you wake up before noon, you'll still take a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon too.  Bed time has become so enjoyable (not that it was really that bad before).  And you're so good that you won't get out of your bed at all until someone comes in there to tell you you're allowed to.

--The moon and stars and airplanes.  One thing you and daddy love to do each night is walk outside together and find all of these up in the sky.  You have such a good eye for those airplanes!  And you get so excited when you find them...and the moon...and the stars...  (daddy even writes to make sure I bring you out to find the moon when he's out of town and can't take you.  it's a pretty special moment with you for him.)

--"Jesus Loves Me".  This has become our "one and only, nothing else will do" bedtime song.  You beg and whimper for it even as you're drifting off to dreamland.  And several times, if you wake in the middle of the night, I hear you begging for "Jees luh me" over the monitor.  You've also started singing parts of it; hearing your tiny voice sing about Jesus and his love is simply beautiful.

--animals!  Last month you were able to go to two different zoos and aquariums (Houston and KC) and the petting zoo at Aunt Chelle's.  I loved getting to see your little face when you found each animal; hearing you talk to them and make their sounds at them; watch your wonderment at getting to touch starfish and stingray, goats and cows.

--you still love music.  Anytime I need you to sleep in the car and you're fighting it, I can simply play our Selah CD and within 1-2 songs, you've usually drifted off (this is the music you slept with as a baby).  You also love to dance and sing, and have started repeating song lyrics and tunes we sing (from Itsy Bitsy Spider, If You're Happy and You Know It, This Little Light of Mine, and Old MacDonald to some of the radio songs that mama listens to in the car and sings all around the house...)

--giving knuckles!  If anyone asks for knuckles, you make your way around the whole group until everyone has fist bumped with you...sometimes you even make them do both hands!  Also, if anyone around you gives someone else knuckles, you definitely find it necessary to get in on that action.

--Uncle Si and Duck Dynasty, haha!  I got you a little shirt to sleep in that has a picture of Si and one of his quotes on it.  You loooove that shirt and if you see it, you want to wear it.  You also get so excited when you see any of the Robertsons on TV--you call them all Uncle Si.  Probably one of the funniest things you've done involved Uncle Si...  We pulling out of a parking lot when you pointed to a couple a ways off getting out of their car, and said, "Ook!  Who's at?"  We were confused because they looked nothing like any of "your people".  It was a middle aged couple, but the man had a long gray ponytail.  When we asked what you were talking about, you pointed back to the same couple and said, "Ook!  It's Uncle Si!"  We still get a good giggle about that one :)

Things I want to remember:

--your giggle.  Aunt Chelle, Aunt Mel, and I all three make this weird little noise when we're trying to stifle a laugh...and you do it too :)  It doesn't matter what kind of day I'm having or what kind of mood I'm in, your laugh melts me.  I never want to forget what it sounds like from year to year.

--the crinkle in your nose.  When you smile or think or are just being silly, you scrunch your little nose up.  And I just think it is the most adorable thing ever.

--the sound of your sweet voice saying "I luh you", especially when you say it first (without us telling you we love you first).

--how squeaky and high pitched your little voice is, especially when you get excited :)

--how when we sit down to eat, you initiate the prayer.  If daddy and I start eating before we say it, you stretch both of your little hands out to grab ours and insist, "Pray!"  Then you bow your head and squinch your little eyes closed until we say Amen...then of course you join in on saying that loud and clear!

--your kisses.  That sweet little pucker of a normal kiss; the silly wiggle of an eskimo kiss; and the precious flutter of a butterfly kiss (always both eyes...)

--you don't just tell people bye anymore...  You've added "later!" to it, along with their name.  You usually won't say it until they're actually leaving you, but you definitely know when someone or something is going bye.   Also, you tell everything bye!  The moon when we have to go inside, the animals at the zoo when we leave their cage, your toys, the house...everything!

--Every. Little. Thing.

My mind is blown when I try to wrap my head around the fact that you're two.  My baby is gone and you have evolved into a full fledged big kid.  You are so much fun!  You are also one of the sweetest little things to ever exist--you show care and concern when you know something is wrong, you use your manners constantly, you share willingly, and you give the absolute best hugs and kisses.  Mama and Daddy have definitely reached the point where it's hard to remember what life was like before it centered around you--and we don't want to imagine what it would ever be like again without you. You, Arabella, are my most treasured gift, and I promise that I will always love you more than you will ever know.  Stay curious and full of life!  You are so precious...and you have changed us for the better.

Happy birthday, sweet girl!  You're my favorite.

xoxo

love, mama

my sweet toddle tot

I'm feeling the need for a major kid update tonight.  She has changed SO very much these past few months (it's noticeable daily hourly now, y'all...).  I just sat there two nights ago and literally could not believe that she's a full fledge big kid now.  It just doesn't seem right...

Anywho, she is pretty much the coolest tiny human I have ever met in my life.  And she's absolutely gorgeous on top of that!  She's so fun, creative, well-mannered, curious, smart,and just plain awesome.

Let's chat a little about the fun things she does lately:

• She dances.  Now this is nothing new because this kid has always loved to dance.  But now when she hears music and gets the urge to boogie, she wants to dance with someone...and she commands that person to dance as well.  She'll run up and grab both hands, shout "dance", and off she goes!
• She just shouted "ready, set, go" for the first time tonight--too cute.
• Nearly every time you ask what color something is, her reply is pink (occasionally we'll get a blue or green).  This is much to her "she can't have anything pink" daddy's dismay.
• She is obsessed with loves all things Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  So much so that a song from the show came on Pandora today and she named out each character as they sang.  And we have 30 episodes saved on the DVR.  And we have 9 DVDs of the show...  You wouldn't think that was excessive if you knew how much this kid loves that mouse and all his friends.

• She started counting a few weeks ago--1,2..6,7,8.  Every time.  And if you try to get her to say 1,2,3 she says "noooo!" and corrects you to say 1, 2, 6, 7, 8....
• We have the saying "together is a wonderful place to be" on our wall above our bed.  Every night she points out the letters--she knows O (she can recognize these anywhere), S (she can recognize these anywhere), P, and sometimes E, B, and A.  We're proud :)
• She also recognizes the numbers 2 and 8 when she sees them
• When she leaves someone, she has started saying "you too" instead of "bye".  This is because when we go to a store or restaurant and the server ends with "have a good day", I always reply "you too"--and she repeats.  So now she says it on her own when she has to part ways.
• Her favorite songs that she can sing (at least parts of) and do motions to are "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", "If You're Happy and You Know It", "Old McDonald" (also know as Yi-Yi-Yoo...and the only animal Bella puts on his farm is the chicken), and "This Little Light of Mine"
• She knows so many animal sounds that I've lost count.  I'm going to try to list them, but I'll probably forget one.  Frog, Rabbit (scrunches nose and sniffs), Lion, Tiger, Bear, Monkey, Bird, Elephant (lifts one arm and blows through her lips), Crab (pinches pointer and thumb), Alligator (clamps whole hand together), Rooster, Chicken, Dog, Cat, Fish (opens and closes her mouth real quick several times), Sheep, Horse, Cow, Bug (ssss...ewww...yuckies), Snake, Turtle (she recognizes them, but for some reason she insists they ribbit), Butterfly (flaps both arms up and down like crazy)...and I'm probably forgetting some
• She loves to pray.  When we all sit down to eat, she asks for both of our hands, and says, "let pay".  Then she squints her eyes and bows her head (for about the first 5 seconds...); when it's over she squeezes our hands and shouts "Amen!"
• She loves to shout "Amen!" in church at the end of every prayer as well (or if the preacher asks if he can get an amen...she always obliges).  You can always see the shoulders of everyone bouncing up and down as they chuckle at her.
• That kid says "thank you" more often than anyone I've ever met (and in context).  You can be handing her each individual card in a full deck, and she'll thank you all 52 individual times.  This was her third full word (after daddy and Tech) and we never had to work on it.  She picked it up on her own and always, always shows her gratitude.  A lot of times when she's thanking me, she'll sneak in a "my" as in, "tank chu my mama"...Melt. My. Heart.

• She also says "yes please" whenever she wants something or needs help or is asked to use her words.  "I hold you", "Help!", "Dat's Right!" and "I stuck!" are some of our other favorite phrases.
• She climbed out of her crib for the first time today; and considering I walked in to her clinging to the outer edge for dear life, screaming in terror, I'm hoping she won't do it again.  We are however going to be switching to a toddler bed soon as a result.  I was going to use that as my clue that she was ready (unless she got to a ridiculous age to still be in a crib first!  Fret not, she wouldn't have started Kindergarten in a crib :P)
• She loves to talk on the phone--they're one of her favorite toys.  And she actually talks!  "hwo! wcha doin?  baby jibber...K! Bye!"  
• Books are a necessity, especially in the car and at church.  And at home.  And anywhere we go really.  I'm really hoping she'll have my love of reading and both mine and Hunter's love of learning.
• She is still Hunter's little helper.  Whether he's reloading ammo, working on cars, fishing in the boat...that little tot is right by his side.  If he's in the garage and she's not with him, she stands at the door, beats on it, screaming "Daa-ey! Daa-ey!" until he lets her go play with him :)

• She recognizes the LA Tech symbol and the state of Louisiana, pointing them out and naming them anytime she spots one.  Talk about make these parents proud!
• She also loves football--going to the games and watching them on TV (Score!  No clue where she got that love from ;)  She recognizes the balls and their helmets as belonging to football.  She'll also say Who Dat! (and knows to go get our Saints football when we say that!)
• Speaking of Who Dats and Fleur de Lis...Hunter has a tattoo on his shoulder of a fleur de lis and AJ, Arabella's initials.  He'll add to it with each kid we have, which I think is pretty sweet... Anywho.  Bella saw it a few months ago and asked what it was, so we told her "that's AJ!"  Now any time she sees a fleur de lis, she points out, "Dat's AJ!"
• She calls me Angie and her daddy Hunter a lot of the time...  It's not said in disrespect so we let it slide and usually giggle about it.  Last time Hunter was out of town for work, she really missed him and struggled with him being gone.  However, instead of whining for daddy, she moped around the house saying, "I awnt Hunner...where Hunner...I awnt Hunner"
• She knows the difference between a car and a truck and a motorcycle (calls it a bike) and a boat...however, they all go "voom voom!"
• That little girl loves shoes.  She'll come stand next to me, grab my leg, and ask for my shoes--expecting me to give her the ones right off my feet!  And of course I do...  If she finds a pair of shoes out, they go on her feet (she's flopping around in Hunter's size 15 Crocs right now as I type this...).  She even takes the shoes from ladies at church!  

• Last week, she started holding her hand to her ear and either whispering "lissen" or saying "herd dat?" anytime she hears a noise from a distance (a car going down the road, Hunter working on something in the other room, the washing machine, any little noise!)
• She gives the absolutely sweetest and best hugs and kisses.  Actual squeezes in the hugs and puckered little binkie-less lips for the kisses.  She also gives butterfly and eskimo kisses--and that just makes me smile :)

There's so much more that I can't put it all in this post...  She's just a really stinkin' cool kid.  And we have no idea why we were the lucky ones chosen to guide her through this life.

I love my little weirdo...and I never ever want her to want to be "normal"...

Now I have to start planning her SECOND birthday party!  Time goes by much too quickly for my liking...

Hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our lives :)

love, angie

An Arabella Update

Here are some tid bits about our bug lately:

Disclaimer:  you may not care about these, but I'm writing them more for a memory for myself anyway :P

• She walks all the time and everywhere.  This started about the first week or two in December.  Before then she had been walking and crawling about 50/50.
• She waves hi and bye, as well as blowing kisses (talk about melt my heart!).
• She's almost weaned off of the bottle--still gets one at night to go to bed.  We've been going out of town and staying all over the place too much for me to worry about trying to take that one away too.  That's our goal for next week.
• Her vocabulary is growing:  daddy, mama, GIGI (what my nieces and nephew--and now my daughter--call me), KK (her youngest cousin's nickname), bye, hey, thank you, mmm, dog, eat, and uh-oh.
• She also says thank you and uh-oh only at the appropriate times, which makes it even that much more adorable.  We have also reached the point of dropping things on purpose for the sake of saying uh-oh (this happens most often on her changing table...).
• She not only blows kisses, but she'll lean in and give you one if you ask for it.  She opens her mouth wide and leans in to yours--sweetest thing ever.  She has also become quite snuggly and loves to give hugs.
• She has 8 teeth in fully (four top, four bottom, all in front) and is working on her first four molars (the ones behind the eye teeth/canines).
• She loves to build things and tear them apart, fill something up and empty it out.
• She knows what a dog and a monkey "says".  (Christmas morning as she was opening a gift, I told her "Open that puppy up!"  Immediately she replied "woof!"  Made me smile).
• She still sleeps 11-14 hours every night--and I still LOVE that :)  (as well as a 2-3 hour nap everyday).
• She's very friendly and will go see just about anyone.
• It's time to move up to a size 5 diaper.
• When she sees something neat or pretty, she says "Ooooohhh" with a raised inflection in the middle to show she's impressed.
• She "talks" on the phone, holding any small flat toy up to her ear saying "hey!"
• She loves stuffed animals--squeezes them tight and snuggles them close.
• She is quite the little Linus...very attached to her blanket.  She's even gotten to the point of going into her room, pushing her bumper down, and pulling her blanket out of her bed.
• She's tall enough to reach things off of the table...oh boy.
• Her favorite snack is Teddy Grahams.
• She can be quite feisty and independent (the number of spankings are increasing...).
• She loves to be chased.
• The girl opens presents like a champ.  Gift bags, wrapped boxes--she'll take either one.  Loves it!
• She is still the most beautiful and perfect little thing I have ever laid my eyes on.

Remember everything.  

They grow up too fast.

love, angie

Dear Arabella,

My sweet, precious gift--you are ONE year old today!  It's hard to believe that much time has already gone by since you entered our world with a bang.

You were 8 lbs and 11.5 ounces of pure perfection.  You still sleep sprawled out, which is the first position you took as soon as they laid you down after you were born.  You like your space.

It seems like only yesterday you were snuggled up, asleep on our shoulders and keeping mama up all through the night (thank the Lord above that I was finally able to watch Friends during those midnight encounters or else we might not have as good of a relationship...those first couple of months we rough, unimaginable, exhausting, and now cherished.)

Now you're trying to toddle about and strongly asserting your independence.

Things you are loving right now:

--MUSIC!  This isn't anything new, but the way you can wiggle and jiggle as you dance is priceless.  Any form of music catches your attention quickly.

--When daddy comes home from work.

--Baby dolls--you love to love on them.

--Opening and closing doors.

--Playing with the remotes! (even though you're not supposed to...)

--Sleeping.  Praise the Lord Jesus...  You definitely got mama's love of sleep.  Once we figured out your formula issues, you have slept so well--12 hours a night with big, long naps during the day.

--Digging through purses and bags, taking everything out.  Especially if you can get your hands on a container of wipes.  You can have one of those emptied in no time.

--Books.  You are starting to point out and recognize things on the pages.  You like interactive books the best, but you'll "read" anything...I love it.

--People!  From your church buddies to the strangers who oodle over you in the grocery store--you ham it up big time for them.  You're so friendly and will go to, play with, and smile at just about anybody.  I hope this is a trait you keep--you get it from your daddy.

--Your blanket and your bed.  You will finally snuggle up again and we are loving it.  There for a few months you couldn't stand to be held when you were tired (and you still don't fall asleep when you're held).  You want your binkie, your blanket, and your bed--and then you put yourself to sleep without a hitch.  We are so proud of you for that.  But those rare little moments that you'll lay on us for a little while are priceless and we crave them.

--Tech (and any other dog really).  Actually every dog you see is Tech, no matter size/breed/color/or even alive or in a book.  When you go outside with me to let him out, you jump and flap and just get so excited.  You also like to talk to him through the window.  Daddy loves that you love Tech so much.

--Being chased.  If you think someone is after you, you take off giggling and gasping...it's hilarious!

Things I want to remember:

--That cheesy little grin when it seems like your mouth cannot stretch any further in a smile.

--Your laugh.  It is my favorite sound in the world and it takes my mind off of anything wrong in my world.

--How you entertain yourself.  I love watching you explore your surroundings and figure out how things work.  You keep yourself occupied with your curiosity.

--Our sweet moments in the rocking chair when you wake up in the middle of the night.  Usually all it takes is snuggling up on my lap and getting a kiss and a song, and you drift back off into dreamland.

--Every. Little. Thing

You have made our lives so much better, more complete.  Our lives haven't "stopped" because of you, but instead have become so much fuller.  You're just such a cool kid.  We love watching you grow and change and learn.  It's so much fun to see the pieces of ourselves come back to life in you (most of the time...until our temper or stubbornness or independence pops up all too often...).  You have a shimmery personality and you light up any room that you're in.  You have taught me so much about myself.  I will fight for you, protect you, teach you, and love you as long as I live.  Daddy and I wrote our promises to you when you were born, and we plan to keep them.  You will always be our baby; our first born; our beautiful, blessed gift.  

From here...

newborn

three months

six months

nine months

to a year...

Happy birthday, sweet girl!  I love you more than you will ever know.

xoxo

love, mama